Shards of Sanity (Book 6, Forgotten Series)

Chapter Six

I swirled my drink in my glass before taking a small sip. The brandy was burning as it went down and I appreciated it. I had been pleasantly surprised to see that there was a bar on the territory. Despite its dilapidated appearance, it had decent alcohol and it was dark inside. I was trying to drown out the pain that was getting worse the longer I was in the territory. Watching Luka and Shey agonize over losing Amelia did nothing but remind me of when I lost Bethany and Catherine. It made it so hard for me to breathe that I felt my only options was to try to drown it out with the burn of alcohol.

I was here for Luka and Shey as they dealt with Amelia. True, the thought of losing Amelia was a heart wrenching one, I didn't want to lose her but I also knew that Luka and Shey needed me. I had to stand strong with them as they suffered the loss of their daughter. Someone had to be a rock for them and I had been chosen. It was a task I would fulfill to the best of my abilities and yet I felt like I was failing at it because there I was, getting drunk at a bar because I couldn't handle the thoughts and memories of losing my female and my daughter.

I took another drink, unable to pull myself away from the brandy. The burn was distracting and pulled me away from the ache in my chest. I swirled my glass and stared at the contents for a moment before I frowned. I downed the rest of the brandy. I missed my girls. I couldn't say I didn't. I missed how they were silly and never failed to make me smile. I missed how they smelled, especially Bethany, she always smelled of new life and her mother. My chest ached for them and made my eyes burn.

"Still, Nex. You can't blacklist her just because she said something that hurt your feelings. I thought we had dealt with this." The female bartender scoffed slightly as she cleaned out some glasses. I slowly looked over at her, they had been arguing for quite a while, about what? I wasn't quite sure but it seemed to center around a female.

"She didn't hurt my feeling, Tara. She's unstable. You can't deny she is." A large dark haired male, who I clocked as an Alpha, was wiping down the tables and I blinked slowly as I watched them.

"She hasn't hurt anyone." Tara set a cup down rather aggressively before she grabbed another one and started to wipe it down. She was very defensive but to be honest I was getting a little tired of the argument.

"I mean technically..." The blonde male behind the bar, that I also clocked as another Alpha, gave her a smirking look and Tara whirled around, her finger pointed at him as her chest rumbled.

"No, you don't get to blame that on her, Tim. Don't you fucking dare!" She gave a small snarl and he lifted his hands, rolling his eyes as if he thought she was being dramatic.

I slowly lifted my glass, "Can I have another drink?" All three sets of eyes landed on me and I leaned my chin on my other hand.

The dark haired male nodded. "You can. What are you drinking?" He moved over to the bar and I gave a small sigh.

"Brandy. Would like a double if I can get one." I watched him carefully as the male named Tim handed him a bottle. He made his way over to my table and I set the glass down, watching him as he poured me a full glass of the alcohol. "Who are you arguing about?" I looked up at him and he narrowed his eyes at me slightly but didn't say anything.

"It's just a female that has been staying here. She's a bit odd." Tara gave me a slight smile from her spot behind the bar. I gave her a small nod of thanks before I took a sip of the brandy.

There was a scoff from Tim and when I looked over he was rolling his eyes once more. "Odd? She's fucking crazy."

Tara's eyes widened with offence as her mouth dropped open. "Hey! She's just a bit moon touched. She hears Mene more than Ambris and that is saying something."