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Chapter Four

Bad Things

“I swear on everything holy and good in this world, if you do not sit still, I will throw you out of this car.” Nate threatened as we drove towards the bar we were meeting Giovanni at. Nate insisted I buy us a car, instead of using a taxi, so I caved and we went to get one after we left the airport. It wasn’t anything extraordinary either, just a regular car. Oh, and it was blue.

“Well when you get asked on a date by a hot guy, maybe you would understand the nerves going through me.” I snapped, putting my hands under my legs in hopes it would calm me down.

“Okay, first off, I like boobs and vaginas, and secondly, I don’t do dates. Unless it’s my mate. And speaking of mate, you shouldn’t let this thing with Giovanni turn into anything more than a date.”

“What thing? There is no thing. It’s just a date, god Nate.” I turned my head to look out the window, but I could practically see Nate smiling like an idiot.

“Lawd. I did not know my child was gay. What am I to do? What if he comes home one night and says he got a dic – “

“Shut up Nathaniel!” I snapped. “I highly doubt that I’m gay. Maybe curious? I don’t know, but I do know that I like Giovanni and I want to get to know him. Is that such a problem?”

“It is when he’s not your mate,” He deadpanned and I narrowed my eyes at him. Would he drop this mate thing? Maybe I wanted to date Giovanni, and even if I did, that wouldn’t mean anything. As soon as my mate showed up, I would tell him everything, make a clean break up and go to my mate. And if that didn’t work, then I would see if my mate would mind if we say other people. As long as we weren’t bonded, the pull and feelings wouldn’t be strong, so there would be no hurt in seeing them with another person.

Nate just didn’t get that though. He was old school just like everyone else in our pack.

“Judging from your silence and the fact that you look about ready to slaughter everyone, I will change the topic.” I let out a sigh of relief, but realized it was too soon. “Your outfit is ah-mah-zing! I cannot believe you are making it work like that. I’ve seen men in leather pants, but honey, you rock it better.” I rolled my eyes and smirked at him and he smiled.

“See? I got you to smile.”

“No, you got me to smirk, there’s a difference.” I shot back at him and he scoffed, waving his hand in my face.”

“You say potato I say tomato.” He sighed.

“I thought it was you say tomato, I say tamato?”  I asked, cocking my head at him.

“I thought it was you say tomato, I say tamato.” He mocked and I groaned. Bear with it for now Nikolai. Once we get to the club, I would leave mister grumpy pants and dance in the arms of my beloved Giovanni.

Whoa, what?

“Are we almost there?” I asked, trying to make my voice sound less panicked than it already was. Why would I think of something like that? I didn’t know one thing about this guy and I was already acting like I was in love with him. The car turned down a street filled with cars and Nate squinted his eyes.

“Judging by the crowd, I’d say yes. Now if only I could find a parking spot.” We found one a couple of blocks away, but I made no complaint of walking seeing as it would piss Nate off. I got out of the car and looked down nervously at my outfit. See, I had planned to wear some nice fitting jeans, a white shirt and black blazer, keeping it clean and classy. But Navaeh decided to call and Nate filled her in on everything, not leaving out a single detail. This then consisted of her yelling at me after I told her what I was wearing, and somehow, I ended up in a pair of tight leather pants I had no clue I owned, a metallic tank top with a mesh fabric around the collar, a gray blazer and some black boots by the time she hung up.

Needless to say, I looked desperate. Or at least I felt that way.

I followed Nate as we walked to the club, and once inside, I wished I had stayed in the hotel. The place was packed; the lights dimmed low and giving off red and purple hues. There were strobe lights in the center of the dance floor and around the dj booth. I turned to say something to Nate, but saw he was gone and already walking towards a girl who was swaying her hips to the music. I sighed and walked over to the glowing bar and took a seat. I looked around for any sign of Giovanni. I should have gotten his number or at least carpooled with him.

“Ti na sou féro̱ to méli kouloúri?” The bartender asked. I looked up at him and sighed again. He clearly was speaking Greek. Which I didn’t know.

“I’m sorry, I don’t speak Greek.” I responded and he looked at me with a confused look.

“Den ró̱ti̱sa gia ti̱n istoría ti̱s zo̱í̱s sas . Aplá thélo̱ na xéro̱ ti na sas exypi̱retí̱sei .” He said again and I could tell from his tone that what he said probably wasn’t that nice.

“Listen, I speak English so I don – Oh this is pointless.” I moaned, putting my head down. I was contemplating whether or not to leave when I heard a familiar voice.

“Zi̱tó̱ syngnó̱mi̱ , eínai apó ti̱n Amerikí̱ . Párte mas syni̱thisméni̱ mou .” I looked up and saw Giovanni smile down at me. I felt my lips pull back into a smile and my face started to get warm. He took the seat next to me and started tugging at the tie around his neck.

“Sorry it took so long, I didn’t expect my meeting to last forever.” He sighed and I shook my head.

“You’re fine.” I told him and he stopped moving and gave me a warm smile. “Uhm – What did you say to him?” I asked, finding myself curious about what they said.

“I told him you weren’t from here and then to get me the usual.” I nodded and looked over at the people on the dance floor. When I couldn’t find Nate, I turned my eyes back to Giovanni and my breath caught in my throat. The tight royal blue dress shirt he was wearing seemed to hug his muscles as he moved to roll his sleeves up. He was wearing a pair of fitting black slacks and his hair was the same as it was when we met in the airport. I looked up and saw his eyes on me and he smiled as I blushed and looked away quickly.

“So, why might a sexy guy like you be doing in Greece?” He asked, his accent mixing with his deep voice that sent chills all through my body.

“Change of scenery?” I said, not wanting to tell him the real truth. I mean, I just met the guy. No need in telling him I was the future Alpha of a werewolf pack and decided to run away from my responsibilities.

“You picked a great place.” Giovanni said and I sighed in relief that he didn’t pick up on the fact that I was lying. Or the fact that he knew I was lying, but chose not to push into it.An awkward silence filled the air between us and I came to realize that I probably didn’t like Giovanni as much as I thought. I mean, sure, he was hot, but I think that’s all there was too it. I excused myself to the restroom after the silence became unbearable and frowned when he made no attempts to stop me.

Pushing through the moving bodies, I made it to the bathroom and checked the stalls, making sure no was in there. Once I made sure it was all clear, I pulled out my phone and decided to call Navaeh. I had meant to ask her some questions when she called earlier but she was too busy pimping me out. I waited as the phone rang and then heard the other line pick up.

“Hello?” Navaeh sang as she answered the phone, I chuckled and rolled my eyes.

“Hey Nava.” I heard her gasp and my heart stopped, thinking something had happened. It was silent and I considered hanging up before I heard her whisper.

“You called my Nava.”

“I swear to god I am going to kick your ass. You made me think something happened when you gasped!” I yelled and I heard her laugh on the other end.

“Sorry, you just never call me that. So, what can I do for you?” She said, finally calming down.

I took a deep breath, “I want the 411 on what’s happening after I left.”  Heard her let out a long sigh, which turned into a groan.

“Well, your dad was pissed. Like super pissed. Like I thought he was going to explode, that’s how pissed. Then your mom cried, a lot. Then they all calmed down and started interrogating me, but don’t worry, I told them we got into a fight so I had no clue what the hell you were doing and that I didn’t care.” I rolled my eyes. Typical Navaeh. “And now they are going to set out a search team tomorrow morning.”

“Alright. Just make sure they – “ I stopped talking as I heard Tyler and my dad’s voice.

“Who are you talking to Navaeh?” Tyler asked, his voice full of suspicion and I felt my heart stopped. I planned to hang up, but I heard the bathroom door open and saw a guy walk in.

“My friend Paul.” I heard Navaeh lie.

“Give me the phone.” My dad snapped and my eyes widened. I turned to the stranger and he stopped and looked at me with the same wide eyes.

“Can you speak English?” I asked and he slowly nodded his head. “Alright, talk into the phone. Your name is Paul, you’re friends with Navaeh and you are working on a History project together.” I didn’t wait for an answer as I shoved the phone into his hand and he put it up to his ear.

“Hello? Yes, my name is Paul. No, I do not know a Nikolai. Sir? I am from Italy, yes. No. No. You too sir.” He handed me the phone and I heard Navaeh say a quick bye before she hung up. I closed my eyes and took a couple of deep breaths before looking back at the man. He was actually pretty attractive now that I was looking at him.

His hair was the same style as Giovanni’s, but a little shorter. He had a thicker stubble than Giovanni also and now that I looked closely, he actually resembled Giovanni in some aspects. Only difference was the array of tattoos on his arm. Oh my, I never knew tattoos would be a turn-on for me.

Wait, I’m not gay.

“Hey, sorry about that. Thank you though for helping instead of blowing me off.” I said, shoving my phone back in my pocket. The guy nodded and smiled and I melted at the sight of that smile.

“It was no problem, I actually thought it was amusing.” He said with a chuckle and I noticed he also had an accent, but not like Giovanni. Oh right, he said he was from Italy earlier so that explains it. “Was that your father I was speaking to?” He suddenly asked.

“Uh – yeah. He kind of has no clue where I am and I want to keep it that way.” I responded, scratching the back of my head. Why was I acting so nervous around this guy? I don’t even like him, except for his tattoos. And his smile, his hair and his – okay no. I need to stop.

“Rebellious.” He said in an amused voice, a smirk on his lips. I suddenly felt my wolf wanting to come out. What the hell? It never did this before. Normally your wolf wants to come out when you find your mate, but it normally confirms it with you before popping out. I stared back at him, my eyes wide and forced a smile.“Yeah, that’s me.” I pointed towards the door. “I’m gonna go now, so – “ I didn’t wait for a response before I bolted out of the restroom and into the sea of moving bodies. I groaned as I moved through them. One thing I think I’ll hate about clubs. I made it back to the bar and surprisingly enough, Giovanni was still there. I took my seat and he looked up at me surprised.

“Oh. I thought I might have run you off.” He muttered and I chuckled.

“Can’t get rid of me that easily?” Oh my god. I was flirting. I was seriously flirting.

Holy shit. “So, are you seeing anyone?” I found myself saying and my eyes expanded as I realized what I had said. To my luck though, Giovanni busted out laughing and smiled at me.

“Your face!” He laughed and I blushed. “But no. To answer your question, I am not seeing anyone, but I have met someone who is peeking my interest.” He said with a suggestive stare and I felt my heart sink. He liked someone else.

“Oh.” Was all I could say and I saw him frown at my voice. I kept my eyes on my legs, but saw him move forward until I felt his breath on my ear.

“I was talking about you.” He whispered and shivers ran through my body. I bit back a moan and he pulled back, smirking at me again. I expected my wolf to react the same way it did when the man in the bathroom smirked at me, but he made no signs of moving.

What the hell?

“Forgive me if this is sudden, but – “Giovanni never got to finish as a man called out to him in Greek. He rolled his eyes and groaned in annoyance before turning around. I watched the man walk up to him, a girl wrapped around his arm.

“Lysander , den écho̱ chróno .” I heard Giovanni snap and I saw the man look at him with a bored expression. I looked at his shirt and cocked my head. I’ve seen someone wearing that shirt before. I suddenly felt eyes on me and looked up and gasped.

“You’re Paul!” I said, pointing my finger at the man. The girl and Giovanni looked at me like I had grown another head.

“Nikolai, his name isn’t Paul.” Giovanni said slowly and I huffed.

“I know that. Just – earlier in the bathroom, I got a call and I needed someone to pretend to be Paul and he walked in so, he became Paul. I never got his real name though.” I frowned as the though dawned on me. Normally when I meet someone new, I get their name right away.

“Well, his name is Lysander.” The guy said and Giovanni gave him a droll stare.

“Exypnákias.” I heard Giovanni mumble and I looked at him confused. “What?” I asked and he chuckled.

“I called him a smartass.” I nodded slowly and Lysander looked at Giovanni like he wanted to punch his face in. “Forgive me. Nikolai, this is my cousin Lysander and his girlfriend, or at least something like that.” He muttered the last part, but the girl apparently heard him and gasped, saying something to Lysander in a whining voice.

“Lysander, this is Nikolai. And that’s all you need to know because I’m not letting you get acquainted with him?” I was about to protect on that when I felt some grab my arm and jerk me up. I felt my wolf growl and I turned around, fist raised and ready to punch the shit out of whoever it was, but saw it was Nate.

“Dude, I was ready to murder you.” I groaned, but his face didn’t change. He looked panicked, his eyes flashing around the club, before they fell on me and his face turned hard.

“We need to go.” He said his tone serious. I normally wouldn’t reject whenever Nate ordered me around, because his judgment was normally a lot better than mine. But right now, I didn’t want to leave. I could feel a fight over who gets Nikolai’s sexy ass about to start between two cousins.

Or at least I was assuming so, what from the way both Giovanni and Lysander were eye-raping me.

“Why? I want to stay.” I said, my voice sounding much more high-pitched then I intended. That didn’t amuse Nate though. He looked at me, his lips pursed.

“Nikolai. I’m serious.” He leaned forward and the words he whispered in my ear had my face pale. “Shape shifters.” I quickly turned around and smiled at the two men behind me.

“I’m sorry, but I have to go.” I expected for Giovanni to frown, but what I didn’t expect was for Lysander to look disappointed.

“Why? I was just about to ask you to dance with me.” Giovanni said, pouting. I bit back a laugh and held out my hand. Phone was all I said and he obliged and handed me his phone. I somehow found where the contacts were and quickly put my number in before handing it back to him.

“Call me if you want to hang out again.” I told him and then wasted no time in leaving with Nate. We hurried to the car and didn’t even buckle up before we were racing out into the street.

“How many were there?” I asked, my voice going deep and business-like. This always seemed to happen whenever my Alpha tendencies took over. I never minded it though, because it made me feel like I was a mob boss or something.

“About four. Three males, one female. I found the men, but I think they were looking for the female cause I couldn’t smell her, only sense.” He answered, making a sharp turn and getting honked at by a couple cars.

“Did they know we were there?”

“At first no. I decided to not keep watching them, but when I glanced back up, they were talking and looking at me. I want to say they were looking at someone around me, but I have my doubts.” I nodded slowly and sighed. This was just great. I finally get a break from everything and now I most likely have to start all over.

I couldn’t risk getting caught by the shapeshifters here. If they knew I was here, then I had no doubt that they would inform the group in Emery. And if that happened, it would get to my dad and then all of this would have been for nothing. We turned into the parking garage of the hotel and Nate turned off the car.

“Isn’t there a way we can mask our scents?” I asked as we got out. He froze and slowly looked at me.

“You seriously want to risk this just for some guy?” I looked at him confused and shook my head.

“What? No. I would rather not spend another five thousand dollars on plane ticket because we have to relocate.” He didn’t respond just continued walking towards our room. Once inside, neither of us said anything as I sent a text to Navaeh telling her to get on Skype. I pulled out the new laptop I bought as she responded back and we waited until the icon said she was online. I clicked the call button and waited until she answered. When she did, she didn’t look too pleased.

“The fuck you want? I gotta come out here in the freezing cold just to talk to you.” I rolled my eyes at her exaggeration.

“It’s not even that cold.” I protested and she glared at me. “Okay yeah. Listen, we ran into some shape shifters and wanted to know if you could find a way to mask our scent from them.” She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. We waited for her to respond, but after a couple minutes I started getting restless.

“Navae – “

“Shape shifters’ aren’t going to be your only problem.” She finally said and I looked as her face turned serious.

“What?”

“Your dad has ordered for someone to go find you and drag you back home.” My face paled as the information sank in and I looked at Nate. His eyes were wide as he looked at me.

“W – What do you mean he’s sending someone?” I panted as my chest grew tight.

“He’s teamed up with another pack. They are apparently really good at finding people and practically all of them are either detectives or in the police force. He’s holding trials to find the best wolf, and then he will work with them to find you and bring you home. And even then, I highly doubt your punishment will be easy, future Alpha or not”

Fuck my life.

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Authors Note: So, we got a little intimate with Giovanni and even met Lysander. But whose the girl that is his supposed girlfriend? And what about the shapeshifters and bounty hunter coming after Nikolai? Boy oh boy, our little guy has gotten himself into some trouble. Picture of Nathaniel.

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