ALPHA'S PREY

CHAPTER SIX: CONTRACT MARRIAGE

By the time Kathy arrived home, it was nearly dawn. The early morning breeze had grown colder, slipping through the open window and pulling the curtains up and down like ghostly hands.

Her small bungalow stood quietly under the pale light of the streetlamp, but the porch light she thought she had turned off before leaving yesterday was on.

She froze on the spot, with a confused expression on her face. She was certain she switched it off last night. Now, seeing it flickering above her, made her heart skip. She knew what it meant.

Her mother was awake. Probably waiting to shame her again with the usual sermon about her sinful lifestyle and about how stripping was a one-way ticket to hell.

But why did she wake this early? With her heart condition, she shouldn't even be out of bed.

Kathy sighed, her bones heavy with fatigue. Tonight was the worst night ever.

She missed the perverted client she was supposed to scam money from to treat her sick mother and, along the way, also saved her friend from a monster's hand. Now she had to face her mother's judgmental attitude alone. Again.

So tiring.

Bracing herself as if preparing for battle, she walked towards the front door. Without knocking, she quietly opened the door and stepped in. The house was dark and quiet, except for the soft rustle of paper.

Kathy stood at the foot of the stairs, her eyes drifting towards her mother sitting in the living room. The older woman was hunched beneath the soft glow of a lamp, reading what looked like... contract papers?

Where did she get those?

Kathy frowned.

Her mother didn't have a job, and she wasn't involved in any business because of her heart condition. What the hell was she doing, reading contracts at four in the morning? Had she gone out in the middle of the night looking for work?

She started walking towards her, but the chill on her bare skin made her pause. She was still wearing a bikini. No way was she letting her mother see her like this. Quietly, she turned and tiptoed towards the stairs.

But her mother's voice stopped her cold.

" So you went out again? Even after everything I have told you?"

Kathy froze mid-step, hand still gripping the banister. She looked down. Her mother hadn't moved, still reading the papers like her life depended on it.

" Mom, please can we not do this again? I'm tired," Kathy said wearily, and continued climbing the stairs. But this time, she wasn't worried about the noise her footsteps were making on the wooden stairs.

But Carol slammed the papers onto the table with a loud thud of anger, making Kathy instantly halt in her tracks. Then she stood up abruptly in anger. " If you want me to stop, then stop being a stripper. You're dragging this family through the mud!"

Kathy rolled her eyes and turned back toward her.

Here we go again.

When would her mother agree that her profession was their only means of survival?

"We need the money, mom. The money I make stripping is what keeps us alive. It..."

" Then find a decent job! " Carol fired back before Kathy could complete her statement, her chest rising and falling with fury. " Do you think I'm happy hearing what people say about me because of you? In the church? At the market? They call me the mother of a w***e. A choir mistress who praises God while she allows her daughter to spread her legs for strangers. They don't just say it–they spit it out like it's poison."

Kathy let out a dry laugh as if she had just heard a great joke. Waving her hand dismissively in the air, she said, " Then let them choke on it. You don't have to listen to them. "

She went down the stairs and stood in front of her mother. Mellowing her voice, she continued, " Look, I know my job hurts your reputation. But it puts food on the table. That's what matters. I won't quit just because a bunch of hypocrites can't sleep at night. "

Carol's eyes narrowed with disdain. She had tried so hard to make her daughter respectable, to shape her into someone the world would accept. But it was clear now. Kathy wasn't going to change.

" Do you think you'll find a husband living like this?" Carol asked with a hint of doubt in her mind.

Kathy scoffed quietly. " f**k husband. You want me to trap myself like you did? No, thanks. "

" Elizabeth isn't like this", Carol said, with a tinge of disappointment and something close to regret while invoking the name of her oldest daughter, who died years ago. " And she wouldn't want you to live like this. "

Kathy's expression darkened as she remembered the old days. She clicked her tongue and hissed under her breath. " Then maybe she should have picked us off the street when you sold everything to send her to the police academy instead of protecting a werewolf which led to her demise. "

Carol went quiet immediately. She looked down, shame rising like a heat across her face. Deep down, she knew Kathy was right. Their years of suffering had started when she forced Elizabeth to become a police officer, hoping it would save them all. But she never knew that that would be the only time she would set her eyes on her daughter ever again.

Kathy exhaled heavily, guilt and exhaustion mingling in her chest. She didn't want to shout at her own mother, but this was a cycle. A war they fought every day. At some point, her mother would have to accept her for who she was.

Turning around with annoyance, she began climbing the wooden stairs again. But Carol's voice followed, quieter this time.

" You're getting married in two days, Kathy. To Mr. William Blackwood. "

Kathy halted instantly at the mention of that name. The name struck her like a slap. She could remember hearing that name somewhere in the VIP room that morning. Slowly, she turned back around, a frown deepening across her face.

" What the hell are you talking about?"

Carol took a few steps closer, her voice trembling. " A gentleman came here early this morning. He said he saw you at the club and didn't like a young lady like you working that kind of absurd activity you called a job. He told me he wishes to marry you… to save you from this shameful part you have decided to embark on. And from the way he talked, he seemed like a godly person. So I…I thought maybe this was God fixing what I broke… So I gave him my blessing. " Carol, hurriedly explained herself.

Kathy stared at her, stunned. She might have forgiven her for her constant nagging, but this…this went too far.

“ So...a complete stranger walks into the house I paid for, and asks to marry your daughter, and you say yes? Without asking me? "

Carol's face was tense with guilt, but her voice hardened with pride." You left me no choice, dear. You refused to marry your sister's colleague, Smith, and have refused every single man that comes into your life. I was afraid you couldn't get married because of your bad reputation, and a man, out of nowhere appeared like an answered prayer and asked for your hand in marriage, and you want me to say no? " She asked, standing firm on her decision even though she knew it was wrong. " Look, I know you're afraid of marriage because of your father, but we escaped from him a long time ago. This is an opportunity for you to heal from your trauma. It's not all men that are abusive, like him." She moved closer to her daughter. " Besides, marriage is necessary. It's even written in Genesis... "

" Don't start with your scripture bullshit. " Kathy snapped and stepped back, the alcohol from the club leaving her system, replaced with adrenaline and disbelief. She couldn't believe her mother was saying this after what she had done. " You know what? I don't have time for this. Tell William-or whatever he thinks he is– that I'm not interested in licking his boots. He can go f**k himself", Kathy said angrily and turned to storm off, but Carol reached out and quickly held her wrist.

" But I have already signed the marriage contract for you”