His Sunshine Baby

Need to forget her

“...And so, she left like that?”

Isaac’s amused voice is pissing me off. He knows I’m angry about last night, and finds it twice as amusing that my interest of the night left me alone. I give him a glare for an answer, but he doesn’t fitch. The annoying thing about Betas is that they can deal with Alpha tempers better than anyone else, and Isaac is no exception, as he ignores mine. He will not miss this opportunity to make fun of me.

“I told you, it was kids from her pack. Apparently, she’s a trainer or something, she had to take care of it.”

“A trainer? Probably a fighter too then… Which pack?” He asks.

“She didn’t say.”

About that too, I’m annoyed. I don’t even have any lead about where she came from. All I have is her name. I try to replay our conversation in my head, and suddenly remember something.

“I think she mentioned the Latino District.”

“That would be the White Moon Clan's territory if I’m not wrong,” says Isaac after short thinking.

The White Moon Clan, one of the biggest too… They are not particularly healthy, but they are the leaders in Pharmaceuticals, thus important to Silver City. And not in a good relationship with us, to say the least. Not that they are many packs who are, thanks to our father’s shitty past...

The previous King, Judah Black, was nicknamed the Mad King by everyone else, and deeply hated. He terrified anyone he didn't try to kill or submit. But no one hated or feared that man more than my brothers and I did. He was a monster. Violent with anyone, even his own sons. I can't tell how many times Damian and he fought. But it was more of a beating between a mad man and a boy desperate to protect his brothers. I tried to fight him, too, but I was scared shitless. No one knows how crazy Damian was when he dueled our father. He was fed up, and ready to die in that fight.

They all think our brother was just strong enough to defy the Mad King, but that's not the truth. He was just the only one resolute enough to risk his life for that. He was terrified, yet he still stood up against the man who had beat him his whole life. And I seconded him. I was ready to jump at our father's throat if Damian didn't finish the job. He was resolute. We both were...

I take a sip of my coffee, but it doesn’t help. I’ve been annoyed since yesterday, and I’m even more pissed that it just won’t go away. Since Elena left promptly with those kids and her friend, I’m reminiscing. What was it about her that I can’t get over? Is it because I didn’t get to sleep with her? And she had agreed to it too! If it wasn’t for those stupid teens…

I let out a growl, and Isaac raises an eyebrow.

“Nate, your aura.”

I ignore him. I don’t care about controlling myself right now. We are alone anyway, who else comes to the office on a Saturday? If it wasn’t for this stupid contract to review, I wouldn’t be there. Aside from Isaac and I, there should only be a few workaholic directors and my brother, secluded in his apartment as usual.

“She really left an impression on you, huh? You don’t usually care about women you meet so much, even if they refuse you.”

“She did not refuse me.”

“Is that why? Because you didn’t get to lay her?”

Probably. I would hope that's all it is. No way I’m letting any woman take any place in my life now. Been there, done that. I already have more than enough to deal with my two brothers and the pack… I massage my temples and turn to my computer. Work, work. Isaac is still observing me even as I try to ignore him to focus on my emails. But he has no intention to leave, he’s still leaning against my desk with an intrigued and amused expression.

“That’s not all, is it? Nate? You think she…”

“No, Isaac. She was sexy and attracting. I want to f**k her and that’s it. The usual. I’m just disappointed because I didn’t get laid. Now can we get back to work?”

He gives me a long stare, and eventually, leaves with a shrug. I don’t know if he believed it, but I don’t care. I’ll stand by my word. I’m not stupid enough to get involved with a woman now. What’s wrong with me? I just missed a chance, that’s all there was.

I finish reading the contract again and forward it to my brother and my secretary before taking off. I take my bike and head back to my building, but instead of going back to my flat, I decide to hit the gym. Nothing better than a good work-out. I work the treadmill and lift weights for a couple of hours, and head to the large swimming pool. June always has the outdoor pool crowded with people happy to show off their tan, but fewer people use the indoor one. And I’d rather swim without all the stares.

After a while, I take a break from my back and forth. Swimming with my headphones on really did me some good…. I get out of the water and realize someone was watching me all along. My little brother, Liam, is sitting next to my bag, handing me my towel with a smile.

“What are you doing here?”

“Happy to see you too. Looks like someone is in top shape,” he answers with a sneaky smile.

I sigh.

“Don’t tell me you got into trouble again.”

“It’s only called trouble if I do get caught. I didn’t.”

I roll my eyes and take the towel. I know Liam is still a teen, but I wish he would be less of a troublemaker runaway. Whenever he goes missing, that means he’s stirring up some trouble in another part of the City, and I’ll have to clean the mess after him.

My little brother looks so much like Damian, it’s disturbing sometimes. Same black hair, same facial features. In a few years, he will be able to pass as his twin… While I took everything after our mom. That's probably why Damian made me the public figure of the Company. Because I didn't look like our father at all. Perhaps that’s why I’ve always felt like there was a barrier between my brothers and I. Or maybe because I’m the middle brother, I've always been a little jealous of how Damian’s been more patient with Liam. But so have I. Hence, our little brother loves to roam freely out of our sight most of the time...

“I went to see Damian, he’s fine but he’s boring. As usual.”

“Are you still looking for Her?” I ask.

He frowns and nods.

“Still nothing… Honestly, I’ve tried most territories, Nate, and I haven’t seen anyone who matched the description. Especially that scar. If it looks like what Damian said, I can't believe it's so hard to find her.”

“Damn… This girl is going to drive us nuts too. I even convinced the police Chef to have a missing person file open, nothing yet,” I sigh.

“Well, we still haven’t checked a few territories.”

That’s because most of them are hostile to us… While we can have everyone from our Clans on the look-out, we can’t make intrusions on the other territories as Liam does. That would mean fightings, and even maybe a war, and we can’t have that. Our position as the leading pack only rests on Damian’s fearsome reputation and our pack’s wealth, but our popularity is hitting rock bottom as it is. I can count on one hand the few Clans who willingly interact with us, and that’s not even a third of Silver City.

“The Sapphire Moon Clan is harder to infiltrate than Alcatraz,” sighs Liam. “I checked the Opale, Pearl, and White Moon Clans territories a few times this week but didn’t see anyone matching.”

I immediately think about Elena when he mentions the White Moon. Could Liam have seen her there? But I don’t want to discuss my potential s*x partners with my little brother…

“Including the Latino District?” I ask.

Liam frowns and tilts his head.

“Why are you concerned about the Latino district? From what Damian said, chances the girl is of Latino ascent is thin… He said she’s pale white-skinned.”

“Nothing, just thinking.”

Elena’s skin was slightly tanned and pleasantly warm under my fingers. I still remember that sensation all too well. If I was to caress her full body, her curves… I keep seeing her, how she moved around in that dress under the club’s lights. Was she so sexy on purpose? She felt so natural and genuine during our brief talk.

“Hey, Earth calling to Nate? Nate?”

“What?” I growl after my brother.

“Your adorable little brother is hungry. Can I order take out?”

Now I know why he came… I nod with annoyment, and Liam takes my phone to call his favorite pizza place. My brother and his hunger… Sometimes I resent Damian for always giving him the biggest portions when we were kids, now he’s such a glutton! I take a cold shower, trying to stop thinking about that woman. Damn, she really did leave me with a strong impression. The frustration is real.

Will I see her again at the Rain? It wasn’t her territory… But I can’t just venture at the Latino District like that. Wait, why would I even go there? Nathaniel Black, stop thinking you i***t! I just need to forget her, find another girl to get in bed with and that will be over!

When I go back upstairs to my apartment, Liam is already sitting on the couch, watching a TV show with a pile of pizzas in front of him. Great, now my place will reek of chorizo… I grab a slice anyway, and head for the bar to get a glass, and my cigarettes.

“We can schedule a meeting? With the Pearl Moon?”

“I thought you said you’d been there?” I ask.

I really don’t feel like handling the Pearl Moon Alpha now… That woman is too smart and full of herself. Liam replies with his mouth full of pizza.

“‘Could try. Sneaking in isn’t like visiting. And they’re cool.”

“We are the ones who are not supposed to be cool, Liam. Damian’s the f*****g King, and we are not saints. No one wants to meet us.”

“But they wouldn’t refuse…”

He’s right. The Pearl Moon is among the middle-sized packs, and certainly not in a position to refuse. I shrug.

“I’ll think about it…”

Maybe Liam’s right. There’s a full list of Clans we could “visit” instead of having him sneak around aimlessly. Using our position as the leading pack could be a solution. Aside from the White Moon, Sapphire Moon, Gold Moon, and Violet Moon, which are of significant power, most other packs couldn’t possibly refuse to receive us. Most of them fear us way too much to oppose us anyway… I take a smoke, and Liam frowns. I don’t care if he doesn’t like the smell, it’s my place.

“How was your new club? The Rain?”

“Fine….”

Aside from my spending the night alone after a blonde fled...

“I head the launch was a success. Must be good.”

“You want to come?”

Liam turns to me, surprised. I just blurted it out. I don’t usually involve my brother into my nightclub or parties, hence his surprise. But he could come, after all. This is not an excuse to go there again, it’s not… Yet I’m playing with my cigarette, hoping he’d agree and give me a valid reason to go two nights in a row...

He hesitates and licks his fingers before answering.

“Why not… Could be fun. How’s the DJ?”