The artist had been tattooing me since I had arrived in Falcon City, but he never made small talk, never asked questions, just put his head down and got to work. He knew nothing about me, and I knew nothing about him, despite spending many hours together for our sessions, which I liked.
I preferred silence to meaningless chatter, the latter of which I had to endure plenty of from Ryker. As if summoned by a thought, my phone buzzed while I was exiting the tattoo shop to see a text from him.
Ryker: Change of Plans. Meet me at Rosie’s Bar tonight.
Rosie’s? The Beta Bar? Why would I meet him there?
Alphas drank at The Rusty Tap and Betas drank at Rosie’s. We preferred to socialize within our own designations. Beta grunts were busy little worker bees, and they got riled up easily when an alpha entered their hive. Plus all the good “beta bunnies,” as Ryker liked to call them, hung around The Rusty Tap. Those betas were perverse, drooling over alpha’s dicks, trying desperately to get knotted.
Ryker loved dragging those women into the restroom stall for a quickie. He said it was like shooting fish in a barrel. Their desperation repulsed me. Not only were my standards higher than Ryker's, but I also preferred more of a challenge. Although I did occasionally partake of the women at The Rusty Tap, especially when I was high after a tattoo session like this. It was a simple, easy way to feed my needs, even if I felt like disinfecting myself with bleach after sticking my dick in some restroom slut.
Ryker was up to something.
He had a penchant for trouble. In just the short time we had been here, I’d seen Cade pull him out of nearly every bar and brothel in the city. Antagonising comments, satisfied smirks, and outright insults were unavoidable for him. He liked to push people to the edge of their patience.
Ryker also talked more than anyone I had ever met, which annoyed me beyond belief. Endless yapping about anything at all, every sentence laced with never-ending profanities. No tabootopic was off-limits, and there was no such thing as “not the right place” for certain conversations.
He even talked endlessly when we screwed women together. Telling them how pretty their pussies were, asking them if they liked my tattoos or his big fat cock. He liked to tell them how good of a job they were doing, and describe just how tight their ass, mouths, or pussies were gripping his dick.
While his voice was exasperatingly bothersome, I enjoyed the way the women always glowed under his praise. His easy, charismatic demeanor helped ease their apprehension about me. After all, my glowing yellow eyes set me apart. They were predatory, unmistakable, and a clear sign of my shifter nature.
My unusual appearance both intrigued and unsettled women. They loved the thrill of telling their friends they’d been with a shifter, but when fantasy met reality, most of them couldn’t handle what they’d asked for.
That’s where Ryker came in.
He was a master at pulling women into our orbit, manipulating them, saying all the right things, making them feel special. And once they were hooked, we could bend them to our will. They also worked harder to please us when he praised them. They followed his instructions like good little sluts, and I had a better release because of it.
Sometimes if he was talking too much while we were both inside a woman, I would put my tattooed hands around his thick throat and squeeze. It was the only thing I could do to make him shut up. Plus, I would release so hard when my fingers got to wrap around his throat, or anyone’s really. Choking freaked the betas out though, so I only did it to Ryker, who seemed toactually enjoy it. He would always throw me a little wink when I cut off his air, and cum soon after.
I knew he had something planned for tonight that would unfold into an absolute shitshow. The night would probably end with me calling Cade to come clean up Ryker’s mess.
Normally, I would try to reason with him, convince him The Rusty Tap was a better option, and his usual beta bunnies would miss him if he didn't visit them tonight. But that buzz was still riding me, and the thing inside wanted whatever storm was brewing. It wanted out. It wanted mess, fuss, and chaos after being tucked away for so long.
Ryker was the perfect person to team up with when I felt like uncorking the bottle and letting out a bit of steam. I was usually so careful to keep my mask in place, but in order to do that, I had to feed the beast’s needs from time to time. Otherwise, the wolf might not be happy hiding anymore.
I texted him back.
You’re up to something. I’m in.
Meet you at 2230.
Chapter 5: Rowan
It was only after we had driven almost ten minutes past the checkpoint that I realized I had been holding Alex’s wrist in a death grip. He rubbed his thumb back and forth on my hand, calming me and waiting for my breathing to even out. I was having a panic attack. I’m not sure if anyone else in the car had noticed.
Panic attacks, rather than being big, dramatic events, were quiet, lonely experiences in which my vision narrowed, heart raced, palms, face and neck heated. My breath also quickened, and I struggled to focus or follow what was happening around me. I retreated into myself. My body stilled, but my mind raced. It typically lasted several minutes until I could pull myself together.
The fog had lifted, and the little rhythmic motion of Alex’s thumb brushing against my hand helped to soothe my anxiety.When he sensed I was through the thick of it, he whispered to me so that no one else in the car could hear us.
“What the hell was that, Ro? What was that Alpha talking to you about? Why are you so freaked?”
“I don't know. My ID wasn’t scanning; there was something wrong with the machine Billy said. The alpha, he was…strange.He asked me some questions about where we were going. He said the machine needed to reboot, and that he was going to bring it to the bar tonight so he could scan my ID after our set.”
“That’s weird. Why would he do that? It makes no sense,” he said, pausing in thought, but when he saw how freaked out I was, followed it up with, “It’s okay. Really it is! Just stick with me tonight. That guy’s an asshole. He probably won’t even show up. He’s just trying to intimidate you and assert his dominance, like most alpha dicks. It will be okay, Ro.”
I was feeling my vision narrow again at the thought of having to be in the same room with the intimidating alpha soldier. He had touched my face without permission, and that had really pissed me off. I had tried to hide my anger, but I couldn’t completely conceal the fury his uninvited touch had stoked in me.
Alphas expected submission. They craved it, and most everyone gave it to them. Especially the betas that hung around the alpha bar, drooling at the bit for a hookup. Those women were especially subservient, trying to bait an alpha into mating with them.
