Hanging in the balance

Chapter 1

Ciara’s POV

Bang

The club door slammed shut behind me and I flinched, the sound startling me.

I held onto the purse like it was my only lifeline as I stood there staring at the crowd hanging around.

The club had never been my scene or a preferred place of choice but Lucas had insisted we meet here.

As always it was rowdy and loud and the air was thick with the smell of sweat mixed with perfume and alcohol.

People were grinding against each other or as they liked to call it, dancing.

Despite the fact that Lucas knew of my deep dislike for these kinds of places, he had picked it anyway for us to meet.

“Why Lucas? Why do you hate me so much?” I muttered to myself as I tried to make my way through the thong of people.

Lucas didn't care about me, was the simple conclusion I drew even as I pressed myself between two half naked ladies.

Or maybe he did, but that ended the day he slept with our friend Bella.

Although in his defence, cheating was legal and not at all bad when it was with one's mate.

I hadn't seen or heard from him or Bella since that night and it hurt because before that we had been inseparable.

Lucas had been the first friend I made when I moved to the Silver Moon Pack from my old pack.

Not so much as a call or a text or even.a run in at the supermarket either.

It had been radio silence since then. Well at least until today when he sent me a message asking to meet here by 7 o'clock.

“We need to talk,” the message had read and my heart had pounded hard wondering what he had to say to me.

He probably wanted to feed me with more excuses and more lies so I had been resolved to ignore it.

However curiosity had forced me to slip into this black dress that was currently sticking to my body and order a cab which brought me here.

So much had been left unsaid between us so I was hoping he'd answer all the questions I had.

How long had they been seeing each other behind my back?

Were they ever going to tell me if I hadn't caught them in the act?

I wasn't hurt because Bella was his mate, far from it. I was just incensed that they thought sneaking around had been the best way to go instead of coming out with the truth.

It would have hurt because I had began to like Lucas but I would have understood.

Mates were sacred in our world and they were the one person meant for you, like your soulmate.

Some rejected their mates for different reasons but I wouldn't have made Lucas do that to Bella because I loved them both and wanted them to be happy.

I would have stepped aside and cheered them on because I considered them to be important to me.

The music shook the ground as I walked, bumping into bodies as I tried to reach what I considered to be the safest part of the room - the wall.

The table he had asked me to wait at was at a corner and my shoulders sagged in relief as I slipped into a chair.

I wanted to be hidden and invisible because I didn't belong.

My eyes danced around the room as I sat down feeling uneasy even from the little safe haven the table provided.

Half-naked women danced on tables while men in tight shirts with wide grins on their faces watched them as if they were some kind of item on display.

Some of the men were old enough to be their fathers and it made my skin crawl as I watched the spectacle.

My phone pinged and I checked it hoping it was a message from Lucas but there was nothing.

Typical.

“Would you like a drink ma'am?” A waitress asked as she placed a tray filled with drinks in front of me.

I eyed them and shook my head. The one thing I wouldn't do in such a place was drink alcohol.

As an Omega, I was at the bottom of the food chain meaning I was an easy target for predators.

A drunk me was ever worse because I was uncontrollable and would be vulnerable to any form of attack.

Ignoring me, the waitress placed a glass of sparkling pink liquid in front of me.

I shook my head and used my finger to push it aside. “I said I don't want it. I don't drink alcohol.”

The music was quite loud but surely she could take a hint.

“It's not alcoholic ma'am don't worry. Master Lucas left strict orders.” she smiled brightly as she placed it back in front of me. “Enjoy your drink,”

She left afterwards and I sat there staring at the drink wondering if I could trust anything that was served here.

Even if Lucas had left instructions, did that mean the staff would listen? And what if some guy had roofied my drink?

Trust had always been a difficult thing for me and especially after what Lucas and Bella had done to me, who would find it strange that I was doubting what seemed to be a harmless drink?

Letting out a sigh, I picked up the drink and sniffed it. Nothing seemed off; if anything, nothing seemed off.

“Oh what the heck?” I took a sip and shook my head. “Well, that’s sweet.” And fruity.

My eyes drifted to the crowd where a commotion had broken out between two guys.

“I told you man, don't hit on my girl, what is your problem?” A tall bald guy said, standing in front of one of the half naked ladies.

“What's the matter man? She liked it.” another guy replied. He was a short guy with lots of hair, everywhere.

Ew.

“We were just having fun man, it's no big deal,”

The guy was still rambling on and on when a fiat flew and landed in his fist.

“What the hell man?”

All I could see were fists flying around as they took swings at each other.

The reason for the fight, the girl they had been fighting over, walked away with another guy after a while and I shook my head.

“This is why I hate clubs,” I muttered as I slipped from my drink again.

Feeling like I was being watched, I looked around and then my eyes landed on a tall guy dressed in all black who was sitting by the bar.

His eyes were hooded and I found it hard to tell what he was thinking.

I didn't feel creeped out by his look but I looked away, finding it strange.

I checked my phone again for a message from Lucas and sighed when there was still nothing.

“Damn you Lucas,” I cussed as I rose to my feet. The room around me began to spin and I felt dizzy. “What's happening to me?”

I felt high and a little drunk which was strange since I hadn't taken any alcohol.

Looking at the almost empty glass of the pink liquid on the table, I frowned.

“She didn't..she couldn't,” I reasoned but it was pretty clear.

Someone, either the waitress or a third party had roofied my drink.

I moved quickly, a little too quickly and felt myself falling forward.

“Waow, watch it,”

It was the stranger who had been staring at me from the bar.

“You okay?” He asked as he helped me stand straight.

I nodded and started walking forward.

“Do you need any help?” He yelled, trying to reach me above the music.

“Yes. I'm just going to use the bathroom,”

He didn't follow me.

I walked forward and then pushed open a door, hoping it led to the bathroom.

But it didn't.

Four men were standing inside the dim room. Their conversation died when they saw me.

One of them walked forward to recover me.

He grinned. “Lost, sweetheart?” he asked.

“I—I was looking for the bathroom,” I stammered, trying to back out.

One of the others stepped forward and grabbed my waist. “Nah, you found the right place.”

“Let go of me.” My voice was weak. Slurred. My arms felt like jelly.

He pulled me closer, his grip like iron. “You smell good,” he whispered against my neck.

Panic crawled up my throat. My body wasn’t listening. The drug was messing with me. I hated the way his hands roamed. I hated how helpless I felt.

Another guy grabbed my arm. “She’s cute. Real cute.”

“Let’s have some fun,” the first one said.

“No!” I shouted, but it came out more like a whimper.

They laughed.

Someone touched my chest. I tried to pull away, but more hands grabbed at me.

My dress tore slightly at the shoulder. I screamed again—this time louder.

“Sophia, please stop,” I pleaded but it fell on deaf ears so I stopped struggling.

Suddenly, the door of the room burst open.

“If none of you wants to lose a finger, I suggest you get your filthy hands off her,”

My shoulders sagged in relief as I recognised the voice of the guy from the bar.

“Who's this clown?” One of the men with me asked as he stepped away from me.

“Maybe he wants to join in on the fun.” Another one said and then turned to the stranger. “Hey, we can share, come on..”

“I said back off.” the stranger from the bar said before he lifted his leg and kicked the man closest to him in the stomach.

“Fuck!” He yelped as he collapsed to the floor in a heap.

“How dare you?” One of the other men said and lunged at him but the stranger from the bar was faster.

The guy holding me dropped to the floor, unconscious.

I blinked, barely able to focus since it was all happening so fast.

Two of the men charged at him at the same time, but they didn’t stand a chance. He moved fast—too fast for a human.

A few hits and they were down, groaning in pain. The last guy tried to run, but the stranger grabbed him and slammed him into the wall.

The guy whimpered before slumping to the ground like the rest of his buddies.

My knees gave out under me and I nearly fell to the ground but he caught me, his arms around me strong and steady.

“Hey, it's okay, you're okay,” he said softly brushing my hair back.

I knew I should have said something, heck I wanted to say something, to thank him but the drug was pulling me under, faster than quicksand.

“Easy princess, you're safe now,” he whispered as he lifted me into his arms.

“You're very cute,” I whispered and then everything went dark.