Ch 17: A concerned night
"Shit, man! What did you do to get covered in alpha stink like that? I don't think. I can let you in like that. You might make other patrons nervous if you go in with a strong stench of Alpha pheromones."
The bouncer showed an apparent dislike of Rika's presence.
It was clear why that man was behaving like that.
'Ah, this bouncer must be an alpha. It does not seem like he is a particular, so he must have felt I have felt he smelled Emily and Damian's pheromones coming off my body.'
Being a beta, it was easier for Rika to feel level-headed in such an awkward situation.
The bouncer looked apologetic but also ready to console Rika in case she got emotions.
'Does this bouncer think I am a beta with a protective Alpha mate who marked me thoroughly? I want to laugh at this, but I don't think I can.'
Rika's thoughts were all over the place. But her attention was focused on the bouncer in front of her.
The man was still waiting for Rika to either get out of line or break down into tears. He sighed in relief when he saw Rika, who was level-headed and getting out of line.
But just as Rika turned around, Emily's arm warped around Rika and pulled her back against her side.
The bouncer looked startled by Emily's sudden entry. He took a few steps back, only to collide with the signboard behind him.
When the man thought he had recovered, Damian walked into his line of sight.
Rika had no idea what Damian did, but the bouncer looked away and opened the door. They were being allowed to enter.
"Tsk, can you believe the audacity of that bouncer? Not only did he try to turn you away, but he also mocked our scent on you. Just who did that man think he was?"
Emily raged as she stalked her way past Rika. Damian flanked her on the other side, and Rika felt uncomfortable walking between the alpha pair.
She discreetly tried to move to the other side so that Emily would be in the middle instead, but Emily held on tightly to Rika.
Many people turned to look at their trio due to the strong scent they were giving off. It made Rika uncomfortable, but Emily and Damian looked used to such attention.
Not only used, but they were thriving at getting all this attention from their surroundings.
Emily quickly dragged Rika toward the middle counter and called the barman over.
"Hey! Please give me the strongest thing you have. I am looking to have fun tonight."
Emily's confident words lit up the bartender's fighting spirit. That man had a strong drink prepared and placed it before the alpha girl.
Rika watched that liquor disappear down Emily's throat within seconds.
"Phew, that was a good drink. I am starting to feel it kick in as well. Damian, hurry up and drink. We are here to have fun. Rika…. you should stick to something mild. But otherwise, have fun."
Emily's words felt like a challenge to Rika. She almost felt as if Emily wanted to egg her into drinking more and making a fool out of herself.
Unfortunately for Emily, Rika's levelheadedness made her a rational person, and she did not drink at all.
Damian drowned two of his shots like water and still looked unaffected.
Because of the red behind his ears, Rika could only tell that Damian was a little drunk.
'Maybe he should be down now. I know how much Damian could drink, but I would rather not have him drink more than he could handle. Who knows what he would do if he lost his reasoning.'
Rika sighed before she decided to make a move and take the alcohol away from Damian.
Emily would not do this because the female alpha would also be smashed and out soon. That left Rika as the only person responsible for this party.
'This irresponsible couple. I know how this story goes. Emily and Damian will get smashed by the night's end, and I will be left alone. It is good that I had the scent blocker on me.'
Rika suddenly felt glad for her excellent habit of keeping things on her. These habits were about to help her a lot more than she thought.
But the scent blocker was in the car, and Rika needed to get Damian's keys before he got smashed.
'I am doing this for Damian's good as well. I cannot let him drive while being intoxicated. That can cause a lot of harm if the car hits someone.'
Rika made up her mind before standing before Damian and holding her hand out.
"Give me your car keys. You are already drunk, so I cannot have you driving around in your current state. It will be better if I drive you all back."
Rika had a driver's license and knew how to drive, but she never bothered to get a car or feel the need to drive around.
Her skills were more for an emergency, like this one she was in.
Damian looked at Rika's empty hand with laser focus. His gaze pricked Rika, but she held her ground and did not back down.
"Those keys, Damian! Hand them over now."
Rika demanded, and her patience seemed to be rewarding.
Damian reached behind her back and pulled out a pair of keys. He places them in Rika's hands but does not pull them back.
He looked enchanted by Rika's hands, and he touched them repeatedly with morbid fascination.
'This is getting too bothersome. I better pull my hand back now…. if only Damian let go out.'
For whatever reason, Damian looked fascinated with Rika's hand. His finger fluttered over Rika's fingertips lightly, and she shivered down her spine.
As soon as those flutters began, Rika knew this was getting dangerous. She needed to pull her hand back at any cost.
"Damian, I think that is enough playing around. Your girlfriend is over there. Go and bother her if you want to-."
Of course, Rika should not have expected a boos-headed man to understand what she was saying.
The alpha male did not seem to register what Rika said in his mind. Instead, he decided to warp his arms around Rika's middle and pull her into his lap.
Their position looked compromised, and Rika was sure it sent everyone the wrong messages.
Damian also took the time to scent Rika, almost like she was his lover or an omega he wanted to court.
Since this was happening in the middle of the club, most people were looking at them, and Rika felt even more embarrassed.
"Dami, let Rika go. This is not fair! You are hogging her all to yourself. Let me have her for a few seconds too- Tsk, you are no fun."
Emily tried reaching for Rika, but Damian growled and smacked her hand away.
He was too deep into alpha space to tolerate another alpha near him. (Even if that other alpha was his mate)
Situations like these were no fun because they made Rika's stomach flip with nervousness and hope. But she pushed it all down and let her rational thoughts take over.
"Emily, can you get something to sober Damian up a little? His embrace is getting a little too tight for me. I might pass out at this rate."
Rika complained as she was held even tighter.
It was beginning to hurt a little now, but he did not show that hurt on her face.
After all, Rika does not want to worry about Emily too much.
Emily sighed as she considered what to do. But there was only one thing that came to her mind.
She grabbed another glass of alcohol and gave it to Damian. That man took it, but not before pulling Rika toward him and warping his arms around her middle.
"Come on, Dami. Be a good boy and drink this. I promise you that Rika is not going anywhere. You need to relax a little bit."
"Emily, that is the opposite of what you should do. We do not need Damian to be more intoxicated than he is."
Rika complained, but Emily giggled at his concerns.
"Don't worry about it, Rika. I know what I am doing. Sobering Damian up right now is a bad idea. If we do that, then the only one who will be in danger will be you. Just let him get all smashed up. I promise you that it will be fine."
Emily assured Rika as she continued to feed Damian the alcohol.
Somewhere between being drunk and being awake, Damian finally let Rika go and got dragged away by Emily to the dance floor.
That left Rika alone at the bar table, and the bartender looked at her concernedly.
"Would you like to drink anything, miss? We have a lot of selections here. If you want to try something out, you can even rent a room for the night. I am sure you will have a good time there."