Three years later…
Nine hundred and one.
I grit my teeth and swallowed the bile threatening to rise as I stared at the headboard, focusing on counting the grains in the fake wood.
A spike of pain hit my hip as the john grunted and the sound of slapping skin grew erratic. Nausea surged and tumbled in me but I kept my eyes trained on the wood pattern and counted another four distinct lines.
Three years ago, I was Glenda, the eldest daughter of Alpha Adam of the Fluorite pack.
Since then, I learned that my pack had been destroyed and the land that used to belong to the Fluorite pack now belonged to the Warhammer pack, led by the Wallber family.
They claimed that a plague had taken out the entire pack and there were no survivors. They were liars and it was clear that they had orchestrated attack.
What I don’t understand is why. We had money, but we weren’t that powerful. Ben Wallber, the alpha of the Warhammer pack, could have easily brokered a deal between our packs to the benefit of us all.
Thanks to him, my name is Cherry, and I am a prostitute. My main goal is to get close enough to the Wallber family to learn the truth of what happened three years ago.
“Fuck!” He cried with a final thrust. He was still then pulled out. I was relieved at the sudden, vague emptiness and slipped across the bed towards the bathroom.
I shifted out of his reach quickly.
“Where are you–”
“I have to pee,” I said, avoiding that wet, flabby mouth that aimed for mine. I hurried into the bathroom, closing the door, locking it, and turning on both spigots. I bowed over the sink with a sickening heave of my stomach. Fever rushed over me and the world spun a little. The scent of cheap, industrial cleaner fluttered into my senses as I tried to focus on my goals.
Find out who in the Wallber family was responsible for the Fluorite massacre. Find my little sister, Angelia, and make everyone involved with it pay.
"Wallber. Angelia. Revenge."
The thoughts settled me the way they usually did, bitter, furious, and hopeful as I rested my head against the cold, silver mirror, trying to catch my breath.
It had been nine hundred and one days of this. I dared not meet my gaze in the mirror as I tried to pull myself together and stop shaking.
The sooner I got rid of him, the sooner I could start forgetting this night like all the others.
Nausea died down as I flushed the toilet for effect. I washed in cold water; the blistering cold eased the fever and made me focus as I chanted in my head to keep steady.
I took my time drying off just to make sure I had a handle on myself before I opened the door and walked out.
This john was splayed across the bed like an overstuffed king, leering at me as his minuscule cock stirred. I was grateful that it was negligible. It made it so much easier to ignore his satisfaction and count.
"Cherry, you hot little thing,” he grinned. "Why not extend our time a little, hm? I'll tip double.”
I crossed the room to pick up my clothes and put my bra on as quickly as I could manage, but not too quickly. I had to seem aloof, not desperate to escape. I was slipping my shirt on when the bed creaked with his weight. His arms wrapped around my waist and I went still as he pulled me back against the softness of his belly, sliding his hands over my hips and squeezing my ass.
My stomach lurched.
“I know it's just an act,” he whispered in my ear. “I know you enjoy it. How about triple?”
His human stench wasn't any worse than a werewolf, but it irritate me on an instinctual level. I could tear his head off without a fuss even in my weakened state. I wanted to ask if that was part of the thrill for him.
I wanted to tell him that no amount of money would make me willingly even be in his presence, but what would he care? He would just complain and buy someone else. How would it serve me other than undo all my hard work?
One complaint from a customer was like a death sentence at Larry's.
My fury simmered in my chest as I forced my voice into a cold, monotone murmur.
“You'd have to speak with the manager about extensions."
He groaned, nudging me with his belly, though he was probably aiming to nudge me with his cock as he took a deep breath against the nape of my neck.
“All business, eh?" He released me. I stepped away from him. “I'll be sure to start making my reservations in advance."
I pulled my jeans on, slipped into my shoes, and left the room, closing the door behind me. I took a steadying breath, looking at the faux silk wall across the hall.
I was one step closer.
I hurried down the hallway and down the stairs that led to the ground floor of Larry’s Hustler’s, the most expensive and exclusive brothel in Warhammer where drinks poured like rivers and whatever your heart desired was for sale. The wealthy dredges of werewolf and human society congregated here like flies on garbage.
It had been nine hundred and one days of Larry’s tacky interior design and faux luxury, but it was coming to an end.
The day I had been working for was tomorrow. At first, I wasn’t sure how or why our pack hadn’t
I tried, reaching out with my mind and hoping for a response. My wolf stirred, pulling on the remains of our pack bond.
I felt nothing on the other side, but I expected that. It had been more than a year, seven hundred and sixty-seven days to be exact, since the last time we managed to communicate through our link. As my wolf weakened, I lost the ability to even get a sense of her well-being. Now, I could barely tell if she was alive.
I clenched my fists in fury. My jaw tensed as I stared down the stairs, thinking of my little sister in the clutches of that sick bastard who treated young girls like sex dolls. Was she still alive? Had she lost her mind at the hands of his depravity? Had any of my prayers been enough?
Given half a chance I would rip his throat out.
The thought of it gave me nightmares. I prayed nearly every night that Angelia was still alive. She and I were all each other had now.
I looked around the ground floor, thinking back to the last two years I had worked through the darkest of the underground to get here. Every day was burned in my memory, but it was worth it to make it to Warhammer and be close to the Wallber family.
My stomach clenched in fear and anticipation at the thought. The Seven Days of Heaven auction, as the clients called it, only happened once a year. The club auctioned off the chance to spend seven days with one of the ten most popular prostitutes away from the club: no rules, no restrictions, and no oversight.
For werewolf prostitutes like me, it meant hell. For a human, it could mean death.
I was sold to Larry’s from a small brothel in the Midnight pack's territory. While it was true that I could pay for my freedom, the price was astronomical and the system was built to make sure Larry’s never parted with a prostitute without getting the best deal.
No matter how much I earned, I only earned three percent at most before tips. In my early days, I’d done the math about how much I was worth. Even if I slept with twenty men every day for a year, I wouldn’t be able to pay for my freedom.
Money aside, I could escape, but neither of those paths would reunite me with Angelia or get me what I wanted.
The Wallber family only came down from their lofty mansions for two things: war and pleasure.
To get a chance at my revenge, I had to set aside my dignity and go from Glenda to Cherry, the Cold Beauty from Midnight. The club and Trista raked in money hand over fist with every move I made up the ladder, and I grew a little closer to the top echelons of society.
Tomorrow, the Wallber family's soon-to-be alpha and their most prominent playboy, Matt Wallber, would be at the club looking to buy Seven Days of Heaven with one of Larry's girls.
Getting him to pick me was the first step to ruining him and his pack. I had been researching him since I found out about Warhammer, and come up with the plan.
All I had to do was see it through.
“Cherry,” the auction manager called, carrying his pad and pen. “Your opening bid? I think you should start at twenty grand.”
Twenty thousand dollars was twice times the standard. The Wallber ego only ever wanted what no one else could have.
“Make it fifty.”
The door swung closed, finally leaving me alone in my dressing room after listening to Trista’s explanation of the auction procedures for the last time. I knew it by heart long before I was eligible for the auction.With a few minutes to spare, I opened my phone and searched for Matt Wallber again. His article on his pack’s website appeared first with his portrait. Handsome features with cold dark eyes and the slightest hint of a cynical condescension on his lips.There wasn’t much in the current news about him that I hadn’t read already. He took over Warhammer’s finance, real estate, and information enterprises and led the pack to the level of wealth they now enjoyed. Despite all that he’s contributed to the pack, he was not his father’s favorite to be the next alpha of the pack. His father and his peers were too concerned about the opinions of the public, and Matt had no problems being splashed across tabloid pages in comprom
The rules of the auction stated that as soon as a guest bid ten times the standard opening bid price, the woman was taken off stage and no longer had to perform.It was nearly unheard of to be removed from the stage during the first round, but the announcer told the crowd that I had reached the threshold. I offered a charming smile to the crowd, not focusing on anyone in particular before leaving the stage with one last look at Matt who sat back in his seat, seemingly relaxed.I could take that as a sign that he was responsible for the high opening bid, but I couldn’t be sure that he would stay ahead with me off stage and marked essentially forbidden.When I got backstage, the crowd was roaring signaling the start of the striptease. While I was grateful, I didn’t have to participate, I was a bit nervous about the opening bid.I walked into the lounge where Trista was waiting to greet me. Trista managed me and five other women, but she only car
The drive went surprisingly quickly, though I shouldn’t have been surprised. Mat was practically a prince of the Warhammer’s city. If he went over the speed limit, who would stop him? He probably got away with all sorts of things, up to and including mundane murders. He and his pack had gotten away with a massacre. What were a few innocent pedestrians?The lights of the city faded into the distance as we went over several hills on the only path that led into the mountains. My heart raced as he guided the car around the sharp, winding curves. There were sudden dips and changes in direction like being on a roller coaster.It had been years since I had been on one, but I remember enjoying them a lot.Just ahead there was another sharp turn yet he didn’t seem to be slowing down.“Scared?” he asked, his voice challenging and oddly teasing."No," I smiled.If he thought plummeting from a mountain was scary, he w
Matt's POV She smelled so good. The joy I was feeling was just as I had been told as a child, breaking through years of coldness I had never imagined would go away. But, the joy was slipping through my fingers like sand. In its place, fury, like I had never known, began to boil in me. What was she saying? Did she say mistress? How could my mate be my mistress? How could she not feel our connection and understand? What did she think of me? How could she think so little of me? We’ve only just met! I stifled a growl. I had to calm down. I didn’t want to scare her or make her think I was angry with her. It was their fault: Larry’s, whoever had touched her before me, and whoever was responsible for her every mark on her body and the timid fear she was showing me. I would kill them all later. For now, I had to focus on her.
Glenda’s POVWhen I walked to the foyer with my bag, Matt was standing there waiting to escort me out of the building.He eyed the small canvas bag in my hands and his eyes narrowed, “Is that all?”What did he think? That I owned a full wardrobe? I’m a whore. Clothes were made to make me sell then come off and Larry’s charged extra for closet space. This bag held everything I had managed to keep with me over the past three years. Between several brothels, it wasn’t much, but it was all mine.“Yes.”Matt nodded stiffly, “Let’s go.”Trista looked a bit furious as I passed her, but I paid her no mind, allowing Matt to escort me back to his car.When the door came down, closing me inside the car, I relaxed with a little sigh.I would never see Larry’s again.Matt climbed into the car beside me, cranked up the engine, and guided the car a
I spent the night awake, watching the dawn rise through the blinds.It was the first night in three years I had gone to bed without being touched. The house was quiet all through the night. I kept expecting him to come back, but he didn’t.And that only made me more furious.This game he was playing, this act he was putting of kindness was worse than if he just held me down and raped me like everyone else. At least then I wouldn’t be wondering.I’d fall asleep counting just to forget it and I wouldn’t be so damned confused.I pushed that thought away. It was only the first night. The fall of my pack had likely been planned for weeks. Matt was definitely his father’s son, so he was playing a long game to break me.And wasn’t I doing the same?Sleep pulled at my eyelids and the darkness began to pull me down.Can you hear me?I gasped at Alyssa, my wolf’s, voice calling ou
My heart leaped into my throat as the car seemed to catch on something and swing towards the mountain. My stomach swooped and my heart raced.We were falling. We were crashing, all because this idiot wanted to look at the damned sunrise on top of a stupid mountain!Matt lunged across the car at me, grabbing me around my waist and turning towards the door.“Hold on to me!”I turned to watch the side of the mountain growing swiftly closer and wrapped my arms around his neck, barely swallowing a scream of terror as my heart thudded in my chest. What was the plan? Was there a plan? Was this all some twisted, drawn-out plan to make me let my guard down or make my death an accident? He pushed the door open, his eyes fixed on the side of the mountain.“What are you doing?” I asked, between panicked breaths as he tensed and leaned back into the carriage. Every muscle in his body seemed to be tensing to prepare for something
Did he just apologize to me? The thought was uncomfortable and confusing. He was a Wallber. They were arrogant, high-handed, selfish, ruthless, and evil. There was no way he had actually apologized to me, and if he did there had to be something behind it.I met his gaze and tried to figure out what he was thinking, but there was nothing in his eyes but concern and remorse.“It’s…” I shook my head, focusing on the problem. It wasn’t okay. This was all his fault, and it was probably just an act anyway. "Will someone come to our rescue? The operator should have noticed something was wrong with the cable car, right?”"It wasn’t an accident. He’s probably long gone by now.” He stood with a shake of his head. "I’ve told a pack affiliate where we are, but it will take some time for them to get here.”“How long?”He eyed me and crouched in front of me to zip up my jacket, &ldquo