Their Forbidden Bonds

Chapter Three

Damien's Pov

Somehow, against my better judgment, I made the trip to the city.

Victor had texted me the details of his famed brothel leaving the ball on my court. No jobs were forthcoming, and I was already eating into my savings with all the tarmacking.

I didn't want my sisters to quit school and join me in job hunting. I wanted to give them a better life than what I was given.

To better their prospects for mating, they needed the education, which would also provide a good omega price.

I decided it would not hurt to take a look. I had nothing productive to do and would be lucky to come across another job opening as I wandered around.

One hour later, I was already in the city and looking for the brothel, which turned out to be in a better part of the city. I had worked on grooming myself by cutting my hair as short as possible, shaving my beard clean, and dressing in my best shirt and a faded pair of jeans.

I had taken a double dose of my suppressants, not taking any chances.

They were not advertising the place, given that there was no sign. There was just a small gate manned by a guard who was staring right at me, unwavering, as I approached. I had barely opened my mouth before he cut me off.

“We are closed right now,’’ he said, showing me away.

I was a bit taken aback by the guard’s reaction. Shocked that he thought I was there as a customer in the middle of the day.

I was about to protest when I noticed his eyes lingered a bit too long on me.

Hopefully, he found what he was looking for.

I felt suspicious that my suppressants were not working as effectively as they should have. My heart raced as I tried to calm myself down so as not to overproduce any pheromones and raise his suspicion.

“I was hoping to speak with someone about potential job opportunities,” I said, trying to sound as confident as possible.

The guard hesitated for a moment before nodding.

“Alright, follow me. But I can’t guarantee anything.”

I followed him through the small gate and down a path that led to a three-story apartment-looking building.

Nothing about it looked out of place. At the entrance, he unlocked the door, and in a few steps, he led me to a small room where a woman sat behind a desk. Her eyes were scanning over a pile of papers before our presence caught her attention.

“What do we have here, Viano?” she asked, her gaze lingering on me.

“He said he is looking for a job,” the guard replied, shrugging as the woman studied me for a moment before gesturing for me to sit down.

“What kind of work are you looking for, boy?”

“Anything, ma’am. I’m willing to do whatever it takes to earn a living,” I said, trying to keep my nerves in check.

“Name, age, and wolf type?’’

“Damien, 24, Musaeus Wolf.” I replied without missing a beat.

“So, do you have any experience in bedding an omega or an alpha? ’’ She asked. Her piercing eyes assessed me and I felt like cowering away in shame.

“No, ’’ I replied, despite the temptation to lie.

She looked down and continued asking more questions, which added to my despair.

“Have you scented an omega that is not your family member?”

“No, I have not.”

“Do you have any experience with bedding or being bedded by men?”

“No,” I replied, feeling my face heating up in shame.

“Why are you looking for a job here, Damien?’’ she sighed. It was obvious I was completely out of my depth.

“ It’s tough out here and I am willing to learn,’’ I cringed internally as I replied.

She regarded me before replying.

“You are not the kind of person cut out for this job, but I have an opening somewhere else.’’

I nodded, somehow relieved and insulted at the same time. I could fill in the gaps of why I was not fit, and it hurt my ego. Regardless, I was happy I needed not to do something I was not comfortable with.

“I have only one caretaker at the moment, but I need another one since we are expanding. Maxwell, our current caretaker, had a pup and can no longer work longer hours. So that’s where you come in,” she continued.

“What exactly am I needed to do?” I eagerly asked.

“Cleaning rooms after customers leave, meals for the workers, general chores, in short. The pay is fifty silver coins per month.”

I picked up on the salary, which was better than most of my jobs. The work was something I was familiar with. Cooking and cleaning while making good money? I was not opposed to that.

After the agreement, I promised to show up at the beginning of the following week.

I would not look a gift horse in the mouth. My work was decent. My mother and sisters needed not know the exact details of what I did.

I spent the first few weeks in orientation. I worked with the alphas while Maxwell worked with the omegas, as he was more familiar with them.

I never interacted with the guests, just walked in and out of rooms, cleaning them and airing them before the next set of clients was to use them.

The week flew by quickly enough as I got into the rhythm of things. The weekend was going to be my first test with me no longer shadowing Maxwell because of how busy it got. The Alpha wing was mine to work on while he dealt with the omega wing.

Friday night began on a go slow as most clients took their time chatting with their partner of choice before heading into the rooms. As the night took on, it got busier.

The routine was a knock to confirm the room was empty, remove the dirty sheets and change them. Wipe down the room and clean up the bathroom before airing the room for a few minutes.

I was in my twentieth room of the night when I realized I had made a mistake. The room I thought was empty had someone occupying it, despite the tag on the door being flipped.

The occupant, a lady, had already noticed me and was beckoning me inside.

Despite my confusion, I noticed the rumpled bed as I walked into the room, which meant that the room had been previously occupied..

“I expected your room would look better than this,’’ she started, no longer looking at me but moving around.

Despite the room not being mine, I felt the need to defend myself.

“I was about to get it ready,’’ I replied while the lady hummed in return.

“You are not from the city, are you?’’ I asked, hoping to prolong our conversation before she realized I was the wrong Alpha. I had picked up on her words, refined with an edge of politeness that was not common.

“Does that matter? “she questioned, turning around, now ever closer to me, that I could see her eyes crinkling at the edges. Her eyes were a piercing shade of green that seemed to glow in the dim light, dancing with mischief .

Despite the scarf that covered most of her face, I could tell she was beautiful.

“I don’t understand what you are doing here.’’ I couldn’t help but wonder, gesturing around the faintly lit room.

“People say alphas from the city have the best knots. I had to try it for myself,’’ she replied, this time making it a point to look me over. I did not miss the obvious appreciation in her eyes and the thrill that shot up my spine.

I had misjudged her. She was no shy omega, but a confident and daring one.

I cleared my throat before speaking again, trying to regain my composure.

“Well, I’ll do my best to meet your expectations,” I replied, and for the first time, I felt my wolf stir.

What had I gotten myself into?