Salt and sugar.

If someone told Seth that she would feel so exhausted by the end of the week, she wouldn’t believe the person. The week went by unnoticed; she let herself sink into work and forget any distraction. Even the anonymous message didn’t bother her as much as her duties.

With each day passing, everyone kept pushing more things on her back, and soon enough, Friday arrived and she was supposed to work till late. Seth ran into the kitchen soon after the Alphas had their dinner; she was breathless, looking for the newfound friend. “Amy,” she breathed out, approaching the humming girl.

“Hey, Seth, what’s up?” The girl laughed at her terrified state, thinking that Seth tried to scare her again. For the whole week, Seth kept attempting to scare her friend, yet one failure came after another, piling up high enough to embarrass her.

“Listen, you won’t believe what just happened to me. And, no, I’m not fucking joking or trying to scare you. Not this time. But first, you have to hide me somewhere until everyone leaves. Please, it’s a matter of life and death.”

Amy’s eyes widened in fear, even after such a little time, she was able to tell if her friend lied. And this time, Seth didn’t attempt to fool around or mess with her. She grabbed her wrist and led Seth towards the pantry room. She pushed her friend inside, closing the door quietly. “Stay here; I’ll come to get you as soon as they’re gone. Eat something if you want to; the pantry is your kingdom now,” Amy leaned against the door and spoke quietly.

She kept eyeing her surroundings, making sure that nobody would suspect anything. Amy locked the door, even though none of the servants usually did that. If anyone was after Seth, they might try to check the pantry; locking the door was the safest way to avoid any kind of confrontation.

Amy quickly returned to her place, silently working on the dinner for the Elder’s Council. Most of the men ate in separate rooms, and all of them had unique demands for food they would or wouldn’t eat. Amy kept glancing towards the long hall that separated the kitchen and great hall where Alphas had their meals. She tried to listen to whatever sounds came from that direction and within a few minutes; she couldn’t hear even one person talking.

Thankfully, most of the Alphas had separate apartments, and only a couple of them decided to stay in the main building. Amy rushed to finish the cooking and called out for the rest of the servers.

There were a couple of men that worked around the house for years, trusted enough to serve the Council members. “Hey, guys, did the Alphas leave yet?” Amy decided to question her co-workers, biting onto her lower lip. She tried to look a little worried and seducing at the same time, so the men would think that she asked the question for her needs, not to cover Seth.

“Stop dreaming Ams, none of those men would ever fuck you. Well, some might try to fuck you over, but that’s not something such a nice girl as you need. Seriously, drop it, don’t let them ruin you; you’re too good for that.” The oldest server spoke up. Daniel was like a father figure to Amy; he always looked out for her.

The only problem was that Daniel was incapable of sugar coating things, and sometimes, he hurt others’ feelings unintentionally. If there was one person she could trust fully, it was him.

“They left, don’t listen to the old fool. If you want to throw that coochie around, be my guest, Ams. Girls just want to have some fun, right? See you later, don’t forget about the plans!” Gabe jumped right in, grabbing the plate he was supposed to bring to the newest Council member.

Amy hoped that her question wouldn’t get both men in trouble, the rest of the servers already brought food to the Council members, and those two idiots stayed behind. Daniel huffed and left soon after Gabe, leaving Amy alone.

She ran to the pantry, unlocking the door and opening it. Seth sat on the floor, a bag of chips between her legs. Amy busted out in laughter; she couldn’t remember the last time when she saw someone funnier-looking than her friend.

“What? I was hungry, and you told me that I could eat.” Seth whined, a little annoyed at Amy’s behavior.

“Don’t mind me. The Alphas left, let’s go to your cabin, we can have a smoke, and then you’re coming with me. Gabe wants to head to the club, and we will hop along. Besides, you still need to explain why I had to hide you.” Amy giggled, offering Seth a hand.

Both women hurriedly left the main building, some of the servants had to stay to clean, but the older women refused it when the girls offered some help. Everyone knew that the younger servers and cooks would go out tonight, and nobody would try to hold them back.

Seth and Amy ran to her cabin hand in hand. As soon as she closed the door, Amy quickly made sure that all curtains were closed, so nobody would see what would happen inside.

Seth took off the hideous wig and nearly ripped off the shirt. As usual, Amy helped her to get rid of layers of the binder. Seth wasn’t sure how much more she could take, even if pretending to be the opposite gender wasn’t that bad, some things hurt. Squeezing her breasts that close to her ribcage was a pretty terrifying and painful experience.

“I so admire trans people; they’re literally the strongest human beings out there. Going through the struggle and pain seems too awful for me. They’re my heroes.” Seth winced in pain.

Her breasts had always been quite big, and now, she thought they would get even bigger, swelling like watermelons, if she didn’t end the torture.

“We all admire them. Perhaps one day, we could find a friend from that community and see if we can help to ease their day?” Amy suggested, making her way upstairs to Seth’s bedroom.

Amy knew that she would find something somewhat spicy to wear for a night out, and that was what she needed the most. Her closet was filled with uniforms for work and a couple of regular outfits, but nothing over the top. However, Seth had the sexiest clothing that Amy had seen, some dresses reminding more of underwear than an actual dress.

“Anyway, what happened, who were you trying to escape? And don’t tell me that it was a joke; it’s hard to imagine that someone chased you around while you look like a man.” Amy laughed from the upstairs, impatiently waiting for Seth to join her.

“An Alpha, believe it or not. It’s kind of ew, but that dude thought that I am a gay male. To be precise, a twink or femboy, since my body shape reminded him of a woman. He kept giving me dirty stares, brushing against me, and by the end of the evening, he announced that I was to follow him to his room. Sick fuck.” Seth faked a gabbing sound, dropping her exhausted body on the bed. All she wanted to do was sleep; perfectly, for the whole weekend, but she knew that Amy wouldn’t allow her such luxury. It was the end of their first week; everyone wanted to celebrate.

“You’re one lucky cookie; I have to give you that much,” Amy laughed once again. This wasn’t the first time when some of the Alphas eyed Seth.

Earlier, Amy caught Alpha Vincent winking at Seth. It was quite a shocking moment since everyone knew that he was as straight as one could be. Who knows, perhaps he decided to try out something new? She could only imagine the shock on those men’s faces if they got to see what’s underneath that uniform.

“Anyway, I’m feeling something green. Would you go for red? I mean, your hair is red, and the color suits you so well, I think that’s a vibe.” Amy chose a green dress for herself and threw a red latex one-piece to Seth. “And stop acting as if this is the end of the world, get rid of those hideous clothes, and get ready. Wear some hot lingerie, let yourself enjoy being a woman for a weekend. We have two hours for hair and makeup. Once we’re ready, Gabe will pick us up.”

Amy wouldn’t stop until she saw results; Seth had no right to say no anymore.

She promised Amy that she would join them, and backing out wasn’t in her nature. With a loud groan, Seth grabbed the one-piece, found the most delicate set of lingerie she had, and headed for the bathroom. Seth took a quick, cold shower to sober up; if she didn’t, she would pass out on their way to the club.

She didn’t want to go over the top with makeup and hair since the dress Amy chose was quite spicy already. Seth gathered her hair in a high ponytail and avoided too dark makeup. Her face looked clean, and the possibility that someone would think she had any makeup on was close to none.

Then, Seth got dressed and left the bathroom, gasping at her friend. “Holy fuck, Amy, you’re hot. God damn it, I’d smash if I was a man. Girl,” Seth praised her.

Both women kept complimenting each other and laughing, having a great time even without leaving the cabin. Amy’s phone buzzed and she instantly answered the incoming call. “Yeah, we’re ready. Is the air clear, no one’s around?” She bit onto her lower lip. The most challenging task would be getting Seth out of the cabin unnoticed and, later on, back inside. Nobody could find out that a woman lived in that cabin. Well, particularly Alphas. “Okay, we’re coming; open the car door and make sure nobody tries to approach you. We have to act quickly.”

Amy loved the secretive things they did, it made her excited as if they were living in a detective. She ended the call, grabbed the heels she chose for both of them, and took Seth’s hand in hers.

“Let’s go; we don’t have much time. Gabe will open the door; you just run to the car and jump in. As soon as we get in, he will lock the cabin door, and we’re free to leave, okay?”

Seth grinned, wondering how much time it took for her friends to develop such a detailed plan. Not that she would dare to complain, both Amy and Gabe went out of their way for her. They acted fast, following the plan, and within a minute, Gabe sat in the driver’s seat and drove away from the property.

Amy screamed out in happiness, clapping her hands in victory. Thankfully, the rest of the drive was relatively quiet, Amy and Gabe spoke about the hype around the new club, and Seth stared outside the window.

“Hey, if that club is so new and so extra, will we even get in?” Seth suddenly asked, wondering if her friends thought about that little detail. Usually, it was pretty hard to get inside new clubs if you weren’t a well-known person.

“I have my ways,” Gabe grinned.

Seth dropped the question, she could ask for more details, but those didn’t bother her as much. The trio reached the club pretty fast; Gabe parked the car and headed for the long line in front of the club. They would waste a fair amount of time waiting, but it had to be worth it.

Seth excused herself to call Anton in privacy. Her best friend wouldn’t forgive her if she went clubbing and didn’t call him beforehand.

“Hey, stranger.” She smiled as soon as Anton picked up the phone. She missed his stupid jokes and the closeness both had. The bond with him was incredible; one nobody could ever replace. “How’s my favorite girl doing? Please tell me you’re out to have some fun.”

Seth could hear how Anton rolled his eyes at her, chuckling at the memories. “I am; Amy forced me to tag along. I’m too tired to party, but I can’t let her down. I made a promise, you know. Anyway, how’re things at home? Are you alright?” Seth wanted to talk a little longer, but she overheard a male’s voice in the background. “Holy shit, you’re not alone there. Listen, I know that you’re okay now, and you know that I’m alive, so we can talk about things tomorrow. Now, go get that dick, Queen.” Seth laughed at Anton, encouraging her friend to get back to his man.

Even though the conversation was short and mainly one-sided, she was happy for the opportunity to hear her friend. Seth decided to get back in the line and see how far her friends had gotten. They were still quite far from the entrance, so she took a cigarette and lighted it, eyeing the crowd.

Seth leaned against the wall, unbothered by everyone who threw glances at her. “You there,” the security guard pointed at Seth. “You can come in.”

Her eyes widened at the sudden command. She didn’t try to get inside in the first place; all she needed was a smoke. Seth dropped the cigarette, stomped on it, and motioned to her friends to follow.

Even though the security guard didn’t seem very happy, he let them pass when Seth announced they were with her. The club was packed, smelled of different alcohol types, and a fair amount of cheap perfume, which meant there were quite a lot of women around the place.

Amy and Gabe nearly ran to the bar, eager to try every other cocktail on the menu. Seth decided to observe people who gathered inside the club. She walked towards the furthest wall and leaned against it, silently watching the weird behavior from aside.

She noticed at least five Alphas from the games, all of them grinding against women.

Of course, those men were basically told that they couldn’t fuck around, any other man would use their chance during the weekend. Seth took in a deep breath and closed her eyes, focusing on the inviting sound of the music.

She didn’t drink much, so Seth didn’t expect her friends to bring her whatever they would gulp down like crazy. She let out a breath and opened her eyes, startled by the man who suddenly appeared in front of her.

He was nearly as tall as Luciano, but aside from the height, nothing like the Alpha she knew way too close. This man carried a dominant aura, of course, another Alpha had to approach her. Why did men keep pushing themselves onto her?

“Excuse me,” Seth tried to push the Alpha away from her, but he wouldn’t bother to move even a little.

“You’re excused, pretty little thing. The name’s Dominic, Dom for short. How about you?” The Alpha grinned, shamelessly placing both of his hands above her shoulders, caging her against the very wall that was supposed to be her safe space.

“The nerve... Are all of you, Alphas, such assholes? Can’t a girl enjoy her evening in peace, without a sexually frustrated male trying to push himself on her, huh?” Seth couldn’t keep quiet.

She had enough problems piling up with Luciano on her heels. Plus, the anonymous idiot who decided to text her that day didn’t make her life more comfortable.

“Calm down; I’m not trying to fuck you. For now, at least. Is it such a sin to approach a beautiful woman? I don’t particularly appreciate admiring beautiful things from afar. Besides, you should be careful; at times, salt and sugar can look the same. No need to be a judgemental, little, but hot asshole yourself.” The Alpha leaned closer to her ear, making them look like lovers, sharing an intimate moment.

Seth couldn’t utter a word. Usually, she was quick to clap back, but this time, the Alpha seemed to stay ahead of whatever she would say. “I’ll see you around, sweet cheeks.” Dominic pulled away from her, winking as he stepped aside. “Oh yeah, before I forget, you look like a fucking bomb in that dress. If you decide to have some fun on the dance floor, make sure to shake that ass; I’ll be watching.”