Chapter Two

Jhelani’s POV

My boots matched against the sticky floor as I weaved past drunk bodies grinding to the beat.

And there they were.

My old “friends.”

A whole table full of familiar faces that once laughed at me, ignored me, or used me for homework to suit their personal benefits. Some smiled when they saw me, others froze mid-sip their drinks like they’d just seen a ghost.

My enemies? They didn’t even bother hiding the scowls on their faces.

“Holy shit,” Lisa muttered. “Snowfire, you actually showed up. You look so fucking hot.”

“Damn, she’s not the nerd anymore,” Kim whispered, eyes raking over me. “She looks like a—”

“Badass bitch,” Nicky cut in, raising her glass to her lips while her gaze was stuck on me.

I smirked. Damn right.

Sliding into the only empty chair, I leaned back, arms crossed, and let them all stare like I was a new species.

I tucked my hair behind my ears then returned my attention to them.

“Well?” I said, arching a brow. “I’m here. Now someone better explain what the fuck that chat was about, because I don’t waste my time on pointless reunions knowing fully well that I am not welcomed."

The table went awkwardly quiet until Kat stood.

Of course Kat.

Perfect nails. Expensive dress that screamed try-hard. And that same smug smile that made me want to rearrange her face.

“You shouldn’t be here,” she hissed, voice dripping venom. “I told Lisa not to invite you, so what the fuck you're here for? Nonsense! I am getting out of here.”

“Aw, Kat.” I tilted my head. “Still obsessed with me after all these years? I’m touched.”

Her smile dropped, replaced with that familiar scowl. She swirled her wine like she owned the damn place. “Obsessed with you? I would rather be obsessed with a raccoon than to be obsessed with you. And don’t fucking play dumb like you don't know a thing. Everyone remembers what you did that night.”

My brows furrowed. “What night?”

Her smirk widened. “You want to lie that you don’t remember? The way he touched you like he owned you? And you... You fucking let him kiss you despite knowing he was mine. Enjoying the whole bullshit! Everyone saw it.”

Everyone at the table laughed except for a few who exchanged uneasy glances.

My stomach twisted, but my face stayed stone-cold. Because the truth? I didn’t remember that. Not clearly. Just flashes. A faceless boy. Lips pressing to mine. My body reacting in ways I didn’t understand.

“You’re delusional,” I snapped, though the words didn’t carry as much conviction as I wanted.

Kat leaned forward. “Delusional? You were practically begging for it that night. Everyone could see how much you loved his hands around your waist. Whore.”

The word cut through me, but I didn’t flinch. Instead, I smirked, leaning across the table until we were nose to nose.

“Say that again,” I growled low, “and you’ll be drinking that cheap wine through your bloody nose with a straw.”

"Fuck!" Kim cursed. "Jhelani's changed so much."

"Agreed," Nicky whispered back.

"Okay, guys. This isn't going the way I planned. Let's end this bullshit now," Lisa tried to intervene when Kat grinned wider and muttered the word 'whore' with her lips, staring directly into my eyes like a silent dare for me to do my worse.

Great! I lost my fucking cool.

My knuckles clenched and unclenched, ready to throw a punch in her face.

But before I could lunge across the table and make good on my promise, the music stopped for half a second before the bass slammed back in, the club floor erupted, chairs scraping, glass shattering.

A fight had broken out. No, it was not just a fight. It was a full-on brawl, and the smell of blood hit the air.

Two rival biker crews had crashed the place.

Leather jackets, black gloves, boots, brass knuckles.

They were all drunk, violent, and feral. Throwing punches, kicks, and smashing glasses on themselves like some maniacs. The crowd scattered, bodies slamming into each other as fists flew.

I shoved my chair back, ready to bolt, when something whizzed past my head.

CRASH!

A bottle shattered against the wall behind me, spraying glass shards inches from my face.

“Shit—!” I ducked, heart hammering. Before I could move, a heavy arm yanked me sideways, shielding me as another bottle shattered, but this time against solid muscle.

The guy grunted, his body braced against mine. I blinked up and froze.

"Kian?" My breath was ragged. Unstable.

Of all people, it had to be Kian?

He’d been nothing but trouble in high school. A reckless flirt with a permanent smirk, the kind of guy you shouldn’t trust alone with your diary. And now, here he was, pressed against me, shielding me like some damn hero.

“Stay down,” he growled, low and rough.

But it wasn’t his voice that stunned me. It was his eyes.

For a split second, as the strobe lights hit his face, his golden irises flared. Not like colored contacts. Not like a trick of the light. They glowed, wild and primal. With a faint image of a wolf in them.

I sucked in a breath. My nightmares. The same golden flash that haunted me. But wolves do not exist.

My blood went cold. He blinked the next second, and they were just… normal again. Human.

Was I seeing things even now? I didn't know.

“Y—you—” I started, but he cut me off, dragging me behind him as another chair flew across the room.

“Not now,” he snarled. "Get your ass to safety first before your pretty head gets smashed." He said to me before walking up to the brawling scene, cracking his knuckles. The next minute he was throwing fist hard punches that was strong enough to break through a wall.

I shivered.

My eyes scanned around quickly for where to hide. Everyone at the table had already found themselves a place to hide away from the scene.

Just when I was about to move, the crowd split and then they walked in.

Damon.

Broad shoulders and Icy gaze. The kind of presence that didn’t just demand attention, it stole it.

Jace was right behind him, all cocky smirks and dark eyes glittering with amusement, like bar brawls were his Friday night entertainment.

Fuck, they looked hotter than when they were back in highschool. They were some grades ahead of me, but that didn't stop every girl in school from swooning over them. I included.

But I began hating them the moment I learnt that they had been using me.

They used me for their personal purposes like I was their slaves. Or when my secret was leaked out in the open in front of the whole class.

I became a laughing stock because of them. Hell, I fucking hate them.

Damon’s gaze swept the room, freezing everyone where they stood, before locking with mine.

And holy hell, I felt time stop.

His icy stare clashed with my mine, and my chest tightened with something I didn’t understand, didn’t want to understand.

Was it recognition? Anger for all the wrongs he did to me back in school? Or hunger for some weird reasons that felt foreign to me? Maybe hunger for revenge. To get back at them now that I had the chance to.

Jace smirked when he spotted me, but his knuckles whitened around his soda drink that he so casually drank like there wasn't a fight going on in the club.

His Adam apple bobbed while he stared at me in the middle of the chaos. And his eyes—they felt like he was subconsciously fighting something he didn’t want me to see.

What could that be?