The Alpha (The Lycans 4)

I knew vampires lived by the same mated rules as Lycans—as did many in the Otherworld—which meant there wasn't anything sexual going on between the species. They couldn’t, quite literally, fuck anyone but their mate. They didn't want to. So even if the human females wanted more, they weren’t getting anything more than fangs in their neck and their life source sucked out.

The aesthetics of the club were stereotypical of what anyone would assume a vampire-run nightclub would be, by media and fictional standards anyway. Red velvet and black patent leather, the shiny vinyl obviously used for easy cleanup.

The vampire who led the way was a scarred, nasty bastard with his upper lip seeming perpetually curled in distaste, his looks sharp enough that if they’d been tangible, they’d slice into our skin. The puckered scar that ran the length of one side of his face and wrapped around his neck spoke that at one point someone had tried to decapitate him. His scar gave Odhran’s a run for its money.

We rounded the corner, and my muscles clenched when we saw brothers Sebastian and Kane, Adryan’s righthand enforcers and cousins to the leader of the AVC.

They stood on either side of an obscenely ornate door that only Adryan would want, because the motherfucker had his head so far up his own ass he was the worst narcissistic psychopath I’d ever encountered.

“Fooking night dwellers,” Odhran rumbled as he bared his teeth at Kane and Sebastian, the brothers’ grins matching. Although they were a year apart in age, the fuckers looked like they could have been twins, they were so similar in appearance and psychotic tendencies. Seemed like lunatics ran in Adryan’s bloodline.

“Fucking dogs,” Kane mumbled with his grin still in place. He was the talkative of the two, with Sebastian being the silent mountain beside him.

“Anything else you need from me?” the scarred vampire asked in a gravelly voice, one that said his vocal cords had been damaged when someone had clearly been trying to take his heads off. Although Otherworld creatures healed quickly, a bad enough wound wouldn’t heal fully no matter how much time passed.

“Nah,” Kane mumbled. “We’re good here, James.” Kane had a stoic expression right back in place. “Matteo is handling some business in the control room. I’m sure he could use some help.”

James gave a nod and looked at me, this indescribable expression on his face, before he turned and left.

Once we were alone with the vampire brothers, Odhran tensed considerably. The amount of vampires we’d come across since we stepped foot into Adryan’s newest nightclub set me on edge as well. There were too many of them, their psychotic grins and elongated fangs meant to intimidate.

All they did was piss me off.

Did they not realize how dangerous a Lycan male was, especially one in search of his female? Did they not know that with just a swipe of my claw along their throat, I could rend their heads from their necks before they could even react? The very idea had bloodlust rushing through my veins.

It had been too long since I’d been in a proper battle, since I felt the warm spray of an opponent's blood cover my face and chest. I dared them to try to get in my way, to stop me from going after Evelyn. I’d get a hell of a lot of pleasure killing each and every one of them.

We stopped a few feet from Kane and Sebastian, my face stony in composure, but I felt the physical tension pouring from Odhran. He wouldn’t attack, not without my strict order, and seeing the smug fucking smile on Kane’s face had me nearly giving the order.

“Fuck,” Kane said on a low chuckle as he eyed Odhran’s face. “If you’re still standing after getting that fucked-up, I hate to see what the other bastard looks like.”

Odhran took a step forward, but I placed a hand on his forearm, stilling him as I moved between him and Kane and went nose to nose with the vampire bastard.

Otherworld males were all big assholes, all normally over six-and-a-half feet tall and heavily muscled, built to protect their females and young—if so lucky to have either.

So if Kane wanted to play with fire, I was more than willing to scorch him to the fucking ground.

But the prick didn’t make a move, just stared me in the eyes with that stupid fucking grin on his face. After a long moment he chuckled deeply and stepped aside. Sebastian opened the door and pushed it wide open. The brothers stepped back even more to let us enter, their dark eyes penetrating and missing nothing.

I stepped inside and felt Odhran move in close behind me, my silent shadow, my enforcer in all ways that mattered and counted. I knew he’d come to the States with me to give me moral support but also to use his brutal strength if need be. And I appreciated the hell out of him.