Kael’s POV.
The pounding bass of the music reverberated through the walls of *Scarlet’s*. Neon lights in red and blue flickered, casting an otherworldly glow over the dimly lit club.
The air was thick with the scent of alcohol, cheap perfume, and a faint undercurrent of desperation that clung to the place like a second skin. I leaned back in the leather booth, the cool tumbler of whiskey in my hand as I watched the chaos unfold around me.
Half-naked women danced on stage, their movements fluid and enticing under the spotlight. Men shouted and laughed, throwing cash without hesitation, their voices blending into the music.
This was exactly what I needed tonight.
After the disaster Mara caused earlier and the exhausting charade I had to put on for Aria, my mind felt like a tangled mess of frustration and fury. I had spent the entire day wearing a mask-pretending to care, pretending to be patient, pretending to be a man worthy of Aria’s trust. It took everything in me to hold back, to act like the considerate fiance I wasn’t. None of it came naturally, and now I felt drained, like a wolf forced into submission.
But here? Here, I was in control. No expectations. No lies. Just Kael-the real me.
“Man, you look like you’re about to tear someone’s head off,” Jace said as he slid into the booth beside me. His grin was as sharp and mischievous as always. Jace, one of my closest friends and a trusted pack warrior, shared my taste for chaos. He handed me another glass of whiskey, the amber liquid catching the light as he raised his own in a mock toast. “Loosen up. We’re here to have fun, not sit around brooding over your fiancee drama.”
“I’m not brooding,” I muttered, downing the rest of my drink in one swift gulp. The burn spread through my chest, sharp and satisfying, dulling the edges of my irritation.
“Sure you’re not,” Jace said, rolling his eyes. “You’ve been sitting here like a damn statue for the last twenty minutes while the rest of us are actually enjoying ourselves.”
I followed his gaze to where Damon and Rylan, the other two members of my inner circle, were stationed at the bar. They were surrounded by strippers, their arms draped around scantily clad women who giggled and whispered into their ears. The two of them looked like they didn’t have a care in the world, and for a moment, my lips twitched into a smirk. At least someone was having a good time tonight.
Jace nudged me with his elbow. “Look, there’s a brunette over there who’s been eyeing you all night. Don’t tell me you’re too distracted by your little princess to take advantage.”
At the mere mention of Aria, my smirk vanished, and my jaw tightened. “She’s not my fiancee yet,” I muttered, my tone sharp.
“Semantics,” Jace said with a shrug. “You’re practically handcuffed already. Might as well enjoy your freedom while it lasts.”
I didn’t respond, my grip tightening around the empty glass as my thoughts drifted to Aria. This engagement wasn’t something I wanted-it was something I *had* to do. And Aria? She wasn’t my future mate in any meaningful sense. She was a pawn, a means to an end, and nothing more.
The waitress approached, and I motioned for another drink, leaning back in my seat as the alcohol began to take the edge off my thoughts.
“Mara really got under your skin, huh?” Jace said after a moment, his tone shifting to something more serious.
“Mara’s irrelevant,” I said, though the memory of her smug, calculating face still lingered in my mind like a bad aftertaste. “She’s desperate and pathetic. She won’t be a problem.”
Jace raised an eyebrow. “You sure about that? She seemed pretty determined to screw things up for you.”
“She’s not the issue,” I said firmly. “Aria is the plan. Mara… she’s just noise.”
A slow, knowing smile spread across Jace’s face. “The plan, huh? What’s the plan, Kael? Win her over with sweet words and puppy eyes?”
I chuckled darkly, taking another sip of whiskey. “Not exactly.”
Before I could elaborate, Damon and Rylan returned to the booth, each with a stripper on his arm. The women giggled and whispered, their hands wandering over the men’s shoulders as they slid into the booth beside them.
“Kael!” Damon called out, raising his glass in my direction. “Why are you sitting here all alone when there’s plenty of fun to go around?”
“I’m fine right here,” I said, shaking my head.
“Suit yourself,” Damon said, pulling the blonde on his lap closer. She laughed, tipping her head back as he whispered something into her ear.
For a while, we drank and laughed, the night slipping into a haze of flashing lights and pulsating music. A curvy redhead with sharp, fiery eyes approached me at one point, her smile seductive as she leaned over the table.
“You look like you could use some company,” she purred, her fingers brushing lightly against my shoulder.
I glanced up at her, offering a lazy smile. “Maybe later.”
She pouted playfully but moved on, swaying her hips as she approached another group of men nearby.
“You’re no fun tonight,” Jace said, shaking his head at me.
“I’m plenty of fun,” I replied, smirking slightly. “I just have… other things on my mind.”
“Like what?” Damon asked, his voice slurred from the alcohol.
I leaned forward, resting my elbows on the table as I swirled the whiskey in my glass. “Like my plan.”
Damon and Rylan exchanged curious glances, while Jace raised an eyebrow.
“What plan?” Jace asked, leaning in.
“The engagement,” I said simply, my tone calm.
“What about it?”
I took a long sip of my drink, savoring the burn, before setting the glass down with a smirk. “You really think I’m doing this for love? For a happily-ever-after?”
Jace snorted. “Of course not. You’re doing it for the alliance, right? For the pack?”
“Not exactly,” I said, leaning back in my seat. “The engagement is a stepping stone. A way to get what I want.”
“And what is it you want?” Rylan asked, his brow furrowing.
I grinned, the alcohol loosening my tongue. “Aria.”
Damon frowned, his expression unreadable. “Wait… you’re actually into her?”
“Not in the way you’re thinking,” I said, my tone laced with amusement. “She’s beautiful. Innocent. Untouched. And that’s exactly why I agreed to this whole charade in the first place.”
Jace’s eyes widened slightly, his grin faltering. “You’re saying…”
“I’m saying,” I interrupted, “that I’ll play the devoted fiance. I’ll be the perfect gentleman, the Alpha she’s been told to admire. And when the time is right, I’ll take what I want from her. Every. Last. Piece.”
“And then?” Damon asked quietly.
“Then I’ll end the engagement,” I said, my grin widening. “Politely, of course. She’ll be heartbroken, but she’ll survive. And me? I’ll walk away with everything I wanted.”
The table fell silent, the weight of my words settling over us like a heavy fog.
“You’re playing with fire, Kael,” Jace said finally, his voice low. “If her father finds out-”
“He won’t,” I said firmly. “Aria’s too naive to suspect anything, and by the time she does, it’ll be too late. The alliance will be in place, and I’ll have gotten what I wanted.”
“And if you’re wrong?” Rylan asked, his voice wary.
I chuckled, finishing the last of my whiskey. “I’m never wrong.”
The others exchanged uneasy glances, but none of them dared to challenge me further. They knew better.
As the night wore on and the drinks kept flowing, I let myself sink deeper into the haze of the club. My plan was set, and nothing-not Aria, not Mara, not anyone-would stop me from seeing it through.
After all, in this game, there were only winners and losers.
And I never planned on losing.