Aria POV
“Atlas," I said to the answering machine, “You told me to be at the Scarlet Moon at ten p.m. and it's already 11:55. While I don't mind a drink or two, you know I don't like indulging while I'm working, so please answer me as soon as possible or I'm going to find myself another broker."
The last part was a lie and Atlas would know that.
The truth was that Atlas was the only broker that someone in my line of work without a proper license that I could trust. He was the absolute best when it came to peddling information and acting as a middle man between service providers and clients.
His usual customers were hookers and gang members, both high profile and street level, but he would also help people like me: healers without a license to practice.
The cigarette in my left hand burned dangerously close to my fingers as I absentmindedly swirled the contents of my glass in my right hand. The flashing lights, the hovering smoke of cigarettes and drug infused hookah pipes, the loud rhythmic music that seduced the present bodies to sway and grind up against one another, the aroma of arousal and sex in the air…all that would have made me as revelrous as the rest of the crowd. However, the business that brought me to the Scarlet Moon only made me annoyed with the bar's atmosphere.
I glanced at my phone and sighed. Atlas was late, which was unusual for him, not to mention that he wanted to meet here of all places: the most popular bar in the red light district. Infamous for the copious amount of sex workers and drug dealers that frequented the area, I had to be careful to blend in properly with the crowd. The cigarette that burned in my hand was merely for show, as it was suspicious for someone in this location to be seen not partaking in any substance.
I dialed Atlas's number again, which went straight to voicemail for the third time.
My sharp nose picked up the scent of a heavily drunk Beta, which drew my attention away from my phone. The man was tall, blonde and wiry with an upturned nose, and reeked of booze.
He sauntered over to where I was sitting, leering at my exposed skin as he neared.
Sensing trouble, I made to leave and vanish from his sight but he quickly blocked my path before I could.
“What's the hurry, sweetheart?" he slurred with what I assumed he believed to be a charming voice and sexy expression. “The night just started! How about I buy you a drink and then we find someplace quiet to get…acquainted…" His slender fingers reached down and aggressively grabbed my a*s.
If growing up on the streets without a pack taught me anything, it's that being an Omega is only a disadvantage if you behave like an Omega.
And I never did.
In a flash my fist connected with his face. A loud crunch and the splattering of blood told me that I had been successful in breaking the pervert's nose.
I growled at him menacingly, believing I had won the encounter.
However, the sight of his nose immediately healing made me realise that the hooligan was not as inebriated as I had originally thought…nor was he alone.
“You f*cking b*tch!" he snarled at me as one of his pack mates helped him up, “I'm going to put you in your f*cking place, you filthy wh*re!"
His eyes began to glow a bright acidic yellow as he growled violently. The two packmates by his side did the same.
My eyes quickly darted through the crowded bar for a quick exit. If it was just the blonde one alone then I could have definitely taken him on, but three on one was suicide no matter how strong I was.
I was about to dart away when a large figure grabbed the blonde one by the scruff of his neck and slammed him into the ground.
He glanced at the other two and flashed his red eyes, signaling to them his Alpha status.
The two others grabbed their downed friend and fled from the gaze of the Alpha.
“Are you alright?" he asked me in a deep, gravelly voice.
The man was absolutely gorgeous. Dark, well-kept hair, perfectly groomed stubble and skin so smooth and flawless…but it was his scent that made him stand out from the other men that frequented this establishment, or any man that I had ever come across.
I quickly contained myself.
“I am," I answered calmly. “I couldn't have handled the situation by myself, so...you have my thanks. Were they yours?"
The man's eyes, dark and mysterious, focused intently on my face.
I felt my heart quicken, which had nothing to do with the bar fight that had been avoided. Perhaps it was his strange scent that made me uneasy, or the intensity of his eyes.
“No," he stated in a controlled voice that emanated power. “My pack would not be so unrefined as to gang up on a lone woman in a bar. If they did, they would be dead. Perhaps I could keep you company, just in case they return."
I almost wanted to say yes. My job usually kept me so busy that I never had any time to pursue a romantic relationship, or even a one night stand. Worrying about paying bills and buying food left very little time for leisure, but here was a handsome man who was offering to spend time with me and seemed to be attracted to me.
But before I could answer, my phone buzzed in my jacket pocket. It could only be one person.
“I'm sorry, but I have to go," I told the man. “Maybe if we see each other again, I'll take you up on that offer. My name is Aria, by the way."
“Noah," he said with a slight smile.
***
“Atlas, what the hell?" I fumed into my phone as I exited the bar. “I've been here for two hours already."
“Sorry, Aria," Atlas's voice chimed from the other end. “The client got a little delayed—said he had to shake a tail. He's in the alleyway behind the Scarlet Moon. Code words are “namesake" and "canyon.""
“He better be worth the trouble," I huffed, making my way to the alley.
“Two grand sound good?" Atlas asked smugly. “That's five times your usual fee for a single job."
“You better not be messing with me, Atlas," I said, and hung up the phone.
I arrived at the back of the building and immediately smelled blood, a lot of it. The alleyway seemed to be empty but I could tell he was here.
“Namesake," I muttered.
“Canyon," a feeble voice strained from the shadows.
A figure stumbled out of what seemed to be an illusion spell and fell to the ground, blood leaking from his front as he tried to stem the flow with his hand.
I rushed to his side and placed him on his back. Lifting up his shirt, I saw a bullet wound on his lower abdomen that looked green and infected.
“What happened?" I asked him, opening my medical kit and ruffling through its contents.
“Shot…with…silver…nitrite," my patient wheezed.
Sh*t! That would explain why his healing wasn't kicking in. That would also mean that whoever did this to him wasn't just anyone; no random thug could afford silver nitrite. That material was exclusively used by law enforcement and the military, or someone rich enough to buy it on the black market.
“Okay, stay with me," I said calmly and soothingly.
I took out a vial of monkshood, an incredibly toxic substance in its raw state but with exceptional medicinal properties if refined correctly.
“What's your name?" I asked him gently.
“Tony," he coughed, “my name is Tony."
“Okay, Tony, the first thing I'm going to do is stop the bleeding. Once the flow settles down I'm going to apply monkshood to treat your infection," I told him. “It's going to hurt a lot but I'm going to need to to remain as calm and as still as possible. Do you understand?"
Tony closed his eyes and nodded.
I unbuttoned his shirt and pants before stripping him down to his underwear, ensuring that his clothes did not get in the way of the process.
I placed my hand over his wound and allowed my energy to run through him, slowing down his heart rate and stemming the flow of blood.
I leaned forward, my nose almost touching his skin, and whispered an incantation of healing magic.
The surface wound began to heal, but I needed to quickly administer the monkshood or else the infection and silver would remain in his bloodstream.
Hovering the vial above the gaping bullet wound, I let a single drop of purple liquid fall.
The wound smoked and singed, causing Tony to let loose a bloodcurdling scream of pain as the monkshood literally burned all traces of the silver from his body.
I held tightly onto his hand as he writhed in pain, using as much of my power as I could to mitigate the pain and aid the healing process.
Eventually Tony stopped shaking and he seemed to pass out. I leaned back and wiped beads of sweat from my forehead. Lending my energy in the healing process always took a lot out of me, especially with injuries this bad.
I wondered what trouble this man had gotten himself into that warranted the use of silver nitrite. I quickly shook the thought out of my head, as it was better that I didn't know the situation surrounding my patients. It did not matter if their dealings were illegal, because my healing them was illegal as well.
I leaned close to his now closing wound once again, and prepared to whisper another incantation to speed up the healing now that the infection was gone. Then I could clothe him and be on my way.
“There you are," a man's voice said coldly.
My head snapped around and gazed upon the handsome form of Noah, the Alpha who had saved me earlier.
At first I thought he was talking to me, but his eyes were fixed intently on Tony, who was just now regaining consciousness.
“Getting your pipe smoked before you kick the bucket, Tony?" Noah scoffed. “I didn't think you were the type."
Noah's eyes shifted to me.
“You should get away from that man, Aria. He's dangerous and I wouldn't want you to be here when I kill him."
“I'm not going anywhere and neither is he," I said firmly.
Whoever Tony was to Noah, it didn't matter to me. He was my patient, and the lives of my patients were most important to me.
Noah's expression turned into a scowl, his face filled with obvious disdain and disgust. It was a dramatic change from how he had looked at me in the bar.
“Is one client that important to you? Afraid others will hear about this incident and not do business with you again?" Noah asked me. “How much is it for one night, huh? Whatever your fee is, I'll pay double."
Anger grew inside me as I realized what he was implying. He thought I was some hooker, given our location and Tony's nudity.
Not wanting to give this b*stard the satisfaction, nor desiring to reveal myself as an illegal healer, I stood my ground and glared at him. My eyes flared an intense blue.
“I'm sure the other wh*res around here would jump at your offer immediately," I snarled at him, “but unfortunately my price is unaffordable to b*stards like you, not matter how much money you wave around."
Noah's eyes flashed red, signaling his intent to fight me for my injured patient.
“Walk away now," he growled through sharp fangs, “and you can still leave with your life."
I roared in response and was about to pounce in defense of Tony when suddenly the door to the alleyway burst open.
Jared, the Scarlet Moon's owner, rushed out. “What the hell is going on out here?" he yelled angrily.
His expression suddenly changed when he saw Noah.
“S-s-sir!" he stammered, immediately saluting the Alpha and kneeling before him.
It was the ultimate sign of respect a wolf could show another who was not his or her Alpha.
Who was this man?
