Chapter 2

The locker room was always chaotic after shift changes. 

Girls everywhere, pulling off their work uniforms and grabbing their regular clothes. The metal lockers clanged shut over and over, and everyone was talking at once.

I peeled off my oil-stained dress and stuffed it into my locker. My arms still ached from that morning's clients. 

Three different wolves, all demanding I work harder, press deeper, fix their stress while they treated me like a mere servant.

"Thank god that's over," said Mia, the girl next to me. She had finger-shaped bruises on her wrist. "Mr. Blackwood got handsy again."

"Did you report it?" asked another girl.

Mia snorted. "Yeah right. Like anyone cares what happens to us."

She was right. Reporting wolves never did anything except get us fired. Or worse.

Elena appeared next to me, pulling on her sweater. "Want to grab some snacks on the way home? I'm starving."

"Sure," I said, grateful for the distraction. "Those honey cakes from the corner shop?"

"Obviously. You know me so well."

I was reaching for my jacket when the locker room door slammed open. Hard. The sound echoed off the walls like a gunshot.

Every single girl in the room screamed. We all scrambled to cover ourselves, grabbing towels and clothes and whatever we could find. My heart nearly stopped.

Mr. Aldridge stood in the doorway. The head of the spa. A massive wolf with pale green eyes and a smile that made my skin crawl.

He looked around the room slowly. Taking his time. His eyes moved from girl to girl, and his smirk got wider with each second.

"Well, well," he said, his voice dripping with fake concern. "What do we have here?"

Nobody moved. We all knew exactly what this was. He did this at least once a month. Always claimed it was some kind of "surprise inspection" or "safety check." 

But we all knew he just wanted to watch us panic and scramble for cover.

"You disgusting humans," he spat, but his eyes were still roaming. "Can't even keep a locker room clean. Look at this mess."

The locker room was fine. It was always fine. This wasn't about cleanliness.

A few girls whimpered. Sarah, who was only sixteen, was crying quietly in the corner, trying to hide behind a tiny towel.

My stomach twisted with rage and humiliation. This sick bastard did this every time, and there was nothing we could do about it.

"Perverted asshole," Elena muttered under her breath.

I couldn't help it. "Disgusting pig," I whispered back.

Mr. Aldridge's ears twitched. Wolf hearing was way better than human hearing. He heard us.

His green eyes snapped to our corner. "Did someone say something?"

The room went dead silent. I could hear my own heartbeat.

"I asked a question," he growled, taking a step into the room. "Which one of you little bitches has something to say?"

Elena's jaw tightened. I knew that look. She was about to do something stupid and brave.

"I said you're a perverted asshole," she said loudly. "And she called you a disgusting pig. Because that's what you are."

Oh god. Elena, no.

Mr. Aldridge's face went dark. His lips pulled back, showing his fangs. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me," Elena shot back. She'd wrapped a towel around herself, but she stood up straight like she wasn't afraid. "We all know why you're really here. It's not about inspections. You just like watching scared girls."

The tension in the room was suffocating. Nobody breathed.

"You insolent little-" Mr. Aldridge started forward, and I was sure he was going to hit her. Or worse.

But then the door opened again.

"What's going on here?"

A calm, cold voice cut through the chaos. Everyone froze.

I turned to see who'd spoken, and my blood turned to ice.

It was him again. Asher Westgate. 

He stood in the doorway looking like he owned the world. Probably because he basically did. 

I grimaced at the girls who were practically swooning at the sight of his handsome face. 

Mr. Aldridge went pale. "Your Majesty! I was just... conducting a routine inspection of the facilities."

"Were you now?" Asher's voice was quiet, but there was hardness in his eyes. "And this inspection required you to barge into the women's locker room while they were changing?"

"Well, I... there were reports of... unsanitary conditions..."

"I see." Asher stepped into the room, and somehow it felt like all the air got sucked out. "And these unsanitary conditions couldn't wait until the room was empty?"

Mr. Aldridge was sweating now. "Sir, I can explain-"

"I'm sure you can." Asher's eyes swept over all of us cowering in towels and half-dressed. 

But unlike Aldridge, there was nothing creepy about his gaze. It was cold, calculating. "Ladies, please finish getting dressed. Mr. Aldridge and I need to have a private conversation."

He walked away alongside Mr. Aldridge, and the door closed shut. We all scrambled to put our clothes on as fast as possible.

"Elena," I whispered as I pulled on my shirt. "We need to go. Now."

She was staring at Asher with this weird expression on her face. "Did you see that? He actually defended us."

"He's the King," I hissed back. "I’m sure he did that for appearance sake.”

But even as I said it, I wasn't sure I believed it. Something about the way he'd looked at Mr. Aldridge... like he was genuinely disgusted by what he'd walked in on.

Which was impossible, right? Wolves didn't care about human dignity. They just cared about power and control.

So why did I have the feeling that everything was about to change?