Chapter 2
Chapter Two
Ifinally slow down as I reach the front of my apartment building but I refuse to stop completely until the elevator doors open in front of me. It's a struggle to catch my breath but I eventually do, slumping against the elevator wall.
It's only seconds before the doors open, spilling out into the quiet corridor.
I quietly unlock the front door, unable to stop myself from checking behind myself a dozen times before stumbling inside.
“Valentina, are you okay?” The gentle voice of Mrs. Perry instantly settles my raised nerves.
I swallow down the panic that claws at me and nod, even though it is a lie.
“Yeah, Mrs. Perry. Sorry about banging around in here so late. I didn’t mean to wake you.”
She shakes her head, getting up from the couch and makes her way towards me. The older lady smiles at me and a piece of my heart shatters, the way it always does when she looks at me the way she does.
“Don’t you be sorry, girl. Those silly TV show games always put me to sleep.”
We both chuckle knowing it's true. The only thing that doesn’t seem to put her to sleep are the late night telenovellas she is addicted to. I have to admit, there have been many nights I have turned them on and sobbed into a tub of caramel ice cream.
With a quick goodbye, Mrs. Perry takes the few steps back to her apartment, leaving me alone again.
Setting my bag down on my bed, I don’t linger too long, instead I quietly open the door to my daughter’s room.
The princess night-light casts shapes around her room, helping to lighten the dark corners like I know she likes. I thank myself that she is still so little that we are able to share a twin bed without much fuss.
I wrap my arms around my three-year-old, smiling at myself at the snore that escapes her.
I sigh, lowering my head to breathe in her floral and baby powder scent.
I came too close to losing her tonight. She would have been taken from me like she almost was all those years ago.
It’s futile to even try and stop the tears that escape me then. So instead, I allow them to flow freely, crying myself to sleep wrapped around my tiny human.
A foot in my rib-cage jolts me awake. Opening eyes, I find Amity staring down at me. Her dark blonde hair sticks up from her head making me snort at her ethereal clown look she is serving.
“Mommy! What you doing?”
I chuckle at the sweet voice of my daughter, “Well, Mommy really missed you last night and your bed looked so much more comfortable than mine so I thought we could have a little sleepover.”
She nods, the words processing for a moment before her green eyes brighten. “Pancakes for bek-fast?”
I nod, smiling as she cheers and does a little dance before pulling me out of her bed and rushing me towards the kitchen.
The both of us are covered in flour and pancake batter by the time we sit down to eat. Not once do I complain as I smile down at Amity.
She is worth the time it will take to clean up the mess that we made.
Seeing her smile makes everything worth it.
Amity chatters about everything and anything that she can think of. I nod along to her chatter as I finish off my short stack.
Eventually, she pauses enough to finish her breakfast before she is off playing with her dolls. Her being distracted gives me enough time to do my daily house chores.
And enough time to think about the events that unfolded last night.
It's not the first time that one of the patrons has been pissed off about their dance not going further. But it was the first time one has followed me home and proceeded to tell me that my sleazebag of a boss ‘sold’ me.
I can’t believe that asshole! Who the fuck does he think he is selling us like we are objects to be bought?
I know that a few of the other girls regularly take part in more than just dancing.
Crystal and Misty are regularly seen walking out of the club at the end of the night with their man of the night hanging off them.
Diamond boasts about the men Ivan has introduced her to, telling us how good they are to her.
I now know that it is more than just an introduction.
We are being sold off to the highest bidder like we are some kind of show ponies.
My anger is disrupted at the sound of my phone buzzing on the bench.
Lulu:
I have coffee. Be there in 5
Me:
See you soon xx
Since the first night I started at the club, a morning after debrief has become a tradition for Luna and I. From moment one, she took me under her wing. Not only did she become a mentor of such but also someone that I grew to rely on.
While neither of us has ever taken a deep dive into our pasts, it was almost like we were able to sense a fellow victim in each other.
We didn’t have to share our traumas to be there for the other person when memories resurface.
I never thought that I would have allowed myself to ever trust someone ever again, yet I have been able to with Luna.
Putting my phone down, I continue stacking the dishwasher. The mundane chore also allows me to dive back into the rest of the events of last night.
The men that saved me.
More to the point, the Alphas that saved me.
Putting saved and Alphas in the same sentence doesn’t feel right after all of the trauma that designation has put me through.
Yet, here we are.
It also didn’t get past me that the Alpha that spoke to me smelt delicious. I have never smelled anything like him. Even all of these hours later, I can still smell his warm and deep forest-like scent. There was also a hint of leather in there somewhere.
I choke on my own breath when I notice my Omega scent spike. Dropping what I am doing, I race into the bathroom, finding my scent-neutralizing spray and immediately douse my entire body.
I curse myself for forgetting it. That as well as my scent-blockers and suppressants.
The doctor I saw when I gave birth to Amity warned me to not double up on the pills but I had to do everything in my power to hide my Omega designation. Research had shown that doubling the tablets could cause heat and fertility issues.
Good thing neither of those issues bother me in the slightest. I refuse to allow my designation to make me vulnerable ever again.
Knocking at the front door of my apartment makes me startle. I drop the neutralizing spray on my foot and curse myself as another knock sounds at the door.
“Give me a minute,” I yell as I jump around the cramped room.
Pushing all of my previous thoughts to the back of my mind, I quickly grab my pills, throwing them back before going to the front door.
The moment the door is open a crack, Luna already pushes through the gap.
“Ugh, finally! What were you doing in here? Did you forget where your front door was?”
I roll my eyes at my best friend before closing the door behind her.
“So dramatic, Lulu. It was like a minute.”
She waves her hands in the air before setting her bags down on the bench. Everything else is forgotten when she hands me my coffee.
I sigh as I sip the liquid gold before making my way over to the lounge. The breath I exhale is heavy enough that Luna is immediately able to catch on.
With a pointed look, she raises her eyebrow at me. “Come on, spill. It’s been hours since I saw you last. What happened in all of that time to have you looking at me like that?”
I swallow thickly as I work up the courage to tell Luna exactly what happened. I already know that she is going to be pissed off.
Luna is absolutely the mother of the group even though she is a year older than me. She takes her role seriously too, regularly whipping the more immature girls into line.
She is the only one of us that Ivan doesn’t walk all over.
I take another final breath before looking back up at my best friend.
“You know how I have been having issues with Mr. CEO being too pushy?”
She nods, so I continue.
“Well, last night as I was walking home, he followed me and ended up cornering me in one of the alleys down the road from the club.”
I don’t stop talking but I do notice Luna become increasingly irritated.
“He said that I have been teasing him. That I want him but I am just leading him on. When I told him no he informed me that I couldn’t say no. That he finally bought me from Ivan.”
The room is deathly silent for a moment. I don’t look up at Luna, instead I pretend to find the hem of my shorts incredibly interesting.
I startle when Luna launches up from the lounge. “Are you fucking kidding me? That filthy old cunt sold you? Who the fuck does he think he is? King fucking Ding-a-ling?”
My eyes widen as I watch her continue to rant, calling our boss some of the most colorful names I have ever heard.
“That limp-dicked potato better just wait for when I see him next! Not only that but that pig of a client you have been seeing. He better not come into the club ever again. I don’t care how big he is; I will beat a motherfucker for putting his hands on you!”
I chuckle, unable to help myself from smiling at the protective side of her. For a Beta, she has a ridiculous amount of Alpha qualities.
Honestly, it wouldn’t surprise me if she is masking like I am.
“I don’t think he will be much of a problem anymore…” I trail off, finally looking up at her.
She lifts an eyebrow, waiting for me to continue.
“The only reason that I was able to get away was because three guys jumped in and pulled him off me.”
Luna’s eyes widen with interest, her previous anger gone quicker than I can blink.
“Three guys you say…”
I roll my eyes at the suggestive undertone in her voice.
“Yes, Lulu. Three Alphas stormed in and saved the day.” She goes to speak but I stop her, holding up a finger.
“Before you get too excited and say what I think you are going to say, no, I didn’t stay around and wait for them to finish their beat down of the crusty foreskin. ”
“So they beat him up for you?”
She pretends to swoon, collapsing into a heap on the couch. “Oh, Valentina. Your knights in shining knots swooped in and protected your chastity. How incredibly noble of them! Oh, I just know they will call on you!”
I snort, slapping Luna on the thigh. “Fuck off. The last thing I need is a man in my life. They’re too much drama.”
I do my best to act nonchalant when on the inside, I am anything but.
She scoffs, “I don’t mean you need to fall in love, have a litter of children and a white-picket fence. I mean, when was the last time you got any?”
“I…” I drift off with a shake of my head. She's got me there.
Luna gives me a pointed look. She already knows just how long it has been since I have been with anyone but my vibrator.
The thought of sleeping with someone, even if that someone is just a Beta, gives me hives.
It would be near impossible to not out myself there and then as an Omega.
While I feel much more secure around Betas than Alphas, I don’t need anybody in this new life of mine knowing my deepest secrets.
“I just … I don't think I am ready to put myself out there again. I already feel bad enough missing out on so much time with Amity. Adding someone else to that mix just feels like a disaster ready to happen.”
It's Luna’s turn to smack me then. “Stop that self-hate bullshit, Valley. I don’t have to tell you that you are the best fucking mother on this entire planet.
You live and breathe for that precious little girl.
You don’t make a single move without thinking about her.
” She straightens her posture and grabs my hands, bringing my full attention to her.
“It's okay to be selfish. It’s okay to be a mom but still prioritize you and the things that make you happy. It’s okay to have a day off. To just be Valentina and not be Mama.”
“But, I just…” I trail off again, unable to really find the words. I know part of what Luna is saying is true but I still can’t stop those negative thoughts from surfacing.
“I am the only person that Amity has. She relies on me to be there for her. To be stable and to provide. If I am off with some guy, I can’t do that.”
“Stop,” Luna pauses, her face scrunching. “Amity doesn’t only have you. She has me as well. I love that girl just as much as I do any of my nieces. I also know for a fact that even if you didn’t need the help, Mrs. Perry would demand to spend time with Amity.”
Luna is right. Like she normally always is.
Mrs. Perry has adored my daughter since the moment she heard her cries in the hallway the day I brought her home.
While I had spoken to my elderly neighbour a few times up until that point, the moment she saw my little girl's face, it was like something in her changed.
Those first few weeks, Mrs. Perry was practically over every single day, helping to put us into a routine, allowing me to sleep after an entire night of being awake and ensuring that I also looked after myself.
She was the mother that I needed but didn’t have.
I know without a shadow of doubt that I wouldn’t have survived the newborn period if it wasn’t for her.
“You have a village, Valley. It's okay to call on us. It’s okay to put yourself first.”
I deflate completely. There is no use fighting it. What Luna is saying is right. I do need to be selfish. I do need to put myself sometimes.
“I just don’t know if I am ready yet.”
“Will you at least consider it?” she questions.
I nod, knowing that I will. It has been years since everything went down. I need to move on from what happened. I can’t allow myself to remain stagnant.
I deserve to find true happiness.
I deserve to love and be loved.
It just may take me a while.