Chapter 6

Claiming she was his partner made more sense than to claim what she really was to someone Aislyn worked with. Derek remembered the shorter woman that brushed him off earlier. It wouldn’t have worked. 

He couldn’t help how he felt like he was beginning to come apart at the seams the longer the man waited to respond. A small receiver in his ear chirped, and the man, shrouded in darkness, nodded towards the back wall, lined with private rooms. 

They weren’t listening. For all he knew they were setting him up for betrayal. Zane’s message would surely not go unheard for long. Aside from that, there was no scent here for him to follow. Regardless of how Aislyn was practically hovering all over him. All he needed was one touch from her… only one to be able to find her now it was impossible through the stench of slick bodies and male werewolf pheromones. 

It wouldn’t have mattered if she bathed in lavender, there was no way Derek could find her through the pack’s stink! There weren’t even hints of her…

Still, the man waited for Derek to make up his mind. If he was to face the music with Zane in there, so be it. His eyes super focused on the door and their strange method of keeping it private. The same cloth Aislyn played with during her performance was against the wall, hanging from the ceiling in waves. The club seemed to use it to hide a door if it was in use. All others were exposed, which Derek also noticed hadn’t been a lot. 

It made it seem a lot more like a trap by every step forward. Still, Derek noted that his boys didn’t care who looked on. They weren’t human with petty concerns. They were still somewhat wild animals ready to fend for their property for the night. It sounded wrong. Those women weren’t that per se, but still, any one of them could be balls deep in someone and still fight over a seat they left and planned to return to. It was just different and therefore getting a room simply didn’t matter.

Regardless of his inward thoughts, the faceless man beside him opened the door revealing a dark lit space. It was oddly telling that he crossed so many lines that in a way they were putting him away. Light soon lit the back wall in a soft blue hidden behind a ledge it seemed. 

“Thank you, Earl,” Aislyn spoke softly, making a chill run down Derek’s spine. 

The exchange between the two men was silent. Derek couldn’t help but shuffle to the side, thanks to the still poorly lit room and that of the guy in front of him trying to make his way back out. When the door finally closed, the lights equalized, allowing to see his love, once and for all. 

His eyes traveled to the floor and around the room before landing on hers. It was tempting not to. What was he going to say? But it did help him gain some ground without staring. Unlike the other dancers she worked with, her body was curvier than when she last had seen him. His Beta took pride in that. She didn’t go hungry while he was away. It was certainly a worry to him all that time ago. 

Her skin still glowed as it always had, even after they’d danced by the small fire in the woods and got dusted with dirt. It was hard to see now without the need to clean her of her sweat. His hindbrain begged for it, even his wolf did too, but he was human before her following through with any of that before she allowed it would look so bad for him, especially to a human.

When his eyes finally settled on her eyes though, she smiled. Derek returned the subtle greeting with a swipe at his mouth to hide his tongue darting out to lick his lips. Werewolves did it, and often. Usually it was to show want, or get a better scent, similar to how snakes do, but he didn’t want to give her any reason to run. When he finally dropped his hand from his mouth, he watched as Aislyn paid careful attention to him as well. 

It was as if she was trying to puzzle him out as well. Plenty of people looked at him, others stared, or completely avoided him altogether because of the patterns on his skin. Their stark differences made him look sickly and people simply didn’t know how to react, but Aislyn didn’t look at him like that. It wasn’t him being biased either. She’d never seen him like this, and still, she looked at him like his color was complete; one even tone… it was as graceful of a moment as when she avoided Zane and danced with him instead.

“I haven’t danced like that in ages,” she began softly, easing him off of his mental cliff. 

Still with no easy remark forming in his brain or mouth, he breathed out his question, “No?”

Aislyn shook her head. Her sleek red hair tempted to hypnotize him as she went. 

“No,” she chuckled sadly. 

“Are you happy you did?” Derek tried to stop his question but it had slipped before he could. 

Aislyn nodded her head gently. 

“It’s a shame that this is a gentlemen’s club and I should be dancing alone,” she added softly. 

“Did I…”  he wanted to ask if he was out of line, but she shook her head again. 

“You gave into the show and gave the crowd what it wanted, apparently,” Aislyn began. 

“And what do you want?” Derek asked carefully. 

It wasn’t lustful or demanding. His question was simply a gateway for more. 

“Would you like to,” he began to ask again, his words catching on his tongue. “To… dance? With me? Again?”

He fucking sounded like he was thirteen again. 

“I do,” she promised him but moved tentatively, like he might claim her. 

He shuffled around where he stood, unsure of where to go. 

“Oh, sorry. This room isn’t really made for joining me up here,” she assured him, pointing at the floor as she went. 

The floor itself was made up of pillows and low benches that he kept knocking into. Derek’s nerves were all over the place, especially when he’d bump into them. It was disorienting, mostly due to its height and the fact that it was bolted to the floor. 

“Yeah… I can see that,” he added, but still felt the need to try. 

It gained him a soft chuckle and even that was threatening his composure. 

“Here,” she paused, “just give me those, the ones you can reach,” Aislyn motioned to the large seat cushions on the ground. “We’ll just put them over…”

“Here?” Derek offered as she reached toward him. 

“Yeah… that’s,” she seemed to be pausing the same way he was, Derek realized then. It made him wonder what exactly she was feeling and if she’d be as giving with him now as she was in the past. 

All of her affection was given without expecting anything back. It made his heart ache just thinking about it. Still, he held the pillows dutifully, hoping for anything at all. 

Aislyn didn’t seem practiced when she moved around the space either which made his heart beat faster. She didn’t do this stuff, bringing guys back here and shaking it for cash. 

“That’s good,” she finished her earlier statement. 

The non-compliment still rested in his ears as one. It had his wolf wanting to let out his tail to wag it. He liked being helpful to her and loved it when she saw his happiness. 

Aislyn flashed him a smile after, then reached out her hands for him to take while he made his way up onto the platform. It was unsteadying being up there. Despite how the surface was secure, Derek couldn’t help but gulp back his uncertainty. 

“It’s okay,” Aislyn muttered. “I won’t let you fall.”

But she did. She let him fall deeply in love with her, over, and over, and over again in those moments while she pulled him closer to her.