Chapter5 THE PRICE OF SECRETS
Aira’s POV
“Which pack are you from, little girl? You look lost,” the bald, bloated owner of the brothel sneered, clicking his tongue. “Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. Do you even know where you are, baby girl?” His voice dripped with amusement.
Baby girl?
Huh?!
He could be my grandpa for all I cared.
Ugh. I wanted to puke.
The man reeked of rotten eggs mixed with the sickly smell of rubber—but beneath that, there was a faint trace of something sweet, like honey, clinging to his skin. That tiny scent made me want to pay him a million dollars just to taste it.
“I thought you had a ‘No Questions Asked’ policy for adult customers,” I snapped, bending close until my face nearly touched his. “And as for me being little or lost—don’t mess with a furious Alpha female. It won’t be pretty, mister. Trust me, you’d rather live in peace than wake up screaming every night with scars your wolf couldn’t even heal.”
My eyes blazed fury as I stared into his frightened ones. “Just get me the man or woman you were with. And keep your own damn business out of it.”
My gaze burned so fiercely that the man flinched. I could see pure terror in his eyes—fear of getting scorched by a Master of the Dark Arts.
My wolf was restless, more eager than I was. Something was coming.
I took a deep breath and softened my tone. “I’ll pay whatever you ask,” I said coldly, tossing an enormous wad of cash onto the table. “Take it. And give me what I want.”
Money? How did I get it?
Simple. I earned it. A lot of it.
My businesses spanned metal mining, weapon manufacturing, retail, and transportation. I could burn ten bundles like that every hour and still swim in cash.
The man’s eyes bulged, jaw dropping. But he managed to recover.
“Please forgive my ignorance, ma’am. I was just surprised to see a she-wolf your age here. You can have someone else for a quarter of that amount. In fact, our best employees can give you double sessions for two days straight at half the price,” he offered smoothly.
“Look, mister, don’t test my patience. Do you want what I asked for or should I kiss that money goodbye and lose a regular customer?” I said, voice sharp.
He hesitated, then blurted out, “That human? That’s the pack’s personal slave. The Alpha of the Zorean Pack doesn’t like to share him.”
Hypocrite much? The same man who just manhandled his Alpha’s slave now refused to share him.
I scoffed. “So you’re talking about those self-proclaimed gods? The Zorean Pack? Those monsters don’t deserve respect.”
Human trafficking, mass murders, slavery, forced prostitution—name a horror, and those bastards did it.
All in the name of their ancestral gods.
No pack could ever defeat them. Not even together.
I groaned, regretting why I came here.
Find me...
Find me, Aira...
I need you.
Find me!
My vampire soul and wolf stirred as the sweet honey scent flooded the room again.
The man tried to reason, “Please understand, ma’am—”
But my Alpha snapped. With a speed no human could match, I grabbed him from his velvet chair and slammed his head against the wall.
“Last chance, Grandpa Jones,” I growled, looming over his crumpled form. “Book my request for the whole week if you don’t want me torturing your stinky ass, kidnapping your prized possession, and leaving you broke. And don’t let anyone else touch what’s mine. Got it?”
He shivered, stammering, “T-The Alpha will kill me if I let anyone else—”
“Did you just say something to piss me off?” I raised an eyebrow, daring him to repeat himself.
“N-No Alpha. The pack Alpha’s gone abroad with his Luna for the month. You can have Danielle for the whole week,” he stuttered, visibly terrified.
“Good,” I smirked. “Take me to Danielle.”
“D-Danielle’s a transgender human,” the idiot blurted out again. “Are you sure you want to book him?”
Before I could answer, my fist connected with his face.
“One more word, and I’ll make sure you lose your tongue,” I growled. “Understand?”
“Y-Yes, ma’am.”
Five bouncers helped him up, and he reluctantly showed me the way.
Danielle.
The name itself was sweet, calm, soothing.
I felt myself falling for it already.
No.
Love?
Impossible. I didn’t believe in that since Chester broke me.
How could I feel this way for someone I didn’t even know?
I was losing my mind.
Find me...
Find me, Aira...
I need you.
Find me!
“FOUND YOU!”