Chapter 4: A Challenge

“OOOooOoo…you brought your sexy alpha back for round two?!” Joan grins at me as she sips on the drink she ordered from the bar.

“Shut up. My mom and dad accepted his invitation on my behalf. It’s not like I have a choice.” I grumble as I meet her at the bar while Alpha Callen shakes some hands and takes some photos with some clubbers that apparently recognized him from the news. He was right behind me but far enough away to still not hear my complaints through the loud music blaring over the speakers of the club.

“OHHH Cheer up chickadee! He can’t be all that bad! He is pretty nice on the eyes with that baby face of his and those dark brooding eyes!” Emily chuckles coming up next to me at the bar. 

“I NEED a drink and FAST!” I groan. My friends are giving me absolutely NO sympathy with this one. Usually, they are so great about helping me and siding with me, but this time, they are actually encouraging me to get more involved with this wolf DESPITE how much I’ve told them that Bree is scared of him! That alone should be enough for them to back down, but no.

“Two long islands and a vodka and cranberry please!” Emily shouts at the bartender.

The bartender delivers just as fast as she ordered the drinks. At least my friends were buying my booze tonight!

“Can you add an extra shot to each of those long islands?” Joan asks the bartender in a flirty tone as she throws a hefty tip into the bartender’s tip jar. He smirks and drops an extra shot in each before handing them to me.

“Ya’ll know how to spoil me just the right way!” I smile at Joan and Emily as I suck down the first long island before Alpha Callen comes up behind me wrapping his arms around my waist and kissing my neck. 

Immediately, I feel Bree start to panic and my stomach tightens. 

‘Ugh…you’re STILL nervous around him?’

‘DUH! Nothing’s changed! He’s giving off these super possessive vibes tonight. I don’t know why, but something with him has changed. I don’t like it.’

‘What do you mean something’s changed with him?’ I ask Bree.

‘I don’t know, but I feel his wolf reaching out to me more. His wolf’s aura alone is trying to dominate me! I’ve never felt power and possessiveness like this before. I don’t like it!’ Bree doesn’t quite understand it herself, which REALLY makes me scared.

“Be careful with those drinks tonight little one,” Alpha Callen murmurs into my ear.

“Aye-Aye Captain!” I salute the air as I finish my first drink and hand it to the bartender before beginning to suck down my second drink.

Alpha Callen goes to the DJ and talks to him for a moment while I continue drinking my second drink and talk to Joan and Emily while we wait for Terry to get to the club. 

“When is Terry getting here?” Joan asks Emily who is finishing her vodka and cranberry drink off.

She looks at her watch, “He should be here anytime!”

“Here I am bitches!” Terry shouts jumping up to the bar.

“Hey boo!” I hug him and go back to sucking my drink down.

“Terry!” Joan and Emi hug Terry at the same time. 

“So, as I was pulling in, I heard that the new club next door just opened up and they have a contest going tonight for their grand opening! Two THOUSAND BUCKS to the top winner” Terry declares.

“OOO I’m down for that!” Joan shouts.

“Shit for two thousand - I’ll do the chicken dance, the drunken chicken, the macarena, cupid’s shuffle, cotton-eyed joe, hokey pokey…whatever will get me those two gees!” I blurted out, finishing my second drink and slamming the empty cup on the bar top.

“Ohhhh…I’d pay good money to see you do the hokey pokey…WITH a certain ALPHA!” Joan teases as Terry and Emi burst out laughing.

“Oh shut up ya’ll!” I roll my eyes as Alpha Callen comes back from the DJ booth and wraps his arms back around my waist.

“I DARE you to go enter the contest!” Emi challenges me.

Alpha Callen quirks his eyebrow and looks down at me after kissing my neck again, “A challenge huh?” 

I roll my eyes, “My friends are being pervs at the moment. Pay them no mind.”

“But they’ve challenged you. You have to show them they don’t intimidate you.” His eyes feel like they are pouring themselves into my soul.

I look at him and back at my friends who are all, all of the sudden, silent while sucking down their drinks. Alpha Callen pulls me away from the bar, not letting go of my waist, taking me out on the dance floor as the song ‘Different Sides (fea. Abi F Jones)’ by Crying Robot begins to blast through the club.

He’s being so gentle with me, I’m surprised. I’m starting to feel the effects of two heavily liquored drinks finally hitting me, but it's just enough to relax me, make me feel a good buzz, and let me start to get flirty.

“Do you like to dance to techno trance music?” He asked me.

“Do I? I love to dance to just about ANYTHING!” I smile as I wrap my arms around his neck feeling more and more bubbly and giddy from the booze.

“I picked this song just for us,” He smirks.

“Why? Because it’s short-lived?” I crack a joke, giggling to myself. He apparently didn’t appreciate that. I caught him frown, but just as quick as the look appeared on his face, it disappeared and his expression went back to its usual intimidating self.

“Something like that,” He comments before the song ends and he pulls me back off the dance floor with indifference.

Joan, Emi, and Terry come running up to us, all clearly buzzed now.

“We decided we are all going to the club next door!” Joan blurts out at us.

“UGH! Why?” I question them.

“DUH! So we can enter you in the contest!” Terry chuckles.

“Looks like they’re pretty serious about challenging you, little one. You need to show them who the ranked wolf is.” Alpha Callen glares at me as if to say, ‘This isn’t optional. A challenge is a challenge.’

“UHH! YOU GUYS SUCK, You know that right?!” I scowl at them all as they laugh and clap their hands excitedly as we all walk out of the nightclub and next door.

When we get to the other club next door, it isn’t until we get inside that I realize this isn’t a dance club…it’s a STRIP club!

“WHOA WHOA WHOA….” My eyes bulge out as I mentally begin freaking out.

“TOO LATE BIO-TCH! Terry just signed you up for the contest!” Joan blurts out before I can try to back out of this shit show that’s about to go down.

I look at Alpha Callen with puppy dog eyes for the first time, hoping he will have pity on me and also show his possessiveness by not allowing me to do this. He just looks back at me with a hunger in his eyes I’ve never seen before in a wolf. Bree REALLY doesn’t like that look because she actually yelps in my head.

‘What’s that all about Bree?’ 

‘His wolf wants to see this. You aren’t getting out of this no matter how you spin it. I don’t even think fake sick will get you out this time!’

‘FUCK!’

‘Nice knowing you!’ Bree whines.

‘Yup…you too…’ I sigh and dig deep inside for my nerve and what little sliver of courage I have left.

“If I’m doing this, I need more liquid courage bitches!” I glare at Terry.

“I GOT YOU BOO!” He runs to the bar and orders me two more Long Islands with extra shots in them.

“Is that really wise little one?”

I look over at Alpha Callen and just scowl at him, “It’s CELESTE,” I snap before continuing, “and is it really wise for you to allow your date to do something like this?!” I retort with so much sass, but I don’t even care anymore.

Alpha Callen puffs out his chest a little, “From where I stand…sure!” He smirks as his eyes go completely black.

“What’s your wolf’s name?” I ask him as I see his wolf come forward.

“The name’s Xerxes,” he smirks.

“Hello, Xerxes. Cool name!”

He wraps his hands around my waist and puts his nose into the crook of my neck and inhales my scent deeply.

“Here you go you whiney bitch! Drink up!” Terry brings me back my desperately needed drinks. Goddess, I love how openly flamboyant he can be sometimes!

“Thanks, lover!” I shout, snatching them from him and starting to suck down drink number three of the night.

“Hello. Mate,” Xerxes mumbles into my neck at an almost inaudible level, I barely catch it, but shrug it off and roll my eyes knowing damn good and well that Alpha Callen and his wolf Xerxes are not really my mate.

“Here.” I hand him my now finished third drink, “Put yourself to good use and go get this refilled.” I order him, growing more courageous with every sip of my fourth drink.

He gives me a big grin taking the glass before leaning in and whispering, “Is that really wise little one? You don’t want a repeat of last night do you?”

“I don’t know…maybe?” I smirk back as if challenging him. He pauses for a moment before backing away and going to the bar. He doesn’t look very happy at the amount of attitude and sass I keep giving him, but I am going to blame it one hundred percent on the booze if he says anything about it!

When I see he is out of earshot, I turn to my friends, “What the actual hell ya’ll?! This is SO beyond anything I would EVER do!”

Emi giggles with Joan, “I know! That’s what makes it so exhilarating and FUN! And besides…what better way to scare your little admirer away than a stunt like this right?” Joan smirks, pointing to her brain as if to imply, ‘I’m thinking about the bigger picture!’

After she gave me that look and a wink, I realized she was giving me an easy way to make Alpha Callen jealous enough that he won’t want me if I really do this and commit to it like a true stripper. I KNEW there was a reason I was friends with these jokers! I smirk to myself as I finish my fourth drink.

“Okay, so tell me what to do. I’ve never done something like this.” I accidentally burp and grab ahold of Terry to steady me in my ridiculously high high-heels the girls picked out for me to wear with my outfit. 

“Well, from what I read when I signed you up, it looks like there are three rounds. Round one is when you need to wow everyone with a REALLY sexy song and dance. It will be a free-verse style dance. You aren’t allowed to touch anyone, but you can use the pole. The top three will move on to the next round where you will do a lap dance on one man of your choosing in front of everyone. The top two will proceed to the final round where you will need to dance center stage on the main stage pole in front of everyone and now you just have to beat out one other girl to win the two thousand bucks. So you need to pick SUPER sexy songs, OR you need to dance SUPER provocative and sexy to win.” Terry explains as I nod in understanding.

“Just have fun with it girl!” Emi shouts sipping on her drink.

“And show some damn skin - LOTS of skin!” Joan winks finishing her drink as she eyes a hot guy that crosses her path.

“Okay…sexy dance, sexy songs, show skin…” I nod taking in their advice.

“Terry, will you be my ‘guy’ to dance for up on stage?” I ask.

“I will be,” I hear Alpha Callen growl as he returns with my drink.

I gulp. Not what I was hoping for, but whatever. I’ll just tease the ever-living shit out of him while all these other wolves are drooling over my show on stage. It will make him not want me anymore and send him packing back to California for sure!

“Attention everyone! All contestants need to report to the stage at this time! All contestants to the stage at this time!” The DJ comes over the sound system to announce.

“That’s my cue!” I grab the drink Alpha Callen brought me and suck it down with a quickness and head straight to the stage, “Wish me luck!”

There is some downtime as the current working strippers finish their rotation on all the poles they are currently dancing on before the staff is able to clear the poles throughout the club and organize the contestants. There are nine of us total and eleven poled dance stages throughout the club. Luckily, the club is SO open concept, that it doesn’t matter what pole you are assigned to, everyone can see you no matter where you are. 

The club workers leave the main stage unoccupied for the third round and assign us all to the small secondary stages throughout the club. This round we don’t get to pick the song, we all have to dance at the same time and everyone votes on slips of paper the club workers are passing around the club.

I’m getting nervous but luckily that last drink I sucked down that Alpha Callen brought me was finally kicking in and I was getting a surge of energy. I actually started to get excited despite my nerves.

“All right all right all right everyone! We’re getting this dance-off started! Round one is going to go like this: each contestant will be on their own stage. As audience members, you should have received a voting slip from your waitress. After a series of three songs, you will cast your votes and pass those voting slips back to your waitress. The top three contestants will move on to round two!” The DJ announced as I walked to my stage. I could FEEL everyone’s eyes on me in my little black mini skirt and top I was sporting with my high heels. 

“Ladies into your positions! We are going to start off with a good ol’ old-school song to get you, ladies, in the mood and warmed up. Then we will move to a faster-paced song, followed by a slower-paced song so you can really show us what you got!” As he explains this, I climb onto my little stage with the pole and start to get acclimated with my area. I see my friends all migrate to my stage. Terry is pulling out some one’s from his wallet while Joan and Emi dig through their clutches for some. I roll my eyes and think to myself ‘I cannot believe I’m actually about to do this!’. Alpha Callen is right behind them with his hands in his pockets and a huge smirk on his face.