A Deal with the alpha

chapter two

CHAPTER 2

Cadence POV

The problem with people like the Vessels was

they had enemies. And those enemies were watching when some scrawny high school beta picked up a package he couldn’t defend.

Michael told me he hadn’t looked inside the backpack, didn’t know what was in it, or who the alphas were that jumped him.

Four of them, he said. They surrounded him, dragged him into an alley, and took the bag. Lucky for him, they let him walk away with only a few bruises and some verbal abuse.

But now he was on the hook for whatever was in that bag. His phone hadn’t stopped buzzing, and I wasn’t about to wait for whoever he owed to show up at our door.

This was his mess, sure but there was no way I was letting him handle it alone. He meant well, but his naive decisions had dragged us into something dangerous. And I didn’t trust him to get us out of it.

When the guy who gave him the package called again asking where their delivery was, I took the phone. I wasn’t stupid I knew they weren’t going to just let it go. I just needed to know how much Michael owed them, and if they’d be open to a deal.

The man refused to say anything over the phone. So, I set up a meeting to speak face to face.

It was the last thing an omega should be doing alone, but what choice did I have?

The older alpha behind the massive mahogany desk looked like a mob boss straight out of a movie graying hair, thick around the middle, red-tipped nose, pinstripe suit, fedora, and a cigar clenched in his teeth.

I couldn’t tell if the smell of smoke was from the cigar or if it just clung to him permanently.

The two muscle heads flanking me were textbook goons big, broad, and dim. Their matching black suits made them look official, but I could tell they were mostly useless unless given direct orders. That’s why I was talking to the man in charge not the one Michael had met.

Maybe I was being unkind. Stress didn’t exactly bring out my manners.

I held my chin high, breathing steady. I wasn’t going to let them see the fear coiled in my gut even if they could probably smell it rolling off me.

I’d already done the math. If I picked up more hours at the café and cut a few bills down to minimum payments, I could maybe scrape together a thousand dollars by the end of the month. If Michael owed more than that, I could only hope they’d agree to a payment plan.

I didn’t want to think about what they might suggest instead.

Michael swore he hadn’t given them our address, but I wouldn’t put it past them to know everything where he went to school, when he walked alone.

“So,” the man behind the desk said, eyes roaming lazily over me. “Tell me again who you are?”

His look didn’t bother me. I was used to alphas staring. Young, slim, blonde omega—people looked, especially when you relied on tips to survive.

“I’m Michael’s sister.”

“That the kid who disappeared with our merchandise?” Meathead Number One chimed in.

I ignored him and kept my gaze locked on the boss, trying to make my five-foot frame seem larger than it was.

“He was attacked,” I said. “Four alphas jumped him, stole the package. I’m here to work out a way to repay you. He’s just a dumb kid. We don’t want any trouble.”

The alpha behind the desk raised an eyebrow but said nothing. The silence stretched long enough to make my stomach churn.

Finally, he leaned back and steepled his fingers. “So, your brother gets jumped, loses my product, and sends his little omega sister to fix it? What kind of man is he?”

My jaw tightened. It wasn’t the first time someone criticized me for protecting Michael. Probably wouldn’t be the last. But the sexism still grated.

“He’s not a man. He’s a teenager. And I’m responsible for him. I just need to know how much he owes you so we can settle this.”

He looked over at one of his men. “How much was in the bag?”

“Twelve kilos,” the goon replied.

I blinked. I had no idea what that meant. What kind of drugs were we talking about?

The only thing I knew about was that some kids at school used to buy tiny bags of weed for ten bucks. This was way beyond that.

The boss turned his calculating gaze back to me. “As noble as your intentions are, I’m guessing you don’t have twenty-two grand lying around. How do you plan to pay me? I’m a loyal man, omega. Happily mated. So don’t think I’ll take anything but money.”

My eyes dropped to the gold ring he twisted on his finger. I’d already clocked the silver bond mark on his neck, the scent that confirmed he was mated. That had been my only source of comfort walking into this room he wasn’t the kind who’d use an omega’s desperation.

The breath whooshed out of me as his words sank in.

Twenty-two thousand dollars.

It hit like a brick to the chest. That was a quarter of what we owed on the house. Nearly three-quarters of my annual salary. Twice our medical debt for Momma.

I struggled to speak, my mouth opening and closing as I tried to form a sentence. In the end, I gave up. Bowing my head, I wrapped my arms around the panic rising in my chest and focused on breathing.

The door behind me opened, but I didn’t turn around. I was too busy trying not to cry in front of these people.

A couple thousand I could have figured that out. But twenty-two?

That was impossible.

But I couldn’t leave Michael to face what came next. Not with the kind of reputation these people had. I wouldn’t put it past them to shoot him just to make a point.

He was just a kid. A beta. Powerless. Replaceable.

So why had they trusted him with something that valuable?

The longer I sat there, the more my fear curdled into anger. My hands stopped shaking. My fists clenched. My thoughts cleared.

They had to know he wasn’t equipped to handle that kind of responsibility. They’d set him up to fail.

When I finally looked up, another alpha had entered the room a younger one, suited and sharp. He stood silently behind the desk.

I ignored him.

My glare was locked on the man seated in front of me.

The one ultimately responsible for all of this.