Page 31 of Under A New Moon

The music still boomed from below. The ground slightly shook as they walked down the hallway towards the entrance of the offices. He was surprised to see a few other people waiting in chairs. It reminded him of going to the dentist, the amount of bouncing energy going around the room.

Everyone was nervous, and they had no idea the outcome of their future. Darla seemed to catch on, tightening her grip even more.

"Here." He pulled a chair for Darla, "Sit for a moment." Darla took the seat, her grip tightening onto the chair. He gave her shoulder a squeeze, "Take a breath."

She did, her eyes wandering around the room. He could tell she wondered what went on up here. He didn't want to tell her it was the flesh trade. This is where you go when you have nowhere else to turn to.

This was also the place he knew where Sol loved to frequent. He turned, heading up towards the counter where a blond gal stood clicking away at the computer.

"I'm here to see Sol."

"Do you have an appointment?" She asked without looking up at him. Galen scowled, "No, but I assure you he's going to want to speak to me."

She looked up, and as soon as she did, her eyes widened slightly. She tried to hide it by looking back at the computer quickly. "I'll see that he's free."

Galen turned, going and taking a seat next to Darla. She reached over, grabbing his hand. He enjoyed it, needing something to ground him.

He looked around the space, taking in each person that was seated up here. There was a young kid, maybe older teens. He was jumpy, and he wondered if he wanted a drug deal. He looked towards the next person, seeing the guy look stressed. The hunch in his back, the deep dark circles of his eyes, indicated he hadn’t slept.

He wondered if it was because of a loss of someone or if he wanted someone to get hurt. Either way, he would make a deal about something.

The third person was a lady, wearing a short dress, and her make-up was smeared. She had a few bruises that littered her arm. Clearly, someone had manhandled her. He wondered what deal she would make.

"He will see you now." The lady spoke up, breaking Galen's concentration. He pushed himself up, Darla pulled herself closer to him.

They walked down the hallway, taking a left turn and the lady pulled the door open.

They both walk into a large spacious office, with bookcases lining the wall and an open view of the city. It was breathtaking, minus Sol, who sat at his desk. He smiled as he took in Galen.

"Well, well...well." He chuckled, "If it isn't an old friend."

Galen swallowed, tightening his grip on Darla. He needed to remember he was doing this for her safety. He was doing this to ensure that she had a future and one that didn't include running for the rest of her life.

"I want a deal."

Sol smirked, leaning back, "Go on."

Galen told him everything. Sol was the alpha of LA, and all the Alphas knew each other loosely. He also knew Sol from when he was younger. He was one of a few he remembered.

Sol's father had stepped down a few years prior to meeting him. He was a quiet, calculated individual when he met him, someone that clearly knew how to read a room. It put Galen on edge, how his dark brown eyes would narrow, and everyone shut up.

Sol had to be around sixty years old, but he didn't look a day over forty. He had jet black hair, as he remembered, although this was probably dyed. He still had those stone-cold eyes that made Galen freeze for a moment.

As Galen spoke, Sol seemed to smile brighter. He looked over the moon with the information which confused Galen.

He fell silent, and Sol cackled, "Well, isn't this just dandy, Galen." He turned his eyes towards Darla. "All for a girl, too."

Darla stayed quiet, and he tightened his grip on her hand. She stood confident though with her head held high.

"Will you help?" Galen asked, needing an answer. They couldn't keep running anymore, and they were both running off steam at this point.

Sol pushed himself up and walked towards his bookcase. He grabbed a bottle, pouring himself a drink. "This is fantastic news." He turned around, leaning into the bookcase while he sipped his liquor. "Great news, actually. This will help my cause tenfold."

Galen was confused. What exactly did he mean by that? Galen knew he had been gone for a while, but what Sol said didn't make sense. They had always wanted peace, but he made it seem like that wasn't what he wanted.

"Sol, what do you mean by that?"

Sol poured himself another glass, looking outside the window. "You've been gone a long time, Galen. A long time indeed. When you first met me, I was still new to my role. I've been at it a while now."

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