Chapter 20: Chapter 20

The five of us made our way through the darkness and while Jo and Ethan walked behind us like lovers, Jayden walked between me and Samira. I was fine. Mate or not, she was kind of clingy and that could be really confining.

"What do you actually like to do?" Jayden asked the blonde, who was immediately happy that someone was paying attention to her.

"I like to sing and dance," she beamed at him and began to turn in a circle like a ballerina.

"Then going to a party is just the right thing for you," Jayden laughed and she joined in his laughter.

"You definitely found a good dance partner in Chace," Ethan interjected from behind, who immediately got a slap on the arm from Josephine.

"At least he dares to dance, not like you," she grinned cheekily at him, and it really did me good that everyone was in such a nice, relaxed mood. It distracted me.

Arriving at the Wialtrama, we chatted briefly with Eddie about the gossip and then walked in one by one to sit down at one of the front tables, except for Ethan, who stayed.

"What do you want to drink?" he asked the group and while we boys wanted a bottle of whiskey, the girls wanted to share a bottle of sparkling wine.

Ethan disappeared to the bar and I took a look around the whole store. The music was good as always, but it wasn't as busy as usual. A few women were frolicking on the dance floor in the middle, drifting along amusedly to the music, while a few older men sat at the bar and watched the women go on they moved rhythmically.

Next to us at the table, I noticed two unknown men who had apparently had a good drink and kept staring at Jo and Samira insistently. I didn't like the blonde being stared at like she was a piece of meat, so I pulled her chair closer to mine and put my arm around her shoulders, making her smile.

I looked away from the guys again and Ethan was already putting the drinks on the table. He sat down opposite me and apparently immediately noticed the looks from the next table, because he also pulled Jo close to himself and showed everyone that she was only his.

"I don't like that there are so many new faces here," Ethan growled softly and took a sip of his drink. I just nodded to him and Jayden now turned around to look around curiously.

"Just ignore them," said Jo, clinking glasses with Samira.

We drank in silence for a while while enjoying the music and the place slowly filled up and then suddenly I saw her coming through the curtain. I immediately noticed her smile and when I saw her hand in Alec's I instantly felt so hot I thought I was going to throw up. That was not all. She was wearing his jacket around her body and it suddenly seemed so strange to me.

"Does she always have to show up here when we're here?" I heard Samira say annoyed next to me, who immediately snuggled closer to me. I guess I wasn't the only one who noticed Lou and now the others were also looking at her as she walked towards the bar with Alec laughing.

"It's not up to us, she always drank a lot before," Ethan said to Samira and immediately got a dig from Jo.

"Stop talking about her! She's my child's godmother and to be honest, I couldn't have endured everything that happened to her without having a drink," Jo said and Samira and Ethan immediately shut up. Inside I was grateful.

"Be right back."

Jayden stood up facing his sister and walked over to her. I watch the scenery. Watched him fight with his sister again until Alec said he had to get off his stool.

I really wanted to know what was going on, but Samira pulled my face in her direction to unexpectedly put her lips on mine. I didn't want to, wanting to steer my gaze back to the bar, but I let her distract me and briefly release my obsession.

It wasn't until she let go of me and looked into my eyes for a moment that I averted my gaze from the blonde and saw Jayden walking towards us angrily and Lou in the background, who eyed me intensely before turning back to Alec.

Samira's kiss was a little distraction, but it didn't stay in my head for a long time and I still turned to her again. It was the best I could do at that moment.

Alec pulled me through the curtains by his hand and immediately the music pounded in my ears as he turned to face me.

"Would you like to dance?" he grinned and I laughed and shook my head.

"I'd rather have a drink first, I'm too shy to be sober."

I looked at him and he smiled at me in fascination.

"So there's still a poet in you."

He turned back to the bar and together we ran to her to sit on two of the stools.

"Tequila?" he asked, raising his eyebrow in amusement. I nodded at him with a smile, but the smile on my lips disappeared when suddenly Jayden stood between us.

"Can you actually do anything else but drink here? Your godparents don't even know who you are anymore!" he growled at me while I looked at him in shock. Alec looked from the waiter to me and I saw hatred in the depths of his sea.

"Are you even listening to me?"

"Yes, I heard you!" I snapped back at him. "If you want, you can bring them to me at any time! I will not enter a house where Chace and his girlfriend stay every day."

He rolled his ice blue eyes in annoyance and took a step closer to me.

"What happened to you? The others are making fun of you and I have to sit and listen. You should be ashamed."

He spoke the words with such contempt that it sent shivers down my spine and made me want to cry, but I stifled my rising pain.

"Enough," Alec stood up and I averted my gaze from my brother, who was still staring at me angrily. He didn't pay any attention to Alec but just disappeared back towards the tables and that's when my eyes met Chace who was about to make out with the blonde. It wasn't until they broke away that his eyes met mine, but I immediately turned back to Alec, whose chest was shaking with anger.

"Jayden is always like that. He's just worried," I tried to calm him down and luckily he sat back down on his stool and I could see his breathing slowly becoming even again. It was only then when he turned back to the waiter that I glanced at the others again to realize that Chace only had eyes for the blonde and they were all laughing and enjoying themselves.

I looked again at Alec, who was handing me my tequila, then turned to the waiter.

"The whole bottle, please."

I quickly downed the shot in my hand and noticed Alec's concerned look at me, but he said nothing and just let me go.

An hour had barely passed before the alcohol started to take effect and unwanted feelings came up again with it. The more alcohol rushed through my blood, the more I looked over at Chace, who seemed to be enjoying himself more and more with the blonde from my point of view.

"Are you alright?" Alec snapped me out of my thoughts and I gave him a drunken grin. My anger at everything made me unable to think straight and I put my hand on his cheek.

"Yes, but please take me home."

He drank the rest of his water, then got up and gave me his hand to walk out of the club with me. It wasn't until I was all but gone through the curtain that Chace looked over at me, but I avoided his gaze and let the black-haired man in front of me pull me into the cold.

The cold air was good for me, but I was also really dizzy when I walked across the road to the forest.

"Wait a minute," I begged Alec, leaning against a tree for a moment. He eyed me with a smile and immediately picked me up in his strong arms.

"Did someone have one too many?" he asked provocatively and I snuggled into your chest without answering and clutched at his sweater.

I closed my eyes and felt like I was sitting on a carousel in the dark. Only his smell didn't allow me to slip away from reality and then I noticed with relief that he dropped me off in front of the hut.

I looked up at him and reached into my pocket with one hand for my key, which he immediately took from me to open the door himself.

"Thank you," I whispered and walked ahead of him into the house, which was dark. Only the moon shone through the windows, making it possible to make out the outlines of the furniture.

I heard the front door close behind me, his slow footsteps towards me, and just as I was about to turn around, I felt his arms around my waist and his lips on the back of my neck. My heart was beating faster and I closed my eyes as he slowly began to take off his jacket. I savored the feeling he made me feel at that moment and thanked the alcohol I was too foggy to think about anything else.

"You're driving me crazy, Lou," he whispered into my ear, goosebumps spreading up my arms as his hands slowly moved up from my hips to gently stroke my breasts.

I let my head fall back against his chest with a low moan and he immediately pushed my hair aside to greedily caress my neck.

"I'll make you mine now," he breathed, and my eyes widened in shock, knowing what that meant.