My bike roared through the night as I gave the engine all it could take.

This was beyond reckless.

The road was wet and it was pouring snow. My back tire had already slid out on me a couple of times, but I’d managed to keep it on the road. But part of me was almost hoping for a catastrophe.

Billy had been taken away from me against his will, to a fate I could only imagine, and I had no idea where to find him. My life had been one way before him, but now it was another way, and I didn’t know how to cope.

He had been like a bright firework amidst a constant darkness that I’d grown used to. No attachments. No commitments, just me and my bike and the open road. But Billy had showed me there could be more to life than going from one guy to the next. A real omega that I could make a life with – that’s what Billy was. And now he was gone.

I pulled the bike into a hard right turn against the slope of a hill at the top of a gorge that lay to my left. One wrong move and the bike would slip out from under me and I’d be thrown into a potentially deadly skid.

There was a guardrail there, but that was no guarantee. I could easily be pitched off into the darkness to splatter against the rocks. It was a fall that would kill me, and I almost wished it would happen.

But my skills as a driver held the bike beneath me and I straightened out as the turn ended. Coming out on the long stretch into town, I gritted my teeth and felt the cold chill of the winter air against my face.

My hood was down and my glasses were off. I wanted to suffer tonight. I wanted to feel the harsh realities of my current situation. Being happy tonight not only didn’t feel right, it just wasn’t possible.

Too many thoughts about Billy had been running through my mind. Who had taken him?

Was it his pack leader? And if so, why would he be crying out for my help?

Was it someone kidnapping him? But how would they have known who I was?

It was impossible to know, but I couldn’t get the thoughts out of my mind. And that’s why I was out tonight.

On a reckless drive, looking for trouble, for anything to distract myself.

I pulled into town and saw the familiar line outside the club. The Love Knot. If anyplace was going to take my mind off him, this was it.

The alley’s filth was hidden by the snow as I pulled in by the dumpster and shut the engine off. I’d expected to see JD at the door, but there was someone else tonight. He was a big guy, at least six feet tall with a dark brown beard. He was a handsome fella, a bit “prettier” than me, and despite the weather, was wearing a white Henley t-shirt.

I skipped the line and walked right up to him.

“Where the fuck is JD?” I demanded. The new guy sized me up, and by the look on his face, wasn’t finding me friendly.

“JD had to work tonight,” he said firmly. “Asked me to cover.”

“I’ve never seen you before,” I told him.

“Haven’t been working much as of late,” he replied.

“What’s your name?” I growled. This chump was fucking up my night and I wasn’t happy about it.

“Tate,” he replied confidently. “What about you, friend?”

“I ain’t your friend,” I told him. “But since you’re asking. My name’s Aiden. Now you gonna let me in this club or not?”

Tate eyed me and glanced at the line. “You can wait like everyone else, Aiden.”

“JD woulda let me in,” I told him, getting more and more angry.

“Well, JD isn’t here,” Tate replied, widening his stance. He wasn’t afraid of me and could see I was getting pretty fucking pissed. “If he was, maybe he’d let you in. But me – I let people in as they came. So hop back to the end of the line and stop pissing me off.”

My wolf cried out. I almost shifted right there, but I was wearing my leather jacket and didn’t want to shred it when I transformed. I gritted my teeth and tried to control myself.

“Hey, big boy,” a voice rang out behind me. I almost didn’t hear it with my eyes fixed on Tate. “Why don’t you get your ass to the back of the line, huh? We been waiting out here in the cold. You ain’t special!”

Calm down, Aiden. It isn’t worth it…

I knew if I got in a fight right now with the son of a bitch behind me, I might kill him. The guy in front of me would be a good fight, but I didn’t want to get myself into something I’d regret later.

“You’re lucky I’m a good guy,” I told Tate as I turned away from him. “Have a nice fucking night, dickhead.”