Jack.

　　I sat atop the bar stool, twirling my drink in my hands. My eyes stared at nothing, instead taking in the sounds around me. The music in this clubhouse was really good, and it drew a lot of people to the dance floor.

　　Unfortunately, I was not one of them at this moment. I took another sip of the gin-infused cocktail, feeling the heat worm its way down my throat and burn in my stomach.

　　I took another sip, turning to wink at the pretty lady who had been making eyes at me for the past thirty minutes and had hoped I would not notice. I saw her gape at me, her face turning a wonderful shade of red. I beckoned her over, gesturing at the seat to my right, which was occupied by one of my guards. The guard in question took the hint very quickly, and vacated the stool, moving to sit somewhere else.

　　The night was boring, and I needed some entertainment to pass the time. Entertainment for me, at that moment, was making the young blonde-haired lady in red blush and giggle until I had my fill of that and would take her to the nearby hotel.

　　Halfway through my conversation with the blonde I now knew as Jeanette, I froze. My eyes had caught the entrance of Damon, the Alpha that I loathed so much.

　　Not only did I hate him on principle, but he had been a thorn for far too long. I longed to see him defeated and broken. My eyes followed him, paying no attention to Jeanette, who was considerably chatty as she had taken a cocktail that I had ordered for her. She did not matter; Damon was the one I was after. I remembered the news of Damon killing my spy guard. I had been looking for a chink in his armour for some time, and it had been difficult.

　　I grit my teeth, giving a smile that looked more like a grimace to my female companion, and took a sip of my tumbler of whiskey which I had just ordered from the bar. As soon as I gulped it down, I saw a flash at the corner of my eye, followed by a fog only I could see. I dropped the cup and became still, preparing myself for the vision I would be seeing.

　　It happened in flashes to me, and the fog cleared for me to see the club. It looked even fuller than before, and I looked down at the watch on my wrist.

　　It was two hours from now. I turned, looking around for a sign of what would be happening, then stopped. At the entrance of the clubhouse, I caught sight of Carlisle walking in. I smiled despite myself; I could use this information to my advantage. Perhaps I could keep Damon here for much longer?

　　In the vision, Damon’s mate clearly looked uncomfortable, and walked over to the bar. I managed to get closer, hearing bits of her conversation with the lustful bartender. She needed a room to stay. She would speak with the manager.

　　Just like that, I saw another fog fill the place and return me to the present. I did not care, for I had seen what I wanted to. I knew what I had to do.

　　To outsiders, my eyes would have flashed a gray-blue for only a second before I had stood up. To me, visions could take minutes or even hours. Very rarely, they were in mere seconds.

　　Either way, the future was clear. I grinned to myself, feeling a burst of mischief within me. Turning to Jeanette who looked absolutely befuddled, I spoke, “Wait for me a while. I have something that I need to do. After that, we can get out of here, get a room. Sounds good?” She blushed in response, before nodding, her face clearly already thinking of the things I would do to her once I got back. I nodded to the nearby guard, who nodded back getting the hint to stay behind. This was a solo mission.

　　With that, I sauntered over to where Damon was sitting, drinking a tumbler of whiskey as well. He looked a little bit morose for some reason. I smiled, trying to put on a friendly face as he looked up, noticing my approach.

　　“Good evening, Alpha Damon,” I greeted.

　　In response, he nodded to me, raising his half-empty glass and muttering, “King Jake, how nice to see you here.” From the sounds of his drawl, I had determined that he was already tipsy. Had he taken alcohol before he came to the club, or was he just a lightweight? Either way, I did not care.

　　I took a seat at his table, and with a wave of my hand, the bottle of whiskey at the table was uncorked and a glass was poured, before being set down. I saw how Damon eyed the magic I had performed, and I grinned at him, trying not to look too malicious. “I hope my presence does not make you uncomfortable, Damon. I simply saw you from over there,” I pointed down to the bar, and his head swiveled to where I had indicated, and I dropped my hand, “I thought you could use some company for a bit. It would be rude if I did not come to say hi, after all.”

　　“No, you’re right,” He nodded, and looked down at his empty tumbler of whiskey. “How’s life treating you? Better than mine, I hope.”

　　I chuckled, and shook my head, “Business as usual, I am afraid. Nothing special to report.” The thought of my executed spy guard made my hand tighten as I held the glass to myself. I raised it to my mouth, pretending to take another sip, before speaking. “Sometimes it’s hard to get on with it, though, when there’s enemies everywhere you go.”

　　“I get what you mean,” Damon sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “The ones to watch out for may not even be out in the open.”

　　I smiled at him, responding, “It’s good to watch out for the people closest to you.” He looked at me, and I held his gaze as I continued to speak, “They are always vulnerable to attacks. As leaders, you and I have a lot of work on our hands, and a lot of duty rests on your shoulders. Anyone can attack the ones closest to you once they have an opening. Spies are everywhere,” I dropped the whiskey on the table, clasping my hands together. “They could be anywhere or anyone. Even the ones who swore to protect your interests could turn against you. That, I guess, really puts a lot into perspective.”

　　He nodded, eyeing me and musing, “You have a point there.”

　　I knew I had said enough then, and stood up, acting like I was already tipsy, despite having drank practically nothing since I sat down.

　　Brushing imaginary dust off my clothes, I raised a hand in farewell, speaking again, “I have a blonde waiting for me, and I do have to be going now.”

　　He chuckled then, and stood up. The Alpha raised his hand out in a handshake, which I took and shook in silence. Our eyes met again for a brief second before I turned away and moved down to the bar. However, a flash of red caught my eyes right near the restrooms, and my path diverged again.

　　The redhead I approached was smoking and leaning against the wall. Her hair was braided in an intricate plait. I saw how she straightened up as I approached her. I sneered inwardly; I had no interest in chatting her up, only in using her for my purposes. Once I had reached her, I took her hand in mine without prompting.

　　“Hey, what are you-?” She tried to ask, but at that moment, I had used my powers to stop her. I looked into her eyes, pushing my magic within her. Her mind fought only a little- being tipsy and high never helped in strengthening the mental defenses against attacks or hypnosis, such as this one.

　　I bent my neck down so I could whisper in her ear, “Don’t worry, you’re safe with me. There’s someone I want you to meet. He’s a dear friend of mine.”

　　“Who should I meet?” Her monotone voice asked. I turned and indicated Damon’s table, spotting him downing another glass of whiskey. I smiled at the sight. It seemed like the drinks were now truly affecting his system. The redhead turned her head to look in that direction as well, and she then turned back to me, saying, “What should I do with him?”

　　“Flirt,” I instructed in a low tone. “Convince him to take you to a private room. Get him to fuck you. Do not mention that I had sent you. No one will know this conversation took place, understood?”

　　“Understood.”

　　She shifted as I stepped back, the hypnosis sinking into her mind. I put my hands in my pocket and brought out my wallet, bringing out a handful of notes, and handing it to her. “Take this and do as I ask, now.”

　　She shook her head at me. “I can’t take it.”

　　“I insist,” I pushed it into her hand, but she shook her head, pulling her hand back. I frowned, gritting my teeth in the annoyance that I felt at her refusal. This was absolutely ridiculous.

　　Why had I not just fully controlled her mind, instead of sticking to a small hypnosis?

　　“Fine,” I stuffed the cash back into my wallet and closed it up. “Now, go and do what I asked of you. And remember, no one will know that I spoke with you.”

　　“Yes, sir,” she replied. I watched her straighten and walk past me without looking back, and I turned my head to see her sit at Damon’s table.

　　Checkmate, I thought to myself, before returning to the bar, and Jeanette the lovely blushing blonde and beckoning to my two guards. We needed to leave.

　　With a charming smile, I took my female companion’s hand and led her through the back entrance. I only spared one last glance at the redhead and Damon. They were now locking lips and clearly, both were enjoying themselves.

　　Good. That was better and faster than I had expected.

　　Carlisle will come to the bar in less than an hour. By then, the plans that I have set in motion, would have begun.

　　Once we reached the back entrance of the club, I turned to Jeanette.

　　“Hold on tight,” I commanded her, and she obeyed.

　　With that, I teleported us to our new location to continue our liaison, gone from the club in a flash.