Page 7 of Brutal Reign (Shadowed Heirs #5)

7

T he bass pulses through me like a heartbeat as Ace slides the crossfader into the next song, completely in his element up here in the DJ booth. The dance floor below us crackles with energy, the air supercharged as sweaty bodies bump and grind to the music, drinks spilling out of glasses and splashing onto the arms of those clutching them. Eli and Beau are out there, each having set their sights on prey for the night, while right now, I don’t mind being up here away from it all. Given my current mood, I prefer it.

Of course, I’ll have to wander down there at some point to keep up appearances. It’s the end of our first week of training camp, and since we’ve got the day off tomorrow, our whole recruit class flocked to the only bar within walking distance of the squad complex. A lot of the regular squad fighters are here, too, as well as a handful of locals who don’t seem to mind that we’ve overrun the place. I suppose they’re used to it by now since Saturday nights at the Goldenleaf bar are a staple of squad life.

This isn’t Ace’s first time on the turntables here, nor is it my first time up in the booth at his side. He’s been DJ’ing for about a year and a half now, and it’s easy for him to get gigs since there’s only one other decent DJ in the six-pack territory. He’s not as good as Ace, though; my boy’s got a gift. His hands move over the equipment with ease, and while I have no fucking clue about how to work any of it, I’m perfectly content just to chill at his side in the booth, reaping the benefits of being DJ-adjacent.

Turns out, girls love DJ’s. When they’re out on the floor dancing, they stare up at the man in the booth like he’s some kind of god, every flick of his wrist determining their fate. I guess it does, in some ways. In an environment like this, controlling the music controls the mood. There’s power in that, and Ace wields it like a weapon.

It’s the reason he’s queued up a song next that’s sure to clear out the dance floor. He must be ready for a break, and fighting the crowd to get out of the booth is a pain in the ass. I’m gonna go ahead and pretend that’s the only reason, and it has nothing to do with the dude that’s been hovering around River Jacobsen all night finally getting her to agree to dance with him. That’d mean Ace is actually reacting to her, and he’s a master at keeping his cool when it comes to that girl.

Well, except for the other day on the practice field. I don’t even know the name of the idiot who was catcalling River in the barracks, but he wasn’t so brave when Ace and I were crushing every bone in his hands to get our point across. We’d already warned him once. If River’s off-limits to us, she’s off-limits to everybody. The whiny little prick quit training camp and went running home to his mama, so at least none of us will have to deal with him anymore.

I’m not even surprised that River has given us the cold shoulder since that morning. I saw the way she looked at me and Ace when Chandler played her childish prank. River didn’t blame the girl who did it, she blamed us . And sure, she might’ve tried to act unbothered by the whole thing, but she forgets that we knew her once. Chandler’s mean-girl shit got to her, so we’ve been keeping our distance to let her lick her wounds. It’s no fun toying with injured prey.

If it’s revenge she wants, then she got it the second she showed up tonight. River’s already a stunner in her everyday casual attire, but in the painted-on pleather leggings and tight black cropped tank she’s wearing tonight, the girl’s a fucking knockout. Every eye in this place turned her way the moment she walked in, and mine have barely left since.

She clearly has no idea how much attention she draws by simply existing. She’s flirting more with her girlfriends than any of the guys lurking around her, as if oblivious to the fact she could have them dropping to their knees with so much as a bat of her lashes. River Jacobsen is a far cry from the little tomboy who used to run wild with Ace and me. She’s the hottest girl in the room.

Judging by the way Ace has been silently stalking her every move since she got here, he’s noticed the same thing. Both of us are well aware that we’re playing a dangerous game in spending this much time around the girl who almost drove us apart. Out of sight, out of mind almost works when you commit to it, but in sight makes the mind harder to ignore.

“Wanna grab a drink?” I ask Ace as he slides the crossfaders, the thump of the bass beat dying out as a slower song begins to play and he sets the next in the queue.

“Yeah,” he mumbles in response, still staring off into the crowd.

I follow his line of sight to see that his tactic worked– only the lovers in the room remain on the dance floor, the crowd slowly dispersing to wander back to their high-top tables or in the direction of the bar. River included. The poor sap she was dancing with looks like someone just ran over his dog as she leaves him to rejoin her friends, and for a second, I almost feel bad for him.

Almost.

Nah, I don’t really give a shit.

“C’mon,” I grunt, jerking my head toward the doorway to exit the booth.

The two of us make our way down, threading through the crowd to get to the bar. It thickens the closer we get, but a major perk of being a rising Alpha is that people move the fuck out of your way when they see you coming. It doesn’t take us long to get to the front of the bar, and one glance toward the server is all it takes for glasses of top-shelf whiskey to be placed in front of either of us.

I immediately reach for mine, knocking it back and draining the entire contents in a single swig. The liquor burns a path down my throat and settles in my gut, warming me from the inside as I drop my glass back onto the counter and tip my head to the bartender in silent demand for a refill.

“Here comes Chandler,” Ace murmurs, his gaze aimed over my shoulder as he brings his own glass to his lips.

I roll my eyes with an annoyed groan, not bothering to turn around and look. I can already smell the cloying scent of her perfume, and moments later, she announces her presence by snaking her hand around my waist from behind. She tucks it up under the hem of my t-shirt, fingertips brushing against my hard abs.

“About time you came down outta that booth,” she purrs, pressing her body against my back.

I shove her hand out from underneath my shirt, stepping closer to the bar and picking up the fresh drink the bartender just delivered for me. Ace snorts a laugh, shaking his head as he takes another sip of his own. Glad he finds this so amusing .

His eyes are heavy-lidded as he swallows down another swig of whiskey, a lazy smile curving his lips when he lowers his glass. He’s stoned as fuck right now, but unlike most people, it doesn’t make him oblivious to his surroundings. I swear it only intensifies his focus. That mind of his is always working; constantly calculating every situation. Ace doesn’t do anything without intent.

“You’re killin’ it with the music tonight, Ace,” a doe-eyed brunette says as she sidles up to him, batting her lashes flirtatiously.

She doesn’t stand a chance. Like me, Ace is known to prefer blondes.

“Thanks,” he replies smoothly, knocking back the rest of his drink. He wipes his mouth off on a tattooed forearm before glancing past her as he sets his glass on the counter. “Who’s your friend?”

The girl’s cheeks pinken in a flush as she steps aside, gesturing to the blonde girl in question. “This is Tillie.”

I recognize the name from training camp, but all these chicks look different tonight with their hair done up and the heavy makeup caked on their faces. Tillie shuffles in to take her friend’s place and Ace tosses an arm over her shoulders, cutting me a smirk as he leans down to whisper something in her ear. Probably securing a hookup for the end of the night.

Ace is a silent killer with the ladies; I’ll bet he pulls more tail than Beau and Ares combined. Not that he’d ever confirm it. He doesn’t flaunt his conquests around like the two of them do, keeping his dirty deeds relegated to the shadows except for the rare occurrence when the same girl catches our eye.

Sharing is caring, right?

Except we don’t care; not really. Not about the girls whose names we rarely even bother learning. We’ve only ever cared about one girl, and we drove her away a long time ago, before it could destroy us.

Ace gives Tillie a wink as he slides his arm off her shoulders, grabbing a fresh drink off the bar before he turns to head back to the DJ booth. He bumps his shoulder into mine, lifting his chin in acknowledgement as he passes me, and I return the gesture to let him know that I’ll be back up there soon. I have no idea what he just said to Tillie, but suddenly she’s giggling like an idiot, clinking her glass with her friend’s.

Yeah, my boy’s about to get his dick wet tonight.

Can’t say the same for myself. Chandler has planted herself at my side, trying to hang all over me while I pointedly ignore her presence. I swear, every time I’m around this girl, she’s pawing at my flaccid cock. She’s attractive, but nothing about her gets me hard. Too desperate. The only advantage is that she’s established herself as queen bee amongst our recruit class, so as long as she’s hovering, the other girls keep their distance. Not that any of them do it for me, either.

Chandler’s fingertips skim the waistband of my shorts and I snap a hand out, closing it around her wrist before she can go any further. “No,” I snarl, cutting her a glare.

Her flirtatious smile melts, a flare of silver igniting in her irises as her wolf pushes to the surface. “C’mon, Seb, we’ve been doing this dance for too long now. It’s about time we finally give in, dontcha think?”

A chuckle rumbles from my chest as I shake my head, hardly believing how fucking delusional this chick is. Edging away from her, I pivot to lean back against the bar, raising my glass to my lips as I glance out over the crowd. It’s no surprise that my eyes find River immediately.

I must not avert my gaze quickly enough, because Chandler picks up on where my attention is directed, wrinkling her nose in distaste as she sidesteps in front of me to block my view. “I thought you hated River Jacobsen?”

“I do,” I reply flatly.

“You sure?” she challenges, narrowing her eyes on me in suspicion. “Cause I heard you issued a threat to all the guys to stay away from her.”

I roll my eyes as I rest the rim of my glass against my lower lip. “Must’ve been her dad.”

“ Really ,” she deadpans, folding her arms over her chest and staring me down. “Then what was that on the practice field the other day with Raf?”

My brow furrows. “Who?”

“The guy whose hands you broke.”

“Oh, him .” I snort a laugh, taking a sip of whiskey.

Chandler punches a hand on her hip impatiently, puffing out her chest. “Well? If it wasn’t about her, then what was that?”

Draining the rest of my drink, I lower my glass, turning at the waist to set it on the counter behind me and motioning to the bartender for another. “Alpha stuff, babe. You wouldn’t understand.”

It’s funny how just bringing up the fact that I’m an Alpha causes Chandler’s entire demeanor to shift. The bitchy attitude melts away in an instant, that plastic smile returning to her face.

“So you’re not into her?” she asks, batting her lashes hopefully.

“I don’t care about River fucking Jacobsen,” I mutter.

She grins wider, edging in a little closer as she twirls a strand of hair around her finger. “And me?”

I flicker my gaze over a shoulder as the bartender drops off a fresh glass of whiskey. “You’re trying too hard,” I grumble, turning to snatch it up before pushing off the bar to head back to the DJ booth, not sparing Chandler another glance.

Girls like her have no self-respect. They’ll let you treat them like dog shit and still keep coming back for more.

The crowd parts to let me through, and I’m about to climb the steps up to the booth when I’m halted by a hand darting out to land on my arm. Whipping my head around to see who had the balls to touch me, I find two girls peering up with their best fuck-me eyes, bright smiles on both their faces.

“Hey Seb, can we come with you up to the booth?” one of them asks, wisely retracting her hand from my arm.

I dart a glance toward Ace, who responds with a barely discernable shake of his head. “Sorry, ladies, Ace doesn’t like distractions while he’s working,” I reply smoothly, the corner of my mouth lifting in a smirk. “We’ll catch you on his next break, huh?”

“Yeah, for sure,” the other girl breathes, hooking her arm through her friend’s. They titter excitedly as they scamper off and I roll my eyes, pivoting back around and continuing up to the DJ booth.

Ace never lets anyone else hang with him up here except me. I don’t really understand why, but far be it for me to question his creative process. Even our closest friends are banned from the booth, which Eli and Beau bitch about constantly.

The music is pumping with a lively beat again, the dance floor filling back up. I sip my whiskey while I watch over the sea of writhing bodies, eyes catching on River each time they skim over the crowd. It’s like a fucking disease I’ve never managed to find a cure for, and I can’t fucking stand the visceral reaction I have every time another man ventures too close.

River’s purple-haired friend is out on the dance floor with her, but Hayden seems to be struggling to even stay on her feet. Kendrick and Gus keep trying to prop her up, but she bats them away, giggling as she teeters on her heels. They aim concerned glances at River, and she’s quick to step in and assist them, grabbing onto Hayden’s arm and pulling it over her shoulders to support her weight.

As much as I don’t like those two dickheads hanging around River all the time, it doesn’t seem like they’re going anywhere. Guess that if what Chandler said about the recruits choosing sides is true, Kendrick and Gus have made their choice.

Too bad it’s the wrong one.

I slide Ace a side-eyed glance and find that he’s zeroed in on the same interaction, his jaw tight and brow furrowed.

“Her friend’s wasted,” I murmur.

“Looks like Riv’s trying to take her home,” he replies.

I turn back to the dance floor, finding River attempting to move Hayden toward the exit. Jake pushes his way through the crowd toward them, saying something to River before coming up on Hayden’s other side to steady her.

“The fuck is Jake doing?” I growl, narrowing my eyes on the asshole son of River’s pack’s Beta.

“Helping, I think,” Ace mutters, his gaze still fixed on their exchange.

I huff an annoyed breath, watching as the three of them work their way closer to the exit door. “There’s something off about that guy,” I grumble.

“Yeah.” Ace turns to look at me, flecks of silver swimming in his turquoise eyes.

“We can’t,” I grit out.

He jerks a nod. “I know.”

We exchange a long look, then both turn back to watch River and Jake help Hayden through the door, ignoring the urges we’re both fighting. My inner wolf’s just as close to the surface as Ace’s, but neither of us can do anything about it. This is our agreement; it’s the way it has to be.

I blow out a breath as soon as the door swings closed behind River, dropping my gaze to the dance floor again. The two girls that asked to come into the booth are staring up here, and one tosses me a wave when our eyes meet.

I lazily lift my chin, smirking back at her. She’s a sure thing, and maybe that’s what I need tonight after all. The only time I can seem to forget about my problems is when I’m balls deep in some nameless blonde with big tits and an inferiority complex.

Too bad nothing will ever actually solve them.