Chapter 17
JAKE:
I had just returned from my early morning run, feeling a new surge of strength as I got into the palace. River, my wolf, had become more active these days and I attributed his change in countenance to the unconventional arrival of his second mate. He was always hyperactive every time we discovered a mate and I would always kill the enthusiasm by rejecting the mate.
Fortunately, it never made him less powerful or dormant. I was going to reject this one too, it was only a matter of time.
I showered after every run. As I stepped out of the bathroom, the sound of a knock on my door made me turn my head toward it. Then the male voice followed.
“Alpha Lake, it’s me, Bek.” It was the voice of my gamma.
“Come in,” I called out. I heard my door creak open, he walked in and bowed in courtesy.Owned by NôvelDrama.Org.
“Greetings, Alpha. I brought an update on the next move of the rogues, courtesy of our spies.”
My eyes brightened with curiosity.
“Go on.”
“They claim to have an inside ally from our pack, a high-ranked wolf. According to our spy, they will be launching an attack on us…” He paused. “Sooner than expected.”
My face contorted with rage. Fury sprang up in my veins. I could take anything, but never betrayal. The outcast-turned-rogues could attack us if their plans went accordingly. I could not let that happen.
“Release more spies to bring us more information. The training of the warriors has to be twice as efficient from now. Find more wolves deserving of the warrior title and train them until they are fully prepared for war. Nobody takes Alpha Lake by surprise…”
I tilted my head to glance at him.
“I hate surprises.”
He bowed once more, a reminder of the power I held.
“That would be carried out immediately, Alpha.”
JOJO:
I could say my first day of training went quite well. I found out the casino had the best dancers in the city, and I was enthralled. The girls were amazing dancers! They both star ballerinas to shame. And Zita Lowe? The girl was a worm on a pole. She slid about like she did not possess a bone in her body that could break. Her body cast a spell on all eyes that watched, including mine. It was clear why men spent their fortune watching girls dance. It was strange how the alpha had been able to resist the charm, the grace, and the poise. She was extremely comfortable with who she was, she found peace in her skin.
Her skin.
Would I ever be comfortable in mine? I feared the day I would have to take my gloves off, for the world to see what ugly scars lay underneath.
Ashley had specifically danced for the Beta and he had kept his eyes on her throughout the show. When I was called upon, I knew I was going to embarrass myself and I did. Every other girl had experience and had practiced strip dancing for years, all I had ever learned was ballet. Yes, it helped with my flexibility, I could perform some leg, arm, and hip tricks, but I lacked the sensuality of a stripper. My lack of experience was glaring; my hands shook violently as I held on to the pole.
Bentley continued to yell instructions at me. I pitied her more than I pitied myself. She was flogging a dead horse.
“Catch the eye of one of your audience! Lock them in your spell. You are a fucking gypsy! Look into their eyes and make them want to give you all their money!”
“Chin up, JoJo!”
“Come on, twist that body a little more. Flexibility Jojo!”
Alas, when my freak show ended, I stayed quiet as I followed the girls to our room.
“What was that, back there? Are you trying to act innocent? Like you haven’t sucked the Alpha’s dick and slept your way into this agency?” Zita Lowe gnarled from behind me.
I kept my lips sealed. I pressed the home button on my phone. Six missed calls were displayed on my screen, all from Mel. I sighed and clutched my phone. I was in no mood for Zita’s…
My thoughts trailed off when she appeared in front of me. My bored eyes glanced up at her face.
“Do you not hear me? I’m right in front of you and I don’t like to be ignored. So I’ll ask again, what’s with the goody two-shoe act?”
Staying silent drove her further toward the edge. Something had crawled up her ass. No one could convince me otherwise.
“Answer me when I ask you a question, you bitch!”
She grabbed my phone from my hands. I rushed to take it back but I was too late. She smashed it against a wall with brute force, the weak device shattered completely on the floor. I crumbled to the floor in disbelief, crawling to the pieces of my phone. I blinked one, twice, thrice, as many times as I needed to, just to ensure I wasn’t dreaming. The sound of my phone against the wall earned everyone’s attention.
“What the fuck, bro?” Zelda cried out.
“She was beginning to forget her place here. I had to remind her. It shouldn’t hurt so much. The phone was a piece of scrappy metal anyway.”
I did not listen to any of them. I picked up the large pieces of my phone and hurried to my bed. I settled into the mattress and sought to piece everything together, to no avail. A violent wave of anger and sadness hit me. I was no longer going to be able to speak with Mel or Valerie. And Mel’s calls? I couldn’t find out what that was about anymore.
No matter what I did, there was also someone who was going to despise and trample on me for reasons I did not know. Hot tears welled up in my eyes as I stared down at my broken phone.
I felt someone lie beside me.