CHAPTER 6

ALEXANDER VON SINCLAIR

ALEXANDER PACED THE length of his office angrily. His body itched, and that reflected in his mood. In the far corner of his office and shrouded by slight darkness, his brother, Joram Von Sinclair, sat lounging lazily on a couch with a cup of whiskey in hand.

Alexander cast a long look at Joram, then he scoffed and walked to the window, looking out at the dusk of the city’s skyline. His office was located on one of the tallest skyscrapers in the commercial district of town, so even though time was far gone, he could still see the last winks of the sunset.

“You know that your pacing isn’t helping,” Joram said coolly from where he sat.

Alexander looked at his brother, fighting the primal urge to throw him from the window. He scoffed and turned away before he gave in to his primal instinct.

Joram stood up and walked towards Alex. “Whiskey takes the edge off,” he said, stretching out his hand.

Alex gave a disgruntled look at the glass for a long second, then he collected it and drained it in one gulp. “Whiskey takes the edge off… that used to be 100 years ago.” He sucked in a deep breath and growled as he pulled off the tie from his neck. He unbuttoned the first two buttons of his shirt as he sat down heavily on his seat.

Joram brought the bottle and placed it on the table. “One glass might not take the edge off, but I am fairly certain that the whole bottle would.”

Alex snorted. He unbuttoned another button, revealing his upper chest. His skin was red and inflamed – and designed with a very intricate design of tattoos. “I know what I need.” He growled. “And it is not alcohol.” He stormed out of the office angrily.

Joram sighed, rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands, and then followed. As they got to the elevator, Alex's phone rang. He brought it out of his pocket, looked at the caller ID, and released a very long hiss.

“Who is it?” Joram asked.

Without saying a word, Alex handed the phone to his brother, who glanced at the caller ID and chuckled. “What, you don’t want to pick it?” He ended the call and dipped the phone into his breast pocket. “So you don’t want alcohol… and you also don’t want the company of a woman. And not just any woman… it's Lucia. Your Lucia.”

“She is not my Lucia,” Alex growled.

“Hmm,” Joram nodded with a knowing smirk on his face.

“She is not my mate,” Alex growled again.

Joram sighed, “Surely you have been in this world long enough to know that we don’t have the privilege like werewolves do.” The elevator door opened to an underground garage, and they walked out. “You even have it better than most of us.”

“I’m sure I do,” Alex snorted, rolling up his sleeves to reveal more angry red tattoos.

Joram sobered and nodded. HEe dropped the subject.

They got into a sporty Corvette and drove out. “I am going to spend the night in the cabin tonight,” Alex said as he merged with the traffic.

“What?” Joram asked. His eyes went wide with alarm. “Alek, Do you remember what happened the last time…”

“I remember, brother,” Alex said, rubbing his hands on the steering wheel as he swerved through the traffic. “But that was a long time ago,” he continued. “I'm sure nothing is going to happen now.”

“I am coming with you,” Joram said in a strong voice that did not leave any space for argument, so Alex nodded and agreed.

*********

ALEXANDER COULD IMMEDIATELY feel better as he stood in front of the cabin, looking at the thick woods. He was barefoot, his toes dug into the soft earth. The feeling of nature further appeased his raging beast.

The last time he had been here, almost 40 years ago, his beast had gotten the better of him and –

“You look at peace here, Alek,” Joram said, cutting into his thoughts.

“I feel much better,” he replied.

“You should come and visit the clan,” Joram said. “That might be another reason your beast is agitated now.”

Alex shook his head. “That is not why, and you know it.” He turned away and walked into the small, cozy cabin. He tossed some wood into the fireplace and sat down on a rocking chair.

“Don’t sleep off,” Joram muttered.

Alex chuckled. “I know better than that,”

When he slept, his body became vulnerable, and his beast could take over at any time, wreaking havoc on whatever it came across. It had happened before, and Alex did not have any intentions of letting it happen again.

“So… Lucia…”

“What about her?” Alex asked.

“What do you mean ‘what about her?’” Joram snorted. “Aren’t you two a thing?”

“She wishes,” Alex said.

Suddenly his peaceful demeanor was gone. He stood up restlessly; Joram's eyes followed his movement as he stalked to the window and looked at the dark shadows and trees.

“Is there someone out there?” Joram asked.

Alex did not reply because he did not have a reasonable answer. He knew there was someone out there, but he did not see, hear, or even scent the person. The feeling was like a gut instinct from his heart. He frowned, squinting deeper in the shadows.

There is something or someone out there… His beast could feel it.

Without thinking, Alex walked out of the cabin and rushed headfirst into the woods.