A dashboard splattered with pieces from different headlines of recent occurrences in libertà city, stood idly in the middle of a cramped apartment.
Addie's house.
Some papers scattered across the floor, depicting the restlessness and perplexity of the owner of the residence. Brown coffee stains which proved tough, decorated the rug he stood on. They seemed to match the brown coloured walls of his apartment, quite nicely.
*Click*
The sound came from behind him, it was faint, but he picked up on it anyway. Acting on instincts, he made sure to dim the lights trying not to make a sound. Alerting his intruder of his presence wasn't a very stealthy approach.
"Element of surprise." Addie echoed softly to himself, raising his fists to knock out whomever it broke into his apartment.
The sound of the footsteps enhanced by each step closer, the intruder's masculine silhouette casted upon the dashboard. Along with the shadow of a, a distinct contour of a gun caught Addie's eye.
Addie made a gesture to attack, raising both his fists, coming out of the shadows standing face to face with the intruder. Addie's vision zeroed on the gun, his head counting the seconds used to cock it and aim it at him.
That proved futile fast!. As a flying coffee table was forcefully Aimed at Addie's head.
All of his senses jolted into action immediately, his bare fist punching a hole in the middle of his black coffee table. Shattering the entire thing into pieces without any form of difficulty.
The intruder, using that as a split second distraction cocked the pistol in his hand, and directly pointed it at Addie, obviously unmoved by the great feat performed.
"You don't want to..." Addie's reasoning was cut off by the intruder pulling the trigger on him.
The bullet went straight for his chest barely grazing it, the only damage caused was to his ten dollar shirt.
"I just bought that last week..." Addie protested in a casual voice looking down at the round hole in the middle of his shirt.
But his plea was swiftly met by five more bullets aimed at him. Instinctively, he brought both his hands together, employing them as shields against the speeding bullets.
The bullets collided against his skin, leaving fairly visible scratches, before lifelessly falling on the floor rug in front of him.
A cocky grin surfaced on Addie's face at the realisation that he blocked those bullets without any sort of struggle.
"That all?." He asked, getting ahead of himself, throwing a challenge at his Challenger.
"Not a chance." Was the reply, coupled with the gun charging at Addie's head with top speed and the jaw breaking kick of his opponent.
*********
"I...I think you've had too much to drink." Karla responded, pushing his shoulders back whilst she tried to escape the stranger's tight block.
But the more she struggled to escape the closer they became, the stranger's nose rested on her shoulder. Shamelessly taking in her scent, muttering to himself inaudible praises.
Karla assumed.
{He's strong even when drunk.} Karla reflected to herself, after realising that fighting with him would do no good. Another way would have to suffice.
"Listen...I don't know you, and am sure you've never met me before. And am sure you're mistaking me for someone else." Karla deduced, from the expensive cologne that he gave off. His scent was one of a kind, it was intoxicating, but in a pleasant way to Karla.
"But...why don't I buy you a drink?." She offered, hoping that he'd be open minded to drinking with strangers.
"You're my mate, it's your right to demand what you need from me." The man spat out, with an all too serious face.
{Is this guy serious?. Or did he hit his head on the way here?.} Were Karla's thoughts exactly at the strange man's supposed act of chivalry.
According to her, chivalry died a frickin long time ago and no man could toss such words around without an ulterior motive fueling his desires.
"Right. So as your mate...I...demand, that you sit here and have a drink with me." She nervously told him, trying not to look at him while talking.
"He wants you...the ancient fucker wants..." The man ranted on, burying his nose in her face, sniffing her like some animal.
"This is..."
{Nice.} Karla's unconscious mind told her, but she was quick to dismiss such ludicrous nonsense.
"Alright... there you go...sit right there."
Karla helped him towards the bar stool, helping to support his weight, balancing his arm on her shoulders. Placing her other hand around his waist, pulling him tightly to herself. The stranger in turn, held her close to him, neglecting his own feet and balance.
"That wasn't so hard now was it?." Karla retorted, taking a seat beside him. An awkward silence followed suite, as her fingers drummed noisily against the table. Her handsome companion kept his vision trailed on the side profile of her face.
"So...do you have like...a place to stay tonight? Anybody you can call to pick you up? A phone on you?." Karla asked trying to make small talk.
"All I have in this world is you mate." Was his reply, and he looked damned sure of that.
"Am sure that line's picked up a number of girls buddy." Replied Karla with a hint of surprise and sarcasm as she gave him a friendly nudge in the gut.
"Maybe while I wasn't mated, but when I met you... No other female mattered." He confessed, staring directly at Karla's face.
It seemed odd that his midnight blue eyes held so much truth, whilst his mouth spatted out nothing but lies.
"You really are a sweet talker. Or at least, I can assume you're only this nice while you're drunk. No one is really good to anyone these days." Karla said, pouring her heart out to the drunk stranger beside her.
{There's no one to better to confide in than a total drunk stranger who won't remember you the next morning while waiting for a damned bartender.} Karla reasoned, warming up to the idea.
"That I agree." The stranger let out in a deeper tone, surprising Karla, in her defence, if he wanted her in bed then he'd tell her the sweetest things and promise things he'd never fulfil in real life.
"If am being honest with you..." He voiced out, grabbing Karla's attention.
"I don't think my pack truly appreciates me being back. I think... it's all a facade." He blurted out.
{He's cute and crazy... Karla you really do have bad taste in men.} Karla thought to herself.
"I appreciate the compliment, but am not crazy mate and your taste in men is not flawed." Her stranger replied, as though he was in her head reading her thoughts.
Karla felt nothing short of astonishment, she was astounded by his accurate guess at her thoughts.
"Why do you think so?." She found herself asking sounding almost concerned about him. His countenance fell when he made mention of a pack. So Karla could only imagine that he was using the word pack to symbolise his family.
Like a metaphor.
"I've been there just once...one time, and that was on the day grandmother died." He started, his tone breaking while he did.
"Am sorry to hear that." Karla inserted, her hands finding their way to his, holding them firmly, intertwining their fingers, locking them together tightly.
"I just get this feeling that am forcing myself on them and no one truly wants me around."
"You know, that makes two of us. The same thing is going on with my pack too. The twins are so tight, and I can't help but feel that..." Karla cut herself off with a sigh.
Opening up was not her forte and especially not to a complete deranged stranger. But then, the thumb of that stranger stroked the back of her palm. She narrowed her gaze at the little gesture, then gazed into his eyes.
"I feel that am not wanted in my family, and after dad died...I just don't think am enough to support my family...I mean...the pack." Karla explained.
"Then let's be our own pack. Where we can both be wanted." He offered with a glint of hope and certainty in his eyes. Karla rolled her eyes at him, trying to shake off the weird feeling that enveloped her.
"Yeah...sure, that would be nice really, but it can't happen." She sadly informed him.
"You are my mate. It's our right...our duty to answer the bond and form a pack." Challenged her companion, who suddenly got aggressive over the topic.
"Am not looking to form a pack, and we don't have a bond that needs tightening. What I need now, is the paperwork the bartender has for me and a week off of work."
"I work for a bastard." Karla swiftly added, glad that she could get that off of her chest.
"Stop working at once. Or come work with me...I won't let some Male dominate my mate."
"That's sweet, but the pay is top notch. I can't give that up." Karla argued, her ears picked up an indistinct sound from the inside.
The bartender.
"Excuse me? Mr Bartender!." She called out, letting go of her drunk companion, waving her hand, making the bartender aware of her presence.
"You have some documents for me?!." She added, hoping he still had the files.
Her attempts weren't futile in the least, her calls were replied instantly.
"I thought I heard chatting out there." He called from a little distance, his confirmation allowed Karla to relax in her seat.
"You must be Karla...am Dritan." A man in his late twenties said, emerging out of the inner room holding some files in his hands.
Once his gaze met Karla's he froze on the spot, his pupils dilated, his well clefted jaw tensed up.
But his shock was unparalleled once he noticed that her companion was none other than his best friend.
Tysion Grey.
Her werewolf mate.