Chapter Two: The Escape

Keeping my human legs moving as fast as I could, which was faster than most humans by a wide margin. As though death was knocking on my door, my heart pounded. The thought of him coming out of another room with another she-wolf, with what I am sure was sexual pleasure, made me feel sick to my stomach. At the moment, I hate him, but I also find myself extremely attracted to him. The thing about me I hate right now is that I am drawn to a light like a moth to a flame that zaps it to death.

My internship would have been crucial to my graduation requirements from the university next year, which is why it sucks. Unfortunately, I will have to beg my father for an internship, which means I'll have to move back home and travel with him to work. I hate doing this; however, Brock Simmons is a threat to my way of life, and I must do what I can to avoid him.

I am the daughter of an entrepreneur with an international and statewide chain of hotels that are usually only accessible to the very elite. The first two floors of our building will have a monthly weekend sale once a month, allowing those who do not belong to the socially elite crowd to enjoy the elegance and personalized service. During this weekend, many wedding couples reserve their venues. The upper echelons wouldn't be allowed to take advantage of these cheap prices. The word commoner was just another term I used to describe myself as superior. Those attitudes or the attitudes of those who held them irritated me.

To say that my father solely owned the hotel chain is actually inaccurate. Packs are more of a socialist type of society than normal human societies. We run in packs, live closely together. That is the life I grew up with. The money earned from the various businesses is actually what helps the pack to run and to pay for business within the pack. Since our pack is small and we own lots of wealth. We are actually, per wolf, the wealthiest pack in the state.

Since the earlier interviewees had taken up all the parking spaces, I had to get into my car two blocks away. While my car was parked further from the building, my wolf senses sensed a wolf following me. Looking to the back, I thought I saw the beta of the Alpha, from which I had just fled. There's no way I'm taking a chance that the beta I saw ducking into that alley is this one. It seemed easier to hail a cab. If it was Alpha Simmons Beta, he could note my license plate and find me. The idea of letting that happen was not acceptable to me.

It will take me some time to lose the beta, so I plan to take a taxi to the metro, then take the metro back to my car. My hope is that I will be able to ditch him.

In CarolAnn's opinion, wolves like to chase and be chased, and she laughs wholeheartedly. Sometimes she could be a real pain in the neck.

I hail the first cab that pulls up in front of one of my father's many hotels, and push a man out of the way as well. I apologize profusely, “Sorry, so sorry this is an emergency!”

Slamming the taxi door behind me, “Drive!” yelled towards the taxi driver. "Take me to the metro’s main station please. There is a stalker following me."

In fact, he saw the beta following me and looked at me with alarm. His hair was a silver-grey color, and he wore a uniform taxi ball cap, the driver’s face was like a map of lines which I am sure were weathered from his years of stress.

In an empathetic tone, he says, “Hold on miss, I'll get you far away from here, no worries, you're safe with me!” Using an old Irish brogue.

I smiled at him, “Thank you so much sir!”

“No bother to me, miss, I have daughters myself.”

“What is your name sir, if I might ask?”

“Patrick O’Malley mam, that is my name.” Your brogue is heavy, but your diction is superb. I like that.

Patrick O’Malley laughed a deep, hearty guttural laugh. “Yes, indeed mam. Thank you”

I wasn’t going to give a stranger my whole name, no matter how kind he was. However, I did give him my first name.

“Well, Patrick O’Malley, my name is Stephanie, thank you for being my hero.” I smiled then watched the tall buildings whiz by in relief that I had probably ditched the beta, as he would either have to hail a cab to follow us or get his own personal vehicle to continue the chase, and with the way this cab driver weaves in and out of traffic, and taking multiple turns, I doubt many taxi drivers have his skills.

Upon getting out of the taxi, having made it to the metro station. I handed an envelope full of cash to the driver. I originally pulled the cash out of the bank to give to a friend of mine for her birthday so she could go out to a party. There was a thousand dollars in that envelope, and I was now awarding my hero.

Patrick looked into the envelope to be stunned at the ten (one-hundred-dollar bills).

“No, miss Stephanie, I cannot take this! It is too much money!”

I'm not doing this for charity, Mr. O'Malley. It's thanks to you that I'm still alive! The reward is the payment attached to my taxi fee. In case you don't take the money, I'll personally deliver it to the taxi company listed next to your name on that plaque.” I knew myself my life wasn’t in danger. Yes, I was being over dramatic, but with that threat Mr. O’Malley conceded and accepted the money I had offered. Besides, my life would have been negatively affected if I had stayed and let the mate bond control my actions.

“Thank you miss. Well, if you ever need a taxi again, here is my card, miss. Thank-you.”

Poor Mr. O’Malley truly did not know what to say. I leaned in his window after closing the car door and kissed him on the cheek, taking his card for another day. Turning, I headed to the customer service desk to find out what bus I needed to board and left on a very long bus ride back to my car.

Fumbling with my keys, digging them out of my purse, which is more like a suitcase, black leather, with ties and back straps to carry on my back around campus. The only reason it was still classified as a purse, is that this purse was a designer brand my mother purchased, and you could change the back straps to an elegant handle.

It was my mom's habit to shop at weird, expensive shops. If the item was odd, it was a gift. In particular for her kids, and she already has one grandchild. It's possible that my mom read the human bible and took being fruitful and multiply seriously. At the pack hospital birthing facilities, I always wondered if my father kept a special floor for my mom. Of course, I'm just kidding, but she had pupped every year. When my uncle told my dad to stay off of my mom, my dad pinched her rear-end and said he couldn't resist such a beautiful woman. Arghhh, that's not what anyone wants to hear from their parents. As soon as my friends ask how they met, I try to stop them right there. My parents aren't afraid to talk about their sexual feelings. I have been scarred for life by not wanting to see that visually.

Tonight, begrudgingly with my tail between my legs, I am going to beg my father for an internship, and he will have conditions. Those conditions are what I fear. They are never to my liking.

Upon walking into the room, I found a table that seats twenty, and what looked like a conference table was actually our dinner table, with friends, family, a grandchild, and, of course, my father and mother standing next to one another.

Both of my parents, well, everyone looked shocked to see me. This was not my once-a-month visit. My shoulders shrug, I smile and ask "Well, what will there be for dinner? I missed you all." I know I was laying the niceness on thick. A girl has to do what a girl has to do when she needs an internship.

There is something wonderful about this internship: it will be 75 miles away from Alpha Brock. My heart is bursting with joy.