An Alpha's Charge
Chapter 8

Campus Life

Lane buckled down, did her work, turned in her assignments early, and partied every night she could. She could not get enough of the drugs and sex she and Colin would do. Lane liked having a boyfriend who was also her best friend’s brother. They did their work, but Vye couldn’t care less that she was there for school; she was there to sell her drugs and get all the sorties to move them to other universities throughout Texas and other states.

She heard that she was successful and making all kinds of money. She just had to be careful not to get caught. She kept her brother and friend drugged all the time. She could not get Lane to use during the day but could at night and most weekends. She did not make Lane pay for the drugs because she was the one who was feeding them to her.

Lane had a newfound freedom that she never thought she would ever have. She could work, but she did not want to just yet. Lane worked when she went home to visit Ruth and John. They provided her with the money she needed to live on, but she had plenty of it in her account.

When the weekend came, she ensured that all her homework was finished and turned in so she could party with Vye and Colin. She noticed there was an increase in people who were doing drugs. Her picks were joints (MJ’s) laced with acid, coke, or lines of coke. She tried mixing coke or acid into her drinks to make her high quicker than smoking or snorting. The only thing she would never do was shoot up; she did not need the racetracks going up her arms or legs.

Several months passed, and she was getting worse with parties every weekend, more sex, drugs, and whatever she could handle. She was drug-free when she went home and saw Ruth and John, but she wanted to go home and work this weekend. She was missing her simple life with them.

When she got off work at eleven p.m. on Saturday night, some men came into the restaurant and killed both Ruth and John robbing them. But before they could leave, John shifted and did some damage to the two who did the robbing. They shot their riffles at both John and Ruth, killing them and taking off after they set the place on fire.

When they did not come home at their usual time, Lane went downstairs to check the house. She saw someone outside the front door walking up to knock. She opened the door as they raised their hands, getting ready to knock on the door.

“Can we speak with Ms. Lane...”

“What happened? Why are you here?” Lane cut them off.

“May we come in, please?”

“Yeah, sure, come in. May I get you anything to drink?”

“No, ma’am, but thank you for the offer. Did you work tonight?”

“Yes, left at eleven. Ruth and John told me and the others that we did not have to stay late. They would clean up; why?”

“The restaurant, The Southern Bear, was set on fire. It appeared to be a robbery gone bad; the money had been taken. There was a fight before they took off...”

“How can you tell there was a fight or robbery when the place had been set on fire!” she yelled.

“The fire is, or was, set in the kitchen where it had been contained. The fight was in the dining room, where blood had spattered all over, and chairs and tables were broken. The body was dragged back into the kitchen and set on fire.”

She could not process what they were telling her, and she was starting to see double and feeling dizzy, nearly passing out on the police. One of the officers got up to get her a bottle of water. She took it from him, sipping it slowly.

The officers wanted to take her to where she would have to identify the bodies, and she did not think she could do this, but Lane went after putting some clothes on. They took her to the restaurant and showed her where the bodies lay with a cover over them.

She looked at her parents and cried, rocking back and forth. One of the female police officers guided her up and took her away from the crime scene. She asked her where the office was and if there were any critical papers.

Ruth had shown her everything about the business and how to run it, as they would retire and give it to her once she got out of school. But now she did not want anything to do with the restaurant. She called the bartender and explained what had happened. He came down to help her out.

He held her tight, kissing the top of her head. They showed the officers the office, and nothing was touched there, just the cash registers for the bar and the patrons in the dining room. She saw a letter on the desk where Ruth would always sit and do the paperwork for the day.

Our Dearest Lane,

If you are reading this, we have perished in a horrific death. This restaurant is yours to do what you wish. We may not have adopted you legally, but you are our daughter of choice.

You know where everything is. Please take it from here and not let anyone see you doing it. Please put it in your savings account so that you can be set for life. There is a will at the bank, and you know where the key is. Also, call our attorney and let him guide you on how to proceed with the restaurant.

Remember, we have always loved you since the day we saw you. Finish college and get that job you want; you will be good at everything you do. You will do remarkable things in your life, stay clean, and have fun. We know you long to have a good simple life that you never had until now. Enjoy the ride, our dear sweet daughter.

Remember, we always loved you and will see you again one day.

Mom and Dad (Ruth and John)

She held onto the letter a bit longer, crying with alligator tears. She sat in the chair as the police left her for a bit, and Charlie, the bartender, sat there crying. He cleared his throat, got up, and left to go out front shutting the door behind her. He made a few phone calls to those who worked there, letting them know they would shut down for a few months.

She looked in the safe and took out the documents, photos, money, titles, and their Will for the restaurant. She put them into her purse, shutting the secure door. She made sure nobody could come in and look at it. Lane took the books and all the paperwork they had that she would need for the week.

Lane looked through the drawers to ensure nothing else they were hiding that was important to her. She walked out the door looking for the officers asking if they needed her for anything else. They released her, and Charlie took her home. He stayed with her so she would not be alone for the night. She emailed her professors, letting them know what had happened and that she would not attend classes in person but would ensure the assignments were finished and sent in on time.

Her professors knew she was a good student and would not account for her absence against her due to the death of her parents. That Monday, she got ahold of their attorney and went to see him. They read the Will together; they had left their home and businesses to her. She did not know they had more than one; they had a business for designers and flipped houses.

They were swamped with work, but she thought nothing of it. She would keep the business of flipping and designing to have a stable job when she graduated. She had a memorial service for her parents but had no intention of keeping the restaurant.

She hired a crew to clean the restaurant, ordered new kitchen appliances and contemporary furniture for the dining room and bar area, and renovated the bathrooms. She had it gutted throughout the place due to the smoke and water damage from the water. The other co-workers helped.

Lane could not wait to return to school and continue classes on campus, but she had to sell the restaurant. Two people wanted to purchase the restaurant and keep it the way it was, and Lane let them buy it from her. Eventually, she would sell her other businesses, but now she would keep them and use them to her advantage.

With the school year gone and more drugs and partying she did, she was about to give it all up. She decided to get her master’s degree after completing her bachelor’s. She worked her way when not in school, went to summer school, and took three classes, passing them with flying colors.

The years passed, and she was doing harder drugs and more potent liquor; instead of the weekends, it was a couple of nights during the week. Vye was all too excited about this, and Colin was starting to lose interest and hoped he could talk Lane into stopping.

He finished school, graduated, and moved out of state for a job in New York City. They broke off their relationship, but she did not break off her relationship with drugs. He broke away from drugs and alcohol and decided never to do them again. He went straight for the water and became a vegetarian, but fell off because he still liked to eat his meat and potatoes.

A few years later, Lane finally graduated from the university with a double major in design and forestry and a master’s in both areas. She started her design job in the company she kept, and the people loved her.

She was twenty-four years old and ran two companies that Ruth and John left her six years ago. She was happy but still felt something was missing from her life. She was pleased with Colin in it, but he moved on, has a new girlfriend, and is engaged to be married in a year.

She called Vye to know if any parties were happening around town and if she would like to go. Vye came to pick her up at her house, and they took off across town to a huge party. Vye did not tell Lane that a couple of vampires would be at the party.

When they arrived, she saw a familiar face from her past, and they hooked up doing the typical hard-core dope-of-the-line drugs (cocaine) and alcohol. They partied harder than ever before and ended up sleeping together again. They decided to date for a while, but it ended as everything else did.

Lane kept up the party life for a few more years until she went to The Violent Reef to rest with Vye. But Vye had different plans in mind. She was getting into drugs heavier than before, and Lane did not know if she wanted to keep up with this lifestyle.