10. Spike

10

SPIKE

As I directed my motorcycle to the compound parking lot, the scent of alcohol wafting off me like a warning sign, I cursed myself for thinking that drowning my troubles in booze would somehow make them disappear.

If anything, it only made things worse. The road back had been a blurry haze, with the alcohol dulling my senses and threatening to send me tumbling off my bike more than once.

I must have looked like a sorry sight as I dismounted, my movements clumsy and unsteady. I now regretted stopping by the bar before returning to the clubhouse.

As I stumbled off my bike, the world swaying around me, my grizzly side growled its disapproval. But I ignored the warning, my mind clouded by the haze of alcohol. I headed inside the clubhouse.

"Hey, is the boss in his office?" I slurred my words, struggling to focus on the figures around me.

"He is, but if it's not urgent, I'd wait until tomorrow. Venom's in a foul mood.” I finally identified the speaker as Crash.

I scoffed, the alcohol lending me a false sense of bravado.

"Someone stepped on his paws lately?" I asked.

"Worse," Arrow chimed in. "Mayhem's got him sorting out the club's taxes."

Mayhem was notorious for his meticulous attention to detail, and if Venom was dealing with him on tax matters, things were definitely not looking good.

"Great," I muttered, ignoring Crash' comments as I made my unsteady way to Venom's office.

The alcohol fueled my anger, simmering just beneath the surface.

The thought of Venom questioning Gray, of meddling in our lives without my presence, ignited a fresh wave of frustration.

Who did he think he was? Gray wasn't just anyone; he was my... my boyfriend.

I knocked on the door, the sound echoing in the hallway. As Venom's voice called out, granting me entry, I braced myself for the confrontation ahead.

"You should look at this and this again," Mayhem said, standing by Venom's shoulder while Venom squinted at his laptop and growled.

When I entered, Venom's expression soured even further.

"Leave, I can't deal with you today," he snapped, cutting me off before I could speak.

"I have a bone to pick with you," I persisted, my voice steady despite the tension in the air.

"Spike, come see Venom tomorrow," Mayhem interjected.

"No, I want to know why you talked to Gray without telling me today," I began.

Venom slammed the lid of his laptop shut.

"We'll continue this tomorrow then," Mayhem said.

"Joy," Venom muttered darkly under his breath.

Once Mayhem left, it was just me and the boss. I grabbed a seat facing his desk. My inner bear warned me it wasn’t too late to turn back, but I shut him off.

"I don't have to explain myself to you, Spike, but I will because you're about to make a rash decision you'll regret," Venom said.

A rash decision? Did Venom think I was going to challenge him again?

The thought appealed to me, then I remembered Gray’s anxious face when I abruptly left his place.

I never should've left his apartment, I realized. Now, it felt like I had no way of turning back.

"I got curious about the omega you and Jack Roth are fighting over,” Venom said.

"And what's your verdict?" I asked drily.

Honestly, I didn't give a damn about what Venom thought. It still felt wrong he talked to Gray without me there.

"Gray is simply someone who got sucked into a bad situation," Venom answered.

I tried to recall what Gray told me tonight.

"And you believed Olaf when he claimed Gray is Jack's mate?" I demanded. "Gray had known Jack for the whole of one night.”

"Olaf's pack and the MC—" Venom began.

"Have been doing business for a while, I know," I snapped.

Venom narrowed his eyes. Right, I'd forgotten that he didn't like to be cut off. He growled softly in warning and all the hairs on my arm rose.

"Why are you even friends with a terrible alpha like Olaf?" I asked.

Before I could say more to worsen the damage, the door to Venom's office was yanked open. Standing there was Nitro, panting and out of breath.

"Venom, Spike's drunk and not in the right state of mind," Nitro said, approaching me and grabbing my arm, pulling me up from my chair.

I tried to push him away, but my movements were sluggish from the alcohol.

"Sorry for ruining your evening," Nitro apologized as he continued to guide me out of Venom's office.

"Get off me," I muttered, irritated by his insistence on dragging me along as if I were a misbehaving cub.

I growled at the curious gazes of the MC brothers we passed. Finally, we reached the parking lot, and Nitro released his grip on my arm.

"Let's take a walk," Nitro suggested. "Some cold air could do you some good."

"No, I'm heading back to Gray's place," I declared stubbornly.

Out here in the open, I began to sober up. I'd never admit it to Nitro, but I did appreciate him taking me out of a bad situation.

If I'd remained in Venom's office any longer, things might've escalated further. Venom had already given me too many second chances, and eventually, his patience with me would run out.

"You want to return to Gray, drunk?" Nitro questioned, raising an eyebrow.

Horrified by the thought, I gritted my teeth.

"Fine, we walk," I conceded, reluctantly agreeing to his suggestion.

Under the cloak of night, Nitro and I strolled along a familiar path.

The quiet wrapped around us like a cozy blanket, broken only by the occasional rustle of leaves or the distant calls of nocturnal creatures.

It was a peaceful night, the air refreshing after the stuffiness of the clubhouse and my confrontation with Venom.

After a while, Nitro finally spoke up. "You feeling a little better, Spike?" he asked.

"Yeah, I guess," I muttered, not quite ready to admit that Nitro had been right about needing some fresh air.

It was easier to brush off his concern, to pretend that I didn't appreciate his efforts to look out for me.

But deep down, I knew he was right. The walk had helped clear my head, especially after the way I behaved with Gray and Venom.

"Venom should've given us a heads up, at least," I grumbled, my stubbornness lingering despite Nitro's attempts to ease the tension.

Then, struck by a sudden thought I didn't quite like, I turned to Nitro.

"Did you know he was going to talk to Gray?" I asked, trying to gauge his reaction.

Nitro furrowed his brows, and I relaxed slightly. Nitro had never been great at hiding his feelings, which meant his answer would likely be genuine.

"I had no idea. What happened?" he asked, his concern evident in his voice. "I only barged into Venom's office because Crash told me you were making your way there.”

As I started recounting the events of the evening to Nitro, my senses heightened at the sound of rustling bushes and faint voices nearby.

Instinctively, I raised a hand to signal Nitro to pause, and we exchanged a silent nod of acknowledgment.

Neither of us uttered a word as we strained to listen, our senses alert to the potential threat lurking in the darkness of the woods.

As the voices grew louder, I strained to catch their conversation. Two men were whispering nearby, their words carrying through the still night air.

"Do you have a confirmation on our target?" The first man asked apprehensively.

"No, our employer seemed unsure of the extraction point," the second responded.

"What the hell, Burt? You told me when I signed up for this job that it would be easy money," the first speaker hissed, frustration palpable in his tone. "You never mentioned we would be knee-deep in Grizzly Reapers territory. You know what these bears do to intruders?"

My grizzly instincts flared as I realized we likely had hired mercenaries on our hands.

They weren’t completely unskilled, if they managed to enter our woods undetected…until Nitro and I caught wind of them.

"Shut your trap or the entire forest will hear you. We're not here to fight, just to locate our employer's missing mate," the second man retorted sharply.

A surge of adrenaline coursed through me as the pieces clicked into place. Missing mate? Could they be referring to Gray?

My muscles tensed as the sudden realization dawned on me. Olaf believed I had stolen Jack’s mate.

The mere thought sent a jolt of rage coursing through my veins, my breaths coming in ragged gasps as fury consumed me.

Nitro gripped my arm tightly, a warning in his gaze. Irritated by his interference, I shook him off, my frustration mounting with each passing second.

The Grizzly Reapers MC had a reputation for dealing swiftly and decisively with unwelcome intruders, and tonight would be no exception.

Ignoring Nitro's whispered protests, I wasted no time shedding my clothes.

These mercenaries had no right tromping through our territory, thinking they could do whatever they wanted.

As I charged forward, the transformation swept over me like a raging storm. Bones cracked and reshaped, muscles bulged and contorted, and fur erupted from my skin.

But before I could unleash a growl of challenge to announce my presence, a sharp cry pierced the night air, halting me in my tracks.

It wasn't the call of another bear—it was the unmistakable cry of a raven.

A sense of relief washed over me as I realized that one of our raven shifter allies had finally spotted the intruders.

Then a single gunshot shattered the silence. My heart lurched with fear as I surged forward, propelled by instinct and adrenaline.

Entering the clearing, I spotted the two hulking mercenaries dressed in black, their guns drawn.

But what caught my attention was the sight of a raven lying on the forest floor, a crimson pool spreading beneath its motionless form.

Furious, I roared and charged towards the first mercenary. Both turned and fired at me. Pain seared through me as bullets tore into my flesh, but I refused to let it slow me down.

These guys weren't packing silver bullets, a stroke of luck that I wasn't about to waste.

With a primal roar, I barreled towards the nearest mercenary, fueled by adrenaline.

As I shoved aside the mercenary's gun, he began to shift, muscles rippling beneath his skin.

We clashed fiercely, trading blows as I quickly realized that despite their initial appearance of incompetence, this one was skilled.

Every move was calculated, every strike precise. Amidst the struggle, the second mercenary's voice pierced the chaos. "Burt, move! I can't get a clear shot."

Burt, the one I was grappling with, untangled himself from me, and for a split second, I found myself exposed, staring down the barrel of a gun.

Numerous emotions raced through me at that moment, foremost among them was regret.

I wished I hadn't run out of Gray's apartment in a fit of anger to confront Venom.

I wished I had cherished every moment with Gray a little more, knowing now how precious our time together truly was.

If I allowed myself to be selfish, I wanted an entire lifetime with him, filled with laughter, love, and the simple joy of being together.

Nitro would take care of Gray for my sake, I knew that, but still, I hadn't counted on facing death so soon.

Another roar shook the trees, and to my immense relief, I spotted Nitro charging at the second mercenary in his grizzly form.

The mercenary, seeing Nitro's approach, must have quickly calculated his odds and decided it was time to cut his losses.

With a swift turn, he dashed off into the darkness, disappearing into the shadows of the forest. Nitro went after him without hesitation.

Meanwhile, Burt, the first mercenary, came after me again, in his leopard form. The fight was intense, a whirlwind of claws and teeth, with neither of us willing to give an inch.

Burt was capable, I had to give him that, but I was determined not to let him get the better of me.

We grappled and rolled, each of us landing blows and taking hits in return.

Eventually, through sheer determination and a stroke of luck, I managed to gain the upper hand.

With a powerful shove, I sent Burt crashing onto his back, the wind knocked out of him.

As I raised my claws, ready to end this once and for all, Nitro's ragged voice cut through the haze of fury that clouded my mind.

"Spike, stop!" he exclaimed. “I just killed the other one. If you kill this one now, we won't get the answers we need."

For a moment, I hesitated, the urge to lash out still coursing through me. But then, reason prevailed.

With a heavy sigh, I lowered my claws and instead delivered a swift blow to Burt's skull, knocking him out cold.

My gaze remained fixed on the unconscious mercenary and my thoughts trailed to Gray.

After my near brush with death, all I wanted to do was knock on his apartment door and talk to him. But as Nitro tended to the injured raven, a wave of guilt washed over me.

I'd been so consumed by rage that I momentarily forgot about our ally's condition.

"He's alive," Nitro's voice broke through the tension, grounding me back to reality.

Taking a deep breath, I pushed aside my anger, focusing on the task at hand.

I shifted back into my human form and hastily dressed, my mind already racing with plans to ensure our ally's safety.

Nitro carefully lifted the injured raven and we made our way to the raven shifter compound.

Micah, their skilled healer, and Greed, Micah’s mate and a fellow MC brother, were still awake when we arrived.

Micah immediately sprang into action, assessing the raven's injuries with precision, while Greed watched on, his expression a mix of concern and annoyance at the late-night interruption.

Greed gave Nitro and me a once-over, his expression a mixture of annoyance and concern.

"Why is it that every time I see you two, you're always neck-deep in trouble?" he grumbled.

"Mercenaries," I answered curtly, not offering any further explanation.

Truth be told, I never liked owing anyone explanations, especially not to Greed.

While Micah tended to Corey, whom I found out was the injured raven shifter, Zack, the leader of the ravens, arrived at the scene.

"What happened here?" Zack inquired.

I liked and respected Zack. Nitro and I began to explain the situation.

However, our explanation was cut short by the entrance of another raven shifter into the clinic.

"Zack, he's on his way," the newcomer announced breathlessly.

"Venom will be here soon," Zack stated calmly, turning his attention back to us. "You can tell both of us to save time."

Venom's impending arrival sent a shiver down my spine. I swallowed hard, recalling my impulsive and intoxicated behavior earlier when I confronted him in his office.

The realization hit me that the big boss wouldn't be pleased about the current situation at all.