I rolled down the window and glared at him. "Are you out of your fucking mind?" I snapped. "You could have been killed!"

Jealousy and anger chased away the confusion while he walked to my window and glared at Filip. "Who are you?" he asked.

Filip's lip curved into a half smile and a half smirk. "Her boyfriend," he said in that sultry voice that made me want to hurl. "Owwwwww," he howled when I smacked him hard in the chest to cover up Bea. "What was that for, lyublyu (love)?"

"It is for you to shut up," I replied. I glared and narrowed my eyes at the older male. "Boyfriend? You're fucking kidding me, right?"

"I am a boy; am I not?" he asked and raised an eyebrow.

I gave him a blank look and blinked. "You said it, not me," I replied, and he gasped in shock.

"I am a man, Aleksandra," he said, getting snippy. He gave me a pointed look with his smirk growing wider. "You would know if you had taken up my offer." He winked, and I looked at him in disgust.

"You are disgusting," I said.

"I can show you how disgusting I can be," he all but purred and flashed his sharpened teeth. "We could end this night with a slight... steamy... session?" He raised an eyebrow in a suggestive manner and smirked.

I didn't look at Levi when he growled and looked even more disgusted at him. "When I am six feet under," I said and gave him a deadpanned look. "That mouth is going nowhere next to mine."

"That is because you are getting out of the car," Levi snarled. He reached to open the door from the inside, but I smacked his hand away. Hurt flashed through his eyes, but he moved his hand away from the door.

"I am not going anywhere," I said. I scowled and narrowed my eyes. "Filip had promised me food before he drops me back at my house."

"So you were on a date?" His tone had this hurt in it that made me want to confess everything to him, even though I knew it could lead me to get killed.

"Unfortunately," I grumbled and folded my arms across my chest and sulked. "Bastard wouldn't take no for an answer."

"And it was horrible," Filip said dramatically, and I rolled my eyes at the older male. "Don't take your... lyublyu (love) out to the movies. She'll sleep through the whole thing." He sniffled and wiped away a fake tear. "And here I was, trying to be a good friend and make sure that she stays out of trouble, and what do I get in return? That's right. Nothing besides..." He snored and pretended to be asleep. "Must... kill... dragons..." he mumbled in his "sleep." "Must... bring... honor... to... us... all..."

I smacked him across his chest, and he laughed enough to cover Bea again. "Shut up," I scoffed and rolled my eyes. "There is no reason for you to act like a dick."

"I can act like a dick because you are a bitch," he replied smartly.

I gave him a blank look. "No shit, Sherlock. I turn into a female wolf, and they a-"

"Ok," Filip said, interrupting me. "We don't need to have this conversation again."

I rolled my eyes. "And this is why we can't be friends," I said, and he gasped in shock and covered his mouth.

Amusement filled his eyes, and I rolled my eyes again and scowled. "Does this mean that I am not your boyfriend?" he asked.

"Yes," was my reply, and he smirked. "I thought that was obvious when you are a man and not my friend."

"Then get out of the car if he isn't your friend," Levi said and gritted his teeth together.

"No," I replied.

"Why not?" he asked. "He isn't your friend."

"Because I don't want to. Why are you even out here anyway?" I asked.

Levi set his jaw. "Business," he said, and I had a feeling that he wouldn't tell me. "Are you the Viper?" he asked, changing the subject.

I raised an eyebrow. "What would give you that idea?" I asked.

"Because I was chasing after her," he said. "And then she just disappeared." He gestured to me. "And, now, you are here."

"Hold up, so she's back?" I asked.

He gave me a blank look. "What do you mean by that?" he asked.

I moved a hand through my hair and sighed before I shook my head. "I thought she had retired," I said. "No one has seen her in years." I looked at Filip. "Isn't one of her watering holes over here?"

He nodded. "We're close to Friday Shots."

Levi grew tense when he said the name of the bar, and his heart skipped a beat. "Have you ever been there?" he asked.

I shook my head, no. "They don't do well with people of rank going over there," I said. "It doesn't matter if they're just born in it or if they actually have a title."

"But, you're a King's Guard. Surely they had sent you there."

I shook my head, no, again. "The king wouldn't allow it. My commander agreed and wouldn't let me go even if I had to track someone down for a job."

That was the truth. I was not allowed to go there, but I had to track someone there, so I decided to go there as someone else.

And that was how the Viper came to be.

Whenever I couldn't go somewhere as myself, I would make myself look older and go as her.

Anthony and Corey had been my partners in crime whenever I needed to go as her. They had my back and made sure that I wasn't missed.

When my commander and the king found out that I was the Viper, they were both pissed that I had gone behind their back, but they let me continue being her on the notion that no one knows except those that were approved by the king.

"So, you are weak," he stated.

I raised an eyebrow, amused. "Possibly," I replied. "Or it's because, in their eyes, I was too young."

"On znayet, chto vas usynovil korol'? (Does he know that you were adopted by the king?)" Filip asked in Russian.

I turned my head and scowled at the Vampire. Annoyance filled my body, and I pursed my lips. I debated on whether or not I should slap him but decided against it. "Molchi, (Shut up,)" I growled and bared my teeth.

Filip's eyebrows went up, and his smirk deepened. He made the motion of zipping his lips and putting the key away.

I rolled my eyes and turned back to the Alpha to see him staring at me in confusion. "Ignore him. He is just pissy that I "ruined" our "date" again."

"Mmmmm. Mmmm. Mm," Filip said. He poked me in the back to get my attention, but I ignored him. He poked harder.

"Why doesn't your grandmother know where you are?" Levi asked.

"Because Filip isn't her biggest fan," I replied.

"MmMmm!" Filip exclaimed and poked me in the back. "Mmm Mm MmmM Mmmmmmmm."

Levi looked at Filip weirdly and then looked at me. "Is he always like this?" he asked.

I huffed and swatted at Filip's hand when he poked me again. "Unfortunately," I grumbled. "Why did you go to my house anyway?" I asked, changing the subject and ignoring Filip.

Levi sighed and moved a hand through his hair. "I want to go over your notes of the pack," he said, "of the past two years."

Something told me that wasn't the real reason why he had wanted to see me, but I knew better than to press. So, all I did was raise an eyebrow and said, "what if I said no?"

Levi scowled. "As the A-"

"And as the stand in Alpha for the past two years, I have the right to say no. If you want to know what has happened in this pack, then you may contact the king and have him give me an order for you to view the files."

Levi's scowl deepened. "And why should I do that when this is m-"

"I don't know, maybe because you haven't talked to the king yet, nor did you get tested to see if you were fit to be the Alpha."

"But b-"

"I don't give a damn," I said, interrupting him, and he growled in warning. I rolled my eyes and scowled. "Birthright or not, the safety of the pack rests on my shoulders. If that means that the notes are secret, then it means that the notes are secret."

"Then they will torture you for them."

I scoffed and rolled my eyes. "Like they can do that," I replied. "I won't break under pressure."

"You will with them," he warned, and I scoffed again. "Just... give me the papers. Please. I don't want to see you get hurt." His voice cracked at the end, and I raised an eyebrow in question. Pain filled his eyes while he stared at me with eyes that were like my Levi's but different at the same time.

They were dark and cold, unlike my Levi's soft and warm eyes. There was this intense feeling that I got from them, something that wasn't common with mine.

You need to stop thinking of them as separate people, a voice whispered to me on a gentle breeze. They are one and the same and becoming more of one.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath but didn't smell anyone else besides us. I knew that there was someone there, someone watching, and knew that it was time for us to get a move on, for we had been there long enough.

"Le-"

"Alexandra," I said, interrupting him. I opened my eyes and raised an eyebrow when I caught his scowl. "What?"

Levi huffed and shook his head. "Never mind," he said coldly. "But let me protect you. He, no I, want to protect you."

I shook my head, and the image of the tea leaves in the cups came back to me. "Neither of you are strong enough," I said, and it almost broke my heart to see the flicker of pain flash across his face. "So it is my job to protect myself."

"But you aren't strong enough to protect yourself from them, Alexandra," Levi said in a tone that made me flinch. He scowled before he sent me a scathing look. "Even he wasn't strong enough."

"He also wasn't in a good state when he left here," I replied. "You should know that, for you have his memories."

"And you did nothing to help him. All you did was sit around and watch him bury himself into a deep depression. You watched him burn when he needed you the most."

That... stung. It felt like a slap in the face because I had done what I was asked, to leave him alone while he processed what had happened. I stayed silent and let the pain show on my face.

Levi's face contorted to one of shock and guilt. He opened his mouth to say something but closed it instead.

I tore my gaze off of him and looked forward, schooling my features until I wore that one of a mask. I did not want him to see how much it had pained me for longer than he had. "Leave," I said, and my voice was so emotionless that it had Filip shifting in his seat.

"A-"

"I said leave," I snapped, interrupting him. I turned around so fast that I almost gave myself whiplash and glared at the male before me. "Do me a favor and leave. Me. The. Fuck. Alone. You're right; I am such a horrible friend, and Beta, leaving my Alpha in such a horrible state when he asked me to leave him alone those two fucking days. Thank you for rubbing it in my face. I really appreciate that."

The controlled Alpha schooled his features. "All I am saying i-"

"I do not want to hear it," I snapped. My jaw quivered when I set it, and it took all of my self-control to make sure that the tears that I felt prick my eyes not to fall. "Just go, Alpha," I said, and my voice cracked.

I silently cursed myself for feeling like this when I kept my emotions to myself so that I didn't cause worry to the people around me. I could feel Filip's gaze on the side of my face and knew that he wanted to ask if I was alright when he knew that I wasn't.

Levi opened his mouth to say something but closed it instead. He cleared his throat and shifted on his feet before he looked this way and that. "Sorry..." he mumbled before he turned tail and ran in the direction he came from.

I took a shaky breath and let it out. My whole body was screaming to run, to go after him and let him know the pain that I had been through during those two days, but I didn't.

I couldn't.

I had a job to do.

"Alex..." Filip began but trailed off when I shook my head.

"Just... drive me to my bike," I said. I moved a hand through my hair and let out a tired sigh. "I don't want to talk about this tonight."

Filip frowned but nodded. He drove to my bike, knowing full well where it was since I normally parked there when I went to the bar.

He kept glancing at me every so often but didn't say a word. He knew that I didn't want to talk to him or anyone while I tried to control my emotions.

I was exhausted, tired, and all I wanted to do was go home and call it a night. However, I knew that I couldn't, for I had a job to do.

I had to find out who this person was and why they were in contact with my grandmother. I had to make sure that my only living family member was safe, even though I knew that she would be able to protect herself if anything happened.

I had to, for she was the only thing I had elected.

She was my rock, somebody stable, even when she forced me to drink tea. She always had my best interest at heart, even if I wouldn't always understand it, but she was still up there in age, and it was my job to look after her.

If I didn't, then I had no idea who would. So, that meant chasing after people that she had been in contact with and seeing if they had her best interest too. If not, it would be time to protect her from them, even if she got mad.

That meant I had to push what happened with Levi to the back of my mind, as well as the meeting with Mindy and her pimp. They weren't at the top of my to do list, but I knew that they would be that way sooner rather than later.

Man, tonight was turning out to be a long night, and I was sure that I would have more like them until I could find out who had control over Levi and it once and for all.