Chapter 9
Limmediately made up my mind.
The baby reminded me, not only, of my mother but of my childhood.
My mother would often skip dates she was asked on in order to watch the kids she was hired to take care of. It wasn’t until thirteen that I finally noticed how lonely my mother was. So I told her I’d watch the kids for a few hours while she got ready and went out. I’d spent my nights holding diapers and feeding bottles while my mom sifted through dickwad after dickwad.
It wasn’t until Isaac that she finally came home happy. She blushed when I asked her how it was. That kind of joy was the reason I kept watching after the kids. I’d picked up a few skills myself and managed to turn out as a pretty good.
care taker. Còntens bel0ngs to Nô(v)elDr/a/ma.Org
Plus, I had lived the life of an Untouchable for only a few hours and it was so brutal. I couldn’t how those people spent their entire schooling in that dingy cave. I wanted FA and Peacey to live lives without the constraints of the Untouchables. I wanted to know their real names, learn their aspirations. They deserved that kind of peace on campus. It was wolf rights,
I looked back up at the brothers, whipping me out of my memories and thoughts. They all looked varying degrees of angry and cautious. They all were rippling muscles and violent stares. It immediately made me wary. What was I getting myself into?
“Why should I trust you?” I ask.
“Because I’ll give you my word,” Neil says.
Archer immediately flinches. I furrow my brows in confusion. He gives me a look before sighing and rolling his eyes. “The word of Alpha is their rule.” he says. “It is one of the Five Alpha Tenants to honor their word.”
“Five Alpha whats?” I say, completely confused. “I don’t know what that means. In my world, verbal agreements mean nothing. They’re the easiest to break.”
Archer scoffs. “Of course you’d dishonor the word of an Alpha. None of the lower packs follow the Tenants. Clearly,
yours was one of them.”
“Are you sure this isn’t some snotty upper class bullshit?” I throw back.
“It’s written in the tomes of the Great Alpha,” Archer says. “How snotty does that sound?”
I have nothing more to say to that. Everyone knows the Great Alpha. In his tomes are the stories of how werewolves came to be. How we all were created and placed down on this Godsforsaken planet. Each of the three Gods gave us one of their powers and created werewolf kind. It’s a story every werewolf knows. Clearly, some were taught more
than others.
“So, will you?” Beau chimes in. I can sense his annoyance at our bickering. Archer also seems to be pretty annoyed but I don’t care either. “The offer doesn’t last forever. We need an answer now.”
“I don’t know…” I start.
“Well know,” Archer snaps. “We’ll make a written agreement if it truly means that much to you. But Neil’s word is enough of a contract as a flimsy piece of paper.”
I nod tersely. “I want it written. Once it’s completed then I’ll make my final decision.”
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Chapter
“I can start it,” Steven says, “Til get it down on my phone and then I can send everyone copies once it’s signed.”
“Fine,” Archer groans. This is ridiculous.”
Steven immediately launches into a bunch of jargon that I don’t understand. Archer spits corrections at him and Steven tentatively makes the switch. All the while, Neil translates into plain speak for me.
“You agree to live inside our pyramid for the duration of your job,” Neil says at one point.
“Woah, woah, woah!” I cut him off. “I need more on that. Do I have a room? Is it locked? Do you have keys?”
“What, you worried you might find up with a Hayes in your bed?” Beau smirks. “You’re not bad on the eyes, Princess, but we have far lovelier ladies to take to bed than a former Untouchable.”
Archer and Wyatt snicker. I scowl at them and point to Steven. “I want that as a clause. No nonconsensual sexual encounters. Or encounters of any kind!”
“Oh, be serious,” Archer hisses. I look him in the eyes and muster all the rage I can into my voice and my eyes.
“I am. Deadly.”
Archer narrows his eyes. He looks back at Steven and motions for Steven to add the clause into the contract. A few other clauses get added to the contract. I have three months to watch Mia. After which, I am to have no contact with her. It’s just until they can secure a lady of “noble taste” to come watch her. I try and stille a snort at that line but it comes out anyways. I can see Wyatt shaking his head at me from behind Beau.
The last clause deals with my reward. It states that after the three months, the Untouchables will all be released from the Cave. They will be given the right to use their names again, their own dorm rooms and be allowed to use any of the extra facilities on campus. They will be allowed to live like they’d never been Untouchables. I was included in the deal as long as I complied. If I broke the contract in any way, I’d be punished more severally than I had when I was an Untouchable.
“And,” Archer adds. The Untouchables will be punished as well.”
“What?” I snap my head towards him. He’s wearing a smug grin. “They don’t have any part in the contract.”
They didn’t,” Archer
understand, don’t Is his head. He smile becomes more sinister. “Until you brought them in. Liability. You
I almost break the skin of my tongue as I fight to keep my words in. Archer just continues to smile at me with that villainous look on his face. I want to punch his teeth in. I ball my hands into fists and look back at Neil. He’s waiting for some kind of response from me.
“Fine,” I grit out. “If I break the contract, me and the Untouchables are punished. If I fulfill the contract, we all go free.” “Done,” Steven says. He holds his phone towards me and points to a box with an “X” in the corner. “Sign here.”
“You first,” I throw back.
Archer mumbles something unintelligible under his breath and rips the phone from Stevens lands. He scribbles away with his index finger before slapping it against Beau’s chest. Beau takes his time signing, drawing swirls on the phone. Neil signs it next, quick and concise. Steven signs it last and hands it back to me.
The line and the “X” look at me like the Devil looks at sinners going down to hell, It knows I’m about to sign my soul to some sort of force that I know little to nothing about. I try to imagine a peaceful experience at the pyramid. All I see in my head is chaos and anger. Mia cries through all of it. I close my eyes.
I have to be good for her. Something about this baby is special and a deep pit inside me knows it. Without a second
10
Chapt
guess. I scribble my name on the line. The phone bleeps and blinks green. I hand it back to Steven. He says it’s being sent to my email as we speak
1 look up at the four of them. I’ve just transferred to a new school, and somehow, I’m the nanny for the kid of four Alphas, Four Alphas that could be the biggest assholes on the planet.