I’m three steps away when Gabriel appears between them.
One hand settles on the drunk Alpha’s elbow, gentle but firm, redirecting the punch before it can land. With his other hand, he gestures for the Beta to step back. “Hey, let’s take a breath here.”
The drunk Alpha spins toward him, redirecting his aggression to this new target. His chest puffs up, shoulders squaring, and spittle flies from his lips. “Who the fuck are you?”
“Nobody important.” Gabriel releases the Alpha’s elbow, both hands visible now, palms out. “Butmaybe you should cool down before security throws you out.”
I stop two feet away, watching. Marcus positions himself to the drunk’s left, ready to intervene.
The Alpha sways on his feet, his fist still clenched. He sizes Gabriel up, noting the expensive clothes, the confident stance, and the lack of fear. “You telling me what to do?”
He takes a step closer, invading Gabriel’s space.
Gabriel doesn’t retreat, immovable but not aggressive, his head cocked. “I’m suggesting you’ve got two options. You can leave now under your own power, grab some food, and sober up. Or you can take a swing at me, security will tackle you, and you’ll get banned from every club in a three-block radius.”
The drunk’s jaw works, teeth grinding. His shoulders hitch up, his mass shifting forward.
Then Gabriel leans in, his next words for the Alpha alone.
Whatever he says, it works.
The Alpha’s shoulders sag, tension draining out of his frame. His fist loosens, fingers uncurling as he shakes his head.
Gabriel claps him on the shoulder, steering him toward the front exit. The man follows, slurringagreements as Gabriel speaks, his earlier rage transformed into sheepish amusement.
Gabriel catches my eye for a split second before he continues guiding the man toward the door.
Marcus exhales beside me.
“Well, that was new.” He crosses his arms over his chest, watching Gabriel’s retreating back. “I expected it to take three of us to handle a guy that size.”
I don’t respond as my chest tightens and my pulse quickens. I track Gabriel’s movement as he steers the Alpha out of the club, exchanges a few more words, then turns back inside.
Gabriel moves through the crowd with the same easy confidence as before, angling back toward his spot near the VIP section. He orders another drink and settles into conversation with a group of Betas, who break into laughter at one of his dry remarks.
Marcus heads back to patrol the bathrooms, but I stay rooted in place, trying to process what I just witnessed.
Gabriel didn’t use force or leverage his Alpha status to dominate the situation. He defused aggression with calm reason as if it was the easiest thing in the world.
He doesn’t register as dangerous in any familiar way, and that leaves me unsettled.
Why doesn’t he give up?
I reject his gifts, dodge his questions, and keep my walls high enough to turn away anyone with sense. Most people would have written me off as too difficult to be worth the effort and moved on by now.
But Gabriel keeps coming back. Tonight proved he has options. The way the Betas respond to him, and the ease with which he handled the drunk Alpha, make it clear he could find a willing partner without trying.
If Gabriel demanded, I could refuse. If he pushed, I could push back. Violence, aggression, and dominance are threats I know how to counter. But his gentle approach bypasses my training, slips past my armor, and reaches toward parts of me I thought I’d buried deep enough that no one would find them.
As I return to my post, arms crossed, my attention keeps drifting back to Gabriel, tracking his movements, trying to understand what he wants.
My nails dig into my side through my shirt. He aggravates me on every level.
As if he senses my glare, his head turns toward me, and the rich asshole has the audacity to wink.
I pull out my phone to check the time.
After tonight, the violent release of Rowan’s job can’t come soon enough.
