“Ah… where’d they go?”
“We’re playing a game; they’re hunting for me. You?”
“My friends ditched me to go fuck,” but she didn’t seem sad about it, since I wasn’t either, still half considering whether it was worth the punishment from Cameo and Marcus for spoiling the game to take a pit stop for a quickie. Her eyes gleamed. “Ilovegames… I think I saw a mirror maze on the way here. I was going to go check it out, might be a good place to hide?”
I turned my head, just barely catching a glimpse of Marcus’ hair where he towered above the crowd, and excitement made my heart race.
The chase was on.
I squeezed Eva’s fingers with a smirk. “Lead the way.”
UsingJoon’s hand clasped in mine, I led him through the beer garden and out the back, towards where I’d seen the sign for the mirror maze earlier. Because of the circle of food stalls, the area was warmer, but on the other side, the cool air hit my skin, making goosebumps rise along my arms. It was either that or this new, exciting rush I was feeling. But being with Joon still seemed to make me feel warm all over.
“I know they aren’t looking for me,” I said to him with a light laugh, “But I can’t help but feel like I’m on the run too.”
“Dressed like that? You should be afraid, sweetness.” Joon smirked. “I’m about ready to throw away the chase, if you were interested.”
I could feel my skirt bounce with every step, decidedly taking the time to sway my hips a little more at the omega’s admission. Others walked around us, milling to whatever events caught their fancy as their body heat pressed against me, making my head spin. Everyone was so caught up in their own world that it was easy to feel like we were alone.
“Are you kidding?” I said as I led the way, following the clearly marked signs for the maze, neon arrows painted with phrases like “beware” and “enter if you dare.”
Just outside the heavy metal double doors was a table with a pair of attendants lit with moody lanterns that cast their faces into ghoulish shadow.
"Good evening," the beta behind the desk said. She was dressed like a clown, but in a sexy way. Her face was white in an oval with blue and pink stars for eyes and giant lashes. Large shoulder pads adorned the silk white and red dress she wore with a large, fanned-out skirt on the bottom. "Welcome to the Primal Funhouse. Are you looking to go inside?”
Joon’s foot tapped impatiently beside me, head swivelling to look for his chasing alphas. “Yeah, we do.”
“What do you meanprimal?” I asked, head tilting curiously.
“It’s a pre-set chase scene. Alphas enter through the other side and will take up chase if they spot you… What happens after that is up to you.”
Excitement skittered over me. “Oh, hey, I can be hunted too.” I teased Joon, who was already working on filling out a waiver.
“Maybe I should come from the other side and chase you then, huh?” he smirked.
I took the clipboard as it was offered to me, adorned with a small light for reading, using the attached pen to initial the segments that waived my right to sue if I tripped and busted my head, and agreeing to the safety protocols with my signature at the bottom.
"The first form is general liability,” the beta explained. “Since you’ll be running around a haunted house with flashing lights and jump scares. There’s also some segments that turn into a mirror maze—I do recommend slowing down a bit in those, if only to avoid breaking your nose." She flipped to the next page. "This is just ensuring your kinks are still okay and your consent.Tonight, the safeword is’ pumpkin’. Because of the type of event we run, 'stop' alone won't cut it. If you want to stop, say pumpkin and all play ends instantly. Each room is set up with audio equipment, similar to Omega’s Lust, so if you need help at any time, someone will always be on standby. The last page is just an extra form with an agreement to have an anonymous partner, potentially wearing a mask or another kind of covering. Since we can’t possibly match everyone at these events, we do this one-time blanket consent instead. If you’re comfortable with the mask play, we’ll give you a separate bracelet to denote that."
Her words swirled around me as I tried to take it all in. My eyes scanned the page, and I understood what I was agreeing to, but it still all felt pretty foreign to me. But this seemed like the perfect place to experience something like this. I'd be able to try these things I'd never been able to, and knew there were safeguards in place.
It all felt perfect.
Maybe a little too perfect, as I caught Joon’s eye. He waggled his eyebrows suggestively, flicking a bit of his pink wig out of his face.
A guy in a skirt… Who knew I’d be into that?
I signed my name at the bottom of each page before handing the clipboard back, and the attendant checked it all over before taking the forms off to file into a large document binder lying flat on the table. "Perfect. What's the safeword?"
"Pumpkin," I confirmed.
Her painted-on red smile only grew wider as she smiled for real. She gestured for us each to hold out our hands, and she added a black bracelet to the green ones we each wore. "Excellent. You’ll enter just through there. If you're ever feeling lost or too scared to continue, just stay where you are and say the safeword, and an employee will come find you. Do you have any questions?"
A million, but none she could help with. Especially not with Joon hopping from foot to foot beside me anxiously. "I'm all set."
“Perfect, enjoy yourselves!” she called happily, waving us inside. “May you find delight or fright, whatever it is you’re after tonight.”
The omega caught my wrist, dragging me inside with a laugh.
