They found the common area that Brad had told them about with ease and as soon as Greyson spotted the small bar nestled in the corner of the room he quickened his pace and grabbed a bottle of whisky from the top shelf.
"Are you joining me?" He grunted as he rifled below the bar and produced two crystal-cut glasses and then frowned at them, as if something was missing.
"Sure," Allen shrugged, "It's about time we got to know each other a little better."
Greyson grunted again as he leaned down, the frown still etched on his brow as the sound of a fridge door could be heard opening from under the counter. Seconds later he produced a container full of ice with an almost smug smirk as he deposited it on the counter, and began loading the glasses.
"It seems like Brad is at least well prepared for guests in need of a stiff drink," Allen observed dryly as he took the glass from Greyson's outstretched hand and swirled it absentmindedly.
"It's too much of a coincidence," Greyson muttered as he put the ice back and slammed the door to the fridge, grabbing his drink and the entire bottle of whisky as he practically stomped across to one of the tables and threw himself into one of the black leather recliners that sat either side.
Allen sighed inwardly as he followed suit and took a seat on the opposite side of the table, that now sat between them.
"What is?" Allen asked curiously.
"The fact that my fucking brothers are here!" Greyson snarled as he then proceeded to down the contents of his glass and slammed the glass down onto the hard surface of the table.
Allen reached across for the bottle of whisky that sat between them and nonchalantly refilled Greyson's glass as his companion's furious gaze threatened to burn a hole into the wall opposite him.
"I had no idea that your relationship with your family was so difficult…nor that you were from such a prominent family," Allen started as Greyson's head snapped to the side to meet his gaze, "Nor am I going to pry. If you want to talk about it, then I'm all ears. If not, then…just don't let it eat you up inside, hmm?" He added as he picked the glass off the table and offered it to Greyson unbothered by the anger in his eyes.
He was fully aware of just how temperamental Lycans could be and Allen had decided not to take anything that Greyson did personally. Quite honestly, Allen was amazed that he had only gotten into one fight with Greyson back at the Enclave and curiously had emerged the victor.
It wasn't that he was stronger than him, he knew full well that in terms of brute strength, Greyson could have snapped his neck easily, which meant that on some level, Greyson already had a far greater degree of restraint than most Lycans that he had encountered.
Allen turned away from him and allowed his gaze to travel around the common area they were seated in, noting that although lavishly decorated, it was refined and elegant without being distasteful or brash.
He heard the telltale movement of the leather as it protested noisily as Greyson settled back with a huff and as the electrifying tension in the air dissipated, Allen felt a little wave of triumph wash through him.
He hoped that he wouldn't always have to feel like he was treading on eggshells around him, but that would take time. Until then, he was perfectly happy to sit in silence and just have the both of them learn to be comfortable in each other's company.
"You don't think there's any possibility that Alpha Brad engineered this…confrontation?" Greyson ground out finally as he took another sip of his whisky and silently appreciated the subtle fire that spread through him and dulled his anger ever so slightly.
"It's doubtful," Allen shrugged as he pursed his lips thoughtfully, "As you already pointed out, what would he know about the Lycan Royals? No offense, but your race is insular at best so I would doubt very much that word of your disagreements could have spread beyond your kingdom."
"That's if he doesn't have connections inside the royal court," Greyson grunted as he took another sip and pulled his lips back in a grimace of appreciation.
"Is it really that bad?" Allen asked with a slight frown as Greyson barked a humorless laugh in response.
"One day I will tell you the full story Allen, I owe you at least that. But right now, the merest thought of my family's savage little games and their petty rivalries and sinister intent is doing nothing but provoking my anger." He answered bitterly and then sighed heavily, "I promised myself that I would never be like them and sink to their level."
Allen wasn't quite sure what to say as he didn't know the entirety of the situation just yet, but he was definitely intrigued.
"So, what do you know about this Brad as a person? All I've heard are the rumors about your Alpha Queen and him." Greyson asked with a tone that let Allen know it was more of a distraction from the previous subject of conversation that made him ask, rather than any desire to learn more about him.
Allen smiled softly as he decided to answer him, after all, he deserved to know the history too.
"It's a long story, but I'll explain everything that I know…although I'm sure Lexi will be able to do so in even greater detail. She has known Ann since they were children and they pretty much grew up together."
Greyson listened intently as Allen told him everything that he knew. His face seemed to morph through a mixture of emotions as he listened in disbelief at everything that had happened between them.
When Allen had finally finished regaling him with Ann's life so far and the intricacies of her relationships, Greyson let out a long breath.
"That's…pretty intense." He marveled, "To be honest, it almost rivals the maneuvering behind the scenes in the Lycan court."
Allen debated whether or not to ask him to elaborate, but Greyson continued before he could ask.
"I am curious though," Greyson mused, "Ann certainly doesn't seem the type to forgive and forget, so why would she let him off the hook so easily?"
Allen laughed.
"I think it's more that she felt sorry for his wolf in all honesty," Allen answered, "The fact that Brad wasn't acting willingly and was under the influence of Narcissa and Ada's magick had a lot to do with it as well. She was pissed that he put himself in the situation that Ada was close enough to seduce him, but his wolf had always fought for their bond, it was his human nature that lost them their ultimate prize at the end of the day." Allen explained with a smile.
Greyson nodded thoughtfully and opened his mouth to ask another question, but his words died in his throat as a muffled scream pierced the air around them.
Both Allen and Greyson stood quickly and shared a look that both of them understood almost instantly.
"Lexi." They both swore at the same time as they barreled down the corridor in the direction that her bone-chilling scream had come from.