He followed the scent, curious to know where Mark had ended up among the array of bars and pubs. Unsurprisingly, it led to the front ofLycanis,a P-pack owned club. Didn’t he see enough of them on a daily basis? Not that the club would be full of only P-pack members, but it would be staffed with them.
Before Alec realised, he’d followed the scent inside and found himself handing over a tenner to get in. The shifters on the door gave him a wary look, as well they might. No doubt his reputation preceded him. He recognised one and nodded in acknowledgement as he walked past.
Lycanis wasn’t a club Alec frequented regularly, but he was familiar with it.
The five bars were spaced over two floors: three downstairs and two up. Alec preferred to look down on the dance floor, he found it easier to pick out a potential fuck that way. Using his sense of smell was almost impossible with scents bombarding him from every angle. Mark’s had gotten buried under hundreds of others once inside, and Alec idly wondered where he was before climbing the stairs and putting him out of his mind. Mark might have led him here, but there were plenty of other things to grab his attention.
Dressed in tight black jeans, a dark-purple shirt, and boots, he blended in with everyone else. Even his size didn’t make him stand out. In a club filled with nothing but shifters, a six-foot-four guy with broad shoulders wasn’t all that unusual. Alec glanced around as he neared the second floor. From his vantage point alone, he spotted at least twenty guys as tall as him, as well as a handful of women.
The anonymity afforded by a shifter club made a welcome change when scents ruled your life. Outside in the fresh air, he’d be able to pick out the individual packs people belonged to. But not in here. Of course, the main drawback was most shifters in there were already bonded or dating. Shifters looking to maintain their single status would generally prefer a mixed club.
Alec didn’t worry about that. He knew how to avoid an unwanted bond.
Deciding to get a drink before looking around for a potential hook-up, Alec made his way over to the small bar in the corner—far quieter than the one overlooking the dance floor. The blond bartender did a double take when he looked up, then smirked and leaned down to whisper something to the guy sat on the stool in front of him.
Alec had no chance of hearing it over the thumping bass of the club, but he got the gist of it as the guy on the stool glanced back over his shoulder.
Mark.
The bartender whispered something else, and Alec wondered if that was the reason Mark came to this club. He hadn’t heard about a significant other when he’d asked around about him, but that could easily have changed. Alec walked up to the bar and positioned himself next to Mark’s stool.
Since they’d already recognised him, Alec saw no problem in addressing them. “Mark.”
“Alec.”
The bartender cleared his throat and Mark rolled his eyes, then gestured to him. “Alec Knight, meet my best mate and unit member Will Farley.”
Not together then.
Will smiled and held out his hand. Alec dutifully shook it. “What can I get you?”
Alec glanced behind the bar at the fridge full of bottled beer, then up at the array of optics. His plan was to take the edge off, after all. A few shots of tequila should do the trick. He ordered five shots and a beer chaser, and Will took his money without batting an eye. Only then did Alec notice the collection of empty shot glasses in front of Mark. He glanced up to see Mark watching him, bottle of beer resting against his lips. Alec offered a wry smile. “I guess it’s been that kind of a day.”
“I guess it has.” Mark lifted his beer in a silent cheers and took a long, slow pull. He swallowed, drawing Alec’s attention to his throat.
Mark’s scent might have been lost to him before, but standing this close to him, Alec had no trouble picking it out—a light citrusy undertone to the spicy edge he’d detected earlier with just a hint of the tequila working its way out of his system. Even with the alcohol, he smelled good.
Alec took a deep breath in, not bothering to be subtle about it. Might as well put the offer out there. He wasn’t in the mood for games tonight. Maybe he hadn’t consciously gone in there with the intent of hooking up with Mark, but he liked what he saw. Dark hair and blue-green eyes had always done it for him.
It was a bad idea; the worst one Alec had had in a while probably. But like it had done on the street outside, Mark’s scent stirred Alec’s interest, making his wolf perk up and take notice. He didn’t always get that with people he fucked. When it happened, it boded well for the night ahead.
And it was just sex, right? After Cam’s accusations, Alec couldn’t make relations between their packs any worse. Cam might disagree, but Alec needed to get all this tension out of his system if he was to be any use to his alpha over the next few days. And both he and his wolf had decided on Mark.
Will set Alec’s drinks on the bar and then left to serve another customer, but not without giving a tiny shake of his head in Mark’s direction.
Alec ignored him and slid one of the shots in front of Mark. “Join me?”
Mark took a long look at the shot, then sighed. “Why the fuck not?” Picking up the glass, he waited for Alec to do the same, then clinked glasses.
The alcohol coursed down Alec’s throat, the momentary burn just the distraction he was looking for. He tossed back the remaining shots in quick succession, then reached for his beer. Noticing Mark watching him out of the corner of his eye, he took a quick sip, then turned towards him. Considering what happened that morning, discussing anything pack related was out of the question. From Mark’s wary look, he knew it too.
That left one topic of conversation.
Alec took another long drink, draining half his bottle. The buzz he had going from the alcohol wouldn’t last long. He either needed to order more shots or find another distraction. Setting his beer down, he met Mark’s eyes. Hard to tell in a club surrounded by horny shifters, but Alec was almost certain he detected a hint of arousal coming from him. Alec licked his lips, a small smile forming as Mark’s gaze dropped to his mouth.
After a quick glance around showed no one seemed to be paying them any attention, Alec leaned in close enough to whisper, “I want to fuck you.”
Mark didn’t even flinch at the words, but Will fumbled the drink he was pouring, spilling some pineapple concoction all over the bar. Alec wrinkled his nose at the smell, then turned back to Mark, who’d yet to react. He raised an eyebrow and waited.
