Chapter 3

JAX: 

"What's on your mind?" Manuel, whom I would necessarily call my closest ally, asks from behind where I stood. 

Looking down into the city from the top of my building gave me a kind of peace that I never thought I would have after having a restless night. A close look at my face and one would be able to tell that I have bags under my eyes. 

I take in a deep breath, shutting my eyes close. Relief flooded through me before I open them to stare back into the activities of the city going down below. How much depth I could cover didn't matter because it was almost like I could see it all. 

"A lot," I respond to Manuel's inquiry. 

"Is this still about last night? I thought we both agreed on the fact that it was just you loosening up for the first time in a long time," 

"I know we did," I say, "but I can't help but think I didn't do things right." 

Manuel wastes no time in countering, "It was nothing out of the ordinary. I'll call it a random thing with a girl you'll never get to see again," 

The face of the girl he was speaking about suddenly pops up in my head. Not like I have been able to take her off my mind since last night. 

I keep asking myself why I was interested in her the moment I set my eyes on her in that particular human nightclub. I mean, there were a lot of girls that could easily catch my attention but it was her I had my focus on. 

For a while, I remember watching her cozy up in a corner as she crossed her arms over the unzipped leather jacket she had on. I noticed all through that period that she was all by herself and that was the reason I decided to approach her in the first place. 

And so with the loud blast of music that seemed to cause discomfort to my ears due to the high sensitivity as well as the potent stench of alcohol that lingered in the air, I walked up to her. 

"What if I want to see her again?" I find myself asking as I shake the thought of last night's events out of my head. Now wasn't the time to be dwelling on it. 

"What's the sudden interest in the girl? She's not your mate, is she?" 

I could have scoffed at that question if I was emotionally stable but then I wasn't which was why I could only frown. 

The idea of the girl being my mate wasn't one I would consider and I definitely didn't want to think about it. Only if Manuel knew what was truly eating me up. 

"She's not. Even if she were to be my mate, I wouldn't want to pursue that. She's not like us." 

"So what's the problem, Jax? You couldn't have summoned me here without having anything important to say," he wasn't done because he adds, "Is there something from last night you want to tell me?" 

I could hear the slight annoyance in his tone which told me he was getting impatient already with me. Which is why I turn around to face him for the first time since he arrived. 

There he was leaning by a pole with a bored look plastered on his face. Asides from the boredom etched on his face, the hint of annoyance was also there. He was dressed in just casuals. Definitely appropriate for a situation like this. 

I stride over to where he is, leaving a few steps between us as I prepare to explain the situation that brought him here. It became even more difficult now that I was this close to him. 

"I made a mistake..." I announce. 

Instantly, he stands upright, seriousness flooding his expression. For sure he knew that I was about to tell him something important. "What did you do?" he was stern in the way he spoke. 

"I don't think you would want to hear it," I admit to him, my eyes shutting close again for a few seconds as I push myself to gain enough composure. 

"Just say it." Impatience was still lingering in his tone when he tells me that as he urged me to go ahead and speak. That was when I decided to open my eyes again. 

I still wasn't sure about it. And the reason is that I know how much of a mistake I made. There were grave consequences to it already and I do not want to start imagining anything about that. 

But then, if I want to at least sort out the issue, I have to tell Manuel because he seems to have a solution to most of the problems I have. I can't let this slide away. At least not from him. There was a reason I refer to him as my closest ally. 

"The human girl," I pause for a second or two, "I marked her."