4
Parker
For the third night in a row, Zephyr, Kage, and I slipped out of the venue without so much as a glance in Phoenix’s direction.
Honestly, it had become a sort of unspoken tradition—give her the slip and see how long it took before she realized we were gone.
I didn’t have anything against her personally, but there was something satisfying about evading her, especially when she tried so hard to keep tabs on us.
Kage led the way, his broad shoulders slicing through the backstage shadows as we navigated our escape route.
Zeph followed close behind, a familiar smirk on his lips.
I shot one last look over my shoulder to make sure Phoenix wasn’t tailing us, but she was nowhere in sight. Good.
I chuckled to myself as we reached the back exit.
The cool night air hit me, sharp and bracing, as we stepped out of the building and made our way to the waiting car.
The city lights flickered like a hundred small fires in the distance, the promise of a night filled with chaos and fun.
“Man, she’s going to be pissed when she figures out we’re gone again,”
I said, sliding into the car next to Zeph.
“She always is,”
he replied with a grin, running his hand through his dark hair. “But that’s half the fun, isn’t it?”
Kage remained silent, his brooding expression fixed as he stared out the window.
As we cruised through the city streets, I found myself thinking about Phoenix again.
It wasn’t that I didn’t get why she was always on our case; it was her job, after all.
But she was trying to control something that couldn’t be controlled—us.
A band of unruly Alphas wasn’t exactly the easiest thing to manage.
By the time we reached the club, the night was in full swing.
The music pulsed through the air as we slipped past the crowds, making our way to the VIP section.
We were used to this kind of scene—the flashing lights, the thumping bass, the people throwing themselves at us because we were famous.
It was predictable, but in a way, comforting.
No one here gave a damn about PR disasters or image control. This was our world, and we could do whatever the hell we wanted.
As we settled into the booth, I caught sight of the blonde from last night making her way toward Zeph.
She’d been all over him the night before, and it didn’t look like she was going to let up anytime soon.
Not that Zeph minded—he had a way of drawing in women like moths to a flame.
Kage leaned back in the booth, spinning one of his guitar picks between his fingers, clearly lost in his own thoughts.
“You think she’s going to track us down again?”
I asked, more to break the silence than anything else.
Zeph raised an eyebrow. “Phoenix? Yeah, probably. But what’s she gonna do? Scold us? We’re here to have fun, man, not play by her rules.”
I laughed, clinking my glass against his. “Here’s to that.”
By the time the little Beta realized we were gone and chased after us, she would no doubt be seething with that simmering anger she tried so hard to mask.
It was almost too easy—watching her scramble to keep up, the perfect little PR princess playing catch-up with the big, bad band.
She was a pretty little thing, no doubt about it, though she tried to hide it under those stiff blazers and that no-nonsense attitude.
Those stormy gray eyes of hers, sharp and calculating, always seemed like they were reading you before you even spoke.
Then there was that hair—long, fiery, red waves that she usually kept pinned back but couldn’t quite tame, no matter how hard she tried.
And her body? Short but curvy in all the right ways, with hips that begged for attention and a confidence in her walk that she didn’t even seem to realize she had.
She was like a contradiction—equal parts fierce and vulnerable—and maybe that’s what made her so damn hard to ignore.
Phoenix—or Priss, as we’d started calling her—had initially tried to be friendly, like she was on our side. But the more time she spent with us, the more her attitude began to shift.
It was amusing, really, how hard she worked to keep her indifference, how she tried to be above all of this.
But I could see through it.
There was more to her than the prissy front she showed the world.
And part of me was tempted to strip it away, piece by piece, just to see what really lurked underneath.
The thought made a smirk tug at my lips.
There was something deliciously ironic about it—her being the one sent to keep us in line, when all I wanted was to see how far I could push her before she snapped.
There was fire behind those sharp eyes of hers, but she kept it buried under layers of professionalism, never letting it show.
I wondered what it would take to make her lose control, to drop the facade and let the real Phoenix out.
Zephyr’s laugh snapped me out of my thoughts as the music pulsed around us, and I glanced toward the entrance just in time to see her slip through the door.
Speak of the devil.
Her gray eyes were scanning the room, already narrowing in on us.
Even in the low light, I could see the tension in her shoulders, the way she squared herself as if bracing for a fight.
“Well, look who decided to join the party,”
Zephyr drawled, his voice laced with sarcasm. “Our very own Princess of Sobriety.”
Kage leaned forward, smirking. “Careful, Zeph. She’s here to make sure we don’t have too much fun.”
I watched her approach, her steps measured and controlled. Always so damn in control. It was infuriating, yet… intriguing. “Wouldn’t want to get in trouble with the label, would we?”
I added with a grin, deliberately taunting her. But there was a flicker of something in her eyes—a hint of irritation, maybe more. It was brief, but I caught it, and it only made me more curious.
“I’m here to do my job, not babysit,”
she said coolly, her voice steady, but I could see the cracks in her armor. “But if you want to keep racking up PR nightmares for me to clean up, by all means, go ahead.”
Zephyr laughed, his low, mocking tone filling the space. “Oh, come on, Priss. Loosen up a little. Have a drink. Or are you too afraid you might actually enjoy yourself for once?”
That damn nickname. She hated it, and we all knew it. I could see the way her jaw clenched, her hands flexing at her sides, but she kept it together. Always trying to keep it together. But how long could she last? How long before that polished exterior shattered?
“I’m not here for drinks,”
she replied coldly, arms crossing over her chest in that defensive way they always did when we pushed too hard. “I’m here because you’re supposed to stay out of trouble. And judging by the looks of this place, it’s only a matter of time before something goes wrong.”
I leaned back, letting my eyes drift over her. “You know, I don’t get why you’re always so tense. We’re not that bad. Maybe you just need someone to… show you how to have a good time.”
There it was. The challenge. I watched her reaction carefully, waiting for that moment when the mask slipped. Her fists clenched just a little, and for a second, I thought she might snap. But she didn’t. She never did. And that only made me want to push harder.
“I’ll pass,”
she said, her voice clipped, cold. But there was something beneath the ice. “You guys do what you want. Just remember that I’ll be the one dealing with the fallout when it all goes to hell.”
I exchanged a glance with Zephyr, a knowing smirk on my lips. “You really think we’re that predictable, don’t you? That you can control us?”
Her eyes met mine, steady and unblinking, but there was a heat behind them that she couldn’t hide. “I don’t need to control you. I just need to clean up after you. And believe me, I’m getting tired of it.”
Tired of us? Or tired of pretending? I couldn’t tell. But I could feel it—the tension between us, the unspoken dare hanging in the air. One day, she’d crack. And when she did, I’d be right there to see what was really hiding behind that pretty, prissy mask.
◆◆◆
The bus was alive with chaos.
Hours had passed since we left the club, but our energy was still refusing to die down.
We’d dragged the party back to the bus, filling the confined space with booze, sweat, and music.
The front of the bus, where the driver sat, was mercifully separated from the rest of us by a thick door, leaving the living area as the primary hub for our drunken antics.
It wasn’t huge—just a couple of built-in couches, a small kitchenette, and a table that was already littered with empty bottles and discarded jackets.
I leaned back, my arms stretched out across the back of the couch, watching my packmates stumble in.
Laughter spilled into the space as they slung arms around random groupies.
To my left, the hallway led to a cramped bathroom and storage area before opening up into the sleeping quarters.
Four bunks were stacked, two on each side of the narrow corridor.
At the very back was the bedroom—a full-sized space with a door we kept shut most of the time.
It wasn’t for sleeping; it was for… fucking.
The scent-dampening system running in there 2-7 ensured we didn’t carry any Beta-scented reminders from the groupies we brought back. We each had our own bunk, but the back bedroom was a shared domain for, well, pleasure.
I spotted Phoenix by the bus entrance, arms crossed, eyes sharp.
Always so damn stiff.
She looked annoyingly beautiful, framed by the low light spilling in from outside.
Her expression was that perfect mix of irritation and authority, her gaze sweeping over each of us like she was waiting for something to go wrong.
Knowing us, it wouldn’t take long.
“Alright,”
she said, voice firm as ever, trying to take charge. “Before you guys get too comfortable, I need to check for anything illegal. You know the deal.”
Zephyr was sprawled across the couch in the corner, two girls clinging to him like he was the second coming of Christ.
He leaned back, his eyes glittering with that amused look he reserved just for her. “Come on, Princess, you really think we’d sneak anything in?”
I grinned, watching her stiffen under his gaze. Over the past week, I’d realized she was quick to jump to suspicion. Couldn’t really blame her. We’d given her more than enough reason not to trust us. But that didn’t mean we’d make it easy for her.
“I wouldn’t put anything past you,”
she shot back, her voice clipped as her sharp gray eyes narrowed on him.
Kage sneered from his spot on the opposite couch, twirling the neck of a bottle in his hand. His man bun was still intact, but just barely, a few loose curls framing his smug grin. “Go ahead, Priss. Search all you want. We’re not stupid enough to get caught.”
I chuckled under my breath as Phoenix started going through the motions, checking bags, jackets, and pockets.
She was so damn thorough, almost clinical, about it.
No doubt she’d find a way to ruin our fun if she could.
I even tried to hide my jacket behind the couch cushions just to see if she’d catch it.
She did, of course, tossing it back at me with that tight-lipped scowl of hers.
Her long red hair caught the light as she moved, the waves glinting like fire despite her attempt to tame it into a low ponytail.
Her short frame and curvy build always seemed at odds with the rigid, no-nonsense vibe she projected.
She tried so hard to look like she had it all under control, but the slight flush in her cheeks gave her away.
“Fine,”
she finally said after a few more minutes of searching, clearly satisfied we hadn’t smuggled in anything too dangerous. “Just keep it down. I need some sleep.”
I watched her stalk off toward the bunks, the sound of our laughter chasing after her. We weren’t the kind of guys who listened. The more she tried to control us, the more we pushed back. It was a game at this point.
Zephyr raised his glass, grinning like a madman. “Think she’ll ever just let us be?”
“Nah,”
I said, smirking. “She’s wound too tight for that.”
We all laughed, but my eyes lingered on the small hallway she’d disappeared down. I could almost feel the frustration radiating off her, knowing full well we’d keep her up all night with the music and noise.
After a while, the guys settled down, and I found myself sitting on the couch next to Kage, both of us nursing drinks. The bus was still buzzing with energy, but quieter now, like the calm before the next storm. I heard soft footsteps from the hallway and glanced up just in time to see Phoenix coming back, looking just as pissed off as before.
“Hey, look who decided to join us,”
Kage drawled. “Couldn’t sleep, Priss?”
I couldn’t help but grin. Kage had a way of getting under her skin, and I liked watching her try to keep her cool. She was too proud to let him know he was getting to her, but we could see the signs.
She ignored him, heading toward the bathroom, but Kage wasn’t about to let her off that easily.
“You always this uptight?”
he called after her, leaning back and twirling his guitar pick between his fingers. “I mean, I get it—you’ve got this whole perfect PR image to uphold. But don’t you ever get tired of pretending to be better than us?”
I watched her freeze. She turned slowly, her eyes locking with his, and for a moment, they were filled with sadness.
“I’m not pretending,”
she said, her voice steady but her expression tight. “I’m just doing my job. Something you seem to enjoy making harder with every passing minute.”
I chuckled, swirling the liquid in my glass. “She’s got a point, Kage. We do make it hard for her, don’t we?”
Kage smirked, leaning forward. “Come on, Phoenix. Don’t you ever get sick of following the rules? Keeping us in line must get exhausting. What’s the real you like when you’re not playing the corporate puppet?”
“You don’t know anything about me, Kage,”
she said through gritted teeth.
“Oh, I think I do,”
he shot back, standing up and stepping closer to her. “I think you’re just like the rest of us. But you’re too scared to admit it. Afraid to let go.”
I watched the tension crackle between them.
“And what’s your excuse?”
she shot back before I could blink. “Hiding behind a guitar and an attitude doesn’t make you any less of a mess.”
The words hung in the air, and for a second, I thought I would have to intervene. But then Kage’s sneer came back, and he laughed, low and mocking.
“You’ve got fire, little Beta,”
he said, stepping back. “I’ll give you that, but fire is nothing against a storm. And I am the fucking storm.”
She turned sharply, walking away before either of us could say anything else. I watched her go, a smirk tugging at my lips. She wouldn’t last much longer. Not at this pace. Not if Kage was now gunning for her.
I took another sip of my drink, the bitter taste of whiskey burning down my throat. Phoenix thought she could handle us, but she had no idea what she was up against. We were just getting started.