Chapter 7

I spent the rest of the day lounging about, horrifically bored. I gave Viktor a break with the teasing, fully planning on resuming once I dressed for the party.

I wasn't dressing to impress anyone else, just Viktor. I wanted to see if he could keep his emotionless gaze when he saw what I was planning to wear.

Caroline knocked on my bedroom door around 8:30 p.m. Viktor stepped inside my room as Caroline entered and leaned against the wall.

"Um, is he going to stay in here?" Caroline glanced at me, a confused look on her face.

I chuckled and shook my head, "As long as you're here, he is."

"I'm no threat to Arabella, but you on the other hand." Caroline smirked at Viktor, whose gaze was solely focused on me.

I rolled my eyes. Once we got to the party she'd set her sights on some other poor victim and leave my bodyguard alone. "Come on Caroline, pick out a dress."

We walked into the giant walk-in closet I rarely used and I pulled my dress from one of the many racks.

"So much clothes." Caroline gasped, running her fingers along each piece.

I chuckled, "One of the perks. There are downsides too y'know."

"Oh please, I would love to be in your position." Caroline sighed dreamily.

I shrugged, "It always seems better from the outside."

Caroline turned and raised her eyebrow at me, "Don't go all Shannon on me. She's usually the one to say some philosophical shit like that."

I smirked, "Maybe we could learn a thing or two from Shannon."

"You're one hundred percent correct, but don't you dare tell her I said that." Caroline scowled and pointed a finger at me.

I laughed, "I don't have to, she probably already knows."

"I swear her and her mom are psychic or something. They always know your business without anyone telling them." Caroline grimaced as she went through my dresses.

I grabbed a pair of strappy black heels and nodded, "You're right about that. I'll be in the bathroom doing my make-up." And with that I left the closet.

Viktor followed me to the bathroom, but kept his distance. He stood just outside of the bathroom and leaned against the wall.

My Mom would often tell me that quiet people have the most interesting thoughts. Quiet people were the ones who saw the world for what it truly was, and could often see through bullshit instantly. I wondered if Viktor fit into that category.

As vain as it sounded, I wasn't used to doing full glamour make-up by myself. My Dad would usually have a team of women come to the mansion and tend to my hair and make-up. I kept the make-up simple tonight. I swiped on some eyeliner and added a small wing, then swiped on some mascara. I was never one for the whole foundation, cover-up and all of that. The process confused me and I always ended up messing it up.

I was at a loss with my hair. I never cared for the fancy up-do's, so I let my hair flow down my back in raven colored waves.

I slipped on my dress and looked myself over in the mirror. The dress was black and quite short. The lace-like material clung to my skin and showed off every curve. The neckline dipped incredibly low, yet managed to completely cover my full breasts. Finally, I slipped on my strappy black heels.

"We look hot." Aela's smug voice ran through my mind.

I giggled, and I couldn't help but agree with her. "We definitely do."

"Let's see him try to resist us now." Aela snickered.

I smirked back at my cocky wolf, "Oh he'll try, but he won't be able to this time."

I almost jumped as Caroline stepped into the bathroom and looked me up and down.

"Damn girl. You clean up nice." Caroline nodded, a small smirk playing on her lips.

I rolled my eyes, "We've known eachother my entire life. Why do you always sound so surprised?"

"Because I know your make-up skills are lacking." Caroline giggled.

I gave Caroline a playful glare and exited the bathroom. I wanted to see Viktor's reaction while Caroline was busy getting ready. He'd definitely hide his potential reaction if Caroline was present.

I slipped out of the bathroom and locked eyes with Viktor. He was leaning against the wall looking sexier than ever.

His black mask blended in with his long sleeve charcoal colored shirt. Black leather gloves covered his hands and wrists. His chocolate hair was tousled and gave him that typical bad-boy look. What I found most appealing, was the way his obsidian eyes seemed to stand out against what he was wearing. Even in the midst of all the dark clothes, his eyes were the first thing you noticed about him.

I stood in front of him and placed a hand on my hip, watching his eyes closely. So many times I had sworn I saw a flicker of something strange beneath his dark gaze, but he was an expert at hiding it.

I felt a smirk creep across my face as he fought to keep his eyes locked on my own. His gaze was hot and slow, and once his eyes flickered downwards, it was as if he couldn't stop them.

His eyes roamed the dress I was wearing, lingering on my chest and my uncovered thighs. The golden flecks that swirled in his eyes gave me all the information I needed. He was definitely tempted.

"He can't help himself." Aela snickered.

I almost took a step back when his usual aura of ferocity and dominance roared to life, washing over me like a tsunami. His eyes were almost entirely gold now, his wolf chomping at the bit to come out and play.

His aggressive aura probably scared everyone who came in contact with it, but for some reason it only excited me. It sent strange jolts of excitement and pleasure down my spine and in between my legs.

I found myself taking steps towards him, his golden tinged gaze back on my own.

When I was only a few feet away, he let out a sharp breath and averted his eyes. I felt the frustration simmer inside of me. He was trying to calm himself down.

Viktor may have been trying to resist me, but his wolf definitely wasn't.

"Why don't you let him come out and play?" I pouted, using my best seductive voice. I haven't had any experience at being seductive, but I must have done an amazing job judging by his next reaction.

A low warning growl rumbled from Viktors chest and the waves of excitement continued to rush through me. His eyes snapped to my own, and this time they were almost completely golden.

"Enough." His deep voice sounded husky and rough, and his slight accent added that guttural sound I was beginning to like.

He took a step away from me and closed his eyes, his entire body was tense. I could see his muscles ripple from under his shirt. Even with the mask, I could see his jaw clench and unclench.

When he opened his eyes they were back to their luminescent obsidian. He gave me a death glare he probably used on his enemies, but fear refused to course through me.

"Sorry?" I pouted, gazing up at him through my eyelashes and a giggle escaped my lips when he rolled his eyes and looked away.

Not even a moment later, Caroline came out of the bathroom and gave us a twirl. It was growing harder to resist rolling my eyes whenever Caroline attempted to flirt with Viktor. It always made me feel smug when his gaze never moved from my own.

Caroline wore a short rose colored dress with matching lipstick. Her long sandy blonde hair was pulled up into a high ponytail.

"Aren't you going to tell me I clean up nice?" She pouted at me.

I chuckled and rolled my eyes, "You already know you look good."

Her pout morphed into a smirk, "You're right. I look awesome."

I raised my eyebrow at her, "Are you ready to go? Or do you want to stay here and look in the mirror all night?"

"I'm ready princess bossy pants." Caroline stuck her tongue out at me and led the way from my bedroom.

We walked out of the house and I frowned when I noticed Caroline walking towards her car.

"Since when do you enjoy driving?" I raised my eyebrow at her as she climbed into the driver's seat.

Caroline rolled her eyes and started the car, "Since now, bitch!"

I chuckled at her and remembered how it had taken Caroline seven tries and a poorly placed bribe to finally pass her license test. She was one of those people who were too absorbed in their own head and phone to be able to drive properly.

"If you kill me on the way to this party, Viktor's gonna kick your ass." I stuck my tongue out at her. From the look on Viktor's face he agreed with my statement fully.

Caroline scoffed, "Oh please. I'm not that bad."

"Says the girl who backed into a damn building." Aela scoffed.

I smirked, "Hey, didn't you run into a building that one time?" Despite my better judgement, I climbed into the passenger seat and watched as Viktor climbed into the back.

"That was an accident and you know it!" Caroline scolded me.

"The only accident was the fact that she was on her phone while it happened." Aela rolled her eyes and I stifled a giggle.

I nodded, a serious look on my face. "Oh yes an accident."

"It was not my fault that Tyler decided to text me that exact moment. What am I supposed to do? Ignore the guy?" Caroline scoffed as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

We spent the next fifteen minutes twisting and turning on the main roads. My hand clutched the door for dear life as I snapped driving advice at Caroline.

"No phone." I growled, yanking her phone from her hand as she made a left turn.

Caroline scoffed, "Yes mom."

"You're awful reckless for a fragile human, Caroline." I grimaced at her.

She shrugged and shot me a smirk, "I live for the danger."

"You mean you live to be reckless." I pointed out.

Viktor looked eerily calm sitting in the back seat, but his eyes were trained on me. I wondered if he was silently panicking at the state of Caroline's driving.

I didn't question it when Caroline had left our main town, nor when she turned onto an unfamiliar road. We pulled up at what looked to be a club. The neon lights stood out against the darkened street and the music from inside pounded past the doors.

"Caroline?" I scowled, "This isn't a house party."

"Okay, so I may have fibbed a little." Caroline rolled her eyes. "You're almost eighteen and you haven't ever been to a club before. This is one of the best around. Just try it for me?" Caroline pouted, giving me a small smile when she saw the reluctance on her face.

"Fine." I sighed, "But if my Dad finds out I'm blaming you."

"Just tell Viktor to keep quiet about it." Caroline giggled, getting out of the car.

Viktor and I hopped out of the car and stood off to the side while Caroline talked to the bouncer.

"Viktor, could you not mention this to my Dad?" I sighed, pleading with my eyes.

Viktor's gaze looked even darker standing under the poorly lit street light. He let out a huff and rolled his eyes, but finally nodded yes.

"Thank you!" I grinned up at him, "But everyone else here will notice me." I frowned, feeling stupid for not thinking of it earlier.

I was almost one hundred percent sure Viktor was smirking under his mask. If the lower half of his face was as gorgeous as the rest of him, I was sure I'd swoon at the sight of his smirk.

I watched silently as he reached into his pants pocket and pulled out one of his signature black masks.

"Aw, I feel so special Viktor." I grinned up at him, "Thank you!" I resisted the urge to hug him, knowing he probably wouldn't appreciate it.

"Sooner or later he will." Aela chimed in.

Viktor raised his eyebrow at me, that strange flicker of something glinting in his eyes.

I slipped the mask on and covered the lower half of my face. Part of me felt smug as I matched with Viktor.

"We look good next to him." Aela purred approvingly.

I smirked, "I think so too."

We walked into the club with Caroline, who apparently bribed the bouncer fifty bucks to let us ahead of the line.

The multicolored lights flashed and darted from person to person while the bass made the floor feel as though it were vibrating.

"Well, this is intense." I screamed over the music.

The club smelled of alcohol, sweat, and sex. It wasn't exactly a pleasant smell, and being a Lycan only heightened that.

Caroline dragged me onto the dance floor whilst Viktor stood against the wall, only feet away from us.

I prayed all of the dance lessons I had as a kid prepared me for dancing in a club, but I knew it was a long shot. I watched what Caroline did, and followed her moves closely. It must have been working cause I felt a guy behind me place his hands on my hips. In all honesty, my favorite part of the night so far was Viktor chasing off every guy that placed their hands on me.

We stopped at one point to grab some drinks. I made sure Caroline took it slow, while I settled for a soda. There was a good chance Viktor or I could have to drive home if Caroline drank too much.

We made our way back to the dance floor and picked up where we left off. We danced until my feet ached and my muscles burned. While I didn't enjoy the close proximity with random people, I definitely enjoyed the colorful lights and dancing.

At some point the song changed, and a bunch of people rushed out onto the dance floor. I lost sight of Viktor and for a moment I panicked.

I let myself relax when I remembered my Uncle's words. I knew it wasn't a complete grantee, but he felt confident that our territory was safe.

I felt a hand wrap around my arm and I jerked around to chase another asshole off. Much to my surprise, it was just Caroline.

"Arabella, we need to go!" Caroline sounded panicked.

I scowled, my eyes darting around for Viktor. "What's going on, Caroline?" I snapped, fear ringing my voice.

I could feel the adrenaline begin to seep into my veins and I tried not to panic.

"There's these men. They know who you are, they're looking for you." Caroline gasped, sounding like she was out of breath.

Even with the thin coat of sweat clinging to my body, I felt ice cold.

"How did they find out who I was, Caroline?" I snapped, grabbing her shoulders and forcing her to look at me.

Tears sprung to her eyes and I could tell she was beginning to freak out, "I don't know! I don't know!" Her voice grew higher as tears threatened to fall from her eyes.

"We need to find Viktor and get out of here." I growled, my eyes scanning the crowd.

I locked eyes with a strange man standing across the club. Even with the pounding music and flashing lights, we stared directly at one another.

I watched in horror as he lifted something into the air, and pointed it directly at my face.

"Get down!" I tried to scream above the music. I grabbed Caroline by her shoulder and yanked her to the floor in time to hear a gun sound off.

The thumping music that had once sounded upbeat now sounded like some kind of techno funeral march.

People began to panic at the sound of the gun and ran in every direction. I leaped up from the floor and scanned around for Caroline or Viktor. Neither were anywhere to be found.

"We need to lead them away from these people, Arabella." Aela's voice screamed in my panic soaked brain.

The man I had locked eyes with was much closer to me now, pushing himself through the crowd to get to me. I scrambled away from him and shoved past the frantic people as fast as I could.

Instead of heading towards the front doors, I ran towards the back of the club. I prayed they had a backdoor somewhere within reach.

My fingers glided past the restroom doors until my eyes locked on the red EXIT sign hanging a few feet away. I didn't hesitate, I ran for the door and barreled through it.

I stumbled out onto a slick alley way. The smell of piss and garbage burned my nostrils.

The chain link fence was cold against my back and my eyes scanned the side of the club and the entrance to the alley.

This was what I wanted after all, right? I wanted to lead them away from everyone else, keep everyone else safe from harm. I didn't have a plan for when they came for me. There was no way I could fight off multiple men, or worse Lycan's.

Four figures appeared at the entrance of the alley way and my heart nearly stopped. I could vaguely make out long shaggy hair on each of the men.

"Aela, what do I do?" My voice was tinged with fear.

Aela paused, "We fight, Arabella. Together."

I could feel her strength course through me and I tensed, waiting for the moment to strike.

The chances of my survival were low if they had a gun. Wolfsbane bullets would lead to an excruciatingly painful death, but I couldn't live with myself if I didn't try.

I could feel my own aura of power surrounding me. My Dad's Alpha King blood, and those of his ancestors, rushed through my veins.

The last thought that ran through my head was the face of Viktor.