We went to the club for drinks. Abel and I stepped inside and found our friends by one of the high tables. Creek was sitting on one of the high chairs, River standing next to them, and they were chatting.

It just bothered me. They were too close, and it just bothered me. I didn't trust River with my friend at all and I saw how Creek looked at him. They were all smitten, and it was so obvious. River must've known.

"What do you want?" Abel asked and handed me the menu.

"Whatever you're having," I said and tried to plaster on a smile as we joined our friends. I sat down next to Creek in the high chairs and sent River a look. He smirked back.

"Hey, how'd it go?" I asked, trying to shake the staring wolf's gaze off me.

"Really well. Healthy as a clam and all. Gonna do it all from home now, which is nice. It takes like an hour to get to the hospital and an hour to get back home again, so it's nice not having to do that anymore."

"I can imagine," River chimed in. He raised his glass. "To doing your own shots."

Creek smiled widely and clinked their glass against River's.

"Also, thanks for coming!" Creek said and turned his attention back to me. "I'm glad you could... You know... And you didn't have other plans."

"Why would he have other plans? He literally only has like four friends and you're one of them." River sounded so snide, and I wasn't sure where that was coming from.

"It's four more than you," I said and flipped him off.

He laughed out loud and took a healthy swig of his drink. Didn't seem like he even wanted to bother with a response to that. Which was annoying. Now I kind of just looked like a dick.

"I'm your friend, River," Creek said then and glanced at me. "So, I guess you've got one."

"I have more than one friend, Creek, but thanks," River replied and looked over his shoulder as Abel approached. "Abel's my friend too."

"Since when?" Abel asked and arched a brow at the blond. He handed me my drink and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek.

I loved my boyfriend. I did not say that enough. I loved my boyfriend a whole lot.

"Aw come on, man, you hurt me." River grabbed the front of his shirt very dramatically, as if Abel had shot him.

"Uh huh," Abel just said and turned his attention to Creek. "I'm so happy for you. No more dumb drives." He smiled widely, fangs showing. His eyes also changed size behind the aviators.

"Thanks," Creek said and smiled back, eyes almost disappearing behind the rising cheeks. "Happy you could be here for the celebration."

"Literally always, mate." Abel slid the aviators up on his head and looked back at me. "It's good to celebrate all the wins we can get."

I nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I agree. This is nice."

Fred, Tasha and Cal came back from the bar and joined us, before anyone could say some dumbass thing to ruin the good mood. That 'anyone' being River. I could almost see him itching to say something.

"Hey Gael! Tell your boyfriend to help carry drinks next time," Fred said and put a whole tray of... Well, the whole bar, it looked, down on the table.

"He doesn't do anything I tell him to," I said fake-apologetically and shrugged.

Cal put another tray on the table and then jumped up on the high bench across from the high chairs Creek and I were occupying. Or she didn't really have to jump like Creek, and I did to get up there. She actually just had to sit. Looked like these seats were actually a lot more comfortable for her.

"It's alright. We just got a bit of everything," Cal said and waved her hand at the many different cocktails. "I was told we needed to not be alive tomorrow so." She shrugged a shoulder.

"Which is impossible as Cal doesn't get hang-overs," Fred said and grimaced at her girlfriend.

Cal shrugged. "Not my fault my body's metabolism is that high."

"Is that it? Is that why you don't get hangovers?" I asked and bit down on my metal straw.

"I reckon it is. No one in my family gets hangovers."

"Speaking of family, your brothers coming?" River asked then.

"Nah, man, this isn't their scene. They're more into the dive bar."

River grimaced. "Who doesn't like a club?"

"People who don't like clubs, I reckon," Cal replied and tilted her head to the side. River rolled his eyes for the billionth time within ten minutes.

"Whatever, wanna go dance?" he asked and held his hand out to Creek.

"Uh, yeah!" Creek said, their voice cracking. He cleared his throat and looked up at River, as if they were waiting for him to comment on it. River was on his way to the dance floor though and was way too busy to comment on Creek's voice.

Creek noticed me watching him though and their cheeks turned darker before they went after River to the dance floor.

"He's a little weird, huh," Cal noted then with a low voice.

"Something's just off about that guy," I said and stretched a little, to look over the crowd and maybe catch a glimpse at the people dancing. More specifically Creek and River.

"I don't know if he's off or what it is, but he seems blatantly... Ignorant. Sometimes. Like why would my very straight brothers be here?" She glanced down at me and then took a sip of her beer. With all the cocktails on the table, she had chosen a beer. I couldn't help but snort a little at that.

"Maybe he knows your brothers are supportive?"

"Supportive yeah, but they're not gonna come here where they could be hit on by a huge dude, you know?"

I nodded. I knew. Cal's brothers were very straight. Sure, they had some flags hanging in their garage, but they were not about to join the culture anytime soon.

"There's something else. Like he's... I don't know how to explain it. Sometimes I like him, sometimes I don't."

"Sounds like me and my brothers," Cal said then.

I frowned up at her. "What has he told you?"

"You just confirmed something's up with the two of you. Anyways, you smell similar. Like siblings. Siblings always carry something similar in their scents."

I groaned out loud, making Abel look at me. He had been chatting with Tasha and Fred.

"What's up?" he asked, grabbing my hand, and threading his fingers in between mine.

"Cal knows about me and River, I guess."

"Ah. Well, I don't know why you'd keep a secret anyways." Abel shrugged.

"What is it?" Tasha asked and looked from me to Cal to Abel.

"River and I were bitten by the same wolf. We have the same maker."

"Ah, right. So?" Fred asked, looking like a big question mark.

"I don't know what it means really. Not yet. But I know we're connected in some ways. Cal says we smell similar and that doesn't surprise me. I don't know. I just feel weird."

"Is that why you're so weird around him?" Tasha asked. "Because you're super weird."

"I guess?" I shrugged and took another sip of my drink. "To be honest, I don't wanna think about it. I wanna get shitfaced and be a regular person for a bit." I jumped down from the chair and hauled my boyfriend to the dancefloor after having downed my cocktail. Abel chuckled and pulled me close the second we hit the dancefloor.

I wanted to be carefree and not think and just lose myself in my boyfriend, but I kept finding myself glancing over at River. Only until Abel put his hands on my cheeks and smiled down at me.

"Hey, focus on me. I want attention." He bent down and pressed his lips to mine. I was about to drop to my knees because fuck me, the way he kissed me wasn't really a kiss we did a lot in public. It wasn't the sweet kind of kiss. It was the kind where he held me fast, and almost sucked life out of me.

He punctured my lip with his fang and ran his tongue over it immediately, sealing the wound. He was such a fucking tease. I grabbed his shirt and pulled him closer, moving my body to the rhythm of the music. Mostly just the bass that hammered through the room, hitting me straight in the stomach.

This was my scene. This was my home. There was something about dancing with someone as gorgeous as Abel in a place like this. It felt nostalgic but at the same time, it felt entirely different because I was going home with this gorgeous boy tonight and every other night after this too. He was sleeping in my bed every night. He awoke in my house every morning. He cooked me breakfast. Drove me to school in his ridiculous car. Talked my ears off about underwater wildlife and all the reserves we were going to visit the coming vacations.

And I loved that. I loved everything about it.

I grabbed the back of his neck and got his face down to mine again, kissing him as I pressed my body to his. He put his hands on my ass, squeezing it. I laughed against his lips, but it couldn't be heard over the loud music. He kissed his way down my jaw and down to my throat. I was lost. Entirely lost. Especially as his teeth pierced my throat and he almost inhaled my blood for only a second, before neatly closing the wound up again. I was sure I made a dumbass sound but thank fuck for that loud music.

I opened my eyes, trying to find something to focus on in the crowd as Abel kept kissing my throat, teasingly nibbling at my skin without breaking it. River was looking straight at us, not even dancing anymore. I blinked but had a hard time focusing because of the high. The light went out for a second and then it came back on, and he was right next to us. He grabbed Abel and pushed him away, grabbing the top of my arm and hauling me off the dancefloor.

I didn't really have much of a choice but to follow considering River was at least twenty centimetres taller than me and probably ten kilos heavier. At least. We made it outside, into one of the back alleys, and I finally pulled my arm out of his grasp.

"The fuck you doing?" I growled, rubbing my arm. He had really been digging his fingers in.

"Feeding on you, mate? He's feeding on you?"

I scratched my ear, trying to get that humming sound out of it. "Uh yeah, so?"

"What the actual fuck?" Abel said as he made it outside too. "You alright?" he asked me and was by my side in seconds, gently holding the arm River had grabbed.

"This is your new drug, huh." River threw his arms out to Abel. "That's what you do. That's your whole thing isn't it."

"I've got no clue what the fuck you're on about?" I said, the cool air clearing my head a little. "Do you have a problem with me?" Abel asked, tipping his chin up.

"Yes, I have a fucking problem with you. One of our best and brightest is a fucking blood-bag."

"I don't like the sound of that," I said with a cool voice. "Who the fuck are you even? Who are you to judge what we do? Literally, tell me who the fuck you think you are."

River looked from me to Abel, his chest bouncing up and down. "That's a fucking disgrace and you know it. You're the fucking leader and you're letting this leech take your blood."

"Leech?" I said, so fucking done. "Did you just call my boyfriend a leech?" I took a step forward. "Repeat that. I don't think I heard you right. Repeat it."

River clenched his jaw and took a bunch of shallow breaths. I could feel my teeth and fingers burn, the wolf just waiting to be let free.

"I... I don't think it's right he's..." River stopped and looked up at Abel again, before he shook his head. "I didn't say anything."

"I didn't fucking think so. Go. Home." I growled; my voice much deeper than it usually was.

"What's going on, guys?" Tasha asked and made her way into the alley, looking from me to River.

"River doesn't feel well, so he's going home. Right?" I said coolly, without taking my eyes off the blond wolf.

He clenched his jaw and fists and fucking finally looked down at the ground. "Yeah, I was going home."

"Then go home," Tasha said and titled her head to the side, narrowing her eyes. "Doesn't feel like Gael wants you here."

River shook his head and buried his hands in his pockets, before making his way out of the alley.

I took a deep breath and took a shivering step back. I was panting hard, and sounds became too much. Everything became too much. Abel circled his arms around me, pressing one ear to his chest, covering the other with his arm.

My knees buckled and we went down to the ground. Abel made sure the trip down was easy and painless though. We had tried this so many times. When the wolf was too close to taking over, it'd bombard me with sounds. Especially if I didn't let it out. It hated being teased with a possible run and then nothing. What it didn't get was that I didn't always have full control over when I poked it. I did it accidentally sometimes. Like in high stress moments like this one, where I was squaring off with a much bigger wolf.

"It's alright," Tasha said with the softest voice ever. "I know how this feels. Focus on my voice."

Abel eased up on his grip a little. Tasha kept talking, telling me to take deep breaths. I followed her instructions and soon the wolf relaxed. I wondered if he had been scared too. I had been a little scared. I hated confrontations and this had been a huge one.

"What was up with River?" Tasha asked after a while.

"I don't fucking know. He was ranting about me feeding on Gael," Abel said with a groan and leaned back against the wall behind him, pulling me with him.

"I don't know why he was so angry either," I said and glanced up at him. "You heard of anything like that before?"

"I mean..." My boyfriend sighed and rubbing his eye, nodding. "Yeah, I've heard of some not liking how we... Feed. On those we love."

Tasha frowned. "Not like it's anyone's business?" she said.

"No," Abel said with a soft voice. "No, it's not anyone's business. I got carried away though. In the club. It was dumb. I thought I had it under control but apparently not him."

"What do you mean?" I asked and pulled out from his embrace so I could see him better.

"Well... I can manipulate my surroundings. Make someone look away for a second. Make them step out of my way." He looked up to the sky as he was explaining.

"I fucking knew it!" I almost shrieked and jumped to my feet, pointing at my boyfriend. "I knew you could do that! I knew it!"

Abel laughed and shook his head, pulling his gaze from the sky. "Yeah, I figured you must've been suspicious that in every crowd, people just move out of our way."

I laughed a weird laugh and grabbed Abel's hand, hauling him back on his feet.

"Anyways, I got people to look away, but not River, apparently. He saw what was supposed to be a private moment. I don't know how he avoided the manipulation." Abel slid his hands into the pockets of his slightly distressed black jeans.

"But that's what he was so angry about?" Tasha asked.

"Uh, yeah," I said. "I didn't really ask him to explain himself. I got angry instead."

"I know. I could feel it in the club. I felt a pull and had to come check out what was happening." She gathered up all her braids and piled them on top of her head with one hand, fanning her neck with the other. "Felt super weird."

"Maybe it's because Gael's the alpha," Abel said with a teasing smirk.

"Oh god, don't start that shit again. I've already told you, there's no such thing," I groaned and started walking to end of the alley.

"Maybe there totally is considering you just totally did a wolf-call to your pack."

"My pack of one?" I asked and motioned to Tasha.

She let go of her braids and in a dramatic motion they managed to hit me in the face. "As if I'm not enough for you."

I rubbed my cheek theminute Tasha had turned around again, following Abel out of the alley. I didn'twant her to see that it actually hurt.