CH 2

Nora The DJs were always photographed doing their thing in Neon Masquerade, with lots of people dancing or jumping up and down. Wearing neon wristbands or rings looped around their necks, wearing white shirts that glowed under the black lights of the nightclub. It also gave those DJs a chance to hang out with their own kind when their gig was over, and if not mated, see if they could scent out a Mate after being in the club. More often than not, those DJs wanted to be in attendance of the pack for the full moon or the nightclub itself; if they were unmated. The club was open on every full moon for any wolfen folk that wanted to attend it due to this. The Black Rose didn’t hold open mating balls for any unaffiliated packs at this time. Those DJs were an exception because she had contracts with them, but the nightclub was the best place for that to happen, for any wanting to be around unknown wolves when in passing. Zone two of the nightclub was named The Alpha’s Bar, and that was because it was where Alphas and their Units could come and sit down, relax with some of the best wolfen-loaded alcohol. It was the smallest part of the club, and though any wolf could go in there, it only had 10 booths that seated four and 15 tables that seated four and only 12 could be seated at the bar. She herself had seen many of the Alpha’s and their units that came into this part of the club to order Pale Moon’s spiced Cognac. It was a top seller, and even Nora didn’t mind it. She could be seen sitting with a glass of it, when in the mood for something strong to knock back, or was just standing or sitting around observing how things were going. Sometimes it was where she held meetings with Alphas that came from out of state, if she couldn’t fit them into her regular working hours, but knew she was going to be here in the nightclub after hours, because it was quiet. The staff in The Alpha’s Bar were a sight to behold. Nita had gone all out in the hiring of the staff. The men were all muscled-up warriors, only wearing low-slung black slacks and shoes and a navy-blue bow-tie; they were bare from the waist up. The female staff were all wolfen curves and tight bodies, wearing black pleated skirts that fell just below their bottoms and a navy-blue silk halter top that was tied up under their bust in a neat little knot, with navy-blue stilettos. To keep their staff from being harassed outside of working hours, and their identities safe and unknown, all the staff also wore neon masks that covered their faces, and were allowed to scent mask themselves if they chose to. That was up to them. The atmosphere in this part of the club was much more relaxed, kind of like a darkly lit sports bar where anyone could come for a quiet drink and relax. This part of the club was photographed with a few wolves that were known to humans as part of the elite society. There was another part of the club that never got photographed because it was a Ladies and Gentlemen’s exotic dance club, where any otherworldly creature could go and watch some exotic dancing; male and female wolves strip and dance, whether it be pole dancing, ribbon dancing, or those dancing in a cage, whatever they were in the mood for. They were known to hire from other species, even rogues could work in this part of the club as long as they were civilized; they were just scent-masked, so the viewers didn't know. Everyone deserved to make money to survive out there if they didn't have a pack attachment for one reason or another. Nita had a strict screening process to rule out the undesirables to keep everyone safe. Some of those rogues had become pack members. There were a few rules for this particular club; the number one being that there was no touching the dancers, they were not here to have s*x, were just dancing to express themselves and make some money. Tipping was encouraged. If a dancer reported inappropriate touching from a guest, that wolf was removed and their pack was noted down on a watch list. If that pack, then had five instances of this behavior marked down. The pack itself was black-listed for a period of three years. This list didn’t take into account what rank those ejected wolves were either, because the rules were clearly explained to all upon entry. Not even an Alpha or his Unit would be excused from touching the dancers, and no amount of apology would see that pack come off the black-list before the three-year period was up. No amount of donation, or proof of punishment to said wolves from that pack reduced or removed their pack from the ban. They all learned the hard way. Even if it wasn’t the Alpha or his unit that was the cause of the ban, would that Alpha or his unit be able to set foot inside this club until the ban was over. Because the policy was simple, it was the responsibility of an Alpha to control their pack members. To lead by example. So, if one’s pack members were disrespectful and couldn’t keep their hands to themselves, then they clearly learned that from the leadership of their pack. Nora liked the Burlesque part of the club the most. It was one weekend a month of fun for her. She’d gotten into burlesque dancing herself with a few humans back in university. She had tagged along just to try and take her mind off the stress of always being on guard, after leaving Jace and staying out of sight in those first few years, when Jace had still been actively looking for her. She'd gotten right into it and found it fun to do, and that it could take her mind off everything. So, she’d kept it up, finding places she could work that did that, or dance studios that held classes just for fun. It was truly a good distraction and even now, all these years later, she still enjoyed it. Tonight, she was working in the club just like the rest of the employed dancers. She was kitted out in a fun burlesque outfit, with a neon mask on and was up there on the stage a full part of the show. It was a lively, entertaining and energetic show that had five sets that ran for 20 minutes each, with a 10-minute break between sets. She really did just forget everything when she was up there, a mask on and pretending to be a regular everyday wolf within the pack. She laughed and chatted with everyone backstage, then was all professional on the stage. Whether she was dancing, tipping chairs to step off them, s******g another’s backside or grabbing onto a large metal ring that saw her spinning around, or striking a pose, she loved it all. She even had a dance routine with the ring in the ladies and gentlemen’s part of the club. Where she twisted and turned, slipped in and out of it or over and under it. Using her wolfen strength to pull off moves humans couldn’t do. She was out here tonight trying not to think about what was coming for her tomorrow night, that one day a year when she would suffer utter agony and pain for five solid minutes. Where her entire body felt as though the blood inside her own veins was like it was on fire and burning her alive from the inside out. A night where she would lock herself away and scream in agony for those five minutes. It wasn’t something she couldn’t avoid, and it was something she had brought about herself, knew the consequences of what she’d done to herself, and accepted it gladly regardless of the pain. But tomorrow was the last time it was ever going to happen. Tomorrow was the first time a new moon was to happen on the day of her rejection from Jace. Two decades it had taken for that to come about, but it was finally here. No more would she have to suffer pain; one day a year on the day of her rejection. Like she had been for the past 14 years, it was just once more, just 5 more minutes of agony was all, and she’d been dealing with it now for many years. So, she knew what to expect and when to expect it, was glad it was all now finally coming to an end, and all their ties were gone in full. Those closest to her, her family and the hierarchy of the pack all understood when and where it would happen. Even Alpha Scott had known about it because it had already been a part of her when she’d moved to the Triple Moon Pack. She’d had to disclose it to Alpha Scott, and he’d kind of just stared at her, but then nodded, as he came to understand why she no longer had that Luna Rank attached to her, even why she’d done it. Only her closest allies knew about it. Although Alpha Gretta of the wolfen council also knew about it, she had sat and stared at Nora and then shaken her head as if she almost couldn’t believe what she’d done to herself. But it had been her choice, and she’d willingly opted to endure it until she no longer had to for a purpose. Tonight, Nora could see there was a good turnout for the Burlesque show, more so than normal, but that was because there had been an Alpha Meeting nearby, and she’d managed to convince Alpha Gretta to have flyers for the show placed in those Alphas' hotel rooms, so they could come and enjoy the show after the meeting was done for the night; two of the nights that they were here. Seems that it had actually worked, the theater was packed, every available seat taken up. She’d not been the only one to smile at seeing the list of guests for the show. Although she’d checked that list herself and had seen the Dark Wilderness Pack wasn’t listed there, something she was grateful for, but she also knew that even if they had been on the list, she’d not have opted out of the dance routine tonight. Because she was fully made up, and with a neon mask covering half her face, she would be unrecognizable to those down there watching on. She’d also allowed herself to age up past the usual 25 years old; that most she-wolves stopped aging at. And even though two of her scents would be the same for him to scent, there were nine of them on that stage, and many other wolves in the theater. It would get past him, and she knew she could if she wanted to walk right past him with that mask on, and he’d be none the wiser. She wasn’t a part of the Silken Moon anymore, which he likely thought she still was, even though not once in the past two decades had it ever been proven she was or wasn’t there. She knew Clayton and Nelly had never told him if she’d even so much as left the pack. She could, for all he knew, still be tied to it, but just didn’t live there was all. All he knew was that he would not scent his home pack on her, but he would be able to pick up his own venom in her veins, and that Luna Rank she should have but did; that he was likely counting on to find her as well.