CHAPTER 69: A PLEASURE HOUSE!

House of Ambrosia?

My brows rose as I stared up at the towering building with six stories.

The whole structure glimmered with lanterns, dozens upon dozens, far more vibrant than the ones lining the streets outside.

Crimson, jade, amber, and sapphire glass panes poured shifting light down the cobblestones, so dazzling that the crowd gathering at its doors looked bathed in a rainbow haze. It felt almost unreal.

"Is this some sort of a diner—" I began, but I didn’t even finish the thought before Raye seized my hand. She yanked me forward with the strength of someone twice her size.

My heels scraped against the stone as I stumbled after her, startled at how much power her small frame held.

"Come on, just trust me!" she laughed, the sound bright and ringing, and in seconds she had dragged me past the threshold.

The doors swung wide, brushing against my shoulders, and sheer curtains hung just a few feet beyond them, billowing as if stirred by invisible breath.

Stepping through them was like passing into another world.

The air shifted immediately. My nose was assaulted by a wave of scents so rich and layered it nearly made me dizzy.

The savory perfume of roasted meats, the sweetness of sugared fruits, the sharp tang of fermented drinks, the musk of exotic incense.

It wrapped around me, heavy and intoxicating, pulling me further inside before I could second-guess where she had brought me.

Mist coiled along the polished floors, faint enough to only lick at our ankles, but thick enough to blur the edges of the room in dreamlike haze. The light here was dimmer, yet far from dark.

Hundreds of lamps sat in niches along the carved stone walls, their soft glow blending with the glitter of crystal chandeliers overhead. The beads dangling from them shimmered like starlight, scattering pinpricks of brightness across velvet drapes, across faces half-hidden by shadow.

Music drifted through the haze, sweet and sultry.

The pluck of strings, the steady beat of drums, the melancholy sigh of flutes.

A group of men sat cross-legged near a raised platform, playing their instruments with practiced movements, and the melody seemed to wind around the whole hall like a serpent.

And on that platform... the dancers. Women dressed in silks that clung and flowed in equal measure, colors flashing as they moved with liquid grace.

At the far side of the hall, patrons reclined on low couches and cushions arranged around lacquered tables.

Platters of steaming meats and exotic fruits lay scattered between tall glasses filled with glowing drink.

Laughter rang loud, conversation murmured low, some boisterous, some hushed too closely to be anything but scandalous.

Raye’s giggle broke through the haze at my side, and only then did the realization dawned on me.

My eyes widened.

I’d walked past places like it back in Levian, even if I’d never dared enter. Places that promised entertainment, that sold delight in every form possible.

Pleasure houses.

I whipped my head toward her. "Raye! Are you serious? A pleasure house?"

"What’s wrong with it?" she teased, the lights reflecting on her onyx eyes. "I want us to celebrate! You finally decided to cooperate with the Alpha and stay with us, don’t you think that deserves something fun?"

I stared at her, half in disbelief, half in exasperation. "You call this fun?"

"Don’t look so horrified," she laughed again, patting my arm. "You’ll enjoy it. Trust me."

Before I could argue further, a woman appeared in front of us. She was older, her beauty ripened with time rather than diminished, her dark hair threaded with strands of red and pinned elegantly at the back of her head.

Her gown shimmered in shades of wine and gold, draped in a way that both concealed and revealed, and her smile was warm, inviting, yet sharp enough to make you wonder what it cost.

"Raye," she greeted smoothly. "It’s been a while since you last visited. And you brought a new friend."

Her gaze slid to me, and in that single look I knew she had already heard every whisper.

Her eyes skimmed over my face, my frame, weighing me, measuring me. Not a stranger’s stare, but the look of someone who knew exactly what had been said about me before I even opened my mouth.

I could almost hear the gossips in her silence.

The Alpha’s pet. The runaway breeder who thought she could defy her pack and live. The one foolish enough to think she could step into Undercity and remain untouched.

I felt the corner of my mouth curl upward into a smirk. Maybe they were saying worse. Probably worse than I could imagine. But that didn’t matter. Let them talk.

"Raye, let’s just go out," I whispered, hoping she’d notice the tension in my voice.

But she didn’t even glance at me. Instead, she tugged me forward, weaving us through a cluster of patrons and guiding me straight to a low table positioned right in front of the performers.

Plush cushions lined the benches, the surface gleaming from spilled wine and candlelight.

Before I could protest again, she had already waved a hand, and a server hurried over at her beckon.

"Bring us drinks," she said, as casually as one might ask for water.

"You want to drink and have fun in broad daylight?" I muttered. Well, we don’t see the daylight here, but we still knew what time of the day it was.

"Why not?" Raye’s laughter rang like a bell. She propped her chin on her hand, eyes glittering with mischief. "People here do this all the time. Is there any rule that says fun is only allowed at night?" She shook her head before I could respond, grinning at me as if she’d already won the argument.

’Smells like a lot of things are going on here,’ Leika murmured in the back of my mind, a little intrigued.

"Relax, Vivien," Raye said, catching the stiffness in my shoulders.

She leaned closer. "I’ll introduce you to someone later. He’s a musician here, one of the best in Undercity. Listening to his music will ease your mind, I promise."

I exhaled slowly, unsure if that was a promise or a trap, and tried to distract myself by taking in the scene around us.

On the platform before us, the dancers had only grown bolder. Their silks clung to their forms, revealing more than they concealed, swaying with every step as though their bodies themselves were part of the music.

They moved in pairs now, twirling around each other in a rhythm that spoke less of innocence and more of seduction.

Their laughter tinkled above the song, rehearsed yet dangerously enchanting.

Behind them, a row of men played their instruments, handsome males with sharp jaws and eyes that followed the crowd as much as their strings.

Servers slipped between tables carrying trays laden with goblets of ruby wine and crystal dishes of sugared fruits. People sprawled lazily on cushions, some laughing, some draped over one another, their voices rising in heated whispers.

A pair of men nearby toasted loudly, spilling drink as they roared with laughter. At another table, a woman leaned into a man’s ear, her smile slow and knowing. The whole place pulsed with indulgence, with desire both spoken and unspoken.

"He’s here."

The voice snapped me out of my thoughts. The older woman from earlier, the one who welcomed us, had appeared again.

Raye’s smile turned sharp with excitement.

"Perfect timing." She grabbed my hand before I could react and yanked me to my feet. "Come on."

I stumbled after her as we walked away from the chaos, weaving through the crowded hall and toward a staircase tucked discreetly at the back.

The music grew softer as we ascended, the laughter and clamor fading beneath us.

My steps slowed with relief.

At the top, a different hall stretched before us, draped in muted fabrics that absorbed the light rather than reflected it.

The crowd here was thinner, scattered rather than spilling from wall to wall. The haze of perfume was gentler, and the air carried the faint scent of sandalwood instead of smoke.

The music that floated here was mellow, slower, each note stretched as if inviting the listener to linger.

I found myself pausing, curiosity outweighing my unease. For all its decadence, this place was different. Calmer.

My gaze flicked toward Raye, but she only grinned wider and urged me forward.