Lover Forgiven

Chapter One

The Pack was completely packed tonight. It was a Friday night which meant there were people ready to let off steam they held in for the whole week and make room for the next round of steam. All the table were full, people were dancing on the dance floor, staff was running around to keep up with the orders and the band was playing there was no tomorrow.

Because they were short on hands, Sam was behind the bar helping out the girls. Of course, they weren't his regular girls. Lhyra and Annahbeth were given the night off while Ehmma was still on leave. The female had her young a few months ago and Sam knew it was best she spent time with her newly born daughter. The mansion had been in an uproar over the little girl that the males had been seen at the bar after their hunt lately. Well, except Phride. He was always with his shellan and daughter.

Since the Brothers weren't at The Pack tonight, Sam stayed focused on the human customers. Racing around the bar trying to get the drinks out, his mind failed to register the door opening and closing. His first thought was that another party just entered. Taking a split second to look over the heads to see if he needed to clear a table, he almost dropped the martini he was making.

A familiar face stood at the doorway. The last time Sam saw the woman was two years ago and that was right around the time of Nightmahre and Gabrielle's mating ceremony. She had left a voice message on his phone that she was leaving town and wouldn't be back for a few years. Friday nights hadn't been the same after his famous violinist left.

Giving the patient customer their drink, Sam threw up the counter latch and practically ran over to Victoria Bishop.

Throwing his arms around her and giving her a big hug, she hugged her friend back. She looked the same that it felt like she never left. Her light blond hair framed her face in wispy waves and curled around the nape of her neck since it was so short. When Sam pulled back, Victoria's deep blue eyes looked so deep that he thought he was looking into the sea. Under the leather boots, skinny jeans, black tub top and brown leather jacket was a body every model would die for she was tall and slim without trying.

"Bloody hell!" cheered Sam. "Look who's alive and kicking. Damn, Victoria. It's good to see you."

"Good to see you, too," replied Victoria.

"God, you have got to tell me what happened. I mean, you just left out of the blue for two whole years. Do you have any idea how many customers I lost simply because you weren't here?" He stopped for a second. "Hell! You got a record, didn't you? Some agent found you and you finally got to play your violin big time. Damn!"

Victoria brought up her hands in front of her for him to slow down. Then she pointed to the bar under siege by customers. Agreeing to tell him her trip when things calmed down, she followed Sam back to the bar where he helped his staff meet their orders.

Things continued to stay hectic until it was three hours before closing time. It was around there when people started leaving. The band had finished their rock music and had settle with a little salsa music for people who still had it in them to dance. Half of the bar was empty that it only required one girl to handle it and the others went to take the last orders. When Sam managed to get away, he led Victoria to his office where they could talk in private.

Closing the door right behind her, Victoria took one of the chairs facing Sam's desk. Sam plopped down in the wheel chair behind his desk and propped his feet on the desk before releasing a sight of relieve. Taking a moment to sort out the craziness that just happened, he dropped his feet and leaned on the desk.

"So? Where you been?"

"Down in New Orleans."

"New Orleans? You were in Louisiana for two years?"

"Yeah. You see, I got a chance to perform down there and I took it. At first it was a blast. But I eventually got bored at the place I was playing at and started playing wherever. Lots of clubs and bars took me in and I played in the square."

"So it wasn't an agent?"

"Nope. Just some guy who asked if I wanted to make more money. Things are hard for a violinist who doesn't have a degree from a big school in music. But I had fun. People liked hearing me play. Clubs and bars tried to book me before someone else got their claws on me. I would've stayed if I hadn't gotten a little homesick."

As Victoria spoke, she watched as Sam listened. He believed every word she said that he muttered a curse about the bastard who took her from his bar. One of the many things Victoria missed was Sam's temper. He could be cool one second and blow a gasket the next. She really did miss the guy.

Too bad he didn't know the real reason why she left.

Burying her secret away, she decided to turn the tables on him. Sam didn't waste time when he talked. He talked about how popular The Pack became, his messed-up sleep time that he would find him sound asleep during the afternoon, keeping up with bills and paying the new employees he recruited and finding new bands willing to play. All in all, Sam hadn't changed over the years.

When Sam asked if Victoria was staying in Caldwell, she told him that she had moved back in her old place and would see when she could come back to perform when a waitress knocked on the door. It was clear that Sam wanted to get back with his friend. But he was also the owner of the bar and had to see things through. Giving him an understanding smile, Victoria waved goodbye as Sam went to go see what the problem was.

Since it was close to closing, Victoria managed to find her way to the back door and breathed in the cold air. She was alone in the alley behind the bar. It was early November in Caldwell which meant that snow wasn't far away. The temperature had already dropped that Victoria could see her breath every time she breathed. Even though she wasn't wearing warm clothes, the cold didn't faze her one bit. To her, it was a warm night that all she needed was her jacket.

Stretching her arms above her head, she opened her mouth and yawned. She had arrived in the city barely two hours ago. There was hardly anything to unpack since she didn't own much. After putting things back in their proper spot, Victoria had jumped in her ride and sped down to see Sam. The problem was her ride was parked three blocks away from The Pack. A violinist who performs on the streets and bars would never had the money to afford a 918 Spyder and yet Victoria did.

She so didn't want to get into detail over her car with Sam. Or that she owned a penthouse when he thought she lived in a crappy apartment.

Her life was complicated as it was. Victoria worked her whole life to prove she was different than her family only to catch herself in their footsteps every once and a while. Every Bishop woman had one thing to do in their life and it was Victoria's duty to carry on what her ancestors had been doing for centuries.

Shaking her head, Victoria brushed aside the reason why she left Caldwell and started making her way to the sidewalk. Her hand instantly grabbed hold of the dumpster. Something so powerful slammed right in Victoria's chest that she nearly doubled over if she hadn't steadied herself.

Panting like she had been punched, Victoria found the control she had worked on for nine years and banished the feeling inside her. She knew too well what would happen if she loosened her control over it. It had let her off easy with her mom. There wouldn't be a second chance. It was this very feeling why Victoria left to New Orleans. It had been place where she found her control and returning helped her strengthen her control over the feeling that was trying to overtake her.

Right when Victoria picked up her head to take a steady breath, a gust of wind blew from behind followed up by trash bins falling over. The feeling was replaced by fear. Victoria was the only person in the alley. Her mind told her that a cat might've knocked over the bins and that she should walk off. But another part ordered her to turn around. It was the Bishop in her that demanded that she turn around that very instant.

Unable to ignore the command, Victoria turned very slowly. A light that hanged above the door illuminated the alley enough for her eyes to adjust. Scanning the area, she found the bins toppled over with their contents all over the ground. There wasn't a cat to be seen.

There was, however, a leg sticking behind the bins.

Victoria took cautious steps as she approached the leg. Whatever air she reclaimed escaped through her gasp. Slumped over the brick wall and against the bins was a man. Going down to her knees in one fluent movement, Victoria checked to see if he was alright. The man was covered in black leather and wore a long black trench coat that he almost camouflaged in the alley. His face and lower body was covered in pitch black hair while parts managed to stay in its ponytail. The man's hair was so long that it rested at his waist and continued to his mid-thigh.

And he was huge. Not Sam huge who was about five-eleven. The man had to be at least six-six or bigger. His body was totally ripped that Victoria caught glimpses of his muscles through his shredded clothes. That's when she noticed he was covered in blood. And majority of it was his.

"Hey!" she called. "Dude, wake up!"

When he didn't, she slapped him on the face and his eyelids shifted. Feeling him take a heavy breath under her palm, his eyes parted open a bit for Victoria to see they were bright gray. They were so bright that it almost looked like his eyes possessed light of their own.

He lifted his hand and touched Victoria's cheek. Logic told her to back away and call for help. But her body refused to move when his hand made contact. Once his fingers caressed her cheek, the feeling exploded inside her like never before. Just by the way how the feeling reacted to him told Victoria everything.

After all these years, he still looked the same.

"Fuck," Victoria muttered.

When Victoria stood up, the man dropped his hand and passed out. Victoria wasn't a fool. She saw the man had a few daggers strapped to his legs and some on his chest and something long secured around his waist. The man was nothing but trouble.

It seemed trouble finally found its way to her.