Chapter 5

• ~Foxy~
• The Alpha is glaring at me from the stage with confusion, and I hope not a hint of anger. Or worse; hunger.
• Fuck my life. If he’s dominant, with a bit of feral instinct, I’m as good as wolf lunch.
• While his eyes never leave me, I can see them roam over my body, and his tongue darts across his lips as he sniffs at the air. Something about it seemed almost… sexual. At first, I thought maybe he’s hungry, but when his lip curls at the edge, I know darn well that’s a look of a kinkster.
• Damn, he’s trying to catch my scent. I wonder, does he have a fox fetish? A lot of guys do, and I’d be down with some hot Alpha action. It’s been a while since I’ve been with a guy, and my inner fox has been wanting to scratch that itch.
• Stepping to the microphone, the Alpha’s eyes never leave me as he speaks. “Greetings to the great people of Blue Moon. I’m your new Alpha, Ambrose Crestwood of the Crestwood clan. Over the past months, I have been keeping my ears to the ground to get a feel for what this tribe has to offer.”
• With a raised brow, he makes a point that maybe I’m part of that offer before he goes back to addressing the crowd.
• “I wanted to be the one to let you know what’s been transpiring over the past few months. I’ll keep it short and to the point. Alpha Jones is dead.”
• It takes a moment for it to register with everyone in the room. Before long, I hear echoes in shocked response as the chatter waves across the vast meeting hall space.
• “… Alpha Jones is really dead?” I hear the man next to me ask with a gasp.
• Yeah, genius. That’s what he said.
• The whispers again move around the room, coming in echoes that seem to grow.
• “Yes, I killed him with my own claws. We’ve kept it quiet until I could address my new pack branch on my own. The former Beta was forced to leave town as well, due to his part in the attack on my southern compound. He has been banned for life and anyone who is involved will be dealt with accordingly. They tried to use your warriors to invade my South Florida estate and Jones lost his life as a result. After hearing the stories from your leaders and staff, I think it was well overdue for these men to be out of the place of authority. His crimes against your people were horrendous, and that ends now.”
• I can’t say I disagree. Alpha Jones was evil, and the stories of abuse and assault on women were terrifying, to say the least. Not to mention that he would kill any of us if he so much as thought we looked at him wrong. Even the warriors hated him. He used them as his evil minions when it fit his own selfish agendas. The fat bastard won’t be missed by anyone, I can assure you that.
• As the new Alpha addressed the crowd, I was in awe. This man is a sight to behold, and I think my inner fox thinks she needs a sexy wolf Alpha to finally tame her.
• “As you probably have noticed, we have been making great changes to this tribe’s circle,” he says in a commanding tone. “I may be a ruthless man, but I’m not a deviant. Anyone who has taken part in the former Alpha’s behavior has also been reprimanded. I will not permit my people to take part in any of the destructive nature that I’ve learned he was involved in. This includes his sexual assault on women, using children for slave labor, and crimes against the elderly. I don’t take these things lightly and will not have my people preying on one another for their own selfish gains, like a bunch of wild beasts. We are a community, and we work together.
• Now, as for the business operations. They will remain intact, and we will be making some major changes regarding shipments while making our brick-and-mortar businesses more productive. Even the small hometown shops will begin to turn a profit for our people. Over the coming months, I expect double the income and better community involvement. We will have pay raises for staff coming soon, as I have noticed many of our community workers have been far underpaid. It’s time this tribe reaches its full potential, and I plan to make it happen. Are you with me?”
• The cheer from the crowd is deafening. I am even standing and clapping my hands, forgetting about my sore ankle. My tail is wagging and my ears twitching with excitement at this man’s infectious charisma. This may mean that I can stop stripping at the club if that pay increase happens.
• Heck, I thought the Alpha would be a bigger jerk than Jones. Maybe I was wrong to judge.
• As he scans the crowd again, he narrows his eyes at me. Yikes. Either he doesn’t like the idea of a fox in his den, or he has something going on in that head that I’m not sure I’ll like. Or maybe I will. The look is equally terrifying and sexy.
• Fuck. I think I’m really getting turned on by a wolf.
• Then I remembered something from my birth mother’s journals that were found in the fire: Never trust a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Or in this case, a wolf in an Armani suit.
• “You, there!” he shouts over the crowd. “Who is this girl?”
• Shit. He’s pointing right at me.
• Damon covers the microphone and whispers something to Alpha Ambrose and I watch as his eyes glimmer with interest. Suddenly, everyone in the room is staring at me. Yeah, I’m a freak. Get over it.
• “She can’t shift?” he blurts out loud enough for everyone to hear, and now several of the wolves are laughing at me.
• “Girl. Come up here,” he says as two of his henchmen led me to the stage.
• As I step onto the platform, I look around, finding all eyes on me with a round of snickers. Pulling my tail close, I’m trembling in terror. These men could kill me right here. I’m a lesser being and this shifter wolf may not like a fox in his den. Sure, my body looks like a human, but this tail and ears stand out in a crowd. It’s not like I can hide it.
• Walking across the stage, he takes a good look as he steps around me, inspecting every inch. I feel him take a lock of my red hair, sniffing me. A domination move that makes me shiver.
• “I smell your fear, little one. Are you afraid of me?”
• “Y-y-yes, sir.”
• “Why is a fox in my pack?” he asked with a rumble that bellows across the hall.
• “Oh shit. You’re fucked.” The douche bag who was beside me at the table chuckles, and I give him the side-eye from the stage.
• I’m so screwed.