YORK

 

Most people wouldn’t look twice at Rip if they saw him. He wasn’t imposing. His clothes weren’t flashy. Nothing about his demeanor stood out. But considering he was a Beta wolf who spent most of his time in Pandora, that was enough to raise anybody’s eyebrows.

How did he do it? He was cunning for one thing. He knew how people thought, whether they were an Omega or an Alpha. Just a quick glance into his brown eyes was enough to reveal decades of experience. He might not have been able to fight for himself but he knew how to get himself out of trouble.

Once you understood that, it was easy to believe how he’d survived in the Pandora slums for so long.

And it was also the reason I worked for him. He knew what it took to survive. I didn’t have much of a choice…

 

* * *

 

It was a cold night in Pandora. The sun had gone down hours ago but the denizens were just getting their night started. I didn’t have to see them to know that they were up to no good.

The music coming from every bar on the streets was loud. There were fights just one insult away from breaking out. The smell of pheromones filled the air. Alphas were out to satisfy their lust. And I was an Omega looking to take advantage of it.

I paced back and forth outside of one bar. Alphas made their way in and out, the effects of alcohol becoming more and more apparent.

“Okay,” I sighed softly to myself. “You can do this.”

A man stepped out of the bar. He didn’t look much different from the usual bar patrons. A pair of jeans and an ill-fitting t-shirt. His brown hair long and unkempt on his head.

He was by himself, so I knew he was a potential target.

“Hey, Alpha,” I said as I walked up to him.

I narrowed my eyes, trying to look as seductive as possible.

Just play your part.

The man stopped in his tracks as I approached him. I didn’t know what he was thinking. That didn’t matter. I had to do this.

“How are you doing tonight?” I asked as I moved closer to him.

“I’m doing just fine, Omega.”

“Just fine? I think you can do a little better than that. Want some company?”

He looked me up and down. I kept staring at him, grinning with obvious intentions. A few moments later, he smiled back at me.

“Sure,” he said. “I can use some company.”

“Good. Because I would love to spend some time with a big… strong… Alpha… like you.”

I moved in closer to him. The musky scent of his clothes and pheromones flooded my nose. I did my best to entice him. I could feel him weakening as I pressed my chest against his arm.

“Yeah,” he said. “That sounds like a good time.”

“How much you got?” I asked.

He blinked his eyes and shook his head.

“What was that?”

Damn.

The trance I had him under was broken as soon as I mentioned money.

“I can’t spend time with you for free,” I said, trying to regain my bearings. “There are a lot of Alphas willing to spend time with an Omega like me.”

“I don’t know… I shouldn’t be spending my money on something like this.”

“Oh, you don’t know the things I’m capable of. I can satisfy you in ways you never imagined an Omega can satisfy you…”

“Well…”

Come on…

I could see him beginning to consider my offer. Whatever gold or silver this man had, he was making me earn it.

He examined me again then shook his head.

“Sorry, Omega,” he sighed. “Not tonight.”

“No! Wait!”

I called out to him as he walked away but he didn’t pay any attention to me.

“Shit…”

I muttered to myself as another potential customer left me alone. My head dropped down and I put my hands on my hips in frustration.

“What the hell are you doing?”

I looked up and saw Rip approaching me from across the street. He had been observing me this entire time but only now did he decide to do something about it.

For a Beta wolf, Rip was as intimidating as they came. His black hair was slicked back over his head in a ponytail. He had a confidence in the way he walked. Rip carried himself like the kind of man who survived for so long in Pandora would.

“I’m sorry,” I said as I put my hands up. “I tried. I really tried—”

Before I could finish, he snatched me by the collar. He pulled me close and started sniffing me before letting me go.

“Not a single bite tonight,” he said. “I don’t know if I can make much money off you if you’re not getting any customers.”

“There’s still time,” I said. “The night’s not over.”

“You should have gotten at least one tonight. One! Do you hear me, York? Not a single Alpha is willing to sleep with you. Frankly, I don’t blame ‘em. Maybe I should call our deal off.”

“Please,” I begged him. “Don’t… Don’t call the deal off. I… I need you.”

Rip took a step back and looked down his nose at me.

“All right,” he sighed. “You get one more chance. If I don’t see you with an Alpha, you won’t be able to work for me, you got it?”

“I-I got it.”

He held his index finger to my nose to emphasize his point then made his way back across the street. I sighed another deep breath and closed my eyes.

It’s all right… You can do this… This isn’t for you… It’s for the shelter…

I convinced myself I was able to go through with this. I didn’t have any other choice.

I stood along the street and looked up and down for any potential Alphas I could convince to spend the night with me. They didn’t look much different from all of the rest that turned me down. One Alpha was just as drunk as the next.

I couldn’t risk picking one who would turn me down because Rip was watching me. I had to pick someone I knew would take me home.

Come on… Please…

I quickly began to lose hope. But then something strange happened.

I noticed a man walking down the street that wasn’t like all of the rest. For one thing, he wasn’t drunkenly stumbling out of a bar. The hood of his sweatshirt was up, so shadows covered his face. I couldn’t see him clearly but I knew he was different.

Him.

As he moved down the sidewalk by me, I rushed up alongside him.

“Hey.”

He stopped in his tracks and looked down at me. From underneath his hood, I could see his face. More than anything, I could see his eyes. Amber eyes that seemed to shimmer in the darkness.

He narrowed them as he stared back at me. For a moment, I lost myself.

Him…

I kept staring, unblinking. There was something about him. Something I couldn’t explain. But I could feel it. I was hypnotized, my mouth half-open as words failed to come out of my mouth.

“Can I help you?”

He spoke with a deep but kind voice. I finally blinked and shook my head.

“Hi,” I said. “How are you doing tonight?”

“I’m… doing all right,” he said. “All things considered.”

I looked down and noticed the wound across his chest.

“Oh,” I said. “You’re bleeding.”

“It’s all right,” he said with a chuckle. “Superficial. I’m going home to take care of it right now.”

“Maybe you could use some company. I’ve seen wounds like that before.”

“In a place like Pandora, I’m not surprised.”

“You’re right,” I said. “Slashes aren’t a big deal. But you have to treat it properly if you don’t want it to scar too much.”

“Scars I can handle. I’ve got plenty of them.”

He smiled at me. His teeth gleamed white from underneath the darkness of his hood. He was so distracting that I was having trouble focusing on what I was trying to do.

“What’s your name?” he asked.

“York.”

“York. It’s nice to meet you, York.”

“The pleasure is mine… Are you sure you don’t want to spend tonight with me?”

“I…”

He paused, considering my obvious offer.

“I’ll make it worth your while,” I said, desperately trying to convince him.

“I really shouldn’t,” he said. “You seem like a good Omega. But I’m not a rich man.”

“You don’t have to be rich,” I said with a smile. “Believe me. Anything you have will be fine.”

“I don’t have anything either,” he said. “I’m sorry…”

“Yeah… Of course…”

I put my head down in disappointment.

“Have a good night, York.”

He dug his hands into the pockets of his sweatshirt and walked away. I stood on the spot and watched him.

Something about him…

He wasn’t just an opportunity. I felt like I knew him. There was a connection I couldn’t explain. Watching him leave, I felt my heart sink in my chest.

“York!”

Rip’s voice broke me out of my daze.

“That’s it,” the Beta wolf said as he walked up to me. “The deal is off! You’re not making me any money.”

“What? Rip, please.”

“No. You don’t have the appeal anymore.”

“Just give me another chance! I promise you! I can get an Alpha! I swear!”

“No.”

He kept shaking his head at me as I pleaded with him.

“What will I do?” I said. “I don’t have any other ways to make money.”

“That’s not my concern.”

As I kept pleading with Rip, I didn’t notice the amber-eyed man who had refused me was suddenly standing right next to me.

“What do you want?” Rip said to him.

“I want him,” the man said. “York. I want him for the night.”

“You want him? You just refused him—”

“I changed my mind. How much?”

Rip glared at the tall man.

“One gold piece,” Rip said.

“Right.” The man said. “One gold piece—”

“For me. What York negotiates with you is going to be more.”

The man turned to me. I stared back at him, my eyes wide as I pleaded without saying anything.

Please… Help me…

“Okay,” the man said with a nod. “One gold piece for you and whatever the Omega wants. But I’ll negotiate with him in the comfort of my own home. Tonight.”

“Fine,” Rip muttered.

The Alpha reached into his pocket and pulled out a small pouch. He fumbled around for 10 pieces of silver to satisfy Rip. Rip wasn’t too happy about getting his money in silver but he took it anyway.

“It was a pleasure doing business,” Rip said.

He gave the man a fake smile then glared at me before going on his way. I closed my eyes and breathed a sigh of relief as soon as he was gone.

“Thank you,” I sighed. “I… I really appreciate what you did for me there.”

I turned to the man who saved me. He smiled and the weight of all my burdens had suddenly disappeared.

“I didn’t do it for you,” he said. “I did it for me.”

“Right. Of course. Anything you want. I’m all yours for tonight, Alpha.”

“Hunter. Call me Hunter. This way.”

I walked along the sidewalk with Hunter. I didn’t know where he lived or where we were even going. That didn’t matter. I’d had enough of the streets of Pandora for one night.