Hope you like this chapter! 

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Saffron

I look up and see a girl around my age. The best way I can describe her is that she looks popular... confident, attractive, and—as Jen would put it—'totally unapproachable for us mere mortals.' Unlike my own baggy clothes and torn sneakers, the girl's skinny jeans, black tank top and high-heeled boots show off her skinny body. Her complexion is tanned and flawless, her features enhanced by long, straight black hair and bangs. Unlike me, she's wearing makeup, and the black eyeliner makes her dark eyes seem huge as they turn in the direction where I was just staring. Now she probably thinks I'm some sort of pervert who likes watching make out sessions. I feel my cheeks burn and I turn beet red until I probably resemble a tomato.

"Get a room, you guys," the girl yells at the couple and they break apart. The guy grins sheepishly, his hand still under the girl's shirt, and she giggles. Neither makes a move to get up from their spot on the couch. Okay...

"Saffron?" The girl looks back at me but doesn't wait for an answer. "Come with me."

She turns around and starts heading back up the stairs. Still blushing, I keep my face averted from the couple and quickly follow. Then, I remember that POW told me to stay put.

"I have to stay here and wait for —" I pause, not sure what they call him.

"Alpha Patton," the girl supplies and I wonder if she's talking about POW or if he just delivered me to an even scarier, more powerful wolf. "His orders," she adds. Since the girl knows my name, I figure someone must have talked to POW, and that I should probably follow her.

I nod and follow her up the stairs, walking single file even though the staircase is wide enough to easily fit four. On the second floor, the girl takes a right, while the stairs continue on.

I look around, taking in my surroundings and memorizing every detail for when I escape. There's a hallway that goes on and on in both directions, stretching the length of the entire house. Doors line both sides and we pass a bunch that are closed before reaching one that's open.

I glance inside and it looks kind of like a dorm room, only bigger. There are two beds and a teenage girl is sitting cross-legged on each. The two are facing each other and are having an animated conversation without once looking up at each other. Their eyes are glued to their screens, thumbs flying, and every few seconds one of their phones dings.

A few other doors are open as well and the girls inside are reading books, typing away on laptops, looking at their phones, or just hanging out. They all have one thing in common. They're all teenagers and they're all girls.

"Why aren't there any adults here?" I ask suspiciously. "Or boys?" What is POW doing with a house full of teenage girls? And did each one cost him ten grand? Well, except for that one boy downstairs. Not that I'm suggesting he'd cost more—or less—just that he's not a girl.

"It's a pack house," the girl states like it should be obvious. She stops and gives me a weird look. "Boys are on the third floor."

"What about adults?" I ask, since she doesn't mention any. Does POW kill off anyone over 18? Maybe he doesn't like the competition... or it's so bad here that the minute they're all enough, they all run away.

"They're on the fourth floor," the girl tells me. "There's Alpha and Luna, Beta, his mate, the doctor and nurses, a few housekeepers, and some dorm supervisors."

"What about parents? And why aren't there any little kids around?" The whole thing is starting to creep me out. What if POW is running some illegal operation and kidnapping teens? Or buying then as slaves?

The girl laughs at my horrified expression. "Haven't you ever been in a pack house before?" she asks. "Families live in houses around the property. When a kid shifts for the first time, they move into the pack house."

Her explanation seems to make sense, though I'm definitely no expert on how Wolves normally live. Dad and I are Rogues, and the one time Dad took me to a pack house, I'd been in too much pain to really pay attention. I remember the place being kind of empty, actually. It was just the doctor, and once he'd set my broken bones, the Alpha. I had to lie and tell him I fell out of a tree, and Dad acted really concerned, just like a real parent. He even held my hand while the doctor worked. Then, I was too pumped on pain killers to notice much of anything else.

"This is my room." The girl stops in front of an open doorway. "Alpha says you'll be staying with me."

I look inside and it both looks like the other rooms... and doesn't. It has the two beds, on opposite sides. Across from each bed are the identical desks, bookshelves, and leather chairs I'd seen in other rooms. I even spot two closets, one on each side.

The difference is that this girl's room is a complete mess. I don't mean a normal mess, like Anna's room, or Jen's little brother's. Or our house after a Rogue attack. This room looks more like it survived a hurricane or had just been ransacked by a team of ninjas.

The closets are open and clothes are strewn everywhere. They're all over the floor, on both chairs, and even on the desks, tossed into random, messy piles. One bed is unmade and covered with shirts and jeans, while books are stacked on the other. I see a handful of shoes on the bed too, and all over the floor, but it's hard to find matching pairs in the mess. The desks are better, though not by much. One is covered with piles of makeup while the other holds a laptop, backpack, notebooks, and several lacy bras. I stare at them for a second and blush.

I sneak a peek at the girl and she quickly looks away. "My stuff goes on that side of the room," she says, pointing to the right. "I'm going for a run. When I get back I expect this place to be spotless."

With that, she turns around and sprints down the hall.

My jaw drops and I gape after her. Did that really just happen?

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♥ Please vote! Pretty please? With a banana on top? (that'll make a lot more sense later, like in chapter 34) ♥