Chapter 21

Shirley

Leaving the cafe has my head in a spin as I try to juggle all of the information I just learned. I walk down the street as I think about Jean first, considering what she told me. However, as I realize most of it has to do with physical intimacy and secrecy, I abandon the details.

Next, I think of Ron. He didn’t give me much to work with, but he had mentioned how Ralph and he had drifted over the years. He claimed it was “this and that,” but I can’t help but feel there’s something written between the lines.

And finally, there’s what Keith told me. I’m still blown away that he was willing to talk to me about Ralph after all that he’s said and done, but regardless I’m thankful. He gave me more insight than either Jean or Ron had.

But how is it helpful?

He said that Ralph is a motivated and committed Beta, but he also mentioned Ralph’s mission to become the leader of the Beta. And since Keith wasn’t willing to just hand over the title to him simply because of friendship…

Ralph is likely hungry for that power, his ambitions and desires set on having control. It all makes sense considering the way he carries or expresses himself. He’s power hungry one way or another, which explains even why he likes his women to be submissive.

And he’s made it clear that he wants me to be submissive - or rather Anya - but there’s no way in hell that’s happening. I’m not giving him anything, even if he was adamant about how he needs more. So with that option completely ruled out, I think that leaves me with one option - all thanks to Keith’s insight.

In order to seduce Ralph…I’m going to have to feed off his ambitions, give him that strength he so desperately wants.

~

I’m at Jean’s now, once again tucked up on the couch with her as we discuss the new tactic I’ve come up with. She’s already agreed that it’s a good one, but now it’s just a matter of how we execute it.

“I could make it seem like Keith made an off-handed comment to me about planning to make Ralph the leader,” Jean offers.

I shake my head. “That won’t work. He could go to Keith right away and immediately discover the truth. Plus, we need something that ties me into the situation. If I give him an opportunity to put himself in a position of power then I can turn his head any way that I want it.”

I could weigh it over his head, making him bend and break as I wish in order to get what I want. But I don’t necessarily have anything all that enticing to promise him if he officially chooses to be with Anya. Well, not yet, anyway.

“What about saying that your own pack is looking for a leader of their Beta? What was the pack you made up? Shadowmoon? You could say that you told them about Ralph and they are interested in him,” Jean tries again again.

“It’s tempting,” I say, my brows bunching as I consider the idea. “But would he really be wooed at the idea of joining a new pack? He might go up a step, but it doesn’t seem like enough.”

No, whatever we did had to be bigger than that. Something that made him lose his mind from the possibility. It had to be so good that he didn’t have to think twice about accepting.

Suddenly, my back straightens and my eyes grow wide as a new thought enters my mind. It starts out quiet, lingering in the background, but then it jumps right to the front.

“What if we pushed it a step further?” I ask softly. I then look over at Jean, repositioning myself as eagerness dances through my veins. “Or hundreds of steps further. What if we use the Alpha King?”

Hearing my question, Jean’s lips part as she blinks at me. “What do you mean?” she asks breathlessly. “We don’t know the Alpha King.”

“No, we don’t,” I confirm. “But we don’t have to.” Following my words, my brain begins to fire on all cylinders, drawing lines and making connections on its own.

“We could fake a whole story. I know that Keith already suspects my identity is fake, so we could use that to our advantage,” I explain, talking faster and faster. “We could trick Ralph and have him discover that Anya is a lie, but not because I’m actually your best friend. We could make him believe I’m a relative of the Alpha King and I’ve been in hiding.”

“Shirley…” Jean begins, obviously hesitant. “That’s…that’s a huge gamble.”

“I know,” I tell her. “But it has to be. Like I said, we need something major to really pin down Ralph.”

Thinking about what I said, Jean takes a moment to look down before she glances around the room. Finally, she sighs as she shakes her head.

“This is asking a lot more than our original plan,” she comments. “I didn’t think it would have to go to such extremes.”

“I know,” I say again. “But this will work, Jean. I know it.” I then pause as I reach out and place a hand on her leg. “Then you and Eliot can officially leave. You’ll be safe.”

Staring at my hand, Jean’s chest rises and falls as she thinks about the idea, the chance at a new life. I can see a million thoughts running through her head, but finally the storm seems to clear. She nods.

“Okay,” she says. “What do we need to do?”

I smile at her, pulling my hand away. “Well, the first step is to somehow get Ralph to stumble upon the fact that I’m related to the Alpha King. But he needs to do it on his own.”

“Sure,” Jean says back. “So what? Should we send him an anonymous email from someone claiming they just have his ‘best interest at heart?’”

I hum at that. “No, he might see through it. Think it’s a troll or even me trying to swindle him. We need something more ‘public’ without actually making it public.”

We both grow silent as we respectively consider tactics within our own heads. However, I’m not really getting anywhere. I think about putting up an article online about my identity, but once again - we’d have to somehow get the link to Ralph and he might see through it.

I’ve crossed out a dozen possibilities when I see Jean jolt.

“The newspaper,” she breathes.

“What?” I ask.

“The paper,” she says again. “Ralph reads it every morning and if we can make some sort of fake copy with a story about you as the Alpha King’s long lost daughter or something then we could plant it for him to read.”

Now my heart is racing as I stare at her, waiting as she continues.

“I have an old friend who works at the local newspaper company,” Jean states. “She would help us. All we have to do is change the front page.”

“Jean…” I breathe staring at her in awe. “That is absolutely brilliant.” And because I can’t contain myself, I release a bubbly cheer before I throw my arms around her. “Brilliant!”

In return, Jean pats my back as she laughs. “I’ll call her right now.”

~

ALPHA KING TO RECEIVE HIS NIECE

Jean’s friend, Mina, stands between us as she holds up the paper, allowing us all to read our work. Each of us wears a smug grin as we scan the article, proud of the story we’ve come up with. Surprisingly, it’s mainly Jean’s ideas that fill the story - claiming that the Alpha King is soon to acknowledge and receive his niece. We decided that niece seemed like a better idea than his daughter, explaining why this strange girl hadn’t been by the King’s side all along.

And midway down the page was the only photo we cared to include, the only one we needed - mine. It’s a picture from a few years ago, making me look younger but anyone could still tell it’s me.

“It’s perfect,” I say aloud, nodding at the paper and how we’ve made it look real despite it being completely fake. “He’s going to lose his mind.”

“Without a doubt,” Mina comments, folding the paper once more before she hands it to Jean. My best friend takes it, carefully holding it as if not to create any creases. However, I can see the slight frown she wears, causing me to stare at her.

“What’s wrong?” I ask, wondering what had caused the sudden change. She’d been beyond pleased throughout the afternoon, a gleam sitting in her eye as she’d watched Mina type up every word.

“It’s just…” Jean began. “I know this is going to work.” She stops again so she can look up at me. “And I guess I’m trying to prepare for the end.”

I feel my heart squeeze as I notice a thin layer of tears in her eyes. Stepping up, I place my hands on her shoulders, pressing into her firmly.

“Jean,” I begin gently. “I know this is hard.”

I can’t even begin to understand what she’s going through.

“But Ralph deserves this, and you deserve to be safe and happy,” I tell her. “You and Eliot.”

Upon hearing her son’s names, Jean lets out a quiet breath, her features becoming softer. However, as more thoughts go through her head, I can see her face become tight once more, even her hands firm on the paper. Finally, Jean lifts her chin a little higher.

“Let’s make him pay.”