Page 34 of The Night Movers: Season One

The next two hours passed in a blur with every item of clothing Ridley tried on thrown onto one of two ever growing piles.

Keep or reject. Linus had pushed hard for all of Ridley’s outfits to be revealing, even the daytime ones.

Ridley had caved on the night-time looks, trusting that Linus knew the night market better than anyone, but during the day, he refused to give up comfort for fashion.

Once he’d made the final decision on clothes, Linus pulled some pieces from the keep pile and pushed Ridley back towards the dressing room. “Can’t have you walking around in that pile of rags you arrived in.”

Ridley nodded. He shoved his legs into tight jeans with a ribbed design at the knees, then slid on what, at first glance, could have been just another oversized hoodie.

But, as Linus said, the couture is in the details.

The sweater was made of a soft but expensive material and a collar structured enough to hide his bites.

It also had two zippers that, when opened, left his shoulders bare, only covering his lower arms. Despite the cool temperature, Linus insisted Ridley open the zippers.

He’d been tempted to protest, but then saw the hoodie had thumb holes.

Who didn’t love thumb holes in a hoodie?

Ridley rejected the heavy black boots for a pair of snowy white high-top sneakers and even allowed Linus to pull his hair up into a bun and add a little makeup to his cheeks and lids. When Ridley looked in the mirror, he looked like himself, but also…different. Richer.

By the time Titus returned to pay, Ridley had ten bags filled with more than he could ever need.

Underwear, sleepwear, day looks, night looks, jewelry, makeup, and shoes.

Ridley had never seen such excess in all his life.

He refused to look at the prices, his stomach churning at the thought of how much that money could have helped others who truly needed it.

Still, all the shopping was almost worth it just to see Titus stop short and look him up and down with a stupefied expression.

He looked less impressed than when he saw Ridley naked a couple days ago, but Ridley gloated nonetheless.

Titus had been making him feel out of his element since the moment they’d met.

It was nice to turn the tables for once.

When Titus went to the register, Linus hesitated. “There is one more thing…something we didn’t discuss before you left.”

“Which is?” Titus asked, voice devoid of emotion.

Linus cleared his throat, not-so-discreetly pointing at the glass case below. “His collar… I thought maybe you’d want to pick it yourself.”

Ridley’s mouth dropped open, and he stared at Linus with betrayal before whipping his head around to glare at Titus. “I’m not wearing a collar.”

Linus seemed genuinely startled by Ridley’s vehemence. “All omegas wear collars, lovey. An uncollared omega down here is a sitting duck.”

“Well, I’m not all omegas. I refuse to be treated like livestock. Just fucking kill me if you have to,” Ridley shot back. He gestured to the case full of collars. “I’m not your fucking pet.”

Titus shook his head like Ridley was overreacting. “Linus is right. Without a collar, there’s no way I can let you out of my sight. You’ll need a constant babysitter.”

Ridley turned on him, crossing his arms over his chest, head tilted. “Collared omegas are permitted to wander around down here without their alphas?” he asked, knowing full well the answer was no.

Titus’s nostrils flared. “Within reason,” he grunted.

Ridley snorted. “Whose reason? Hmm?”

“You’re being?—”

“I may have a compromise,” Linus said, breaking in before they could really start fighting. “A collar but…not.”

Linus crooked his finger at Ridley, beckoning him closer, then disappearing from sight. Ridley huffed but went to stand beside his mate, glowering up at him until Linus resurfaced with a necklace on a black velvet cloth.

Linus gazed at the piece lovingly. “I’ve never shown this to anyone, but if you like it, I’ll let you have it for free.

Provided you tell anyone who inquires about it that it was me who sold it to you, of course.

” Ridley’s eyes went wide as he leaned in close to get a better look.

Linus ran a finger along the links. “It’s platinum. A slip chain.”

Slip chains reminded Ridley of the choke collars they put on dangerous animals. The slip chains he’d seen in the past were often made of super thick stainless steel. One good yank and the collar became both a leash and a weapon. But this slip chain looked both delicate and masculine.

The necklace itself resembled chain mail, the links interlocking to make it stronger while allowing it to keep its intricate and elegant design.

On one end of the long chain was a ring encrusted with sparkling gems. White crystals, maybe?

On the other was a large teardrop-shaped pearl encased in a nest of more white stones.

When the pearl dropped through the ring, it would dangle, falling over Ridley’s breastbone. As much as he hated to admit it, the piece was beautiful. And it didn’t look like any of the collars Ridley had seen that morning. Those had all been thick leather or sharp steel.

“Diamonds?” Titus asked, staring at it like it was a live snake that might bite him if he got too close.

“Mm,” Linus said. “If I was to sell it to you, it would be in the five-figure range.”

“But you want to give it to me for free?” Titus asked, brow arched.

Linus scoffed. “I’m not giving it to you. I’m giving it to him. I know a marketing opportunity when I see one.”

Titus frowned, muttering, “What?”

“Dressing your new queen is going to get me a lot of business. Whatever he wears will sell out by the end of the week. Hell, I might be able to retire by next Friday,” he cried dramatically.

“Why would he want something everyone else will have by next week?” Titus asked.

“No two of my designs are alike. But you want your new mate to be a trendsetter, I promise,” Linus said, his amusement evident.

“Why would anyone care what I’m wearing? I’m an omega,” Ridley said, his irritation evident.

“You really don’t know how this world works, do you?

” When Ridley shook his head, Linus said, “Titus is the boss of the most dangerous pack in the city. Everyone wants to beat him or be him. Whatever he does with you will set the tone for what all the others do for their pet omegas.” Ridley’s jaw tightened, but Linus held up a hand.

“I’m just telling you how it is. Don’t shoot the messenger. ”

“This is so disgusting,” Ridley fumed. “They treat us like animals.”

Linus sighed, looking at Ridley. “You’re a smart boy, lovey.” He gave Titus a once-over, mouth flattening. “You, not so much.”

“Wow,” Titus muttered. “You do realize I haven’t paid you yet, right?”

“You’re missing an opportunity here,” Linus said to Ridley, ignoring the alpha’s pouting entirely.

“Meaning?”

Linus chuckled. “Alphas are competitive. Titus wants you to do what the others do so that you won’t stand out.” When Titus opened his mouth to protest, Linus held up a hand again. “Because he thinks he’s keeping you safe. ”

Titus deflated, looking somewhat mollified by Linus’s observation.

Linus gave Ridley a sad smile. “But you and I both know that there’s no world in which any omega is safe.”

Ridley nodded, bitterness flooding his mouth.

“But this is an opportunity. You and I both know that, at their core, alphas are competitive and petty?—”

“Really?” Titus said, then snorted.

“Yes, really. That means that the more you pamper and spoil Ridley, the more other alphas are going to do the same.”

“They’re going to think our pack’s gone soft,” Titus said.

Linus scoffed. “I’m sure you can easily disprove that notion with a little bloodshed. Besides, when have you ever tried to placate another alpha? Real alphas don’t care what others think. They don’t care how their behavior affects others. They just handle their shit, honey.”

“You really think that Titus spoiling me will make life easier for the omegas trapped down here?” Ridley asked, pulse racing.

“Mm,” Linus said. “Provided your alphas are willing to get their hands dirty.”

“Don’t worry about us,” Titus snapped.

“I am worried about you,” Linus shot back. “Of all the alphas in your pack, you’re the least likely to make someone swoon.”

“What the hell did I do to you?” Titus muttered. “Why do I have to make…someone swoon?”

His last words were a barely-there mumble, the tips of his ears bright red.

“Because you’re the leader, dumbass. You’ve all got to treat Ridley with respect but you’re in charge and you’re his mate. Don’t try to force him to blend in when he was born to stand out.”

Ridley’s face grew hot. He knew he was probably bright pink like a naked mole rat. “I wasn’t born for that.”

“You were. Even if we dressed you in rags and muzzled you like the others, you wouldn’t go unnoticed. The other alphas would still covet you and the other omegas would still want to be you. Use that to your advantage.”

“Linus!” Titus snapped.

“What?” Linus asked. “You know I’m right.”

“I know you’re going to start a goddamn war with talk like this,” Titus countered.

“Good. Isn’t that the point?” Ridley shouted. “What you’re doing isn’t working. You’re using a fucking teaspoon to scoop water out of a sinking ship. Eventually, we’re all gonna drown. And my sister is out there…somewhere.”

“If he’s wrong about this, then we lose every inch of progress we’ve made since we started the Night Movers,” Titus said. “We’re gambling everything on the fragile egos of a bunch of criminals.”

“Look, you can’t tear down a system from the outside,” Linus stated simply. “That’s what you told me when I started working for you, right?”

Titus blew out a breath. “Yeah. Probably. Sounds like some dumb shit old me would have said.”