Chapter 3

SAMMY

The encounter with the Alpha yesterday had me feeling a little uneasy.

When I left for the day, he barely acknowledged my existence. Which is fine. I'm here to work. But it kind of left a sour taste in my mouth that he still seemed so irritated with me.

When I got to the office, I called a meeting with Eric and Dylan.

Telling them how big the job was. "Guys, I'm going to need everyone on board for this job."

Eric leans back in his chair. "Ok. I'll call the girls up and see if they can make time."

I nod.

Dylans sitting on my desk, looking over the floor plan and the pictures I took. "Seriously, it must be sweet to be rolling in cash."

"Dylan." I say. Scowling at him.

Eric ticks his head. "Yep. It really takes a supreme narcissist to build a ballroom while your people suffer."

I shoot my glare to him. "Eric!"

"What? It's the truth, Sammy. He spends money like water, while people like yourself, help those less fortunate. It's almost sick. What Alpha doesn't care about his own pack?"  He slams the legs of his chair down.

"I don't think this is a conversation we should be having about our client, Eric." I furrow my brow and flip through the plans.

Dylan stands. "Why? He's not here."

"It doesn't matter, Dylan. We can't blame him for the bad luck of others. I'm sure he does everything he can for the pack." I write some things down.

"Of course, he does." Eric scoffs. "Like build a multimillion-dollar ballroom. That really helps the pack."

I throw my pen down and sigh. "Look. He probably has good reason. It probably does help the pack in some way. I don't know. It's really none of our business."

Eric leans on his thighs. "It is our business, Sammy. The city's getting worse by the day. People can barely eat while he's living in his castle on the hill."

Frustrated with the conversation, I stand. "Listen. This guy is paying us good money to decorate that castle on the hill. I don't need to be hearing you both bash our client."

"Sammy. We're just talking." Dylan says.

"Well, I've heard enough." Irritated, I leave my office and head for my room.

When the world gets me down, this is where I end up. In the corner of my room in front of an easel.

Painting. I paint when I'm not decorating because it eases my mind. The boys bashing the Alpha had me feeling wound up for some reason.

Sure, he's abrasive, but I don't think he's that bad.

I look at the blank canvas before me. Paints at the ready. I look around my little corner at the beautiful landscapes, the portraits of random people. These pictures are the expressions of my heart. I find comfort in them.

My eyes scan the portraits one by one, trying to find inspiration, when my eye travels to a corner I rarely venture to look at.

I swallow. My eyes lock on the all-black painting. The only color is a pair of red glowing eyes. This. This image is of my nightmares. I was plagued for years with this image. I haven't thought of it in so long. A shiver shoots up my spine as I break my eye lock and return to my blank canvas.

****

I painted for a bit, but decided I needed to ground myself a bit more.

I head downtown to a little neighborhood I like to call Hallow Glen. I don't know why. I just like the way it sounds.

I park the truck on the neat, tiny street. The neighborhood itself is about four-square blocks. The people here have very little money, but they have pride. They take care of their own. My family used to live just outside of here, before my dad got a job with the Unit and we moved. He doesn't make much as a Gamma soldier, but it's more than these people get.

I walk down the street to a small mission. It helps with food and medical care to those who need it.

I've been volunteering here since I was 15.

I walk in and smile.

"Sammy!" A tall thin woman wearing an apron runs at me and gives me a hug.

I hug her back. "Hi, Eva." I push away. "How's things?"

She wipes her hands on her apron. "Oh, you know. We're still trying." She grins.

I look around the large open room with tables. "There's so many." I notice.

Eva nods. "They just keep coming. Soon people won't have homes. It's getting just too expensive to live."

I see a familiar face and walk over. "Hi, Pearl."

The old woman smiles. "Samantha. You get more beautiful every time I see you."

Pearl's strength is weakening. Her wolf is dying. She can't afford the proper food sustain her so it's crippling her.

"Pearl, I told you, call me Sammy." I sit beside her.

"I know." She chuckles. "I just don't like it."

"Have you seen the doctor today?" I ask her.

She shakes her head. "No. I don't need it."

I nod. "Pearl, you need to see the doctor." I caution.

She waves me off. "Nonsense. Now. What about you. How are you?"

"I'm good. I just got a great job up at the packhouse." I smile.

"The packhouse! How can you work for that asshole!" An older man came limping over. Graying hair, pasty white and miserable. Harold. He's been a regular here for years.

"Harold, don't start." I hang my head.

"No, you listen here." He wags a finger at me. "You can't work for that evil man. You're too nice a girl. He's pure evil, that Alpha. He sucks us dry while he sits on his hill eating buffet dinners." The old man yells. Some people turn their heads.

"Harold. Stop it. You shouldn't talk like that." I try to calm him down.

"That bastard doesn't care about us down here. He'd rather sit with all the rich folk while we suffer!!" He continues.

"Ok, Harold. Let's go." Eva came over and grabbed the old man. She led him off to sit in a quieter section of the mission.

"He's trying to kill us all!!" Harold yells as he's lead away.

I sigh. Shaking my head.

Pearl tapped my hand. "Don't listen to Harold. I'm sure the Alpha is very nice."

Pearl always tries to find the good in people.

I smile. "I'm sure he is too. Now, you get to the doctor, you hear me?"

She just smiles and turns away.

I get up and head for the kitchen.

I dished out dinner and went home. It makes me feel better when I get to help people. Even though the plight of our people hurts my heart, the fact that I can still help makes me feel like I'm making a bit of difference.

I'm sure the Alpha isn't as bad as he lets on. I assume he's under a lot of pressure being the leader of 4000 people. I think once we get into a working relationship, I'll see the better side of him.

I know there's something about him. When he was so close to me, he smelled like Spices and honey. I felt a weird heat between us. The air was thickening. As my eyes locked with his, it was like the room dissolved away. I don't understand what it means, but it's something I enjoyed feeling. Even if he was being rude to me. I kind of feel like it's just a front. He has some vulnerability, I'm sure of it.

****

Back at home, I tried to paint some more, but I was distracted by the Alphas presence. I just can't stop thinking about him.

I decide it's probably best I just go to bed because I do have to work in the morning.

I settle in and sleep finds me.

I don't normally dream. I haven't had a dream I remembered in years. But tonight. I had a doozy of a dream.

I'm in the ballroom and the Alpha is with me. His shirts open and he looks at me with these eyes full of want. He grabs my head and kisses me hard.

I'm completely falling into it. He starts to take off my clothes. It's getting very hot. I'm sweating.

"Rule you're kingdom, princess."

A voice cuts over my dream and the bodies of us start to dissolve.

"Find the prince."

I searched for the voice.

"RULE YOUR KINGDOM!!"

The scene turns black and two flaming red eyes coming out the dark. Growling fills my brain. I can barely hear.

I shoot up in bed. I'm dripping in sweat. I'm on fire. I can barely breathe. I look down and my arms is bleeding as I scratch at it over and over.

"Oh no." I'm gasping for air.

"MOM!!" I yell for my mother as I run for the bathroom.

I throw open the door and run to the shower. I turn it on to full blast cold. I run to the sink and look in the mirror. I'm really struggling to breathe now. My eyes are glowing. My arm is dripping in blood as I continue to gouge at it involuntarily.

"MOM!!" I cry as I climb into the ice-cold shower. Trembling, I sit in the bottom of the tub with my knees pulled up and my arms wrapped around them. I let the icy water pour over my steaming body.

My mother runs in. "Sam? Oh no. Ok....just relax." She gets a towel ready. "Let the water cool you down, ok. Don't let it out. Sammy, you have to fight. Don't let it out."

I cry in pain as my mother stops my clawed hand from gouging my arm.

"Fight it, Sammy! Don't let it out!" My mother yells over my screams.

I throw my head back and scream at the ceiling. The scream has a faint growl to it.

"Fight it, Sam!! Fight it!!" My mother holds me to try and stop me from thrashing.

The pain starts to fade. My skin stings from the cold water hitting it. I can feel it going back in. My mother has her arm around my front as I'm draped over it crying.

She's rubbing my back. "Ok. It's OK. It's going away." She says softly.

She shuts the water off when she's sure it's over.

I look at her shivering, soaking wet and crying. "Why?" I hitch.

She moves my hair. "I don't know sweetheart. I don't know. I'll call the doctor in the morning."

I nod. Breathing a sigh of relief as the pain fades to nothing.

She helps me out of the tub, wrapping the towel around me. I hold my bleeding arm out.

We exit the bathroom and my dad and Dylan are there.

My mother glanced at them. "She's fine. We stopped it. Um...Dylan, get the med kit."

Dylan swallows and runs downstairs.

My mother takes me to my room and gets some dry clothes. My lips are trembling and blue as I change. She grabs a blanket and wraps me up to increase my body temperature.

Tears fall as my mother cleans the deep gouges in my arms. "You won't need stitches this time. It was close." She says as she analyzes the wound. "But it'll take a few days to heal. Probably a week."

"Why now, mom?" I ask as she cleans and bandages my arm.

"Sweetheart. I can't tell you that. What happened before this?" She wrapped gauze around my forearm.

I didn't really want to tell my mother I was dreaming about having sex with our Alpha, but I had to tell her something.

I shake my head. "I don't know. I was dreaming about something. I don't really remember and that showed up." I motion to the dark paintings in the corner of my room.

My mother glanced at the paintings. "Maybe we should take those out of here. Just in case."

I nod, looking down at my mother finishing up her first aid.

"Ok. So, I'll take those and you climb into bed." She grabbed the paintings and put them in the hall closet.

I climbed into bed, still shaking. My forearm throbbing.

My mother sat next to me. Stroking my hair with her fingers.

"Mom. Why can't I just be normal?" I say hugging my pillow.

"Baby, you are special. Very special. I don't know what this means for you or where this will lead you, but I believe in my heart, you're meant for big things. Important things. Try and get some sleep, Ok?"

I sigh as she kisses my cheek.

She clicks off my light and shuts the door.

I sniff back tears as I close my eyes.

Thankfully the rest of my night was dreamless.