Chapter 45 CRACKS IN THE BROTHERHOOD
CHAOS.
I leaned against the bar, my eyes scanning the dimly lit room as I waited for the drinks I had just ordered.
This was how I had
spent my entire day: ditching school and wasting away at the bar because, honestly, why not?
Four shots lined up in front of me, and I made quick work of them, downing each one in a swift motion.
“Another round,” I called out, my voice slightly slurred but confident.
As I picked up the tray with my second serving, I felt a familiar frustration bubble inside me. “Fuck!” I hissed, wincing as I glared at the shot glass.
My lycan strength was a curse in moments like this.
I needed to drink half my weight in alcohol just to feel a hint of its effects.
All I wanted today was to get wasted, to drown out the noise in my head. It was the only appealing option, but even that felt like a struggle because of my damn genetics.
I leaned away from the counter, my eyes scanning the room, looking for something to feast on. But there was nothing out of the ordinary, nothing distracting… Just the usual crowd, lost in their own worlds. It felt like I was searching for a spark in a sea of dullness.
I walked over to a door and pushed it open. It led to a private room and the music soon faded into a muffled thump behind me.
Sinking heavily into a chair, I tossed back two more shots, the burn igniting a brief warmth in my chest. My gaze landed on the last shot, the amber liquid inside it glistening under the low light.
I stared at it, contemplating whether it would finally help me escape the worries spinning in my head.
The door swung open again, and I didn’t need to look up to know who had just come in.
My mood dampened further at Valtor’s presence.
He dragged his feet, coming to stand in front of me, hands shoved deep into his pockets, staring down like he had some right to be there.
I kept my mouth shut, refusing to acknowledge him and make my mood any worse.
“Still sulking, huh?” Valtor broke the silence, clearly frustrated. “You’re really going to stay mad at me over the necklace? Hasn’t it been too long?" He gestured dismissively. “She already got the necklace back, didn't she?”
I shot him a glance, hoping he’d just read the room and let me be.
“If anything,” he continued, leaning closer, “I should be the one giving you the cold shoulder.”
I ignored him, focusing on the shot in front of me, but Valtor wasn’t done.
He leaned down, his voice dropping to a more serious note. “What are your intentions with Merrielynn Fortner, huh? What exactly are you trying to achieve?”
I raised my gaze to me his boring into mine, demanding an answer I wasn’t ready to give.
I looked away from him, already getting irritated at this point. “Don’t call her that,” I corrected him sharply in a low but firm voice.
His anger flared in response. “It's her fucking name!”
I dismissed him with a wave of my hand, reaching for the last shot glass, but before I could grasp it, Valtor slapped it out of my hand.
The glass shattered on the floor, and I felt a surge of frustration. Before I could do anything, he leaned down, yanking me up by my collar, and I stumbled slightly, the alcohol dulling my reactions.
Once on my feet, I shoved him off me—hard. “Leave me the fuck alone!” I growled, staggering a little.
I could see the rage in Valtor’s eyes as he demanded, “When are you going to accept the reality of what’s going on?”
I felt the weight of his words, but I didn’t have the energy to fight him. That was why I had been avoiding him. But here he was, seeking me out, charged with animosity that had clearly been brewing under his skin. I just wanted to escape this confrontation, but it seemed like there was no way out.
Valtor baited me, saying, “You’re not a fool. You don’t really think the more you shove yourself in her face, the better your chances are of her remembering you, do you?”
He fell silent, likely waiting for me to respond, but when I didn’t say anything, he carried on.
“Because I’ll tell you this,” he said. “The version of you that girl sees every day couldn’t be further from the Cormac she once knew. So give it up.”
I laughed in his face, feeling those last three shots finally kicking in, and shot back, “Fuck you.”
Before I could even say anything else, Valtor's fist slammed into my jaw, hitting me right in the face.
For a moment, everything went hazy, but as the disorientation cleared, a surge of anger took over.
I lunged at him, and we were suddenly caught in a flurry of punches and shoves—intense enough to leave us both breathless.
I managed to get the upper hand, shoving Valtor against the wall.
He held his hands up in surrender, a sour expression twisting his face.
In that same position, he turned his head and spat out a tooth, the sight making me back off, hating how far things had gone.
I never wanted this, but deep down, I understood Valtor’s anger.
As well as Merrielynn’s memories, something else was lost on that bridge two years ago—something neither of us can ever get back.
And now, with Merrielynn back in our lives, that wound has reopened in a way that might tear us apart.
I’m not ready for it.
But it’s already happening before my eyes.
I held out a hand. “Val—”
“Forget it, man.” He shoved off the wall and headed for the door without another word.