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I got you a job. $50K per night

“Holy shit, I’ve been trying to reach you for hours! Where the fuck are you?” Anton all but shouted in her ear. Seth wasn’t sure what got to her more - the annoyance or the worry in his voice.

Both of them loved spending wild nights out, but one always stood behind, waiting for the red hour. For them, the red hour was the moment when one had to leave the place.

Seth snuck out of the bedroom and slid into the bathroom. “I had too much wine; stop acting like my mother. I’m in his bathroom, hiding, trying to figure out how the hell I’m going to leave.” She pressed her back against the bathroom door and slid down, sighing in defeat.

“You're driving me crazy. Send me your location; I'm heading for the car.” He grumbled and ended the call before Seth could utter another word.

She definitely didn’t need to be told the same thing twice, so Seth shared a live location with Anton and grabbed everything that looked like it might be hers. Seth considered leaving the shirt behind, but grabbed it on her way out of the room.

Seth bolted down the stairs faster than a bullet, silently hoping that Anton had already arrived. When Seth finally ran out of the apartment building, her eyes instantly scanned the street, looking for the black Mustang. Instead, her eyes fell on the blood-red Camaro, making her curse out loud. “That sneaky, little asshole, driving around the town in my goddamn car!”

As she jumped in the passenger seat, Seth glared at her best friend. His cheeks were slightly flushed and a sly smile was plastered on his lips, which could only mean one thing - he got his hands on someone’s phone number.

“So? Is this one handsome or cute?” Seth asked as she struggled to pull on the seatbelt.

“Hella cute. Holy shit, so cute, I can’t stop thinking about that face. Another damn wolf, of course, but who cares, right? Anyway, what about the candy you enjoyed tonight?” Anton was quick to shake the topic off his case and focus on her adventures.

“Wolf. Just a Beta wolf. Not surprising since those dogs run the town. Nothing big to share.” Seth laughed once Anton understood what she was implying to.

The drive home was quiet and soon, they entered their shared apartment.

“Well, I have some exciting news to share with you,” Anton sang as he opened the door for Seth. “I found you a job, since I have to leave and all. It’s nothing fancy but they are offering an insane amount of money.” A grin spread across his lips.

The money part was what made Seth excited, but that grin was screaming trouble. There had to be a catch somewhere. “But?”

Seth collapsed on the couch and let out a sigh. She felt more comfortable than before.

Seth’s eyes followed Anton as he headed to the kitchen. Their apartment was an open space concept so she could easily see him pour two glasses of wine. Then, he brought them to the living room, took a seat next to Seth and handed her one of the glasses. “I’m sure you’ve heard about the annual Alpha games.” Ah, there it was, the damn catch.

“Who hasn’t? Not sure why they keep on calling the games annual since they rarely happen. Honestly, I don’t understand the purpose behind those games. And to be fair, who, in their right mind, would consider broken joints, dead bodies and aggressive Alphas killing each other a freaking game? They all belong in a looney bin.”

The Alpha games were something like the Olympics for shifters. In reality, it was nothing about comparing one’s abilities over the other’s. No, it was so much worse. All in all, it was an event of slaughter, drinking, and fucking for two weeks. A lot of she-shifters paid a painfully large amount of money to end up among the guests.

“That’s not important. We didn’t invent the game, our ancestors did,” Anton waved her off as if nothing Seth just said was of importance. “Anyway, this year the games are happening near the capital city. The Council hasn’t bothered to announce the official location yet, but it can’t be more than eight hours drive from here.”

Anton appeared too happy. Suspiciously happy. “This year, the most powerful Alphas from all across the globe will attend the games. I mean hundreds of Alphas, if not thousands.”

“How so?” He invoked Seth’s curiosity.

“The King, he’s dying. They need a replacement for the throne, and soon. Some Alphas can have strong pups, yet some turn out to be weaklings. So, the King needs to choose the best of the best as his successor.” Anton took a sip of his wine and placed his glass on the coffee table. “As far as I know, there will be at least five hundred Alphas joining this year. The winner of the games will take the throne and become the next King.”

But before Seth got a chance to question him, Anton spoke again. “Half of those Alphas are unmated. Those will be held in separate buildings, away from female guests. The other half will enjoy the parties with paying guests.”

Seth raised an eyebrow, wondering if he had more details to share with her.

“Seth, you have no idea how much the Council is willing to pay the servers. If you agree to work for them, the old farts will hand you black card by the end of each day. Interested?” Anton rubbed his palms together as excitement oozed from him.

Seth took a moment to observe her best friend. She couldn’t recall the last time she saw him this excited, this happy about something.

“Alright, let’s say I theoretically like how this offer sounds… Tell me how much they are offering. You know me, Anton, I would sweep the streets for money. It doesn’t matter what I have to do for as long as I can earn my keep with my own hands. But this offer, despite how alluring it is, kind of freaks me out.”

Both of them remained silent until Seth decided to add a little more. “Those are Alphas, and not only a few, but hundreds of them. I’m not sure if I’d ever feel safe surrounded by so many assholes at the same time. It’s hard to walk in a straight line when one is around, let alone masses.”

There was a chance that Seth could get over her fear if the money was good. She could work for a while and then just sit back for months. The Council members were wealthier than the King himself; those old farts could manage to pay their servants more than many CEOs earned with their hard work.

“Drum roll, please,” Anton raised an eyebrow at his friend, who just casually rolled her eyes. He didn’t have any other choice but to fake the drum roll himself. “This year, the elders are offering fifty fucking grand per evening service. Isn’t that ridiculous?” Anton laughed, still amazed about how much one would get paid for running after Alphas.

Of course, he knew that most of those men had a bad temper; therefore, he ensured that his friend would hold a server spot for Seth. All she would have to do was bring them refreshments and snacks. How hard could that be?

“Shut up!” Seth gasped, wide-eyed. She couldn’t believe her ears. Who could be dumb enough to offer such money per evening?

“I'm not joking,” Anton spoke in a serious tone.

“Okay, then what's the catch?” She raised an eyebrow skeptically.

“Honestly, I forgot. I don’t think it was anything important, don’t stress about it. So? Are you in?” Anton nearly pleaded with her with his eyes to go for the offer.

Seth sat quietly for a couple of minutes, wondering if taking the risk would be worth it. “Fuck it, all I have to do is give them drinks and food. I don’t need to interact with them and it’s not like I could meet someone I know anyway, right? So, I’m in. Not that anything could go wrong, right?”

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