The Beta
thirty-seven
*MARTIN*
When the first girls start giving lap dances, I start to be aware of what this place truly is. “Awesome, huh?” Luis grins, drowsily waving at one of the girls. He reaches out for her and grabs her onto his lap, his hand moving somewhere under the table.
The woman looks uncomfortable and helpless. I ball my hands into fists under the table, my nails digging deep into my flesh to stop me from getting up and helping her. Is this here a place where Jordan’s favorite friends and allies can have fun?
Without any consequences?
“Not every night is hot chick night,” Luis explains.
“Man, you really are shitfaced already,” Jonah snarls.
“It’s okay, Jonah,” Clemmens says. “We brought Martin to this place; we might as well tell him what it is. Like Luis said, it’s… well… you can see what it is, on most nights. On Fridays and Mondays, however, it's a casino.”
So, that’s how Jordan is doing it.
“I have heard about a casino,” I admit. “I just wasn’t sure if it was a rumor or not.”
“Do you still think it’s a rumor?” Jonah asks with a smirk. Seems like he is starting to warm towards me, fortunately.
“Obviously, it isn’t,” I chuckle, waving at one of the girls. “The next round is on me.”
“And the next on me,” Luis exclaims, finally letting go of the girl who staggers away immediately. Seems like the potential drinks caught his attention over her.
“Then it seems like the one after is mine,” Jonah says.
“You guys will be so plastered tomorrow,” Clemmens says.
The other two just laugh while I carefully scan his face. He looks serious, more so than any of the other guys around Jordan. The luna has told us about him. He was a good friend of her cousin and her family originally, even of her, but then joined Jordan in his ranks.
He was the one who held her when Jordan cut their bond.
No matter his excuse, this guy is a backstabbing asshole.
He did not fulfill his role as beta at all.
It’s not his job to serve the alpha unconditionally.
While it’s his job to support his alpha and to be at his side, have his back, and be the second in command.
It’s his role to step up when the alpha dies, or when something happens to him, but also when he fucks up.
Clemmens did not fulfill his oath to the pack.
But my own antipathy to him is no use here. I need to get him to open up. “So, how can one join the casino?” I ask.
Clemmens looks at me for a long while. “What would you do if someone heard what you said earlier today? About your alpha and your pack?”
“How would you know?” I retort, smirking at him. “You weren’t there.”
Jonah chuckles. “You are sharp, even when you have had a few drinks.”
Clemmens evades my question and repeats his own. “So, what would you do?”
I fold my fingers and look him in the eye. I am of the same rank as he is. It’s not the time to be weak. “It would mean there was no going back,” I say. “And I don’t care.”
Clemmens leans back, folding his arms. “I guess the fourth round of drinks is on me then.”
Fuck yes, I did it!
While we drink throughout the evening, I take care not to have too much.
I pretend to drink with them, while secretly getting rid of some contents of my glass when they aren’t watching.
Luis was already wasted when we arrived; now he is barely standing anymore.
Jonah disappeared after a while, and I see him talking to one of the girls.
He has his arm around her all of a sudden and hands a serious-looking guy in a suit an envelope, before leading the girl towards a door that leads upstairs.
Soon afterward, another man disappears upstairs with one of the girls. He also hands the bouncer something that looks like… money.
“What’s up there?” I ask curiously.
“That’s a secret for the next time,” Clemmens says. He is slurring his words by now, and I focus back on him.
I order another round of drinks for us and then another. Once he finishes the last glass, Clemmens drops his head down, resting his forehead against his arms.
“Are you okay?” I laugh.
“Hm…” he mutters. “Rory.”
“Rory?” The name rings an alarm bell immediately. Rory?! As in Luna Rose’s cousin?
“I am sorry, Rory,” he mutters. “Why are you not here anymore… Everything sucks…” His voice trails off, and he blabs some more about Rory and how he misses him, and then he says something that alerts me even more. “Where are you, Rory? Please come back.”
Wait a moment… Isn’t the man supposed to be dead?! Sure, they made it look like he disappeared, but Luna Rose is convinced they got rid of him. She told us how painful it was for her not to know what happened to him.
Maybe…
Could it be possible?
I don’t manage to extract more info from Clemmens. He is too drunk to talk. Eventually, Jonah returns, a little more sober than most of the others. He laughs when he sees us. “Sorry, it seems you were stuck babysitting, huh?”
I grin. “No problem. Next time you will be the babysitter, though.”
Jonah snorts. “Yeah. Beta Clemmens usually can drink a lot, but he has been really stressed. The former luna appearing again must have been a crazy occurrence for him.”
“I can only imagine,” I say.
“Sorry,” Jonah says. “We were supposed to show you a little more of this place, but…”
“Oh, really?”
“Yes, why hide it now?” Jonah shrugs. “Alpha Jordan is interested in having you join the club. So, what do you think?”
I smile at him, sipping my drink. “Like I said earlier: No going back now.”
Jonah smirks at my words, nodding contentedly.
It’s 4:30 a.m. when I finally return to the pack. Jonah eventually managed to wake Clemmens up and had him drink some water. The guy was still wasted, but not as gone as when he muttered something about Rory.
As for me, I color the night a vast success. I promised my alpha and luna not to disappoint them, and I am so relieved I managed to get somewhere. However, first I need to talk to someone else.
Are you up already?
If I weren’t up, I would be now! Griffin’s disgruntled voice reaches me.
Where are you? At your place?
No, at Elder Francis’ place. Is it important?
It is.
Then meet me there, he says. But be careful not to be seen. That’s why I am here so early in the morning.
Right. They must be working on the task Luna Rose handed them. I do as he said, using the more narrow, secluded path to Dr. Francis’ place, instead of walking through the center of the pack. Once there, Griffin opens the door before I can even knock.
“You are really annoying,” he complains. “Normal people would just send a message instead of linking someone in the middle of the night.”
“Don’t be such a princess,” I grin.
Griffin glares. “Who are you calling a princess? Are you drunk?”
“A little,” I say. “But I have news that can’t wait.”
Griffin leads me further into the house to the living room, where Dr. Francis is watching us curiously. “We have a fun little gathering now, huh?” he says with a smile.
“I am sorry for coming by unannounced,” I say.
“Don’t worry, boy. What happened?”
“Rory Allistair,” I say promptly.
“Huh?” At that, I certainly have Griffin’s interest while Dr. Francis eyes me curiously.
“Who is that?” he asks.
“He is Luna Rose’s cousin,” Griffin says. “She asked me to look into his disappearance. We just put priority on researching the late alpha couple’s death, so I haven’t mentioned him yet.”
“I met with some betas and warriors tonight,” I tell them.
“Yeah, I know,” Griffin grins. “I was part of the scheming and planning. You really are drunk, dude!”
“Sorry, I had to keep up the pretense, so had more than usual.”
“Wait a moment,” Dr. Francis says, getting up and rummaging in one of his cupboards. Then he is back with a glass of water and a pill. “Take this and drink the water. It’s good against any hangover that might hit you and will clear your mind a little.”
“Thank you.” I swallow the pill and empty the glass before turning my attention back to the two men. “It went well,” I say.
“It must have if you only returned now,” Griffin muses.
“I kissed up to Luis and Jonah—"
“Jonah?”
“A warrior from Jordan’s pack, and clearly one of his trusted men. I’ll bet he was there to spy on me. Believe me, I kissed so much ass, I might have just licked at it and pushed my tongue—"
Dr. Francis smacks the back of my head while Griffin just laughs. “Dude, I love it when you are drunk.”
“Sorry.” I rub the back of my head, looking at Dr. Francis apologetically. “What I was saying…”
“You kissed up to them,” Griffin says.
“I think I did well,” I say.
“You think?”
“No. I am certain I did well, because guess what… Once most of the guys hooked up with random girls, Jonah dragged me and Luis to another bar. Luis was wasted already, but Jonah… he was sober, completely sober. I bet he was there to take a good look at me. And I must have been pretty convincing. I shit-talked Forest, but tried not to overdo it. You know… be more frustrated and angry, and all that.”
“Good!” Dr. Francis says. “It would not have been believable had you insulted him immediately.”
“The bar that Jonah took us to…” I take a breath, waiting to have their attention on me. Griffin gives me an annoyed glance while Dr. Francis looks mildly amused.
“Yes?” Griffin prompts.
“It belongs to Jordan. It’s a strip club. At least today it was.”
At that, I have their immediate interest. Both men stare at me in surprise. “What?” Dr. Francis asks.
“Yeah, I was surprised, too. And Beta Clemmens was there; he wanted to meet us. If I had to take a bet, I’d say Jonah was there to check me out first, then gave his okay to either Clemmens or Jordan, and Clemmens was sent.
I am also sure Jonah recorded me while I was shit-talking Alpha Forest. It’s just a feeling, though I have no proof. ”
“That would make sense,” Dr. Francis agrees.
“And then?”
“They showed me the bar, and we spent the rest of the night there. The thing is… Guys… I am not entirely sure, but I still would bet on it—"
“Dude,” Griffin groans. “You are rambling again.
“Sorry,“ I grin. “It definitely was a strip club, but there is more to it. Guys kept hooking up with some of the girls, and then they would disappear into an upstairs area. I swear I saw one guy paying one of the bouncers in cash. There were also only shifters visiting this place.”
Griffin stares at me, mouth open. “It’s a brothel,” he mutters.
“That’s what I think.”
“Martin,” Dr. Francis says earnestly. “I appreciate you seeking us out immediately. But you should have contacted the alpha first and—"
“No. I… I don’t want to raise their hopes, or rather the luna’s, and wanted to talk to you first,” I admit.
“You mentioned Rory,” Griffin says quietly. “What happened?”
I tell him about Clemmens and how drunk he was, and what he blabbed to me. “They never found a body,” I say. “If the guy is anything like his cousin, like Rose, then…”
“He made a run for it,” Dr. Francis says. “By the goddess… it is a possibility.”
“Rose said he was her only support. I bet Jordan wanted to get rid of him,” I conclude.
“But why did he remain hidden?” Griffin asks.
“We can’t underestimate Jordan and his power,” Dr. Francis explains.
“If Rory is alive, I am sure he is remaining hidden and trying to get as much intel on Jordan as possible. The thing is, he might not have been as mentally prepared as the luna was. Let’s not forget that Rose was planning her exit. Rory probably didn’t.”
“And he probably also didn’t meet an ally like she did,” Griffin concludes.
“Now that Rose has made her public appearance at Forest’s side, and everyone knows who she is… maybe…” Dr. Francis’ voice trails off. “Maybe we can get him out of hiding. This is a task for me and Alpha Leonard,” he says. “Let us dig a little.”
“The luna mentioned a friend in her old pack. Rory’s friend, to be precise,” Griffin says. “She helped her… she watched out for her…”
“I was thinking the same,” Dr. Francis says. “Maybe she knows more. It’s time to dig deeper. I’ll wager Betty can be of help here. Leave it to Griffin and me, Martin. You need to focus on getting closer to Clemmens, and with that, also closer to Jordan.”
I nod, slowly feeling the pill Dr. Francis handed me, sobering up a little. “Was it right to have told you two first?”
“There is no right or wrong,” Dr. Francis says. “But maybe we should research Rory in secret. Luna Rose does not need to have her hopes lifted, just to have them smashed again.”
“That’s what I was thinking,” I say quietly.
“Everything else, you need to tell them,” Griffin says, his eyes glossing over.
“Of course I will,“ I pause. “Wait, are you linking Alpha Forest now?”
“Yeah,” Griffin grins. “Drink some more water and maybe have something to eat; it will be a long morning for you.”