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"Don't fucking look at her," Joon growled, jerking the Alpha off his stool and flinging him onto the floor. "Get the fuck out of here before I rip out your throat."
I pressed my thighs together, loathing my body's betrayal to Joon's display of dominance.
The Alpha slowly pulled himself up and reached for his drink. Joon grabbed it first and downed it in one go, slamming the glass back on the counter. "Get the fuck out," he growled.
The drunkard swayed, then turned, mumbling under his breath as he stumbled out the door.
"Joon!” A Beta behind the counter gave him a wide smile. "Good to see you."
Joon nodded. "Is Patthar here?"
"Of course." The Beta turned and disappeared through a small door behind the bar.
"Stay with me," Joon snapped, looking me hard in the eye. His knuckles still had a trace of blood on them. "Do not leave my side."
"I'm fine," I huffed, feeling defiant for some reason. "You didn't have to —"
"I would not drink a vat of poison, knowing full well it would kill me, just to prove my strength," he said. "Know your limits and respect them. It doesn't make you weak. It makes you smart. This isn't the kind of place whereyoucould win a fight."
I had to agree but wasn't about to say it out loud. I simply gave him a curt nod and looked around for Lex. He sat uncomfortably close to one of the elves, who was now licking his fingers.The Beta returned and gestured for Joon to follow.
"He's fine," Joon said, noticing my eyes on the siren. "Come."
We entered a much quieter room near the back of the building. The air was cleaner, and, except for some Faeland music, almost all the sound was drowned out.
"I fucking hate that fairy shit!" a jutting rock creature bellowed.
I had heard of the mountain men of Gygax Ridge when I was young, but I never thought I'd get to see one. The story was when the humans declared war on the werewolves, attempting to kill all Omegas, the witches and Fae bewitched the mountains to fight on their behalf. I assumed it was mostly legend and, now that one sat in front of me, I couldn't help but stare.
He was oddly small in height, barely taller than me. His body appeared to be stacked and pressed sandstone, with a rough texture covered in a thin layer of loose dirt that fell and kicked up in the air every time he moved or spoke.
"Seonjoon!" he yelled, reaching a thick hand out to shake Joon's. His body moved slowly and with purpose, the rocks sliding over each other, clicking and grinding together. "How's Fennah?"
"Dead," Joon shouted. He looked angry. I took half a step away from the Alpha. I was already on edge and, if he became any more provoked, the scent would surely spiral my wolf into a panic.
"Fuck, Joon," the rock man sighed loudly. "I'm very sorry. She was a good Beta. A good wolf!"
"Thank you, but I need a favor, Patthar."
"For Fennah, anything. Well, almost anything. Don't ask me for money."
I smiled briefly but quickly stopped when it was clear he wasn't joking in the least. His expression was as hard as his skin.
At first,it was all business. Joon told him of the Alphas we were hunting and the information he needed. But after a few hours and several foul-smelling drinks, both wolf and rock were laughing and yelling loudly about past adventures and lamenting lost loves. As time dragged on, I became incredibly bored. Neither one of them acknowledged me and, after a few failed attempts at speaking, I finally went silent.
Joon finally peeled himself away from his friend, promising future visits and gifts of hard found wine from the north. He grabbed my arm and pulled me out into the bar.
The Beta from earlier walked up to Joon and handed him a small slip of paper. The Alpha nodded, then caught the attention of a very relaxed-looking Lex, who was practically straddling the elf. Joon pushed me out the door and into the open night air.
"You could have at least acknowledged me in there," I said, trying not to sound whiny.
"Rock men are enchanted creatures made by witches and fairy folk. They respect women deeply and refuse to speak to them unless spoken to. He was being polite to you by letting you decide if you wanted to speak to him. He would have seen it as rude if I had pulled you into the conversation without your permission."
"I tried to speak but —"
"He has ears made of stone, Tzidal," Joon said, looking over the paper in his hand. "You literally have to yell for them to hear you, and you speak barely above a whisper most of the time."
"I do not!" I spat.
