Caught In The Moment

I forget the fact that I'm extremely drunk and I head down again to run in the same direction as her, letting my wolf take partial control of me to help me run faster and more accurately so I don't end up falling face first on the ground.

A couple of minutes later I find her running in between some houses. She's much faster than I expected, but I follow her without yelling or doing anything to let her know I'm behind her because I don't want her to do something like keep running all night long. I'm already very close to throwing up. A lot.

I just want her to get to her house or her brothel or wherever she's headed so she's trapped and has nowhere to run.

The thief's ankle suddenly buckles and she finally stops running, so I stop too, thankful for this little break.

I watch as she curses loudly and takes off the high heels she's wearing to start walking again. Slowly this time, and barefoot.

We walk for almost twenty more minutes until we're coming into the worst part of the pack, what used to be Hughmount. Now I'm sure she's headed to one of the strip clubs.

Fortunately, a short time later she approaches one of the tiny old houses and goes in there.

I approach as well, but I do not enter, I decide to peek through one of the windows and I can see some movement inside through the sheer curtain. There is a man in there.

“Oh, here you are. I hope you got something good,” he says.

"I didn’t," the Thief complains as she approaches the man sitting on a small couch, “Theodore Heiden fucking showed up while I was in the house. Thanks for the heads up.”

"I was keeping an eye on Robert. What the fuck do I know what his crazy son does?" He snorts and gets up from the couch, swaying, "Tell me you stole something, my good girl."

"Hardly!" She spits and tries to say something else but the man suddenly raises his hand and lets a direct slap to her face. A growl starts deep in my chest, but I manage to stay in the same place.

"Don't talk to me like that. Tell me what you stole, show me," he demands. The girl stands very still for a couple of seconds but then starts to move and raises her hand where she is still holding my wallet.

I know this is the moment I should walk in, but something stops me. I don't know what it is, but I don't want to get her in trouble, I don't want that fat old man to hit her again, "Fuck, just this?"

"Sister!" someone squeals suddenly, running towards her to hug her legs. The Thief forces herself to pretend nothing is happening and she even bends down to talk to the little boy who just arrived as the old man checks my money, "I missed you."

"I missed you too, Buba," she replies, but looks up at the man again, "He has cash."

"Not enough. I was expecting a big hit tonight. But you’ve let me down once again," the man mumbles in annoyance and shakes his head, pulling out my bills before tossing my wallet onto the couch. Apparently, he didn't notice the ring, "I'm going out."

"Wait, give me some money," the Thief says, getting up and pushing the boy away from them, "I need to buy more food. You can't take it all."

"If there's no food, that's your fucking fault!" he growls and raises his hand again to give her another slap, she just takes it without making a single sound, "Do you know how hard it is to raise you three pieces of shit? All you do is eat and eat, there is never any food left! And you refuse to use the only good thing about you to get real money."

"Don't start this conversation in front of Beau," is all she says quietly, "Give me money, I'll get more within the week, I promise."

"Fuck, you're a useless fucking pain in the ass just like your mother. All you know how to do is take shit from me," he growls, but he takes one of my fifty dollar bills and hands it to her, as if he didn't keep the rest of the five hundred dollars I had in there, "Make it stretch."

She stays silent, just watching as her father walks away from her and then out a back door.

"Fucking prick,” she mutters under her breath but then she sighs and a second later she shouts, happily: "Knox! Come here!"

I hear a door open and then another boy running towards her.

"Do you guys want pizza?" she asks with an excited tone and both kids squeal with happiness, breaking my cold heart into a hundred different pieces.

I can't even get mad at her for stealing from me, she looks like she actually needs the money. No one in my pack should be stealing because they need food. I should give them enough resources to have a better life, but it's impossible to negotiate with the Poor Ones.

I shouldn't call them that, but it's true. I recognize that man, Jackson Winters, he's one of the most complicated Poor Ones, he's always causing some ruckus.

I let out a sigh and shake my head.

I decide to come back later, I don't want to make this night even worse for that girl, who I guess isn't a stripper after all? I guess not. Whatever she is, I don't want to make trouble and I don't want the kids to hear something they shouldn't hear.

Anyway, I have to leave before someone recognizes me in this place and they try to come yell at me or start a damn political argument that I don't feel like putting up with tonight.

I run back home and when I'm in my room I throw myself on the bed and check my phone.

Isabella has been calling and texting me, asking if I'll sleep with her tonight.

My wolf lets out an annoyed growl that surprises me, but I just turn off my phone without answering and take off my clothes to fall asleep before the nausea returns.

➿➿➿➿

As soon as I wake up, I grunt and raise my hands to scrub my face. I'm hungover.

The first thing that comes to my mind is what happened last night while I was drunk as shit.

I remember the girl who was here, obviously robbing my house. I can't believe I was so drunk that I just let her convince me she was a stripper.

Although, logically, what was I supposed to think, seeing such a beautiful girl in my room? She wearing a dress that hugged her body so perfectly and her long red hair has styled in elegant curls, her pretty face was full of makeup.

I get out of bed and walk to my bathroom, to take a cold shower and wake myself up.

My only goal today is to get my mother's ring back.

AndI know I could do that extremely easily, I would just have to call a couple of officers as back up and then deal with the delinquent as I should.

But I don't want to do that.

I don't want the Thief to get in trouble if she was stealing to buy food, not when I know the impossible situation she's in, being the daughter of Jackson Winters. An Omega. A Poor One.

I know nothing is easy for her.

So, I decide to dress casual and hop on my motorcycle to drive to the same place as last night.

In the daytime this place looks even worse and I can't help but shake my head in disappointment. If only these people would let us help them, things would be different.

I walk to the house and knock on the door. For a long while no one answers until suddenly the door opens and a small boy with green eyes and long blond hair appears.

"Who are you?"

"Theo Heiden, nice to meet you... is your sister home?" I ask, the little boy shakes his head, "Your father?"

He shakes his head again.

"Come in," he says, opening the door fully for me. I freeze for a moment, but then step inside, shaking my head again. The Thief should be more careful with her siblings, they have no sense of preservation, "Are you my sister's boyfriend?"

"No, I'm just... her friend," I mutter, not wanting to say that we're not really anything and I'm just here to get back what she stole from me. I approach to walk over to the couch where Jackson threw my wallet, but someone comes running before I can.

"Stop right there," another boy blurts out, this one is bigger and his hair is reddish, just like Miss Thief's. His voice is loud and body is tense as if he's ready to defend his home. It's cute. And at least this one doesn't look like someone who would just let a random man into his house, "What are you doing here?"

"I was looking for your sister, she has something that belongs to me," I answer and slowly approach the couch, but he makes a warning sound and I stay still.

"I don't think so, you look like a Rich One," he mutters, looking me up and down with narrowed eyes, "My sister doesn't have rich friends. Or friends, in general."

"Yes she does, I'm her new friend," I insist, taking another step toward the couch, "We met at the monthly pack party yesterday."

"Oh, yeah, she said she went there," he mumbles and nods, "My name is Knox Winters. This is my younger brother, Beau Winters."

"And what's your sister's name? Can you remind me?"

"Nukea Winters," he answers and before I can ask him another question, he turns and walks back to the room he came out of. As soon as he leaves I walk over to the couch and start looking around, then I feel a silent presence next to me.

"What are you looking for in there?" Beau asks, but I don't answer because I'm too busy sticking my hands between the cushions, but there's nothing.

"A black leather wallet, have you seen it?" I ask him, little Beau just shakes his head. Fuck, "Okay. Um, do you know where your sister is?"

"She went to get money," he answers immediately. I wonder if that means she went to rob another poor schmuck.

Knox comes back toward us carrying a couple of books.

"Hey, you look like you know about boring stuff like this shit. Can you do my homework?" Knox asks and sits down next to me on the couch to stretch out his math notebook and book to me, "My sister would, but she's busy."

"And hasn't she told you that you should do it yourself?"

"She knows I'm good at other things, not math," she says with a grimace, "That's for boring people, like the Rich Ones. Like you."

I scoff a laugh.

Ever since we conquered Hughmount, people started dividing themselves into the Rich Ones and the Poor Ones. The Rich ones being the original people of Greyhound and the Poor Ones being the people of what used to be Hughmout.

I obviously don't like them calling each other that, but even I refer to people that way from time to time.

In just five months when I turn twenty-five and rise to the position of Alpha, I will see to it that they all unite once and for all. And that there will be no more Poor Ones.

At least, that's my plan.

"Fine, I'll help you, but only until your sister gets here," I agree and grab his stiff.

"Hey, that's not fair. I want help with my homework too," Beau complains and runs into the same room to get his stuff out, I guess.

And that's how I end up spending the entire morning in a Poor house, doing homework for a couple of unknown kids while waiting for Miss Thief to return.

When I realized she wasn't coming back anytime soon, I ordered food for us so when the door finally opens again, Nukea finds us all sitting on the couch in front of the TV, eating.

"I have good news, boys!" She announces in an excited, sing-songy voice, but as soon as she turns her attention and sees me there, her smile drops, "Oh, no."

"Oh, yes," I blurt out and get up from the couch, but before anything else, I turn to the kids, "Knox, Beau, please go to your room and close the door."