Xena''s POV


    "Are we in a ce where I can joke without getting punched?" William asked, his eyes twinkling with mischief.


    I leaned back against the leather seat of the SUV, feeling the tension from earlier slowly


    melting away. "Sure, you''re fine. Ama is basically my sister, so by extension, you get to be my almost brother-inw."


    "Does that mean I can borrow your brains too?" William asked, half-joking but with a hint


    of seriousness.


    "Ha! In your dreams!" Iughed, the sound surprisingly genuine even to my own


    ears.


    Logan reached over and squeezed my shoulder gently. I took a deep breath, nodded at him, and smiled. This was our thing-our silentmunication that needed no words. A simple gesture was all it took for me to feel his support andfort.


    "You twins are something else. Like you have your ownnguage," Williammented,


    watching our interaction.


    "You have no idea how freaky it can be," Leonard chimed in for the first time.


    I turned to look at him, curiosity in my eyes. "What''s so freaky about it?"


    "The way you know what each other is thinking without the mind link. He just looks at you and knows, and vice versa." Leonard crossed his arms, his blue eyes narrowed slightly.


    I felt a swell of pride in my chest. My connection with Logan was one of the most precious gifts in my life. "Jealous that Logan and I have a better rtionship than you guys?" I asked with mock concern, my voice yful.


    Leonard looked ufortable. "Gross."


    We allughed as the SUV pulled up to the club. It was still early, so the ce wasn''t


    packed yet.


    The bouncer nodded to us, and we headed straight upstairs to the VIP section. A waitress


    named Jovie approached us to take our drink orders.


    "What can I get for you all tonight?" she asked.


    "Jack and Dr. Pepper," I said, my mouth watering at the thought. Just thinking about it made my nerves rx. I needed this tonight-needed to forget everything, even if just for


    a little while.


    "Miller, bottled," William said.


    "Vodka cranberry," Ama chirped enthusiastically.


    "I''ll take whiskey too," Logan added.


    "Make that two," Ryder said, though he was scanning the room, seeming distracted.


    “Jim Beam and Sprite," Leonard ordered in a flirtatious tone, his hand brushing against


    Jovie''s fingers. I noticed Jovie''s cheeks turning pink.


    "Whatever you have on draft," Samuel mumbled.


    "Got it. Be right back," Jovie said before heading off to get our drinks.


    "Hey, Ryder. Why is Alpha Benedict so interested in de''s intelligence?" Leonard asked


    casually.


    I shifted ufortably, not liking being the center of discussion. Despite handling everything and everyone, I never enjoyed being the topic of conversation.


    "He was surprised she could handle so much, plus she openly challenged Helen. Not many girls in our pack care about that stuff," Ryder exined.


    "Yeah, we''ve got a bunch of girls who cry when they break a nail," William added with a look of disgust.


    "Can we not talk about me?" I snapped, my tone more irritated than I''d intended. "Sorry, de," Leonard said quietly.


    "It''s fine," I replied, trying to make my voice sound normal.


    "What''s our schedule looking like for the next few weeks?" Samuel asked, changing the subject.


    "Friday is our birthday party. Saturday is the challenge. Next Saturday is the dance, and the week after that is the carnival," Logan listed.


    "Tuesday after school is the spelling bee, but we don''t have to go to that," I added.


    "Did you turn in the words?" Samuel questioned.


    "Yes, all approved. We should be good. Penelope finished my to-do list, so I just have the checkbook to handle," I exined.


    "That''s all yours," Logan grinned at me.


    "Oh, thanks a lot!" I responded sarcastically, but still smiled back.


    "Here we go!" Jovie ced our drinks in front of us.


    I took a big gulp of whiskey, feeling it burn all the way down my throat. The burning


    sensation made me feel alive, helping me temporarily forget all the worries and


    responsibilities.


    "I''ll take another one of these," I said.


    "You got it!" Jovie walked away with a swing in her hips that had Leonard staring. "Leonard, you''re hopeless," Amaughed.


    "What can I say? I''m adies'' man!" Leonard cracked his knuckles like he was preparing


    for battle.


    More people started flowing into the club. The guys were talking about fighting stances, so I slid out of the booth and stood at the balcony. From there, I could see the entire club


    below.


    I leaned against the railing, feeling the vibrations of the music through the floor. From this height, I could observe the whole dance floor, watching people dance andugh


    without a care in the world.


    "Refill!" Jovie appeared out of nowhere just as my ss emptied.


    "Perfect, keep ''eming." Though it was hard for us to get drunk, we could maintain a


    pleasant buzz for a while. That''s exactly what I needed right now-to rx a bit and let


    the alcohol temporarily numb my never-stopping brain.


    "You okay, sis?" Ama joined me at the railing.


    "Oh, definitely. This stuff goes down smooth," I answered, feeling my shoulders finally


    release some tension.


    "It sure does!" Ama started swaying her hips to the music. "Logan thinks I should


    wear that red dress," she shouted as the music grew louder.


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