CLAIMED BY MY HOCKEY ALPHAS

CHAPTER 6 - WRONG PARTY

AMBER

I stared hard at Jamie, my insides boiling with irritation and panic. They had played me into a very tight corner. And they knew it.

The smirks on their faces was clearly an indication of their amusement. This was my life and reputation on the line but for them, it was all fun.

“So what’s it going to be, Amber?” Zac asked, his eyes glowing even brighter with amusement .

It was almost as if he knew what I was going to say. Like I had no other choice…

It was clearly one of those instances where the only options were, a yes or a yes.

So they were certain that I would fall right back into their trap. But they were wrong.

“Fine, but I still want out.” I hissed, lifting my chin in defiance. “I’ll pay for the gifts.”

The amusement on their faces shifted into a gray state, like they were battling with keeping their emotions locked.

Ethan blinked. “You will pay us sixty grand… in cash… right now ?”

“I don’t have it now,” I shot back, “but I’ll work my butt off until I do. I’ll flip burgers, scrub toilets, clean gum off sidewalks— whatever it takes. But I’ll pay you guys off. I am not doing this… with you.”

Toby suddenly laughed. “Are you that desperate to get away from us, love?”

“You have no idea,” I muttered under my breath as I shook with rage.

Zac stepped closer, his smirk curving like the devil’s signature. “You’re cute when you’re furious… I like that.”

I rolled my eyes so hard they nearly fell out of my head. “And you’re annoying when you breathe… I don’t like that.”

He ignored that and casually said; “Anyway, get ready tonight. We’re throwing a party.”

My anger was suddenly hit with a wave of confusion as I glared at him. “A party… For what?”

“Our victory at the games,” Toby answered smoothly, “and our grand entrance into Greenfield High.”

“You’re throwing a party… for getting into school, who does that?” I asked with genuine confusion.

What was wrong with these boys?

Zac shrugged. “There is never a wrong reason to hold a party.”

I scoffed. “I have better things to do than attend your stupid party.”

I turned to walk off, ready to immerse myself in textbooks. But before I could take two steps, a hand suddenly grabbed mine.

“Not so fast, Amber,” Ethan said. “You are still our girlfriend, or have you forgotten that?”

My shoulders abruptly tensed. “I am your Fake. Girlfriend. Not the real one.”

“Still counts,” Toby added from behind me. “You’ll be there tonight. And that’s not a request.”

My eyes shot at him. I wanted to protest but Ethan beat me to it.

“You haven’t paid us the money you owe yet.” He suddenly blurted. “And that means you still have to show up at the party as our sweet girl…”

My heart burned with rage and all I wanted to do was scream. Yet I couldn’t even afford to do that.

In the end, they won.

“Sure. That won’t be a problem. I’ll attend your stupid party,” I muttered through my teeth.

And without waiting for their response, I yanked my hand free and stormed off while fighting the urge to scream into the sky like I had gone feral.

The guts and audacity they had to think they could play with my life like this!

I was fuming by the time I got back to Stephanie. And one look at me, she frowned.

“What happened now?”

“You happened!” I snapped. “Stephanie, why didn’t you just let me drown my pain in alcohol only?

She blinked. “You are still mad about that?”

“Do I look like I’m over it, Stephanie?! I signed a contract with those boys and they are not going to leave me alone! Not for a year!!”

She winced. “Holy s**t!” Her eyes wide in shock.

I went on to tell her everything that happened between me and them, and what they currently wanted me to do.

Silence fell between us, as she thought about my words. Stephanie tilted her head and said something that made my stomach flip.

“Why you, though?”

I shook my head slowly as I sank into the chair next to her.. “I don’t know…”

“They’re rich; handsome; skilled arrogant gods with six-pack abs and a fanbase the size of a kingdom. They could literally have any girl. So… why are they fake-dating you?”

My mouth opened and closed as her words hit me. “…I’ve been asking myself the same thing.”

“They rejected you at first, right?”

“They said I wasn’t their type,” I muttered almost to myself. “Then a minute later they were offering contracts and acting like I was the last cookie on earth.”

Stephanie folded her arms and shook her head like the mystery just got solved. “Something’s off and you need to figure out what they really want from you.”

My stomach twisted. “What… you want me to spy on them now?”

“Study them. Watch how they act when they think you’re not looking. There’s a reason they picked you, Amber. Find it.”

********

When I got home later that day, I still couldn’t take out Stephanie’s words from my mind.

She was right about the Everdale boys. The boys didn’t do anything without a reason.

It definitely meant if they were keeping me around, they wanted something.

I just had to find out what.

But first... I had to survive their cursed party.

As expected, they sent a stupidly expensive car to pick me up. And a stylist. Again.

“Do you really need so many bags just to get me ready for one night?” I asked, eyeing the three large suitcases she dragged into my room.

“You’re their girlfriend,” she said with a wink. “You have to look the part.”

Yeah… right.

I wanted to scream. Instead, I settled for glaring at her pink hair and trying not to pass out from anxiety.

She started dressing me up and when she was done, I didn’t even bother looking at the mirror. I knew I looked good… but for what?

To please four arrogant boys who probably wanted my life?

“The driver is outside, you can head out. I’ll finish up here.” The girl said and my body just took on work mode without question.

Like some robot, I went on to join the driver and in no time we pulled up to a mansion.

Yes, a bloody mansion!

The Everdale boys were renting a mansion like it was a casual Airbnb space!

Holy goddess!

No wonder they wanted to throw a party, they had so much money they searched for ways to waste it away—

‘Yet they wanted me to pay back a whole sixty grand,’ a voice hissed in my head.

They could ignore the money or just pretend to throw it away like they were doing now, but no. They clearly wanted to control me…

As I stepped out of the car, I braced myself for loud music and probably the most irritating night of my life.

But what I got instead was… silence.

The large compound was literally empty. There were no cars; no dancing girls in bikinis; no drunk boys… nothing.

My pulse instantly quickened as my steps became slower.

What sort of a party was this?

I continued heading forward and got just the same welcome. Silence.

“Hello?” I called out, as I finally got through the large doors. “Zac? Jamie?”

But there was no answer… except—

I paused and listened carefully, aside my racing heart, there was soft music coming from somewhere in the house.

Following the music through the hall and up the stairs, I began calling again.

“Toby? Jamie?”

Every creak of the floorboards made my nerves spike as I carefully made my way to the top floor.

But there was still nothing… until I reached the large master bedroom.

“Holy goddess!”

I instantly forgot how to breathe.

There they were.

All four of them were lounging in the bed, shirtless…

Half naked and ridiculously enchanting like they were posing for some demon underwear.

Zac caught my eye first and grinned, slow and sinful.

“We were starting to think you wouldn’t come…”