Chapter 4: Chapter 4: I Slept With the Alpha’s Daughter?!
Before Cade even awoke, he began to see flashes of the night before flipping through his mind like a highlight reel.
His stomach was up in his chest, and his heart had risen up to his throat, as the memories replayed, the way Fiona felt when he was inside of her. Her lips, her careful strong hands, her name rolling off of his tongue. He almost didn’t want to open his eyes.
But he would be a fool not to want to see the real deal. Cade’s eyes fluttered open, a dull stream of light coming in through the crack between the curtains. He turned his head over to find that Fiona was gone.
He sat up in bed and looked around the room longingly. That’s when he saw a little Post-It note stuck to the clock on the bedside table. He swung the covers off of his legs, which caused the strong scent of Fiona and last night’s escapades to fill his nose.
A delightful chill crept up his spine.
Cade pulled the Post-It off of the clock. The note read, “Sorry to ditch you before you woke but I have some family matters to take care of today. I’d love to see you again. You know where to find me.” She signed it with a fancy cursive ‘F’ along with a little ‘xoxo’. She kissed it with her lipstick leaving the outline of her plump lips on the page.
At least she didn’t leave because she had a terrible time. Cade flopped back on the bed, reveling in her scent. He closed his eyes and tried to recall all of Fiona’s expressions and sounds. She was amazing. He couldn’t wait to see her again.
Unfortunately, the bar wouldn’t open until four o’clock and he had some important business of his own to take care of. He pulled on a pair of clean, fitted boxers and the jeans he wore the night before.
He found his phone in the kitchen and on his way back to his room he dialed his buddy, Devon Delaney.
As Cade scanned through his unpacked suitcase for the right shirt to wear, Devon answered in his usual chipper tone. “Hey there, buddy. I was wondering when I’d hear from you today.”
“I... had a long night...” Cade said, smiling to himself. “I slept in a little. Plus there’s the time change and all...”
Devon chuckled. “Right, right. I feel like there’s more to the story, but–”
“Yeah, that’s not the reason I called,” Cade interrupted. “I wanted to get the address for the NYC Pack’s Alpha. He might have some information about the curse. Or maybe he can point me to someone who does.”
“Right, man. Of course. His whereabouts start with an address, but there’s going to be more to it than that if you want to see him face to face.”
“Okay. Tell me what I need to do.”
“You might want to write this down. I know how your memory can be... But it starts with this little place called the Half Moon Bar...”
***
Cade walked to the Half Moon Bar for a second day, the place he may have accidentally met the girl of his dreams. He peeked in the window, but the whole place was dark.
He could barely make out the two chairs they’d sat in all night still sitting on the floor while the rest were placed upside down on the tables.
He had hoped to see Fiona, but it was early and he remembered that in the note she had left she said she had some family business to take care of.
“Did Dev say the secret door was on the west or the east side of the bar...?” Cade mumbled to himself. He pulled the blue Post-It out of his pocket. Fiona’s message was on one side, and he’d used the other side to write out the directions. It was a good thing he had.
Cade went to the little alley on the west side of the bar. As he searched for the divot in the bricks that served as a handle, it dawned on him that it was a bit strange that Fiona’s bar had access to the NYC’s Pack hideout.
Of course, Fiona was a werewolf in NYC. It was entirely possible that she was part of the pack. They must have really trusted her if they used her place as an entry point to their underground world.
Cade pressed the bricks in slightly and then slid it sideways. Before him, on the grated platform that should have been the inside of Fiona’s bar, stood a towering, burly guy with his arms folded across his chest.
“Who are you?” he growled, his eyes glowing green and wolf-like.
“This is a pretty neat place. I haven’t had the chance to see magic like this up close and personal,” Cade said, ignoring the big guy’s question. He stepped inside and slid the door shut.
“I came to visit with the boss, Alpha Francois. You can tell him our mutual friend Deven Delaney told me how to get here.”
The big guy glared at Cade, his gaze narrowing. Cade wasn’t afraid. Just because this guy was large didn’t mean his wolf was menacing. He was probably just stationed at the entry to scare away people who weren’t asking for trouble.
Cade wasn’t asking for trouble, but he wasn’t afraid to step in a little sh*t if it meant getting the answers he needed.
“Follow me,” the big guy said gruffly.
Cade followed him down the stairs and when they reached the bottom there were three halls. He took them straight on, which led them to an expansive lounge with leather couches, a raised stage, and blue and green neon lights brightening up the space.
It looked like a club down there, but it was virtually empty. They walked through the lounge and up a set of stairs to another hall with a few office-type rooms. There was a set of executive iron doors at the end of the hallway which must have been the Alpha’s office.
“Wait here,” the big guy said authoritatively.
Moments after Cade watched the guard walk to the threatening office, he heard a set of voices and a couple of pairs of footsteps coming in his direction. He stood casually against the wall, but as the voices got louder, closer, one of them began to sound familiar.
“Fiona?” he muttered, perking his ear up. He tried to listen in to the angry conversation.
“You can’t just barge in there and make demands!” a male voice said heatedly. “This arrangement has been a done deal for over a year. He’s not going to change his mind just because you—”
“Don’t even,” Fiona cut him off sharply. “I’m his daughter. I’m sure he’d want me to be happy, and I’m not happy with this. I’m tired of all these rules and arrangements being shoved down my throat! So back off and let me do what I want to do.”
“Fiona, c’mon. It won’t be that bad. I’m a good guy!”
Cade winced. What was this conversation? Who was this guy?
There was a little scuffle at the end of the hall they were coming from and Cade heard what sounded like a swat to the face. He impulsively peeked around the corner and spotted Fiona’s back, her long hair pulled back in a ponytail.
He spotted that little trial-looking tattoo on the back of her neck that he’d gotten up close and personal with the night before.
The man standing in front of her was tall and lean but with some good muscle definition. His hair was short and spiky and blond, like he’d just walked out of an advertisement to join the Marines.
His face was scrunched up with a mix of anger and hurt, like the emotional kind. His left cheek was blotchy and red.
Suddenly the guy spotted Cade. Instead of ducking back into his hall, he saw it as an opportunity to step out and see Fiona again. She turned around swiftly but took a step back when she saw him.
“What the hell?” she muttered. After taking a second to gather herself, she walked up to him, the blond guy following her closely behind and giving Cade a searing gaze. “Cade? What are you doing here?”
“Oh,” he said, not prepared to explain, “I have some business to... take care of... with the Alpha of the NYC pack.”
Fiona squinted in confusion. “What kind of business do you have with my father?”
F-Father? The cogs of Cade’s brain were momentarily stuck. Fiona was the Alpha’s daughter? He blinked at her, not sure what to say, his nerves beginning to percolate.
“Who’s this guy?” the blond asked, taking a step around Fiona.
Fiona swiveled around, seemingly having forgotten that the blond had been standing behind her. Cade had the urge to reach out and touch her, but he knew better.
“Right, yeah. This is... Cade,” Fiona said. She didn’t exactly seem nervous, but she was obviously hesitant. “We met last night, in my bar.”
The blond guy sniffed and narrowed his gaze. He looked upset, offended, like he already had something against Cade even though he’d just met him.
Cade sniffed, wondering if he should have taken a shower first before coming here. That’s when he realized that he still smelled like Fiona, and she still smelled like him.
“And who are you?” Cade asked.
“This is Jackson,” Fiona said quickly.
“Her fiance,” the blonde guy added.
Oh sh*t, Cade thought.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone