9

Russell

I was terrified by the tone of their yells as they directed them at me, demanding that I stop dead in my tracks. In an instant, my whole life played out before me, and I saw myself dead or, even worse, spending the rest of my days locked up in a cell until I rotted away. The warriors were already too close, and their fighting skills and speed far surpassed those of anyone else, so even if I tried to run away, I would never make it anywhere. All the while, my heart was thumping furiously in my chest, and I knew I couldn't run away.

In my case, I simply took my place and played my part. When I finally managed to catch my breath and look at them, they had already moved on to pay attention to someone else who had been following us.

I felt like crying; it had never occurred to me that I could be so lucky. There was a great heave on my part. It wasn't directed at me, but at someone else in the room. The suspect was cuffed and taken away afterward. At this time, I hurried toward the shops. I needed time and room to gather my thoughts and get back to normal breathing. If you had asked me a million years ago if that would work, I would have said no.

"Glory to God" I had inner conversations in an effort to collect myself and regain my equilibrium.

Then I wiped off all the sweat that had built up on my face.

Walking in, I was relieved to see that the jewelry store was empty; I had no intention of trying to hide the sale of the rings from the store's other customers. After all, I had always envisioned myself proposing to Eva one day, and when it didn't go as planned, my entire world came crashing down. Selling them made me nervous.

I was greeted by the vendor, who asked if there was anything I could do for me. "Are you interested in making a purchase of any kind?"

I choked up and shook my head while trying to hide my embarrassment as I said, "actually, I want to sell something."

After that, I took my time to show him the rings, and when I was finished, he took them from my hand. I was offered a thousand dollars after he examined them and said, "Well, I can pay you."

Incredulous, I sputtered, "How could this be?" "What! Quite minimally? On the other hand, I spent $3000 on them! There is no justification for this." I worked myself into a complete state of anger and frustration.

As an answer, he simply shrugged his shoulders and said, "I'm very sorry to say that I will have to decline your further financial assistance at this time. Here is the offer I can't refuse."

Just like he murdered me. I had high hopes that he would be able to increase the amount he paid me so that we could both improve our living situation by moving into a nicer home and increase our wardrobes with the additional funds.\s"so, you can't pay any more than that? There's no way it's worth that much! Please verify all of your work! Let me have a portion of that money, please." I almost begged the guy to change his mind.

The man examined me carefully and then said, "I can only afford $1,500 total, so please take that into consideration. Please understand that I am not intentionally trying to take advantage of you; however, the truth is that I have not been able to sell much of anything as of late. After that, I have nothing further to say."

I judged the individual to be reliable after taking a look at him, so even though I had planned to make my inquiry at a different store, I said "okay. Deal."

Then he gave me the cash he had been holding. When I left the store, I resolved to check the local hotel rates for a single night before making any major clothing purchases. Thus, I embarked on foot and traveled nearly two miles to a luxury hotel. It seemed like an expensive option, but I felt compelled to stay there. Therefore, I checked into the hotel and made my way to the front desk, where I asked the receptionist, "Please, how much is it for two people for one night?"

It was then that I noticed the dirt on my shirt and realized that my appearance wasn't up to par; I quickly apologized, explaining that my car had broken down on the way there. Regrettably, I didn't have time to change."

She smiled and nodded reassuringly before continuing, "You're not omega, either, and you don't look like you came from the green warrior pack, but that's fine. I was hoping to see you if you happened to be in town."

I made up a false affirmation, "yes, somewhat," and asked for the cost.

As soon as she saw my reservation, she checked the available rooms and said, "We don't have standard rooms; the only ones that are available are suites, and the cost per night is $3,000.

And how much is that, exactly?"" Disconcerted, I blinked my eyes. When you told me it might be that much money, I was totally unprepared!

She nodded and said, "but there's a standard room that's going to be available in six hours, and it's only $400 per night," after doing some more research on her computer.

Oh, thank god, I will take it!" I exclaimed, clutching my chest in a wave of relief.

I slept there for two nights before calling a friend and asking for help locating a decent job and a decent place to stay. Back then, I had to just bear with the awkward circumstances.

Greeting me with a smile, she asked, "Sure, could you please give me your identification card?"

That was the toughest obstacle I've ever faced. In addition to not having one, I also have no intention of ever using one, even if I did carry an ID with me at all times.

As I told her, my voice began to crack "It was lost on me, alas. Does the hotel accept reservations for a single night without it?"

After giving me a strange, suspicious look, she scolded me sharply, "no, you can't."

Then, she abruptly turned her back on me and continued her conversation with another sophisticated alpha who, based on his scent, seemed to be the pack's alpha. "Alpha Aragon! Welcome.” The receptionist smiled warmly at him and bowed her head in his direction.

There were too many warriors following Alpha Aragon, so several members of his staff hurried up to him to say hello.

The leader probed, "How are things moving forward around here?"

The hotel manager came running over as soon as he called to assure him that everything was fine.

Afterwards, the leader proclaimed, "Please place all relevant paperwork on my desk; I must now investigate the matter thoroughly and have the mechanic examine my limousine. There was a problem, and the driver couldn't fix it."

There was a moment of silence before the manager answered, "The mechanic isn't here at the moment, but that's fine. If you'd like to take a limo, Alpha, can we find you another one?"

Alpha frowned and said, "No, I need you to fix my limo!"

This is when I mustered the nerve to speak up and say, "I can fix it because I am a mechanic, alpha. Will you allow me to take care of it for you? Please let me know if there's any way I can help."

That was the only chance I had to get the job done. Though I lacked formal training in the field, I quickly learned how to fix anything—including the model airplanes—by pitching in to help the rest of my pack.

Alpha Aragon looked me over from my toes to my eyes and then he said, "You obviously aren't from the area. Do you plan to remain for a while?"

As I went on, I couldn't help but shook my head "To be completely forthright, I'm in this city in search of employment. I used to own a small company, but I went bankrupt and lost everything. The reason why I'm requesting the privilege of repairing your limo is rather involved, but I'd be eternally grateful if you'd consider it."

Then, suddenly, someone from behind me yelled, "God, that is unbelievable! You can't be that person! It's Russell! It's Russell!" I couldn't believe it when I saw Lucas, a friend I hadn't seen in years! In spite of his repeated assurances to me that he worked for the pack's alpha, I was still taken aback to learn of his influential position.