Turns out, we didn't have to wait in line. Elle spoke to the bodyguard at the front and he let the three of us inside without even checking our IDs. As soon as I walk into the club, a wave of heat hits me. I'm glad that I decided to leave my cardigan in Eli's car or else I would be sweating. Now that I look around, even the people with barely any clothes on are sweaty as they grind against each other and sing out the lyrics to the songs blasting through the speakers.

True to it's name, the club has purple velvet couches along the sides with metallic purple tables. The lights are also purple, the spotlights reflecting off of disco balls spaced sporadically around the ceiling and creating dancing balls of light around the room. I bite my lip to suppress a smile. Lavender is my favorite color, and I've never been in a room with this much purple. Eli catches my smile and tugs on my arm. "Come on. Let's dance!"

I'm pulled through throngs of people until I'm in the center of the dance floor with the twins on either side of me. At first, I'm nervously swaying in the middle of them, but when Elle begins grinding on my backside, I jump forward, which just so happens to be right into Eli. "Oh- Um, I-I'm sorry, Elle pushed-" I stop talking when he places his hands on my waist and pulls me forward so that I'm pressed against his chest. My hands go to his chest to balance myself. Elle presses herself against my backside and begins swaying to the beat. Her little black dress doesn't leave much room for imagination, and I'm feeling more scandalous with her dancing so close to me- and dancing like that on me.

My face must be a blushing mess, and I'm grateful for the dim lighting in here. I look around and see that there are other people dancing in this exact manner all around me. I feel so self conscious, and uncomfortable, but the twins seem comfortable and happy as they dance sandwiching me in between them. "Relax, Thea," Eli says in my ear. He has to speak kind of loudly to be heard above the bass, but I'm able to hear what he says. Although, it doesn't calm me down. At all.

"Don't think, just listen to the music and react." He says as he sways with the music, bringing me along with him. I'm breathing a little heavier than normal, but I try to stop my thoughts from spinning and try to dance. I'm not used to this type of environment, so it makes sense that I would be a little uncomfortable at first. Then, like a gift sent from the heavens, the song 'Dance Monkey' by Tones & I blasts through the speakers and I screech in excitement. I love this song! My hips naturally sway from side to side as I sing the lyrics and Elle does the same. Even though I'm squished between them both, I don't feel claustrophobic anymore.

I forget that I'm in a sweaty club. I forget about the fight with my mother. I forger about how mad Grayson will be when I tell him about tonight. I let loose and let my body do the talking as I raise my arms up and sway, hop, and move like I never have. I have finally, after 18 years, figured out that there's more to life than just reading about it. Experiencing it is something entirely different.

Thirty minutes must pass before the three of us are covered in a sheen of sweat. I scream to Eli and Elle that I need water, and I part from them to get a drink.

I wander over to the bar and attempt to sit in the last empty barstool. I have to grip the edge of the counter and jump as high as I can to get my butt at the same level as the stool, and I actually missed on my first try because I'm so short. My second jump I made it in the seat.

The bartender saw my failed attempt and tried to reel in his laughter, but I could still see the tilt of his lips at the corners. I squint my eyes at him, giving him the best evil stare I can muster up. He holds his hands up in surrender. "Sorry. But that was cute." He winks at me and grabs a glass and a washcloth and begins cleaning it as he talks to me. "Where's your man at?" he asks.

"I don't have a man. Why do I need a man?" I question, fed up with these cocky guys who seem to think that I need to be claimed. Grayson was saying something similar earlier. Why can't I go out without having a guy on my shoulder? It just doesn't make sense to me. I'm here to have fun with friends and dance without worrying about relationships or men- well, Eli doesn't count.

The guy only raises his eyebrow at me. "Do you know where you are?" I'm about to answer when Eli wraps an arm around my shoulder, leaning into my body while staring at the curious bartender that was previously keeping me entertained. "I would stop talking to her if I were you or else..." I'm too busy staring at the expression of fear on the bartender's face to see what Eli is doing, and I see a flash of blue reflecting off of the man's eyes. I quickly turn to Eli, but all I see now is the purple lights from the spotlights above us. Did I just imagine that?

I slowly push Eli's arm off of my shoulder. "Eli, it's fine. He wasn't doing anything bad," I try to calm him down. For some reason he seems upset. He looks at me with his dark brown eyes and gives me a small smile, but I can tell it's forced. "Yet. He didn't do anything bad yet."

"Oh my god! You are sounding more and more like Grayson every second!" I say, well, more like scream out of frustration because the club is really loud. Eli's eyes widen immensely and he grips my arm tightly. "Did you say Grayson? As in Grayson Dark?"

"Ouch, Eli! You're hurting me!" I cry out, but he only gets closer to me as he pulls me off of the barstool and closer to the dancing people.

"I'm sorry, Thea. But this is very important. Is that who you were referring to? Do you know him?"

The intensity of his entire body is freaking me out, so I pull away from him as hard as I can as my eyes water with tears. "Yes! Okay? Is that what you want to know? We've been hanging out, but nothing serious has happened, okay? Not like it's any of your freaking business!"

A look of hurt crosses his face, which gives me the opportunity I need to head towards the exit. However, I see Elle in my line of sight who looks as if she wants to question me just like Eli did seconds ago. As a split second decision, I run through the crowd and get lost amongst the sweaty dancers who seem to be having the times of their lives. I can barely make out the sound of my name as Eli calls for me, so I bury myself in deeper until I make it out on the other side of the dance floor. I see a door, and not even thinking about where it leads, I crash into it and find myself standing on gravel.

The night is chilly but I barely notice as my heart is beating so fast. I knew this was a mistake. I never should have come here with Eli and Elle. But the confusing thing is, I was having fun until they started acting weird. They both got so confrontational all of a sudden, which scared me to no end.

I reach into my bag and pull out my phone to call an Uber. There is no way that I'm getting in a car with them after tonight. I'm about to click 'order Uber' when a voice distracts me. I jump, dropping my phone flat on the ground and a slight squeak comes out of my mouth as I look up at the most muscular man I've ever seen- well, besides Grayson. This man stands over six feet tall with slicked back blonde hair and pale skin. However, his most shocking feature isn't his bulging muscles or the sneer on his face, no, it's his ruby red eyes. His eyes spell out danger. I instinctively back away from him, then realize that I'm in a dead end.

I place my hands up in front of me in an effort to defend myself, although I already know I have no chance of escape if this man decides to harm me. "Please, I don't want any trouble," I squeak.

His laugh is the most sinister sound I have ever heard, and it makes me cower in fear. "What if that's what I want?" he goads, taking a step towards me. My heart races at an unprecedented rate, knowing that I may not make it out of here alive. My fear only seems to egg him on more, his excitement obvious as his smile grows and grows. That's when I notice them- his teeth have... fangs? What the hell?

I'm so confused, scared, angry, and frustrated with this situation. Fear wins out, but not before I ask him something. "W-what are y-you?"

In a flash, the man is right in front of me. He moved so fast that all I saw was a blur of colors before he was holding my arms above my head with one hand. His other hand holds my chin in a tight hold. I scream as loudly as I can, hoping that someone can hear me and come to my rescue. I hate to play the damsel, but that's my only option right now. I feel a sharp pain in my left cheek as my head hits the brick wall with a loud thud. The pain radiates through my entire head now, and a large headache begins to form. He just slapped me.

The man grips my face even tighter than before and gets up really close to my face. "Don't make a sound, little girl. Then maybe I'll leave you alive. Now, I have some questions for you. Do you know Grayson Dark?"

What is wrong with this guy? He just asked me not to make a sound, and now he wants me to answer him? Fear doesn't allow me to answer him, still remembering the pain of him hitting me. My breathing remains heavy, but I force myself not to freak out.

This situation is like one that I've read in the books I read so often. I never imagined that I would be the girl in danger, waiting for a kind stranger to save the day. More than ever, I wish that Eli would come storming out of the club and scare the red-eyed man away. Or better yet, I wish that Grayson will come rescue me and carry me away from here. Maybe then I can finally ask him why everyone keeps asking me if I know him. I didn't know he was this popular.

Another sharp pain pierces my left side once again, and my lip cracks. A metallic taste spreads across my tongue and I cringe at the taste of my own blood. However, the man's red eyes become darker as he takes a finger and collects the blood that has dripped. He brings it to his mouth and sucks on it, closing his eyes as he laps up the blood as if it's a decadent treat.

"Hmm, you taste so good. I don't think I can let you go now."

"Wait!" I cry out, moving my head as far away from him as I can. The back of my head is scraping against the brick wall I'm being held up against, but I don't even care. I care about this vampire dude who's trying to eat me! At this point I'll tell him anything. "You wanted to know about Grayson? I'll tell you whatever you want to know! Just please don't hurt me!"

The vampire smiles at my lie. Of course I wouldn't betray Grayson like that. This guy is obviously crazy, he's so fast and strong that Grayson would never survive against him. But, if I can stall for time, hopefully someone walking by will see me and call the police.

"Okay, little girl. Tell me- how much do you mean to him?"

Huh?

The man can read my mind, because his laugh once again permeates through the air, shaking me to my core. "It's okay, girl. I'll tell you. My guess is, you mean everything to him. Hurting you would make him crumble. Finally the fucking alpha can be destroyed, and I'll be the one to do it."

One second his red eyes are all that I can see, and the next second he's being ripped away from me by... a bear? All I can see is black fur and claws as the creature bites, growls, and scratches at the man. His grunts of pain are evident, and then I hear a soft whine as the man kicks the creature and runs away with a speed that rivals The Flash.

My mind is on overdrive, and my knees give out as I slide down the brick wall and land hard on my butt. I don't even notice I'm crying until I realize that the world looks cloudy and distorted to me. Through my tears, I see the dark creature stalk towards me. I cower away from it, bringing my head down to hide in between my knees. Realistically, I know this won't protect me, but hiding is my first instinct.

I expect to feel pain as the creature rips me to shreds. What I don't expect to feel is a wet snout pressing gently against my arm. I slowly lift my head to see not a bear, but a wolf. A humongous, bear-sized wolf, but a wolf nonetheless. It gently rubs its snout against my arm once again, then licks my arm. I stare at the wolf, tears still falling like raindrops in a storm.

The wolf almost seems sad that I'm upset, and it slowly backs away from me. The next thing it does, I will never forget no matter how hard I try. With the sound of bones cracking and ligaments shifting, right before my eyes I see the wolf shift into a person.

Grayson.