Chapter 138 - 0138
Lorelei POV
It didn’t help that, compared to the shots Nala had given me earlier, this drink didn’t burn my throat at all. If anything, it was dangerously sweet.
It went down so smoothly that I ended up ordering two more glasses, all of which Julian happily insisted on paying for.
By the third drink, I found myself laughing far louder than I normally would at something he was saying. I couldn’t even remember what the story was about. Something involving his boss, I think. Whatever it was, my alcohol-clouded brain found it absolutely hilarious.
"You’re not from around here, are you?" Julian asked, resting an elbow against the bar.
"How did you know?" I slurred slightly, grinning from ear to ear.
His gaze drifted slowly over my face before settling back on my eyes.
"A face and body like yours aren’t exactly common around here."
As he spoke, he reached over and gently brushed a loose strand of hair away from my flushed cheek, tucking it behind my ear.
I let out another giggle, my guard almost completely gone.
"You’re really funny, you know that?"
"I’ve been told that once or twice," he replied with a chuckle.
His brown eyes slowly dropped to my lips, the warmth in them shifting into something that made my smile falter without me even realizing it.
He leaned closer, lowering his voice to a smooth murmur.
"Come on. Let’s get a room upstairs."
Before I could even process what he had said, he reached for my wrist. But even through the haze of alcohol clouding my thoughts, my brows furrowed in confusion.
"Excuse me?" I mumbled, my smile disappearing in an instant.
Almost instantly, Julian’s expression changed. The easygoing smile vanished, replaced by a look of annoyance, and instead of letting go, his fingers tightened around my wrist.
"It’s just the two of us, sweetheart," he said, his voice dropping into something colder. "You can stop pretending now. We’re both adults. Why else would you let me buy you three drinks if you weren’t interested?"
The words cut through the alcohol like a bucket of ice water, and a wave of disgust rolled through me.
Without warning, I yanked my hand free and scrambled to my feet, stumbling backward as my heels wobbled beneath me. The room tilted slightly, forcing me to catch my balance before I could fall.
Perhaps my carefree attitude had given him the wrong impression, but it was definitely time to put an end to this.
"I was just being polite," I said, trying to keep my voice steady despite the slight sway beneath my feet. "I’m sorry if you misunderstood."
The moment those words left my mouth, Julian’s expression turned ice-cold.
The charming, easygoing man from a few seconds ago disappeared completely, replaced by someone far uglier.
"A polite little virgin act? Please." He took a slow, threatening step toward me, his lips curling into a sneer. "You walk in here dressed like a fucking slut, let men buy you drinks all night, and now you suddenly want to play hard to get? Don’t act all high and mighty with me, bitch."
It was like someone had flipped a switch because every trace of drunken haze vanished, and a low, furious growl rumbled deep within me as my wolf finally stirred, awakened by the insult.
Before I could even think, instinct took over.
I drew my arm back and slapped him across the face with everything I had.
PAK!
The sharp crack cut through the pounding music.
The impact was so hard my palm instantly began to sting, while Julian staggered back a step, his head snapping violently to the side. His hand flew to his rapidly reddening cheek as he stared at me in complete disbelief.
Then his eyes flashed blood red, and a savage snarl ripped from his throat as his wolf surged to the surface.
"You bitch!"
He swung a heavy fist straight at me, but before it could come anywhere near me, his body was violently jerked backward.
The two new guards who had been watching from a distance appeared out of nowhere, seizing both his arms and wrenching them behind his back in crushing grips.
At the same time, Isaac stepped directly in front of me, shielding me completely with his body while Julian’s eyes widened in shock as he struggled against them.
"Let me go!" he roared, thrashing violently. "Fuck! I said let me go, you..."
"Who gave you the right to raise a hand at her?" Isaac interrupted, his voice so cold it sent a chill through the air. His eyes bored into Julian without the slightest hint of emotion. "Do you have such a death wish that you’d try something so stupid?"
Instead of backing down, Isaac’s threat only seemed to make Julian even more reckless.
"Do you have any idea who I am?" he snarled, struggling against the guards. "Who the fuck gave you the right to touch me? Tell your men to let go of me right now if you don’t want to die!"
His arrogant rant was cut short when Isaac drove a vicious punch straight into his stomach, causing him to double over with a choked gasp.
But Isaac didn’t give him a chance to recover.
Another brutal punch slammed into his gut, knocking the air from his lungs and forcing him to swallow the rest of his words along with a mouthful of blood.
What shocked me most wasn’t the fight.
It was everyone else’s reaction.
Or rather...
Their complete lack of one.
Not a single person on the packed dance floor so much as glanced in our direction. The music never stopped, people kept dancing, and conversations carried on as though nothing had happened.
It was as if fights like this were just another normal night at the club.
Within seconds, the guards began dragging the groaning Julian toward the back exit.
As I watched them disappear into the crowd, I let out a shaky breath.
Suddenly, the room spun, my vision blurred, and the floor seemed to tilt beneath my feet.
My knees gave out, but before I could hit the ground, Paul caught me against his broad chest.
"Are you alright, Miss?" he asked, his voice instantly filled with concern as he steadied me.
"I... I don’t know," I mumbled, clutching at my chest as my breathing grew uneven. "I just suddenly feel so dizzy... and why is it so hot in here?"
The moment those words left my mouth, Paul’s expression darkened.
He immediately reached across the bar, picked up the empty glass I had just finished, and brought it to his nose.
The instant he caught the scent, his jaw clenched so tightly that the muscles in his face twitched.
His grip around the crystal glass tightened until his knuckles turned white.
"You’ve been drugged," he said grimly.