Tori’s POV
I spent Sunday on my own as Ellie got a call from her mom to say her sister was visiting from Oregon. She drove herself, straight after breakfast, and I spent the morning chilling in my bathrobe.
A long soak beckoned after which I tried on the lingerie I’d bought. Some of it was lacy and delicate – the teddies, all in pastel colours – and the corsets had saucy little bows.
I expected to be sharing an office with the Alpha, though didn’t think he’d let me use it when he was elsewhere.
Nobody trusts a new employee at first.
If I had to sit in the office off reception with Naomi I would manage. A laptop isn’t called that for nothing. She may even let me use the desk.
Ellie wasn’t back by the time I was due to set off for work. Calvin had said to turn up around ten. I called an Uber and fussed over my appearance during the twenty minutes it took to arrive.
No jacket today, just a tasteful skirt and retro blouse, striped with a white collar, the minimum of foundation and a touch of pale pink lippy. I changed my messy bun into a smart chignon in the nick of time. Then I was good to go.
The stockings were contributing to my anxiety as the cab ate up the miles. It didn’t help that there was an unseasonal nip in the air.
As it turned out I needn’t have worried. The Alpha had asked Naomi to apologise on his behalf, he had been called away on urgent pack business.
“Not rogues, I hope?”
The Gamma just stared at me over the top of her half-moon glasses. I guessed she was going to be watching what I did with the spreadsheets. She didn’t take her eyes off me as I attached the laptop set aside for my use to a docking station on the desk.
I was convinced that hadn’t been there last week.
Then she pulled up a chair.
“I’ve not been relegated just yet,” she said, cheerfully. “Let’s start with the membership fees. If I get distracted by a delivery, feel free to just carry on listing who is late in renewing.”
“Don’t I need to sign an NDA?”
“Not for this, Tori. As you will soon find out, our clients are anonymised.”
It was true, I discovered. They were all noted down by their initials. Only the Alpha had access to their identities.
“If you show me how, I’ll set the coffee machine going,” I offered.
“Shit. I knew there was something.”
I spent the rest of the morning navigating spreadsheets and generally feeling out of my depth until it was time for lunch.
“Is there a sandwich shop nearby?” I asked, closing down several windows.
I rubbed the back of my neck and stretched.
“They deliver. Tuna okay?”
“Great,” I said. “I’m buying.”
“Oh no, my dear. It’s a perk of the job. Calvin has it covered.”
Somehow the thought of him providing for me didn’t feel right. Call me stupid, because he was paying me generously to work there, but food seemed above and beyond. He’d be paying for my drinks next and I didn’t just mean coffee.
If he offered to buy me dinner I didn’t know what I would do. That was how it started and before you knew it you were in over your head.
Naomi took me on a guided tour of the place after lunch. The main room didn’t seem quite so daunting this time around, perhaps because of the absence of a certain Alpha. The private dungeons were all on the floor above. I asked the appropriate ‘newbie’ questions about safety and consent before moving on to the subject of room hire. Was there a separate charge?
“Take it up with the Alpha,” she said. Unbending a little she told me he was dealing with an issue at the pack’s sawmill. “I can’t see him making it back here now.”
An unwanted image of him rolling up his shirt sleeves somewhere out in the forest came and went. I could handle these feelings; I must.
“Is he called away a lot?” I asked.
Once I had earned his trust, it may be my chance to snoop.
“Why do you think I’m here?” she said.
This wasn’t going to be quite as easy as I’d figured.
Calvin phoned her, saying he wouldn’t make it back before six and to make sure I got home safely.
“Kind of him,” I remarked.
“Make the most of it,” she told me. “He’ll work you like a slave driver given half a chance. Come on, I’ll give you a lift.”
“Are you sure, Naomi?”
The Gamma shrugged.
“He’s the boss.”
Ellie would be at the hospital now and I didn’t want to shell out more than I had to in taxi fares. Plus, being on my own in a cab didn’t feel as comfortable as it used to, post Alex.
“It isn’t out of your way, is it?”
“Not really. I’m a few blocks over, a rental place. Got no reason to commute from the pack now Phoebe’s gone. Go on, I can see you’re dying to ask but unsure if you’ll put your foot in it.” Naomi sighed. “My niece drowned nearly a year ago. Took her own life.”
“That’s awful,” I said.
“Practically raised her, didn’t I, after my brother and his wife got killed in a plane crash.”
“It must have been tough.”
“Well, life moves on, as they say. And Calvin’s been good to me, keeping me on as Gamma when some days I struggled to get out of bed.”
“You don’t have to say any more. I know what that’s like. Um, drop me just here. Will I see you tomorrow?”
“Count on it. Calvin said to pass on he wants you there for nine. Will that be a problem?” I shook my head. “Oh, I nearly forgot. He said to bring a suitable outfit. There’s a demo session to train aspiring dominants in the afternoon and he doesn’t want you to stick out like the proverbial sore thumb.”
Tori’s POVIt turned out I’d fallen asleep in the middle of making my statement to the WA investigator. That was a relief. I didn’t really want to share our special moment with anyone, not even my bestie and her mate-to-be.Calvin told him we’d continue this another time but I was determined to see it through and answered all his questions. I’d even impressed myself.Then we were on our way home, to the flat at ‘Remus’. I could hear the distant sounds of clubbers having their special kind of fun down below as we made our way upstairs via his private entrance.“I’ll tell them to close up early, shall I?” he asked, not even bothering to glance at his watch.“Don’t do that. I’m tired enough to sleep through anything.”“I noticed.”I told him about my weird dream and he seemed amused. Then he received a phonecall which put a dampener on everything. Isabel hadn’t made it through the night. I couldn’t believe it. What must he be feeling?“I’m coming with you to the hospital,” I said.“She’s
Tori’s POVI kept reassuring Ellie she had a decent figure. We even giggled about the nipple pasties and barely-there thong she shouldn’t have to reveal if she took it slowly as we rehearsed.“Travis is going to get the shock of his life,” she said.That answered that one. Not that I’d ever wondered about the contents of her lingerie drawer. As for her sometimes hard-to-believe superstitions, I rarely paid attention to them. My own thoughts were that the Moon Goddess either favoured you or didn’t, yet I couldn’t believe Selene would have a down on someone all their life.I felt my luck was about to change and was in a buoyant mood as I joked around with her backstage.Alpha Tobias had nodded to me but chosen not to approach. Perhaps that was something to do with my frosty glare. A little guilt courtesy of yours truly couldn’t harm before I told him I forgave him for his part in my near downfall. And Calvin’s.The mesh dress didn’t make me self-conscious in any way given that I was goi
Calvin’s POVI still couldn’t believe Rhodes had achieved bail. Then I realised in all the confusion nobody had actually accused him of being behind the destruction of Black Gold. My bad. I’d been more concerned with Tori’s welfare and Issy’s condition.Rose had done a disappearing act after giving her statement. I was still hopeful of finding her or that she would make her way to us. I knew Tori was fretting about it.To say I was glad she wouldn’t be stripping – a one night only trial venture we’d persuaded Toby to stage in an attempt to lure him out of hiding – was an understatement. From now on I wanted my Luna under wraps and all to myself.I thought she was going to have to step in last minute when our proposed lookalike caught a bug. As we were having a heated debate the night before, Ellie came up to us.“Can I have a word, please, Alpha?”I froze, my thoughts going instantly to my sister.“Please tell me she hasn’t deteriorated.”“Isabel’s improving day by day.”“Then what is
Tori’s POVI couldn’t believe ex Alpha Joseph hadn’t grasped that fact already. What exactly had Calvin said to him down at ‘WAX’? Something about me switching packs and nothing more? I have to admit I was out of it at the time, surviving on instinct and adrenaline alone.Did he have selective memory, or was it simply because the one who held a weapon could reinvent the world his way?Maybe it was his final attempt to make a power play given all that he had lost. Security certainly didn’t have him on a blacklist as he wasn’t deemed to be a threat.For similar reasons I was still wary of Alpha Tobias, Jason less so.But neither of them were about to shame me in public.Not if I could help it!Yet the former leader of Waning Moon held all the aces.We must tighten security if nothing else. At least this may convince Ellie finally to switch packs. I’d said to her she ought not to be around Lance too often but that didn’t seem to work.What must she think of me now?I found out in the nex
Calvin’s POVI hadn’t seen fit to tell Tori we would be in sole charge of the club on this occasion. There was no way Naomi was in any state to open up and my security guys had never doubled as Doms. I’d considered remaining closed for the night and then I thought, what the hell. We needed to loosen up, not necessarily performing a scene, but just keeping a watchful eye on things.I’d told her we wouldn’t be going downstairs but was hoping she would consent.I doubted I would see Moore for a day or two. Oscar and Travis were excused though would have obeyed my order had I seen fit to issue one. So this would be a night for the members and occasional visitors. Plus, I wanted to see once and for all if my decision to surrender control was a wise one. Maybe my mate and I needed this, to let off some steam now and again.Of course we could always do that anyway. I wouldn’t be barred from my own club. I knew I needed to sound her out about this, too.First things first.We went in the back
Tori’s POVI was chewing my lip now, hard enough to draw blood. Calvin discouraged me with a comment before continuing, “Hit me with it.”“I need to be bait again. Before our mating ceremony. That should give your sister time to recover.”“I hope so,” Guy said. I’d forgotten he was there, he was so quiet. And those eyes were the closest to amber I’d ever seen.“Me too.” I felt shy suddenly, wondering if he was the kind to judge me for my past.His next words went some way to reassuring me. “You are so brave and unselfish, Victoria.”“Thanks,” I said. “But I’m a weakling really. I just punch above my weight occasionally.”“Don’t believe her,” Calvin told him. “She’s in denial about her own qualities but we’re working on it. Aren’t we, princess?”I wasn’t sure how to take that so I shoved him, playfully, hurting my wrist. I’d forgotten how rock solid he was. I made a joke of it.“Have you been working out?”“Some,” he admitted.“On your own, I hope?”“I’m the faithful kind. I haven’t be