Chapter 28
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Shayne
Way back when I was young enough not to know better, I used to dream about coming to Goldcrest to meet my true mate.
That dream was always roughly the same, though I could never quite remember the details when I woke.
All I ever recalled was that my true mate was beautiful, and we both knew we were meant for each other from the second our eyes met across the room.
It was cute, and my parents liked that I was eating up the lies they were feeding me about my future.
Then I got older, and I realized my mom and dad were trying to bully me and my siblings into going to the academy so we could meet the kind of women they deemed acceptable for us to marry.
That’s when I started to see the cracks in that dream.
Goldcrest wasn’t designed to help true mates find each other.
At least, that wasn’t what it was for when people like my parents were funding it.
Before it started to make the changes to become a real school, with socials that might help people find their mates, it was meant to let rich asshole Alpha types meet Omegas with acceptable backgrounds and grooming, to potentially get engaged to, and with the side-effect of letting those Omegas be hurt when some of the assholes were also creepy and opportunistic.
I’ve heard stories. More than a few.
If it was still like that, I wouldn’t have suggested coming here to help Falcon find the woman he helped rescue.
But I guess if it was still like that, she never would have been brought here in the first place.
It feels easy to walk up the stone staircase toward the double entrance doors at this side of the building, lead Alpha at my side. I even manage to smile by the time we get to the top.
That’s because I know I don’t need to be here.
All I’m doing tonight is playing pretend.
It only requires an hour or two of socialising with no real expectation.
I’m not out here to find that woman of my dreams.
And I’m not here because my parents want me to find a fiancé they can approve of.
This whole charade is much simpler than any of that.
I’m here for Falcon’s piece of mind.
He needs this, and I know helping him get through tonight is only going to bring us closer.
I’d walk through hell for him. I’d do the same for Harp and Jay.
This is nothing. It’s mildly uncomfortable at worst right now, and there’s a chance it might get tense later if Falcon gets caught looking for the medical ward once we’re inside, but we can handle whatever the night throws at us.
We move toward the double doors that lead into the building.
There’s a guard waiting there, all dressed in black, and with a tablet in one hand.
He looks at us and barks out, “Names.”
“Pack Falcone,” I start, adding, “Shayne, and Johnny.”
I glance at my mate. He shrugs, unbothered by the use of his given name.
He had to use it when he filled out the application to come to this social.
Falcon has been his nickname forever.
He doesn’t let too many people call him Johnny.
The guard runs his finger down the screen of the tablet, before he nods and looks back up at us.
“You’re signed in. The men’s room is to the right on entry to the foyer, and the ballroom is straight ahead.
You’re not permitted access to any other areas of the academy, including the gardens and the front of the property.
If you’ve got to come outside to smoke, you do it within the carpark out here.
Sign out with me or one of the other guards when you’re leaving.
Once you exit the gates, there’s no getting back inside.
And if you’re discovered to be anywhere you shouldn’t be, you’ll be thrown out and blacklisted from all future events. Is that clear?”
I nod slowly, taking it all in before I answer, “It is. Thanks.”
The guard looks from me to Falcon, his gaze hardening.
Falcon stays silent.
My stomach starts to churn.
The urge to explain why he isn’t answering the guard’s question bubbles up, but I force myself to ignore it. I’m probably too anxious to pull off a joke, and anything else would sound suspicious.
The guard stares at Falcon for a beat before he steps to the side.
“You’ll be checked for weapons before you’re given access to the ballroom. If you’ve got anything on you, I’d suggest you declare it now. It’ll save us the hassle of involving the cops.”
They’ll check us for weapons? What the hell?
I stare at him blankly while his suggestion sinks in.
I knew the stuff that used to go on here was bad, but I didn’t think it was that kind of bad.
“Ever since the Frank Palmer incident,” the guard starts, clearly noting my shock. “There’s no such thing as too careful.”
Shit. Right. I forgot about that.
“Of course,” I murmur. “We don’t have any weapons.”
“Weapons include guns, knives, incendiary devices …” he goes on.
“We don’t have any weapons,” Falcon barks at him, before he pushes the door open and stalks into the building’s side entrance foyer.
I follow him inside, not looking back.
If there was any doubt over which of us is the pack’s lead Alpha, Falcon just killed it.
Not that many people would mistake me for holding that position.
I might be an Alpha, but I know I’m not half as intimidating or authoritative as Johnny.
He’s always been bigger and stronger, and he doesn’t care what anyone thinks of him.
I catch up to him halfway across the massive foyer.
There are a few guys ahead of us, being questioned by two guards standing outside the double doors that lead into the ballroom. As we slow to a stop a few feet behind them, I glance around, and I can’t help but think Falcon was right. This place is like a fortress.
There are barricaded exits with guards to either side of the ballroom.
One leads to a staircase, the other to a dark hallway.
I’m careful not to let my gaze linger for too long in any specific spot.
I don’t want the guards to think I’m overly interested in the areas that are off limits.
By the time Falcon and I are moving forward to be seen by the weapon checking guards on the ballroom door, I’m pretty sure my mate isn’t going to get a chance to wander around anywhere he’s not supposed to be, and judging by the scowl on his face, I think he’s already come to the same conclusion.
The guard on the doors looks us over with a derisive sneer, narrowing his eyes at Johnny.
“We’re not carrying any weapons,” Falcon snaps, before the guard can say a word.
It’s an angry growl that sways close to his Alpha command voice, and the second guard jerks back instantly. The first guard doesn’t falter one little bit.
Probably a Delta. Not all Betas are equal. This one has a hint of Alpha energy.
“Then you won’t mind taking your jackets off and handing them over,” he states, holding a hand out, and waiting.
Geez. This guy doesn’t blink.
I take off my jacket and hand it over, while Falcon stares back at the guard as if he’s ready to pick a fight and he’s just waiting for the go signal.
The guard passes my jacket to his friend, who goes through the pockets.
They’re empty so the check he does is over quickly.
Meanwhile, Falcon is making me nervous.
I sigh softly when he takes his jacket off.
He takes his time about it, but he does actually hand it over.
The guard takes his time inspecting the lining, as well as checking the pockets.
He nods when he’s done, not handing it back yet.
“Take out the contents of your pockets and pass them to us. Turn the pockets out.”
Falcon looks at me, and I shrug back at him as I do what I’m told.
My wallet, keys and a pack of gum are in guard number two’s hands a few seconds later.
He flips open my wallet and checks my I.D. before he glances at his boss.
The other guard looks back at him and nods.
Guard two smiles as he passes me everything back. “You’re clear for entry.”
“What, no pat down?” I joke, kind of surprised they aren’t going that far.
His smile turns wry. “Oh, we’re conducting full searches with pat downs, but we have a random algorithm for that. You lucked out this time.”
Thank God for that.
Falcon’s in no mood to put up with any of this shit.
He’s handing over his wallet and keys, but he looks ready to explode with rage.
I silently pray that he can keep it together until we’re inside.
If these guys think he’s volatile, he’ll be deemed a security risk.
That’s the last thing we need.
To be refused entry at the door because Falcon can’t contain the shitty mood a security guard put him in would only make his recent ceaseless agitation worse.
He has to find the girl he rescued tonight.
I don’t see any other solution to resolve how he’s been feeling.
So, I smile as I put my things back into my pockets, and I tell myself everything’s going to be just fine. If Falcon is as certain about this as I think he is, he won’t let himself ruin it.
The guard takes a crazy long time checking through his wallet and examining his keys.
Falcon takes in a deep breath while we wait.
There’s a small line of other Alphas and packs forming behind us now.
When I look back, the guard in charge is passing Falcon his things.
“No trespassing in any areas outside of this hallway, the men’s room and the ballroom.”
He gives Falcon a warning stare.
Falcon stares right back. “We know.”
His tone is a little more even than it was before.
He’s calming down.
“Have a good night,” the second guard says, before he opens the ballroom door at his side.
“Thanks,” I tell him, moving forward.
Falcon follows me silently into the ballroom.
The blast of pop music gets louder as we move through a semi-enclosed little reception area that isn’t being utilized and walk through an open space the size of a double doorway to get to a sort of bar area with tables and chairs scattered across the space.
The lighting is low and kind of moody.
All the dark colors in the room don’t help.
It seems weird that the music is so cheerful, but maybe that’s just me.
This place feels like it should have sombre classical music playing in the background.
The dancefloor beyond the bar looks pretty big, though for now it’s being used as a spot for a group of Omegas to chat, while the DJ on the stage plays upbeat music and dances by himself.
I can’t help but stop and stare.
“This … really isn’t anything like I imagined it would be.”
I glance at Falcon, and he takes me by the arm, moving me off to the side quickly.
I turn and see more Alphas walking in.
Right. We were kind of in the way.
“So?” I ask, as I let my Alpha lead me past a few empty tables, going in the direction of the dancefloor for some unknown reason.
“So?” Falcon echoes in response, stopping to glance at me with one eyebrow raised.
“So, we came all the way out here, and we’ve been warned multiple times about trespassing. Are you really going to try to find this girl anyway?”
I keep my voice low, knowing he can still hear it.
No one else is close enough.
There are maybe a dozen people in the room so far.
The party is barely getting started.
He nods slowly, locking his gaze with mine after a beat.
“I came here for a reason. I’m not leaving until I see her.”