Chapter 7

Quickly, I make my way through the club, praying that the alphas around me can't smell the sex on me, but who am I kidding, alphas' noses are like bloodhounds. And to prove my point, as I walk past a group of them, all of their heads turn my way.

A blush creeps onto my cheeks as I search the crowd for Leisha. I find her over by the stage and rush over. "Hey, I need a favor from you," I tell her, a little out of breath.

"What's up?" she asks, looking me over and then behind me like I'm in trouble.

"I need to go take a quick shower before I come back and finish my shift, but I can't come back until Calvin is gone."

"Why? Is everything okay?" her face grows hard. "Did he hurt you?"

"No. No, nothing like that." I shake my head. "He's just been a little bit more... clingy than normal? And you know I'm not for that."

"Ah, okay." She nods. "Say no more. Go shower, and I'll text you when he leaves."

"Thank you. You"re the best." I turn around and speed walk toward the stairs that lead down to the basement apartments, not making any eye contact with any of the people around me.

Calvin came into the club like he typically does. He shot me a sexy grin when he spotted me serving another client their drinks. I gave one back, and he went to play cards.

After he was done gambling for the night while having a few drinks, he came and found me. We went upstairs and had sex. It was good—better than good, it was amazing. I had a few orgasms, worked out my stress, and I'm good to go for another few weeks... or months even.

But as I went to leave, he did something he's never done. He asked me to stay and cuddle. I've never done that. Ever. That was the first red flag that went up. Then he started talking about how he wished he could come by more often, how much he missed me, and that I should take some time off work to fly out to see him.

He went on and on about me spending a week with him, during which he would spoil me and give me everything an omega like me deserves.

That"s when the warning bells started going off in my head, and I needed to get the hell out of there. I excused myself to the bathroom, cleaned up the best I could, and then lied, saying Leisha needed me downstairs.

Now, as I shower off the remains of the sex we just had, I pray like crazy that he's gone by the time I'm done. He's not one to linger, so I'm hoping luck is on my side.

Not having time to dry and style my hair, I throw it up in a bun so it won't get wet and make sure to scrub my body well.

After I'm done, I change into a different black dress similar to the one I had on before, touch up my makeup, and fix up my hair a bit.

My phone buzzes, and I look down to see that Leisha texted me the coast is clear. I sigh in relief, looking at myself in the mirror.

"Who are you?" I ask myself. I've changed so much in the past four years. I'm not the same kid I was in that foster home. But I didn't think I'd ever become the person I am now.

It's not that I hate who I am. I'm a pretty private person; I don't trust many, and I'm always on guard.

And sometimes it becomes too much. Sometimes, I just want to relax and let loose. To have fun. To laugh and smile. And most of all, I want to travel the world. Or at least the country.

It's not that I can't do that; we're allowed to take vacation time, and I have more than enough money to fund it. It's that I don't want to go alone. As fun as it would be to experience these things, I want someone to experience them with.

But being so afraid of getting hurt again, I've closed myself off to everyone around me, making that impossible for myself.

I was just offered the chance and turned it down because I also don't want to do these things with strings attached. If I said yes to Calvin, he's going to think we're something more than what we actually are.

Calvin seems like a good alpha. He's good looking, has money and his life together. He could probably give me the life I once dreamed of.

The only thing is that the life I once dreamed of was meant to be with other alphas. Maybe I should stop letting the past get in the way of my future.

Giving myself a once over, I grab my alpha blocker nasal spray, taking a hit before I head back up to the main part of the club.

It's the only thing that allows me to do this job with a level head. The mix of tempting alpha pheromones when I first started working here had me flustered all the time, meaning I was always horny. And it made it very hard not to slick myself and drive alphas into a rut.

Unfortunately, I'm just a very sensitive omega. The smell of an alpha or their touch affects me instantly.

I've been using the spray for years and haven't smelled an alpha in just as long. The spray is a miracle worker.

"Hey," I greet Leisha when I find her over by the bar.

"Everything good?"

"Yup. All cleaned and ready to finish my shift."

"Good." She nods. "Also, someone was looking for you, and it wasn't Calvin."

My whole body freezes, my heart pounding in my chest. Was it Charles? Did he find me after all these years?

"What did he look like?" I ask, trying hard to keep the tremble of fear out of my voice. I haven't been this shaken up in a long time.

"It was two people, actually. Two guys. Young, tall, covered in tattoos. Fine as hell." She grins. "They asked about you; I told them nothing, then they went somewhere in the club." She shrugs.

My brows furrow in confusion. Not Charles, thank God. But who? I don't know anyone who doesn't work for the club and that description doesn't fit anyone who frequents here.

"They didn't give you a name?"

"Nope." She shrugs again. "I'm sure they're still around here. They're new clients, it's their first night here. Boss gave them the go ahead, so I guess they can't be too bad. Just wanted to give you a heads up."

"Thanks." I take in a steadying breath.

I go back to work, bringing drinks to a few different tables, when Elena stops me. "Hey, Jade. I was told that VIP one is asking for you."

"Really?" My brows go up. I never get requested.

"Yup." She smiles, knowing that being requested means good tips.

"Thanks," I tell her before bringing the tray back to the bar.

"All good?" Glade asks as she takes the tray from me.

"I think?" I laugh. "I don't know, girl. It's been a night."

"I feel you," she chuckles.

Leaving her, I head over to the VIP section located on the left side of the club, nestled back and away from everyone else.

When I get to the VIP area, I slip on my best smile and approach the door. Walking through it, I say, "Hello. My name is Jade, I'm your server for the night. What can I get you started with?"

The smile on my face drops as I gape in shocked horror. Three heads snap over in my direction, three sets of eyes that have haunted my dreams for far too many years.

"Jade," Everett whispers, his brown eyes wide like he can't believe what he's seeing. He looks different now, all grown up. His baby face has hardened a little bit, but he still has the shaggy black hair. Only now, he's covered in tattoos.

I continue to blink, screaming at myself within my head to move, to run, to get the fuck out of here, but all I'm able to fucking do is gape at them like a fish.

"Holy fuck, it's really her," Griffin chokes, getting to his feet. My eyes go to his. He's changed, too. His skin is covered in tattoos just like Everett's, but his hair is shorter on the sides and longer at the top.

As he steps forward, my body kickstarts and allows me to step back.

"W-what..." is all I can get out. I was going to ask what they're doing here, but it doesn't matter.

I need to get out of here. I don't want to see them. Not now, not ever. Not after what they did to me.

"Jade, wait!" This voice is lower, huskier. Zane. The boy who said he loved me and then never came back for me.

I don't stop. I run through the club, heart racing fast, head dizzy. I feel like I'm going to be sick. The back of my eyes sting, tears threatening to break free.

This can't be real. This can't be happening. They're not here. Anyone but them.

"Jade, please, talk to us!" Zane wraps his hand around my arm, pulling me to a stop. I gasp as he spins me toward him and into his arms.

Wide, frantic eyes find his hazel ones as he stares down at me, chest heaving. "Trouble..." he whispers like he's just realizing what he's seeing is real. "It really is you."

Zane has changed the most, even though he has the same dark brown hair, styled the same way as it was before. But that's all that is the same. Now, he has tattoos on his face. Normally, I don't like the look of them, but on him? Fucking hell, he looks good.

No. No, he doesn't. I hate him. I hate all of them.

"Let go of me," I snarl, my body ready to go into survival mode.

"Please," he pleas desperately. "Talk to us."

"Get your hands off the omega." I could cry with relief as Roger grabs Zane's hand, gripping it hard enough to make Zane shout out in pain, forcing him to let go of me. I stumble back behind Roger as I suck in shuddering breaths.

"Thank you," I tell him as he shoves Zane back.

"I got this, Jade. You go upstairs."

"O-okay." I nod, on the verge of a mental breakdown.

Somehow, I'm able to stagger my way over to the stairs. When I get to the first step, I look one last time, needing to make sure they're really here.

When I do, I see three broken faces, three sets of eyes begging me. And my heart shatters again, three times over.

Ripping my eyes away from them, I run upstairs and down the hall to the break room. When I burst into the room, Leisha jumps up from the couch where she was taking her break.

"Jade, what"s wrong?"

I stumble over to the couch and collapse onto it. Everything I've been holding in comes shooting to the surface. Years of suppressing my feelings for the guys, years of pretending they're not these famous rock stars, fucking and drinking their way through life. Years of telling myself they never loved me, never wanted me, and I was better off without them.

I made myself hate them, told myself I didn't care.

But if I don't, then why are deep, gut-wrenching sobs spilling from me right now?

"Jade, you're freaking me out," Leisha comments.

"It's them," I cry out.

"Them who?"

"The guys I told you about," I sob. "It's them."

She blinks at me, confused, and then she curses. "Shit, babe. I'm so sorry. I didn't know."

She holds me as I break for the first time in years. At the end of the day I'm human, and as much as I try to hold everything in, acting like I'm this hard person with a shield no one can break, I'm wrong. Because the three people who have always been able to pierce it, have just come crashing back into my life.

Maybe I can go to sleep, and when I wake up, this will all be a dream. Maybe the universe will be on my side, just this once.

Maybe. Maybe. Maybe.

But let"s be real. Life doesn't work that way, and my life is about to turn upside-down. I'm just not sure I'm going to be able to survive it.