1. Vincent scum.

Ophelia pov

I grip the fake ID harder, doing one last check before we reach the door. My hand trembles a little as I hand it to the bouncer standing at the door. The man looks bored as he takes it, shines his flashlight on it and waves me and Bree inside without a single word. 

My heart pounds faster than ever, but I fight to keep my face calm until we get past the security. 

I’m a little anxious - I’m not scared because River Storm pack territory is friendly to my parent’s pack, but I’m still tense because this is the first time I’ve snuck out without my family knowing. 

It’s as exciting as it is nerve-wrecking to have freedom like this. Looking around the packed club I almost can’t believe Alister isn’t around to watch my every move, or our parents hovering nearby to ask me a million questions. 

I’ve never been inside a nightclub before, so I’m surprised by how loud the place is - the heavy bass of the music hits me as soon as we walk in. I flinch as the lights above the dance floor hit my face and bodies bump against us. 

A feeling I’ve never felt before crashes into me and suddenly, the reluctance is replaced by excitement as I grab Bree’s hand to pull her toward the back. We barely reach it when the bartender is already there and Bree grins, yelling out, “two shots!”

As soon as the glasses are placed in front of us, we don’t hesitate and take them fast. I’ve never had alcohol before, but the burn feels surprisingly good even if the taste is atrocious. 

“Heck yes, let’s go dance!” Bree exclaims and drags me straight onto the dance floor. 

The music is loud and fast, the bass is overwhelming my senses, but I still close my eyes and let myself move. Bree laughs as we both give into the freedom neither of us ever had and for this moment alone, the sneaking out feels truly worth it. 

At one point, she shouts something to me, but I can’t hear a word over the music, so I just laugh and keep moving. Having fun feels almost like training - sweat starts running down my back, the short dress I’m wearing sticks to my skin, but I simply don’t care, I just pin around and bump hips with Bree, which makes us both laugh harder. 

This is exactly what I wanted - no one knows where I am or follows me around, watching every step I take. In this club, I’m just Ophelia, not the Vincent family’s big secret. 

We dance through three songs and Bree, the magician she is, somehow gets us more drinks as we do. At one point I lean close to her and speak as loudly as I can so she can hear me over the music, “I need to find the bathroom. I’ll be right back!”

Bree already has a guy moving behind her, she’s too distracted by the attention she’s getting, so she nods and keeps dancing, not offering to go with me. 

I turn and push my way through the crowd toward the back hallway. It takes longer than I’d like with the people who bump into me nearly every step, but I suppose this is the clubbing experience everyone’s talking about. 

As I finally reach the hallway, the place seems darker without the bright, flashing lights and the music isn’t nearly as loud. The hallway is lined with doors on both sides and there are couples standing against the walls, most of them having found a place to make out. 

I laugh to myself, realizing that for some people, life is just that easy - a quick run to the club, a hookup, no family expectations or shadows looming in every corner, watching if you make a mistake. 

Seeing all of these people, living their lives, just enjoying the moment makes me feel like I belong, so when I turn the corner, looking for the bathroom sign, I don’t see danger before it’s right before me.

Two massive bodies step right in front of me, blocking my path. 

I halt and take a sudden step to the side, turning my body to pass them, but instead, my back hits the wall hard. One of them slams his hand on the wall next to my head and the other steps in close, blocking any way out. The bodies are huge - tall and wide with hard muscles. 

Swallowing loudly, I look up and the moment I realize who they are, my stomach drops. 

The Graves twins - Hayes and Tate.

Both of them stare down at me with pure hate burning in their eyes. 

Hayes moves first, leaning in and caging me completely. His nose runs up the side of my neck and he breathes in deeply, as if he’s tasting something disgusting but he’s too polite to put it in words. A low, angry growl rumbles in his chest and tears out of his throat with words I’d rather not hear. “Smells like Vincent scum.”

Hayes’ voice is laced with twisted, unwarranted hate while Tate moves closer to my other side, his shoulder pressed against the wall so I can’t sneak away from them, his eyes burning with disgust that rivals the one in his brother’s tone. 

I can’t move, my body just locks up and my heart beats so hard it hurts. 

I knew the Graves family hated us, but feeling it this close is different. Hayes stays right there with his nose still pressed against my neck and breathes in again before he makes a sound like he wants to throw up.

“Fucking Vincent,” Hayes suddenly spits. “What the hell are you doing in our territory?”

Panic floods me as I try to push Hayes back but he doesn’t move. The bastard is too strong, his body feels like an unmovable wall while Tate uses the chance to press closer too. 

“Answer him,” Tate growls.

“I’m just here to dance with my friend,” I manage to choke out, panicking, and my voice comes out smaller than I want it to be. 

At my answer, Hayes pulls his head back just enough to look at my face, his eyes still burn with that dark hatred, “your family thinks they own everything and now, you come here smelling like you own this place too?”

Tate laughs but there is no humor in the sound that leaves him. “Pathetic. Sneaking out like a weak little girl, huh? Bet mommy and her freaky bunch of husbands don’t even know you’re here. Tell me, does it weird you out, to know that your mother is a whore, sleeping with multiple men at the same time?”

The moment those words leave him, I start thrashing against them and open my mouth to scream profanities I promised dad I’d never let pass my lips. 

Unfortunately, the twins react before I can act fully - Hayes slaps his hand over my mouth and drags his nose down my neck once more, as if he needs to remind himself why he’s hating me so much. “I should drag you out of here by your hair, brat,” he growls. 

Tate laughs and grabs my chin, turning my face until our eyes meet, his brother’s hand still pressed against my mouth too painfully. “We get it, mommy doesn’t know,” he purrs and leans closer, “but tell me, does that mute freak brother of yours knows what you’re up to behind his back?”