RANK

Chapter 10

Nya followed Malina from one end of the noisy smoky bar to the other. After much poking through the crowd and asking around Kyra, a part-owner of Spikes comes out from a black door behind the horseshoe-shaped counter. She seemed like a she-wolf scorned, someone not to mess with. Someone with not a lot of patience. She wore cut-up jean shorts, a tied at her stomach flannel shirt, and long boots that reached her knees.
Her glaring eyes make contact with Malina and with a shift of her head direct her to the back.
She glances at Nya for a split second and the look told her that the invite was for one only.

Malina looks back at her worriedly.

"It's okay Lee, I'll wait here."

"Here." She pulls out a folded-up twenty-dollar bill. "Buy yourself a drink... and don't talk to anyone... and don't move from this spot. Okay?"

She nods. Once her sister was out of sight and behind the black door she called the bartender over. A big busted human with a thin black low cut tank top on. You could see a scar beneath her collar bone where she was marked. Most likely by a member of the Rogues. "What can I get for ya babe?"

"Umm..." She skims through the small drink list on the plastic card taped to the bar top. It was all hard stuff on the rocks. Stuff too strong for her little body. At the very bottom though there was something that looked to be sippable. "An Eclipse."

"Sure thing sweetie." She makes and then slides over a short glass with midnight blue liquid.

She examined it for a hot minute before putting the straw to her lips. Surprisingly it was pretty tasty; a sweet tangy flavor. But things sour when she is approached by a wolf smelling high of alcohol. He sits in the seat beside her. "What's your name?" He was a bit older and was wearing jeans and a black leather jacket.

"Nya." She didn't want to start any trouble so she just needed to be nice until her sister came back.

"Hank." He puts his hand out to shake hers. She was hesitant at first giving his open palm a subtle glance but accepted after a moment. Trying not to be awkward she looks at her drink. It was still nearly filled to the rim. She puts her lips to the straw again when. "I like your shirt." His hot breath fanned her ear.
She was wearing a red halter top that revealed her bare upper and lower back. Lee said she would need to blend in.

She felt like she could squirm when his rough grazed her lower back. She swallows; praying silently that her sister comes out soon.

"Ooh." He moans slightly. "You're softer than I'm used to."

She was cringing inside but continued to sip on her drink. He began rubbing slightly and moved up to her bare shoulder flipping her hair from it. She wanted to bat his hand down so badly but didn't want her sister having to fight for her. Especially not tonight. She had too much on her plate. She turns to face him a bit, it was inviting she knew but it also gave him no choice but to drop his hand.

"Can I buy you another drink?" His tone changed from flirting to her becoming his prey.

Still, she remains calm, grows her smile, and says, "Maybe when I'm finished my first."

"Can I take you home?" He places his rough hand on her thigh.

Suddenly she could feel a sneeze coming. Oh no. She knew it wasn't a sneeze at all. Always in the most inopportune times her eyes. "Excuse me." She turns away to face the wall showing him her back. She squeezes her eyes shut and they light up for seven whole seconds before she can turn back around. "I'm sorry." She says but to no one. Hank was gone.
She breathes a huge sigh of relief.

~~~

Vince stalks out of the bar and goes to the parking lot. In between two black SUV's Bent was waiting for him with his new friend Hank.

As Hank stood there looking confused as hell, Vince hesitated none when he reached close enough to cock his hand back and slam it into his jaw. The bar flirt drops to his knees. Bent grabs his shoulders keeping him from falling on his face.

Vince hits him again even harder this time. There was blood on his hands and he couldn't tell what part of Hank was bleeding and he didn't care. His rage had no bounds. "Hold his right hand." He orders.

Bent grabs his hand and extends it to the side.

"You like touching what doesn't belong to you?" He asks a rhetorical question with a sadistic look in his gaze. He grabs a drink filled with straight bourbons and pours some over Hank's hand. The same hand that was all over Nya. Immediately he pulls a lighter from his pocket and sparks it ablaze. Hank howls.

"How did she feel?" Vince taunts.

He tried to get away but Bent was too strong for him.

"I said, how did she feel?" Vince pours more alcohol on the hand, sending the flame higher.

"Bad, really bad." His skin begins to melt and bubble.

"Wrong answer." He pours more. "We're going to be here until you don't remember what she feels like."

Hank roars in torment.

Vince knew his brother was eyeing him strangely. He thought they came here for Malina and this situation had nothing to do with her. "What does she feel like?" He continues his interrogation.

Hank this time knew what the right answer was. "I don't know, I don't know. Please please stop..."

Vince smiles. "Good." He flicks his silver lighter closed and gives his brother the nod to let go.
"Remember this feeling..."

Hank gets off the ground and runs off.

"What was that?" Bent asks.

"He isn't her rank."

"So you would burn the hands of every wolf that touched a she-wolf not in their rank until they forget?" "Come on, I'm not an idiot. What's going on with you?"

Rye, a rank 1 werewolf member from their pack interrupts. "Excuse me Alpha. They are leaving."

"Where are they going?"

"Back to the apartment."

He nods. "Follow them."

"Yes sir." Rye leaves and Bent and Vince jump into Bent's truck.

"Are you going to answer me, Vin? I know something is up." The conversation was one between brothers and not beta and alpha.

Vince's chest rises and falls. He didn't know if it was the full moon or if he was just getting tired, or if he wanted someone to confide in but he decided to tell the truth. "I imprinted on her."

Bent's face scrunches up. He glances at his brother and then back at the road. "What?"

"On the mutt."

"I know but...How? Imprinting doesn't..."

"It does. You remember my last speech?"

Bent brow shoots open. "That's what..."

"Yes."

"That's why you caught her and that's why you gave her your..."

"Yes yes." He drags his fingers through his hair. He didn't want to admit it or even think about it.

"So you rejected her?"

"I didn't have to, she didn't imprint back."

"What? Is that even possible?"

"Apparently."

"What are you going to do?"

"Nothing. She'll be leaving soon."

Bent rubs on his chin. "I'm not so sure it will be that easy. Imprinting is just that, an imprint left like a scar on your soul. From what I've read she was probably your mate over many lifetimes."

Vince grinds on his teeth. "I'll admit that I could feel an unhealthy need to protect her growing but as my mate, she could never be. I don't want weak children, nor am I attracted to her. "It doesn't matter how I feel, letting her go is the right thing to do, and the sooner the better." With that statement came a migraine.

~~~~~

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