Lucas' POV
The Green Point bar stank of sweat and spilled whiskey. I watched the girl's throat work as she gulped the beer, amber liquid dripping down her chin like stolen honey. Her knuckles whitened around the glass. Thirsty little thing. Starving in ways I couldn't name.
"Did you...enjoy the beer?" I asked.
"It tastes like piss, but I'm thirsty," she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.
"And did you enjoy today?" The question tasted rusty. Leah's ghost perched on the barstool between us, her hollow socket accusing me.
The girl's shoulders hitched first. Silent sobs shook her frame, tears plinking into her empty glass. My chest tightened - that old reflex, that ancient guilt.
"What's going on? Did I do something wrong?" I held her hand and asked.
"It's just..." Her voice cracked like autumn leaves underboot. "Feels like the first real day. Like I've been sleepwalking till now. I've never been out for a proper date like this with a man... I don't have the memory of the past, but I can say that today must be the best day in my life..."
A sharp sourness emerged in my chest.
I've never taken my Leah on a proper date either.
Since the full moon ceremony when I'd confirmed Leah as my mate, I'd been a mess. Just taking over my father's pack and losing my Beta Basil, I'd been swamped with affairs. I'd taken Leah's love for granted, never really giving her the love she deserved. But strangely, as I thought about it this time, my chest didn't hurt as before. It was as if the girl in front of me filled the void that the Moon Goddess had carved out when she took my heart.
A thousand of questions flashed past my mind -
Who's this girl? What connection did this girl have with Leah? How could she make me feel so alive and powerful? Why did her mere presence seem to heal me like magic?
The bartender's rag screeched across the counter. Frank's gnarled hands stilled when our eyes met.
"Alpha freakin' Lucas! Son of a bitch! You're still alive!" Frank stretched out his arms and gave me a bear hug. "When did you get out?!"
"I've been out for a while," I said, walking with him to the counter.
"And you come to visit an old man like me," Frank held my arm in his. "So tell me, what can I do for you?"
"I need a place where I can train some soldiers. Dieogo used to have a place..."
"No worries. Everything is still intact and everything is at your disposal," Frank said.
"How's Diego recently?" I asked and watched his throat bob.
"Haven't seen my boy since the resistant army was naturalized by Alpha Finn." Frank's face darkened. "I know he's your half-brother, but to be honest, I don't trust that gigolo. I have an instinct, but Diego didn't listen to me. You know how they say you feel when a pup dies? That...emptiness in the den?"
"I understand, Frank. Leave it to me. I'll find your son and bring him back," I gently patted his shoulder.
"Thank you, Alpha Lucas," the old man said in a trembling voice. "I used to work with your father and I know I can trust you."
At that time, the girl giggled. High. Bright. Very wrong.
Four uniforms closed in like vultures scenting blood. I let them circle. Let their fingers graze her hair. Jorah tensed at my shoulder, but I raised two fingers. Wait.
"Ah, those guys again," Frank sighed. "They're always here, asking troubles for themselves. Is that girl with you? Don't worry, Alpha Lucas, I'll let my boys escort them out."
I took a slow sip of my beer. "Everything that's broken will be on my account, just watch."
"Are you sure?" Frank opened his eyes wide. "Those are well-trained military guys. They'll punch that little bird into pulps..."
Wood splintered. A soldier flew backward, his nose blooming crimson. With a speed that defied her drunk state, she lashed out. One moment, the soldiers were standing over her; the next, they were on the floor, the table they'd been leaning on toppling with them.
She laughed. A wild, broken sound. Then, she swayed atop the wrecked table, barefoot and dangerous. "C'mon, stand up! You wanna a piece of me?!" Her slurred laugh cut through the sudden silence.
Some other soldiers were too intimidated to make any moves.
She stared at the bluntly and asked, "How about you?! Do you want to have some fun?"
The soldiers stepped backward.
The girl looked around the bar. "Who else wants to have a round with me? Come on! Let me skin you into rugs!"
The bar fell silent. Frank's mouth hung open, and everyone in the place just stared, stunned.
Just as she started to slip off the table, I moved. I calmly approached and caught her firmly, pulling her into my arms. She smelled of beer, blood, and something sweet.
Jorah stepped forward and leered at the soldiers. His boot connected with a groaning soldier's ribs. "Do you know who she is?"
The soldiers' eyes went wide when they recognized me. They quickly scrambled to their feet and started stuttering apologies.
Everyone was staring at me as I tossed Frank a card. "Everyone's drink on me tonight."
The bar erupted in cheers, which curdled in my throat.
I looked down at the girl in my arms. Her breath warmed my collar, smelling of hops and something older - temple incense, maybe. Divine. Deadly.
Her eyes were black pools, reflecting no light. No past. No promises.
Yet my pulse steadied with her weight against me.
At that moment, all I heard was the quiet - the absence of Leah’s ghost, her whispers finally drowned out by this nameless girl's ragged breath.
What are you? I thought, pressing my palm to the girl’s feverish brow. And why do you heal what the Moon Goddess destroyed?