Chapter 1
Hey Readers! This is a standalone story and also the book 2 in my The Werewolf Throne Legacies series! If you haven't read the first book, "The Alpha and His Second Chance", now is the time! Spoilers ahead! Happy Reading!
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Derek
I scrubbed my hands over my face for the hundredth time today, feeling beyond frustrated. I couldn't get our numbers to match. Some i***t f****d something up and I couldn't figure out what. I stared at my computer screen, willing it to tell me what the problem was. Its been ten years since the war, ten years since I killed my own father and became king. It's taken me ten years to get us out of debt and back on track and it was all about to be blown to s**t if I couldn't figure out what went wrong with our most profitable client's account.
Soon after I became King, I realized how much my father had neglected besides just me. Everything was a mess. Nearly half our kingdom was corrupt and the other half was either a slave or hostage to someone more powerful than them. Thankfully, King Edward helped me clean house while he was grieving his deceased mate, my half-sister Sierra. It only took a few months before most of the rotten scum was dead or went into hiding. After that, I spent years rebuilding, new alphas were put into place, smaller packs were joined together, and I even started an import-export business which has grown exponentially, bringing in lots of revenue. Just in time, too, my father had many debts that needed to be paid. As of two years ago, everything has been paid off and we are strictly for profit now.
"You're still here?" Jeff, my beta and vice president of the company asked, coming into my office.
"I'm leaving soon." I said, looking at my watch. 9:00pm. Another long day. Too late to go back to the palace. It was a two-hour drive and I knew I would end up here again in the morning. I was in the market for someone to run the business so I could focus more on my kingdom, but every time I found someone half decent they never stayed long.
My company was run by werewolves, but I wanted to integrate humans as well. The more wolves I could have protecting the kingdom the better. Not to mention, humans were easier to replace and took more pride in the medicinal work than we werewolves did. We needed fresh air, we needed to let our wolves out. Not sit behind a desk for eight hours staring at a computer screen, or sixteen hours in my case. I needed a drink.
"What are you still doing here?" I asked, eyeing him suspiciously. Jeff never stays late. He walked into my office, plucking a dead leaf off one of my plants someone gave me that had been terribly neglected, throwing it into the overfilled trash can next to it. I needed an assistant.
"Come on, you must have some idea." He rolled his eyes and then stared at me like I was stupid.
"Not a clue." I stared back at him.
"It's your birthday dumbass!" He deadpanned, throwing his arms up. "A group of us are at the nightclub waiting for you to celebrate." He finally cracked a smile.
"Oh?" I looked at the calender sitting on my desk. "Its Halloween already?"
"Yes, so you'd better wrap it up soon. I'll be waiting with the car downstairs." He turned to leave.
"I'm not going to have to dress up, am I?" I yelled, receiving no answer in return.
I packed up my desk, put all of the loose papers in my filing cabinet and locked them up, just so I could take them back out again tomorrow. I grabbed my phone, keys, and wallet off the desk and headed for the door. After a quick walk through the building, satisfied that the night shift was hard at work, I made my way outside to the running silver Ferrari.
"All good?" Jeff asked, pulling away from the curb.
"Good enough," I sighed.
"A few drinks and a couple of women aught to help that." He smirked.
"You're not wrong." I snorted.
"Here, put this on." He said, handing me a cheap looking plastic crown.
"Oh brother..." I groaned but decided to humor him none the less.
Our short twenty minute drive actually had me looking forward to tonight. My wolf, Dean, was especially excited. Jeff pulled up in front of my favorite nightclub, The Secret Place. Well known for its top shelf beverages, having the hottest of hot women, and its erotic atmosphere. You might come alone but you usually leave with someone at this place. It was in the city where the humans lived, which was shocking considering how many mythical creatures actually came here. The humans had no idea.
Jeff led us to the front of the line outside the main entrance. He handed the bouncer a wad of cash, who then immediately let us in. The man wasted more of his money than anyone else I knew. A barley dressed waitress led us to the back, practically shaking her ass and t**s in our faces the entire time. We navigated through the sea of bodies and florescent lights, just trying not to get dry humped on the way. She seated us in a large red velvet booth where a number of my employees were waiting, the table filled with a dozen full glasses and twice as many more empty ones.
"All hail King Derek!" Trish from human resources yelled, taking a shot and downing it, then slamming the empty glass on the table. If we were somewhere more sober I would have yelled at her for using my title amongst humans. The rest of the group soon followed, someone handing me a shot in the chaos. I downed it, the liquid went down smoothly, living up to its reputation. Yeah, tonight was going to be a good night.
Three hours later, I sat in the booth with two topless women hanging off of me. Only Jeff and Trish remained, lost somewhere in the crowd, probably about to get lucky themselves.
"I need a refill." I said to the two strange women, getting up from my spot and heading towards the bar. I staggered along, but not before taking a glance back, finding that the two were getting friendlier with each other. They started to kiss and touch each others t**s. I'd better hurry before they leave without me.
"Whiskey." I barked over the loud music. I leaned my back against the bar, staring out into the crowd. Things were starting to get wild; body shots, drugs, strippers, all started to come out. It smelled like smoke, booze, and c*m. That is until the most heavenly smell hit my nose. What was that? Coconut? Vanilla? It was intense and overwhelming, putting my dampened senses on overdrive.
"Whiskey." The bartender called. I turned back to the counter, reaching for the drink, when someone snatched it before I could get to it.
"Hey that's mine-" I started to protest, my words falling short when my eyes laid on her. The coconut and vanilla scent was wafting off of her.
"Mate!" Dean yelled in my head.
"It cant be..."
"Oh, I'm sorry-" She started but stopped, gasping, when her big brown eyes laid on mine. Any thoughts I had about returning to the women at my table were soon forgotten.
"Its fine." I said, taking calculated steps towards her, stalking my prey. She had long, silky black hair, and was about 5'6'', maybe a little less on account of the high heels she had on. She wore a black long-sleeved top and black mini skirt with fishnet stockings and a fake set of cat ears on top of her head. Her makeup matched her outfit, making her look like a black cat with whiskers and all.
"Split it with me?" She said, batting her eyes at me. Her face turned bright red the moment I took it from her.
I took a big gulp then placed the glass on her lips. "Finish it," I said, licking my lips. She hesitated but obeyed, downing the rest. I could see her eyes studying me, not sure what to make of me. Being an Alpha made me bigger and stronger than most. I stood at a comfortable six foot four, my body well sculpted from years of exercise and a killer metabolism. I had thick brown tousled hair, looking more on the wild side than the professional side most days. Add in a pair of vibrant green eyes and, well, I was a lady killer.
"Do you wanna..." She started to ask but blushed again and hung her head, avoiding looking at me.
I took her chin between my thumb and pointer fingers, tilting it up to face me. "Do I want to what?" I asked, stepping closer to her.
She took a deep, steadying breath. "Wanna get out of here?" She said, her eyes filled with lust.
"My place or yours?" I whispered into her ear, my teeth grazing the soft flesh of her neck.
"Yours." She shivered, her hands grabbing onto me for stability.
"Lets go, Kitten." I winked, and she smiled. I led her slowly to the front entrance, my hand on the small of her back.
"Jeff, keys, now" I ordered via mindlink. By the time we got to the front, Jeff was waiting for me, keys in hand, his blond hair a wild mess, his shirt untucked and belt unbuckeled. I owed him. He tossed me the keys, a knowing smirk playing on his lips. I gave him a curt nod, a smirk on my own face.
I led the way to the car, opening the door for my kitten to get in. I shut the door behind her before hopping into the driver's seat and heading for my penthouse in the city. I rested my hand on her exposed thigh, sparks erupting underneath my touch. I must be imagining. Maybe I'm more drunk than I thought.
"I'm never like this." She blurted out.
"Like what?" I asked, my eyes fixated on the road.
"I don't normally do stuff like this." She waived her hand around the car.
"Sit in a car?" I said sarcastically, deciding to play with my food.
"No" She huffed. "Go home with strangers."
"I'm Derek." I lifted my hand from her thigh and held it out for her to shake.
"Valerie." She answered, shaking my hand.
"Its nice to meet you." I smiled.
"You also." She laughed. It was music to my ears.
"There, now we aren't strangers." I said, returning my hand to her thigh.
I pulled up to the condominium where my penthouse was located. Putting the car in park, I got out and opened the door for Valerie, helping her step out. I threw my keys to the bellman who stood outside waiting and led Valerie inside.
"So what pack are you from?" I asked, escorting her to the elevators.
"Pack? I mean I go to Georgia Coastal College if that's what you mean. I'm not in a sorority though." She shrugged, stepping inside the elevator with me.
"Your'e not...?"
"Not what?" She asked.
"Nevermind." I said, shaking my head.
Something was wrong. I must be crazy or maybe she is. The moon Goddess wouldn't give me, an Alpha King, a human as a mate. I definitely drank too much. I was downing shots like they were candy. My wolf metabolism must be slowing down, or maybe I'm just dreaming. The elevators dinged and opened, leading directly to my penthouse. The view was amazing, which Valerie took notice of immediately.
"Make yourself at home. I'll be right back." I said, discarding my jacket onto the back of one of my dining room chairs. That was its primary purpose, after all, being a coat hanger. I made my way into the kitchen, grabbing a fresh bottle of whiskey and two glasses. I met Valerie back in my living room, finding her staring out the window. I opened the bottle and poured us both a glass, which she gladly took and began nursing. "We don't have to do anything if you don't want to." I said, her body language telling me she was nervous. She kept shifting from one foot to the other and avoided eye contact.
"I want to." She said without hesitating.
"You're sure?" I asked again.
"Mhm" she hummed, finishing off her drink in a few big gulps. "Definitely. This is just a bit new for me." Her cheeks heated up from the drink or embarrassment. I wasn't sure.
"Well, alright then." I said, taking her empty glass and setting it down next to mine. I closed the gap between us, placing my hands on her hips. Her hands found my chest and gently clawed down my abs. I could feel myself getting lost in her beautiful chocolate brown eyes.
"Alright then." She said, biting her lip and pressing her chest against me ever so slightly.