جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 8

"Hey Zosha," Ben the club manager popped his head. "Big crowd tonight..." then he lowered his voice. "Word just got in that some big shot Alpha is here... so go do your magic." I stared at him through the mirror, remembering how he told me fat people couldn't work the pole and how no one would ever want to see a fat woman dance the first day I came. "Sure thing." Now I am his money maker. Men trooped in their numbers, paying thousands of dollars just to book a seat in my private room. A booking that almost sells out the moment the slots are open. I stared at my reflection in the mirror bordered by blinding vanity lights. Zosha, the exhausted single mother who worried about grocery bills and preschool tuition, disappeared the moment I picked up the mask and tied the silk ribbons behind my head. Out there, in the real world, my plus-sized curves made me invisible to the upper crust of society. But down here? Down in the underground depths of The Labyrinth? I was royalty. The one a

The glass doors of Maddox Industries slid open, blasting me with freezing air conditioning. I pulled my cheap, worn-out blazer tighter across my chest, trying to ignore the stares of the perfectly groomed employees in the lobby."Nice scent," Elias, Maddox assistant complimented. "Smells almost like the collection my boss used to wear.""Thanks," I couldn't help but smile. "It was a gift."Well if you called taking the perfume of the man you had a one night stand with so you would always remember him as a gift, then sure, it was a gift. Elias led me to the top floor. The elevator ride was quiet When the metal doors finally parted, Elias directed me into the office. Sure enough, the Alpha sat behind a desk, his gaze fixed on his phone. I stopped a few feet from the desk, trying to keep my breathing even. I had prepared myself to meet a monster. Looking at him now, I knew the rumors were true."So, what was your request?" his cold eyes pierced through me and I stumbled back.Maybe

It was past midnight when the knock sounded at my door.I had just managed to get Briar to sleep after reading her three bedtime stories to distract her from the events at school. I pulled my faded oversized sweater tighter around my body and opened the door.Elias stood on the other side, his expression blank. "The Alpha expects you in his chambers."My stomach dropped. I knew what I signed up for when I agreed to be his mistress, but the hearing it happening so soon made my breath hitch. Ilooked back at the closed door of Briar’s room, ensuring she was completely asleep, before nodding.As I followed him, the sounds from the crickets were almost as loud as the thoughts in my head. Was I really going to sleep with someone else? It had been so long I almost forgot what it felt like.We didn't take the grand central staircase. We took a narrow, winding set of back stairs meant for the staff. It was a harsh reminder of exactly where I stood in this house.Elias finally stopped in front

My body still ached. It was a subtle, lingering soreness in my lower back and thighs that served as a cruel reminder of exactly how stupid I hadbeen.I sat at the vanity in my cramped dressing room at The Labyrinth, staring at my reflection in the mirror bordered by cheap, flickering bulbs. I had practically run here after making sure Briar was asleep and the estate’s night nanny was on duty.I picked up a makeup sponge, blending out the dark circles under my eyes. I shouldn't have let my guard down last night. I knew exactly what Maddox was when I signed that contract..But when he had touched me in that bedroom, when his wolf had purred against my skin, my tired brain had tricked me into thinking maybe there was something real under all that ice. Maybe the great Alpha actually felt a connection.Then he uttered those words that snapped me back to reality.“You served your purpose tonight. Use theservice stairs on your way down.”His dismissal echoed in my head for the hundredth ti