My mouth opened and closed. What? A new stripper? I did not tell Andrea I’d like to be one.
What kind of foolishness is this?I did not sign for this.I backed away since that was the only thing I know for now. It would be okay if I knew how to dance, but dancing was never my forte. When others see me dancing, the crowd would disperse, and I was afraid I would become the reason why the customers would leave.“Are you or you not?” he asked, growing impatient at my hesitation. “If not, well, you will lose a lot of cash. The customers are willing to pay regardless of the amount as long as they will have a good time. Oh, god. She promised she would bring me one.”I sucked my breath when I heard the word cash. My ears perk up. Cash was all I needed right now before the old man would kick me out of my apartment. And I shouldn't be choosy.Gulping, I asked, "How much would you pay?"I saw a stripper once, when I was watching videos from my social media accounts. And I stumbled upon a documentary about their life. The problem was, I wasn't able to finish that documentary.Damn it. If I had known, I would have watched all the documentaries about strippers."Payment is not the issue, dear. There are a lot of tips.""How about sex? Is that also required?""What do you think of this place? A brothel? Of course not. Unless you like that guy and are willing to be fucked without any money involved. It's up to you. But it's not necessary to give your body. All you will do is dance while stripping. Or you can do a striptease. I don't care as long as you give them a good time."I played with my hands, debating if I should tell her my dilemma. However, in the end, I managed to be honest. "But...I don't know how to dance."He gave me a pointed look. "Our customers did not care if you could dance or not. As long as they will give you the entertainment they deserve. Now go. Before I change my mind. You ask a lot of questions which will only delay the show even more.""Where?""To the dressing room. Change your clothes. A couple of minutes from now and then you'll be the next one on the stage."I gulped.There will be no issues, right? And if men touch me without asking for my permission, I will chop off their hands and feed them to the crocodiles.********The dressing room was...messy. Clothes and underwear were everywhere. I found one woman staring at the mirror applying heavy makeup while she silently observed me rummaging through the pile of clothes.There was a lot of sexy underwear which I could not stomach wearing and looked for another. Anything comfortable to wear. For the sake of earning some pennies.I chose a fitted romper that had a cut in front showing my cleavage.The stranger I talked to earlier suddenly peered inside, looked for me and when he found me, said, "Hurry up! Come on. You're next."My blood went cold at her announcement."Wait? What? Wait… I am not ready yet!"My voice died down when he suddenly dragged me backstage. He was mumbling something, but I did not fully listen as my heart was beating like crazy.I peered at the stage. Someone was dancing. The men whistled, liking her dance, the sway of her hips, and the seductive movement of her body. It seemed like she was enjoying it, while I…I did not know if I could do it.I stepped back, having the urge to run away, when the old man's face flashed in my memories, I stopped.The smell of sex, cheap cologne and something nice (which overpowered every odor) wafted into the air. I wanted to look for that flowery smell but held myself. That scent was becoming familiar.However, I still need to earn money. That scent can wait.And without any preparations, the man just pushed me onto the stage. And was greeted by the expecting eyes of the men below.Everything seemed to stop. The music. The dance. All eyes were tuned to me— the new woman who did not even know how to dance, but was desperate enough to be on the stage and humiliate herself for the sake of money.The spotlight was focused on me while the audience area was dark.I gulped.At the back, I heard the man say I had to move. But my feet would not. My heart was hammering against my chest while I shouted at my mind to allow my body to move. For money.A piece of sensual music played in the air.Another man shouted. Urging me to dance. Then followed by the clapping of hands.I closed my eyes and made it blank. Whatever. I had to do anything to live. And this piece of cloth I was wearing? It will be worth it when I receive my salary this evening.So…I touched my hips and moved them to the right…and left…while the other one was playing with my lips with seduction.Someone whistled.Am I doing it right?The smell of arousal was becoming more evident and this place was oozing with testosterone. Plus the smell of vanilla and flowery scent.Who could that be?I moved closer to the crowd, seemingly forgetting my embarrassment. What was running through my mind right now was how to identify the person who was the source of those smell.Someone attempted to touch me from the audience, but using my hip, I pushed him aside. The man was not a bit repulsed by my actions but liked it. Some men liked it when women played hard to get.I turned around still moving my hips to the rhythm of the music. My eyes darted through the crowd. I wanted to find the source of that vanilla scent.Someone smacked my butt. I growled at him, making him fall back due to his surprise. I glared at him and secretly told the man I will cut off his hands if he ever does it again.He retreated.Another woman came out from backstage, wearing a two-piece. She was sexy as hell. The men went crazy. With their attention no longer at me.I continued my search and dived into the crowd, dancing. The scent of vanilla was getting stronger until a pair of strong hands snaked around my waist and forced me to sit on something— a man's lap."My runaway Keira. I did not know we would meet in this kind of place."I stiffened and slowly faced him—the source of the vanilla scent and came face to face with the alpha of Stonewind Pack. The pack where I came from."We met again, mate."Alpha Lennox.My mind refused to believe it was Alpha Lennox I was seeing. How did he track my location? I was careful never to leave any imprints whenever I went somewhere. “Mate? Funny how you can say that word when you reject me once you find out I was your mate, Alpha Lennox,” I said, whispering in his ears. “You hated me, right? You find me repulsive. So why the heck are you recognizing me as yours? That’s ridiculous.”Alpha Lennox’s face darkened. I scoffed. “See? You’re not answering my questions, Alpha Lennox.”“I want us to start again, Keira.”Start again? Why? So he would reject me again when he did not want me? “No,” I answered flatly.One man tried to touch my butt, but Alpha Lennox grabbed it and twisted it. The man cried in pain. “No one’s touching her,” he said possessively. The man, still crying in pain, nodded hastily. “Go.”And he did. As if he was scared Alpha Lennox will kill him which the latter was capable of doing. Sensing his bad mood, the other men moved their seats a
The way I walked faster than ever, It seemed like someone was chasing me and was planning to kill me.I didn't even glance to check if someone was tailing me or not. All I wanted was to get away from the club. Especially Alpha Lennox. Did I regret coming here?Partly yes. Partly not. Hugging the jacket to my chest, I dived into the crowd of patrons who were still enjoying the women dancing on the dance floor. They shouted and whistled, loving every moment of the performance.“I bet he is also enjoying it,” I muttered to myself.I staggered, momentarily realizing what I just said. No. That was not jealousy I was feeling there. It was something else. Embarrassment? But not longingness for him. The chapter of our book was already closed when he rejected me just because I was an omega of the pack.The smell of smoke wafted through the air which made me feel sick.I forced my feet to walk again. Must get out. Never a fan of cigarettes and alcohol because of the fact that I could never
I closed my eyes and accepted my death. It was better than continuing to live to pay for my endless bills, right? Besides, I did not have a family to begin with. No one will miss me. No one cared for me. I was certain I would die at that point, but someone suddenly grabbed my hand. “Don’t you dare die when I told you not to, Keira. You still have something to do for me. I promise Father I will not come home if you are not coming with me.”My eyes flashed open, and I saw Alpha Lennox, veins popping from his hands and forehead. A gasp escaped from my lips as I looked down.The angry waves below were waiting for my helpless body and killing me in the process.I was a few seconds from my death. Heart hammering, I whispered, “Alpha Lennox?”He was naked on the top of his body.I never liked him after rejecting me, but right now, as he struggled to pull me up and save me from death, he was the sexiest male werewolf in my eyes—a hero. “Accept my proposition, Keira.”Proposition? My mind
I leaned back on the chair. “You have not changed a bit. You are still good at using people to your advantage. Why does everybody treat me like trash?” I mumbled.Glancing at me and returning his eyes to the road ahead of him, Alpha Lennox replied, “Because you allowed people to treat you one. Do you know what I remember about you? An omega who let anyone trample her. Weak. Cry baby and hide at Father’s side whenever you have the chance too. The confusing part was Alpha John kept on siding with you and defending you against your bullies. The more you ask for his help, the more I hate you. He keeps on ordering me to defend you from our packmates. But I did not listen to them. That time, I was a jerk who allowed those bullies to continue their hostilities."Those were one of the endless reasons why he rejected me? Was it my fault that Alpha John was the only kind person who knows my struggle?"Congratulations on your photographic memory," I said with sarcasm. “You only see my weakness a
Alpha Lennox was the one who looked away first—served him right. Being in the human world as a rogue made me toughen and helped me deal with assholes like him. "Look, Keira," he started to explain. "Yeah?" I replied, showing my indifference. Alpha Lennox heaved a sigh while looking at the ceiling. “Why don’t we settle our differences right now? Acting in love will be difficult if we have some hatred against each other.”"That is not an easy thing to do, especially if you are acting like this. You always have a lot to say about anything to the point of saying things under the belt.""Shit," he muttered under his breath and continued walking. "Why did I have to deal with the likes of you?"Tailing after him, I questioned, “How long will we do this? I want this to be done sooner, the better.”Alpha Lennox’s steps faltered, glanced over his shoulder, and retorted, “The doctor had given him roughly six months to live.”Silence passed between us. My irritation was temporarily forgotten.
Something warm engulfed me and I snuggled closer to it. Moaning, I extended my arms around the snuggly and hard object. Something cozy snaked closer to my waist and my body was lifted in the air.Wait. What? Why would my body be lifted? Was I dreaming?Someone was saying something. A familiar man’s voice. Alpha Lennox. I snapped my eyes open and was greeted by the alpha’s blue-green eyes. Ocean. Why did he carry me again? Did something happen? “Keira. You are awake,” he said, smiling.Why would he even smile at me? Realization dawned on me. Alpha Lennox was carrying me! To my surprise, I punched him in his jaw. He released me and I fell on the bed with a yelp.Horrified, I watched him. “Why did you touch me?” Using my arms, I covered my chest even if I was still decent. Pointing my trembling hands at him, I added, “You are finally showing your true colors! I should have never allowed you to sleep in the same room. This is insane. This is a mistake. There is no way I am sharing a
I rolled my eyes, watching the slow rise and fall of his breathing. It would be better if Lennox continued sleeping. He looked innocent and kind with that expression, with his hand covering his eyes while the other one was under his head. Careful not to wake him, I tiptoed and sauntered toward his bed. Hovering over him, I continued staring at him. He looked sexy. Handsome by just sleeping. Was that also the reason why his woman loved him? Did they have the best relationships? There will always be a lot of unanswered questions, and I did not want to bring them to Lennox. Asking about his personal life was not part of the deal, even if I wanted to know more about him. Yes.Perhaps that was because of the bond we shared, which was not even severed after the rejection. Was I still waiting for him to accept me for who I was? Maybe not. All I wanted was to get rid of all the feelings I had for him. Alpha Lennox stirred in his sleep. Instantly, I backed away, afraid that I would be
Not only was Zoe the only one who was taken aback at my statement, but I also. Since when did I become Lennox's woman?Betrayal. Pain.Disappointment.Those were the emotions I saw in Zoe's eyes. Her silent tears continued pouring. My guilt was always killing me.Sorry, Zoe. “I knew it," Zoe mumbled. She faced Alpha Lennox. "How could you continue lying straight in my face, Lennox? This woman had already told the truth. And now you’re going to deny it?”“We don’t have any relationship," he said softly. Looking at me, he said, "Take back what you said, Keira.”I stood and stood up to them. I will not take back what I said. Zoe was getting on my nerves, and she forced me to lie, to say something which I didn't even do. “We are mates,” I informed. " You know our ways. We always choose our mates." Not on Lennox's situation. The woman’s anger died and was replaced by shock. Her mouth quivered. “M-mates? Lennox, you did not tell me you had already found her. You said even if you fo