Chapter 1
Kneeling on the floor unloading the wine bottles into the fridge I use this time to reign in my temper.
This fucking sucks.
I can count and deal cards better than any card cheat never mind the dealers in this casino.
But instead i’ve got to count change until my compulsory 6 week training program is over and i’m allowed on the floor.
It’s not that I don’t like working behind the bar, but the pay is significantly less for bar staff than the card dealers. I didn’t take on a second weekend job for fun, I took it on to get get paid as much as possible so I could earn enough money to buy a new house in another pack.
I’m wiping down the wine fridge glass when I feel them. Other werewolves. Smells like my pack, I catch their sent before I can see them. Standing up off the ground I’m immediately met with the three faces of my Alpha, Beta and Gamma. Delaney, Sam and Michelle.
What were they doing here? Are they here for me?
There are no rules against working in the human city in a human role, it’s just extremely uncommon. We are pack animals. We keep to our packs. It really is that simple. To work with humans was just...odd.
But i’ve always been the odd one out since I was born thanks to my fuckwit parents so nobody should really be surprised.
I quickly lower my head and start wiping down the counters. Maybe I’ll be lucky and they will go upstairs to the champagne bar, or the whisky bar.
But i’m not lucky. Ever. So when I feel their presence standing right in front of me I look up and give them all a silent nod before saying
“Delaney, Sam, Michelle. What can I get for you all?’.
It was the norm to omit titles within the werewolf community that when humans were present or within close proximity.
But instead of responding Delaney, Sam and Michelle stood staring at me. Like I had changed into my wolf form and was standing as a furry werewolf trying to serve them a drink.
I cough, getting a little uncomfortable. I’m a strong dominant female wolf but even still, that’s a lot of aura and power just...staring at me.
Gamma Michelle breaks the silence by saying “I never knew we had a...member working out-with our community. Has the office been informed of this for their records?”
She’s choosing her words carefully incase any humans are within earshot. But I understand exactly what she is asking.
“Yes the office are aware, Michelle. I have worked out-with our community for 3 years now, however I only started at this casino 5 weeks ago.”
Michelle is a strong female but the pull of Alpha Delaney and Beta Sam has me fighting from turning away from Michelle and giving them my attention. They are fine specimens of strong dominant males and i’m womanly enough to admit that.
Alpha Delaney breaks his silence by saying “Apologies...”
“Violet” I fill in whilst turning my full attention to him, my Goddess he was handsome.
“Yes apologies, Violet, we are a little shocked as I was not aware we had any members working here. Not that it’s an issue, we were just ill prepared to meet a fellow community member this particular evening.
There’s that word community again. Ha. The word is a bitter taste in my mouth. Where was the community when they ostracised a 6 month old child for their parent's mistakes.
I’m a sharp girl, so I understand what he is trying to NOT say. It’s common knowledge that when pack members want to get away from it all or blow off steam they come the human lands. For drinking, gambling or other activities. I’m assuming that is what they wanted to do this evening and he wasn’t expecting a pack member to witness it or spread gossip.
Not that that I would. I literally have zero friends due to the wonderful legacy my parents left me.
The last people I want to mess with in the pack is our top dogs so I quickly suggest:
“Well, there are multiple bars in the casino, if it would make you all feel more comfortable I can request to be switched to another one? I’m sure it would be no problem, it’s not the first time someone has requested a switch’.
Alpha Delany immediately says “no no, of course not. We’ll have three beers please and one for yourself.”
I quickly get them their beers and say “on the house” before turning and getting back to work. I don’t want their tips, I want them gone, so I can relax.
My plan backfires when they pull up barstools and sit. Right in front of me.
“So Violet” says Sam, “what is your surname? I’ve never seen you before”.
Here we go. Literally the moment I was waiting for.
“Telfer’ I simply say.
Waiting for the recognition that the name is a stain on the packs History. The incident my family name was linked to was infamous across the continent for years.
I continue wiping an already clean counter to avoid making any sort of eye contact.
Michelle says “I see. Your parents were involved in all that stuff that happened 20 odd years ago. I’m sorry, what a terrible messy situation.
It was Mary Sandford that raised you, is that correct? Lovely woman. Used to always give me homemade strawberry and raspberry jam mixed because it was my favourite.”
I don’t know what I feel, I feel an embarrassing amount of pride that Michelle even knows who I am. I’ve been the pack outcast since I was born. Literally no-one has anything to do with me because of my parents transgressions. I’m was not bullied or anything, that would involve people interacting with me or knowing who I was. I’m completely left alone.
A literal nobody.
People afraid that associating with me would mean I would taint their family name. Or my parent's bad decisions and it would rub off on them or their children.
I also feel gratitude that she so nonchalantly passed over our biggest pack scandal for the last century and starts talking about jam.
That scandal resulted in me being a nobody my entire life with everyone except Mary, who adopted me when I was 6 months old. Mary was the single most kindest person I have ever met in my life, but even with her being a much loved pack member I still remained a no-one. She was also as deadly as an assassin but I only saw that side when she trained me.
This is why I want to move packs. I can’t go on like this anymore, it’s slowly hurting my wolf. Since Mary died three years ago I can feel how it’s affecting her. It's slowly killing her.
We are wolves - pack animals to our core. We need a companion. It does not have to be a mate, could be a friend or a neighbour. But we need someone.
Anyone.
