Page 44 of Cruel Alpha: Season One

“Membership ID?” I look up to see what neanderthal just knocked the wind out of me. He isn’t alone. A second wolf stands guard beside him, both dressed in solid black, sporting sunglasses.

I quickly gather myself, tugging the hem of my sweater as I remember to hold my head high.

“I don’t have a member ID, but I can pay,” I offer, which causes the two brutes to glance at one another, smirking.

“Doesn’t work like that, sweetheart. Either magically conjure a membership ID and pull it out of your ass, or get the fuck out,” one says.

The other sniffs the air, and when his gaze lowers to me again, his head tilts. “Besides, it doesn’t smell like you belong here anyway.”

It takes a moment, but then I get it.

They’ve sensed my virginity.

A fresh wave of frustration pulses through me, and I have half a mind to call up my wolf and push past them, but I don’t foresee that going so well.

“What about this?” I ask, turning with my back to them as I lift my hair. There, just beneath my hairline, they should see the tattoo of my family crest. When I hear light shuffling behind me, I imagine one is retrieving an Ancestral Verifier from his pocket. Then, the next second, I feel the warmth of that very device’s light on my skin as he scans it. The seemingly normal black ink that, when under the light of the verifier, shimmers and reflects an odd shade of turquoise.

When they fall silent, I’m assuming they’re reading my stats on the small screen in hand.

“Our apologies, Ms. Breedlove. We didn’t realize?—”

“It’s fine,” I cut them off, fixing my hair as I face them again. Both are noticeably more humble now, less brutish.

“How can we assist you,” one asks. “Are you interested in a table? A private room?”

I wince at the second question, imaginingCaspianin one of those rooms.

“No, I’ll just make my way around if that’s okay.”

“Of course,” the one on the left says, and then both step aside, no longer blocking the door.

No longer shielding me from the debauchery taking place inside.

The first sight my eyes are drawn to is the dozen or more women hanging from the ceiling by sheer, red fabric, flipping and contorting their naked bodies in strange, skillful ways. Not too far fromthisdisplay, an array of silver poles jut up from a stage in the center of the room, like some sort of erotic forest, more nude girls slithering down them like serpents.

I swallow deeply, tempted to wait in the long line at the bar for a strong drink, but I focus, remembering why I’m here. Remembering who I’m here to find.

I scan the room, bathed in a sea of red light, and there, perched in a black armchair is ourvaliantalpha, the one revered as the epitome of regality, nobility. But tonight, our fearless leader is relaxed in his seat, knees parted as he gawks at some topless bitch grinding in his lap.

My thoughts are singular as I storm over, my wolf’s growl resonating in my chest when I close in on him. And it isn’t until I’m within a few yards that he even notices I’m hunting him down.

“What… the actual… fuck, Caspian?”

My eyes volley from him to the girl who still hasn’t taken her cue to leave, or even rise from his lap. So, I grip her arm, purposely letting my nails lengthen to puncture her skin as I jerk her to her feet.

“Are you insane?” she snarls, snatching out of my grasp. Her eyes glow yellow with anger, much like I’m certain mine are.

I open my mouth, preparing to tell her exactly how unhinged I am, but a warning from Caspian steals my thunder.

“Dana, if you so much as lay a finger on her, it’ll be the last thing you’ll ever do,” he growls, peering up at the girl through his lashes.

But hearing him defend me has me snapping a look his way. I wait until the third wheel gets a clue and finally fucks off, but I’m stunned by Caspian’s demeanor. He’s downright calm, completely unrattled by my being here.

“How can you expect that girl, oranyone elsein the clan for that matter, to respect me when you’re in a place like this?”

He doesn’t speak, choosing to take a sip of liquor from his glass. While he swallows, my gaze flickers to his lap, expecting to see an erection the size of a flagpole in his pants. But… nothing.

By the time he meets my gaze again, I’ve lifted my eyes back to his.

---