Chapter 4

My shift at the motel started at five in the morning. Dolores paid me a measly amount to completely clean every room in the motel but it was something. More than I took home from the strip club most days after Evan’s “purchase tax”.

It wasn’t my fault he bought me for a ridiculous price. He got scammed. That’s on him. I felt no need to pay him back for that but Evan did. Sometimes I’d get a couple of twenties from the people passing through.

During the Alpha Conference traffic was better and Alpha’s enjoyed an Omega hole, not really giving a preference to the gender of it. Then I could make a couple hundred. Everyone in the town though hated male Omegas as a sexual preference. I’d never make any money from them.

Deciding to shift before I tried to sneak into the building showers alone. I didn’t run too far because I didn’t want be too tired for my night shift. Still, it felt good to run now. It wasn’t as cold as running through the snow but it was still cool enough to feel nice.

Once I finished my short run, I slipped into the building and checked the communal showers. It was perfect. No one was around right now. I did a quick wash and rinse, happy to feel clean without getting bothered.

Walking over to Triple, I walked in the back and smiled at the girls. A few hugged me and I set down my bag in the corner. I had a locked drawer as my storage and I kept my makeup and a few other things. One thing I couldn’t trust with these girls was my makeup. They were vultures, even if it was old and mostly used.

“Riley, I need you to work a double.”

Rolling my eyes, I shook my head. “I can’t. I’ve got a shift tomorrow at the motel.”

“I’ll talk to Dolores. She’ll let you off. I need you more. You need to handle the bar. There is a meeting in the morning.”

He didn’t even wait, slamming the door behind him. Evan was one of the OG townsfolk, his family going back four generations. I’m sure his father, one of the four rancher families in the area, loved that he was managing the Triple.

Being half werewolf, he was strong but didn’t actually have a wolf. He preferred to cater to werewolves even though the town was mostly humans. Which is why he even purchased me in the first place.

Goddess, I hated the morning meetings. A bunch of shady fucking Alphas showing up in the middle of nowhere talking about offing people. Tomorrow a bunch of Alphas would be driving back to their packs after the conference.

“At least you can make some extra money.” Ginny elbowed me and smiled. “Hell, maybe one will take you away.”

“Yeah, I don’t want any of those fuckers. I’ll take their money but I don’t feel like being a sex slave again anytime soon.”

Heather slapped my ass. “Don’t complain. You sexy little Omega. Someone will pick you up.”

“Three years, Heather. No one wants some washed up old Omega.”

Ginny snorted, swiping her eyeliner on. “Old, he says. As he looks sixteen.”

“I’m twenty-five.”

“Bullshit.” Heather threw her hair over her shoulder. “I’ll never believe it.”

Shrugging, I started to change and moved over to have Ginny lace me into the corset vest I wore. Pulling up my sequined pants, I started to pull up my hair but decided to just do a loose braid over my right shoulder.

“God, if I looked half as cute as you…” Heather squished my cheeks together. “Where are you set up tonight?”

“I don’t know. Evan didn’t say.”

Speak of the devil and he will show back up. “Alright. Heather, on pole. Ginny, Jasmine, Lucy, and Cherry, I want you serving.”

“Me?” I crossed my arms over my chest.

“Bar and backup to the girls.”

Of course. I’d be called when a group didn’t find interest in the girls or if there was an Alpha in the group. Until then, I was set aside because who likes a male Omega? At least in this town.

I really needed to leave. Go to a bigger city. I’d have better luck there. Make more money. Maybe even find myself an okay Alpha. I didn’t need a good one. I’d settle for one who left me alone until he wanted a hole to fuck. I’d take that over chained to the bed any day.

“Get out there. Relieve the afternoon girls.”

We all grumbled our versions of yes and I snuck behind the bar. Farris and Cedric were busy making drinks and I slipped in, starting in on the dishes that were piling up.

More and more people were coming in and I helped where I was need. It was around ten in the evening when a huge group came in. They sat down in Cherry’s section.

The moment they stepped in, something felt off. Like my warning bells were going off on these guys but not in a bad way. I was picking up lavender. A strong scent of lavender and I knew none of the girls wore lavender perfume. So either I was having a stroke or one of these guys was the source of the scent. It was hard to not close my eyes and drown in it. Lavender was so calming.

Cherry was smiling, turning up the charm before she came over with their drink order. I helped the guys mix the drinks since there were five of them. Ginny’s table also had ordered another round and Cedric was handling those.

“The middle one, the older one, he’s an Alpha. If you want to shoot your shot.” Cherry winked at me as she took two of the drinks. “Do you mind grabbing the rest of the drinks for me, Rye?”

I came around the counter and grabbed the extra drinks with her. Helping her deliver them, the scent of lavender was overwhelming the closer I got. Shoving it down, I smirk and tried to slip into my flirty self. Moving the drinks to the correct people, I nodded to them.

“Anything else I can get you boys?”

My eyes lifted to the Alpha in the center and his eyes were shinning. My heart picked up. Fuck. He realized it too. I frowned and looked behind me. So far, Evan or Douglas, the bouncer, hadn’t noticed.

“Sir…reign your wolf in or you’re going to get kicked out.”

He blinked for a moment before I saw his eyes finally went back to normal. The kids around him seemed surprised at the slip as well. That meant this was exactly what I was afraid of. This wasn’t a new cologne. This was a mate scent. His wolf had recognized me as his mate. Frowning, I stepped back.

“I apologize. It won’t happen again.”

Goddess, his voice was like velvet. Fuck me. Literally. I wondered if he would be okay with just taking me out back and giving me a good pounding before leaving.

Motioning to Xena, she came over and smiled. She’d been late and not placed on the floor yet. However, I knew wolves liked their partners strong and Xena was built for a human. Two of the kids were drooling as she walked over.

“I think these boys need some company, Xena. I have a feeling you’re right up their alley.”

She kissed my cheek and climbed into the lap of the two on the left. “Thank you, sweets.”

The Alpha was eyeing me like I was going to evaporate if he blinked. Honestly, I might. I knew better. He’d promise me the world and then leave in the morning without me.

They were all the same. They saw my brand, or realized just how used I was, and they would hightail it out. I doubted this asshole was any different.

“If you need anything else, just ask Cherry or the bar.” Winking at them, I walked back over the bar and slipped between Cedric and Farris.

Amidst their drinking making, the two of them were glancing at me.

“You okay, Rye?”

I nodded, not saying anything.

“Bullshit. You’d normally be all over the Alpha over there. Or the guys in the far corner. They’ve been throwing around cash but they have been eyeing you the whole time.” Cedric leaned in. “Did they say something? Do we need to kick them out?”

“No, no.” My lips pursed. “I think I need a smoke.”