Gerard pushed passed the throng of bodies and made his way towards the counter. It was quite a hassle as the smell of smoke and sweat invaded his nostrils. The club was quite rowdier and stuffer than usual today. Probably because it was approaching weekend. Everywhere he twisted his body to, he collided with at least two bodies. It was such a hassle.

After what seemed like ages, he finally reached the counter where the familiar face of the young bartender grinned at him.

"Big G." The bartender greeted. "It's been ages. I almost thought you forgot about this place."

"No." Gerard shook his head with a small laugh. "Why would I? I've just been occupied lately."

"Really?" The bartender gave him a curious look. "With what? Nothing serious, I hope."

Gerard pursed his lips in a thin line. His gaze shifted downwards to the counter and a lost look appeared along his features. The bartender noticed the change and coughed akwardly.

"So, the usual?" He asked, changing the subject.

"Yeah." Gerard smiled in gratitude.

The bartender nodded and ducked downwards, reappearing moments later with a bottle of bourbon and a glass.

"Here you go." He poured a drink and passed it to Gerard.

"It's rowdier than usual today." Gerard took a swig and shifted his gaze to the lively crowd.

"Yeah. I guess everyone is excited about the summer or something." The bartender shrugged. "Plus the fact that today is a Friday. I guess everyone wants to party their way into the weekend. Either way, more money for the club."

The bartender punctuated the last sentence with a laugh and a wink. Gerard chuckled softly and pulled out a note.

"Here." He dropped it on the table. "Keep the change."

"Thanks." The bartender saluted, taking the money.

Gerard grunted and made his way through the crowd to a secluded corner. His spot was empty as always. He sat down and observed the crowd.

"Typical." He muttered under his breath as he watched a group dance rather erotically.

'They're so lucky.' He thought. 'They never have to worry about danger. Unlike my kind...'

He paused in his thoughts as a familiar scent was detected. Narrowing his eyes at the entrance, he saw Richard walk in. He watched intrigued as the doctor looked around the club as if looking for someone. Their eyes finally met and Richard walked over through the crowd.

"Hey." Richard greeted as he sat by the opposite end of the table.

"Hey." Gerard replied.

"What's going on with you?" Richard queried. "You haven't been picking your calls. You're rarely at home. I figure this would be the last place you would be."

"Sorry, I've been kind of overwhelmed lately." Gerard replied with a heavy sigh.

"I'll say. You looked like you haven't shaved in years." Richard said, referencing his friends appearance. "You could be competing with big foot in the next few years."

"Thanks, I feel a lot better." Gerard rolled his eyes.

"Glad I could help." Richard grinned maliciously.

Silence grew between the two friends. Richard could see a lost look on Gerard's face and felt a bit of pity overcome him. He must have really been dealing with a lot.

"So how's our little Alpha?" Richard said, bringing his friend's attention back to the present.

"Still hasn't shown up in school." Gerard replied. " And he barely leaves his home."

"How's your niece taking it?"

"The best way she can. She visits him daily. I think that should suffice for now. He needs all the time he can to heal."

Richard paused as he digested the information. Three months had passed since that shocking revelation. While Kyle was laid to rest afterwards, Jeremy had withdrawn into a thick shell. Coming to school regularly was no longer a thing for him. It was minimised to four times a week. Then thrice. Then he just disappeared for a whole month afterwards.

"It's been three months." Richard smiled sadly. "Time really does fly. What bugs me is the fact that no news of Dominic has surfaced till now. Why hasn't he made his move yet?"

"With Dominic, you never can tell." Gerard said. "I guess he wants us all to let our guard down."

He took off his glasses and wiped them with a handkerchief.

"Damn vampires." He muttered under his breath.

"Speaking of vampires." Richard gave his friend a knowing look. "What are you doing towards your little....'situation?'"

"I don't know, man." Gerard groaned helplessly, putting his glasses back on. "I don't know. I haven't seen her since then. This keeps getting harder and harder. Sometimes I come here hoping to see her again like I did the first time. I really want to get this over with. Why the hell is my mate a vampire? How could the thing that took Cecilia away be the very thing to replace her. This makes no damn sense!"

Gerard gripped the edge of the table and it snapped. His cheeks had puffed up and his eyes glowed behind his glasses.

"Hey, calm down." Richard looked around frantically. "Are you trying to blow our cover?"

Thankfully, no one paid attention to them. The occupants of the club were rather interested in the fun around them

Gerard closed his eyes and took deep breaths. Opening them, they were back to normal.

"Better." Richard sighed. "Have you told Gabi?"

"I think my brother already has enough on his plate." Gerard deadpanned. "He believes Mandy is the potential Luna now that she's mated to Jeremy."

"It doesn't change anything. " Richard shook his head. "This is even more trivial than Mandy and Jeremy. We've been at war with vampires for ages and now one of them is mated to one of our kind. Think about it. Because..."

Richard paused as he detected a new and familiar scent. A growl escaped his lips and his eyes flashed a dangerous gold. Gerard, who had detected it too, turned around to face the entrance. His heart skipped as the owner of the scent steeped in.

Dahlia had stepped into the club, a small frown on her face at the sight of the sweaty dancing mass before her. Gerard felt a warm feeling overflow him. She looked even more beautiful than the last time. Her black hair was tied upwards in a neat bun. She wore a black jacket over black tight pants and a black scarf was wrapped around her shoulders. Her full red lips were shaped in a pout and her sharp brown irises stood out on her pale face. But Gerard knew those brown eyes were just a cover for the true red.

He watched her walk through the crowd and make her way towards the bar. She hadn't seen them yet. A growl brought his attention to his friend and he saw the dangerous look in his eyes.

"Richard!" Gerard snapped.

Richard ignored him, still glowering at the woman. His fists were clenched.

"Richard!" Gerard repeated in a more warning tone.

"Sorry." Richard sighed, his eyes back to normal. "Can't help it. Instincts, you know."

"Yeah, I get." Gerard turned his gaze back to Dahlia. She now had a glass of drink in her hand. A guy from the crowd had approached her but she turned him down with a sweet smile.

"Well, there's your woman." Richard said.

"Could you not say it like that?" Gerard frowned at him.

"What? Technically, she is." Richard shrugged innocently. "I mean you said you've been coming around here trying to find her, right?"

"Yeah, to sort this out and get out of this ridiculous fate once and for all." Gerard replied.

Dahlia had dropped the glass on the table. She glance around and her eyes landed on the two friends. A look of disbelief momentarily crossed her face before she wiped it off. She stood up and briskly made her way to the other exit of the club.

"Well, she's a social one." Richard snorted, watching the door close after her.

Gerard stood up and made for the door.

"Gerard." He heard Richard call behind him. "Need back up?"

He turned around and face his friend with a brow raised.

"You know, in case things get ugly." Richard clarified with a shrug.

"No. But thanks, anyway. I've got it handled." Gerard replied.

Richard gave him a thumbs up and he made his way out of the club.