Page 4 of Step Alpha

That’s gotta be like a bone in the throat to him. The school’s biggest loser is now his stepsister, living under his dad’s roof, sleepingin his bed.

I was too scared to change a single thing. His dad emptied the dresser and closet for me, but most of my stuff is still in bins stacked against the wall. I don’t want to take down his school letters or football pennants, but I did tack flowy scarves over the disgusting pin-ups he has on the wall.

I continue to twirl and pose, then come closer to the camera and turn one knee in. “Do you want to see meoutof these shoes?”

I make it sound like I’m stepping out of panties, but to the people–men, mostly–who are into feet, that’s what it’s like.

“Hmm?” I purr. “Is that what you want? Remember, you can always book a private session with me and ask for everything your dirty heart desires.”

I step out of the shoes to give them some naked foot time. I raise one heel to demi-pointe and turn it right and left like I’m putting out a cigarette on the floor.

I ripple my toes like I’m playing piano with them–something that drives them wild.

“Do you want to suck these toes? You want me to walk all over you with them? Hmm?”

I turn around and rub my toes up the back of my leg in what I hope is a coquettish move.

“Who wants to give me a foot massage? That would get me so hot.” My voice is coated with honey.

I put some lotion on my feet and then rub it around without my hands–using my toes only. They go absolutely wild for that.

I finish up and end the recording then upload it.

Fuck–I’m running out of time. My mom and Logan will be home any minute, and I’m supposed to have dinner ready.

That’s me–Cinderella.

It’s not Logan who ordered the chore, it’s my mom. She’s trying very hard to make this work. To show what a helpful, grateful teenager I am. I feel like an unwelcome guest in this house, to say the least.

I yank a pair of shorts over my lace panties and button up the flannel then put the Manolos back in their shoebox and hide them in the closet.

Out in the kitchen, I throw open the refrigerator and pull out yesterday’s roast chicken, along with onion, celery, grapes, pecans and mayo. I chop the chicken, onion, and celery and slice the grapes in half.

I hear Logan's Tahoe pull up as I'm dumping it all in a bowl. Crap. I rush through spooning mayonnaise and dumping curry powder in and stir quickly.

He and my mom both work at the brewery. My mom has a low-paying job on the production floor. He is one of the upper echelons, not an executive, but upper management. He's not pack royalty, but he thinks he is. Or at least his son certainly thinks he is.

I hear him shouting before they even come to the door. Not at my mom, I don't think. It sounds like he's on the phone with someone.

Oh.

“I do not understand how a son of mine could possibly have fucked up this badly. This better be a fucking joke. A bad fucking joke.”

Uh-oh. I’m only a tiny bit gleeful that it sounds like Wilde's in trouble.

Logan throws open the door and stomps inside the house. He walks to my side and peers in the bowl of curry chicken salad then recoils like I’m cooking caterpillars or something.

“If you think I'm going to post bail to get you out of there, you are dead wrong. You've embarrassed yourself, me, and this pack. What do you think Coach Jamison would say? After all he did for you to get you on that team? This is the way you repay him? This is the way you repay all of us for the investment we made in you?”

I may not be able to shift into wolf form, but I do have shifter hearing, so I hear Wilde's muttered response, which is just “I know, Dad. Sorry.”

Maybe I'm hearing it with my own bias, but he doesn't sound all that sorry to me. It sounds a little more rehearsed than I would expect from someone who is obviously in jail, off the Duke football team, and getting shamed hard by his dad.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if Alpha Green booted you out of the pack. You know what happened with Trey and Garrett, don’t you?”

“Yes, sir,” Wilde answers.

Logan’s referring to the alpha’s son and his best friend, who were both thrown out of the pack for marijuana use just out of high school.

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