AllFreeNovel
Share Us
CHAPTER ONE
"Dolan, just let it go. He's not worth the hell you're going to go through." Dolan heard his pack mate, but he was too invested to let go now.
"He used me, and no one uses me. I'm going to kill that fucker." Dolan hissed and threw a solid punch at the wall, denting it considerably.
"It was mutual; the guy doesn't stay with anyone you knew that going in. It's called a one-night stand, you idiot. Don't get your feels all caught up in something so stupid." The man was fighting a losing battle.
"He made me look a fool." Dolan was not calming down. "I couldn't get his attention until I punched him in the face, and even then, he didn't remember me."
"My God, man, let it go. It was just sex, not a marriage proposal."
"I don't want that stupid fucker; I'm not heartbroken; I'm pissed. He looked straight at me and didn't remember that he'd fucked me the night before. He made me a laughingstock, and for that, he's going to feel as much pain as I can inflict."
"He doesn't matter forget it find another warm body tonight and forget him. I think you're just looking for a reason to be angry, and that vampire has provided one. If you cause a rift between the vamps and the pack, Alpha Tyne will have your hide."
"I don't care, I can handle Alpha Tyne. This vamp is going to be made to suffer like the true dog that he is." Dolan was lost in his manufactured fury, and nothing anyone said would bring him back.
Dorian arrived home in the late afternoon, and he hadn’t heard from his friend Paul since yesterday, so he decided to stop by his apartment for a visit before going home. Paul had a one-night stand with some hot guy from the clubs and Dorian wanted details and the suspicious part of him wanted to make sure Paul was alright.
The way Paul had described the man, he sounded too good to be true. Dorian was worried, considering Paul's vulnerability after his breakup with Joshua. He feared that he could be taken advantage of. Paul was his best friend, and he would not stand by and watch him make another mistake like the one he made with Joshua.
That guy was a self-centered prick, but Paul's soft heart kept trying to fix him, and according to Paul, all Joshua needed was proper understanding. No, all that tool needed was a swift kick in the ass, but Paul was too good and too kind. Thankfully, the guy is hopefully out of his life, but it would be heartbreaking if Paul simply replaced one user with another.
He knocked on Paul’s door and waited but there was no answer. He pulled out his phone and sent a text asking Paul if he was home and letting him know he was at the door. His text remained unread, but he wasn’t too concerned it was the weekend and he was probably out, but Dorian still felt a nagging concern in the back of his mind. He knocked on the neighbor’s door and when the lady answered he asked about Paul.
“Have you seen your neighbor Paul Masters this weekend?” He tried to sound casual. “I’m his friend Dorian and I haven’t heard from him in a few days, and he isn’t answering his door.”
“It’s so awful.” She said with a shake of her head and a rueful frown. Dorian felt his gut tighten as he waited for her to explain. "He was evicted on Saturday. All his things were hauled out and stacked on the front lawn, and he was locked out of the apartment. It was just awful." She kept nodding her head in agreement with what she was saying, while Dorian looked more and more shocked.
"Where is he? What happened?" Dorian broke in as she paused.
"He's staying with a man he recently started dating, is what I heard. I also heard it was his boss who fired him and evicted him from the apartment. Apparently, the company he worked for was subsidizing the apartment." She struggled a little with the explanation, but Dorian was getting the picture.
“The man he’s staying with, is it Sloan Dobre?”
“That’s the name I heard, yes.” He told him.
“Thank you, ma’am.”
"If you see him, give him my best, will you?"
“I will.”
Dorian exited the apartment complex and stood outside for a few minutes, texting Paul. He still hadn't responded to his previous message, and he didn't respond to this one. He went to his car and sat in the lot for a while, waiting for Paul to answer. He continued to call and text but got no answer.
He wasn’t going to overreact he could be with Dobre, and everything could be fine but the knot in his stomach told him to investigate. He started with a contact he had in the financial district. He planned to find out what was going on at Austen Fields and get a little background on Sloan Dobre.
Paul and Sloan returned home to the Coven Complex, which is located in a large private section of Belmont just west of Charlotte. They had a lovely day spent in Myrtle Beach, taking in the shops, restaurants, and the beaches, of course. "Today was such fun," Paul said as they entered their quarters on the upper floor of the main complex.
“You make everyday fun my sweet.” Sloan swept him up in his strong arms and proceeded to kiss him breathlessly. He set him back on his feet and suggested drinks on the balcony before bed.
Paul grabbed his phone that he’d left on the side table and began checking for missed calls. “Oh fuck!” He burst and immediately hit call back.
“What is it?” Sloan rushed to him.
"Dorian, he got home early and went to my apartment. He's been calling and texting. I have to talk to him before he calls out the Marines." He was only half joking because the man was relentless.
Dorian discovered that Agincourt Bank, of which Sloan Dobre was an officer, took control of Austin Fields on Saturday. Paul's boss and several other prominent individuals lost their jobs, and one particular investor lost millions of dollars. The takeover happened after Paul lost his job, so Dorian wasn’t sure of the connection between the two events.
