The Rejected Alpha

Chapter 87

So, contrary to what I believed, we did not in fact have a team of super deep clean staff on hand.

The main entrance to the building known as the Great Hall, which is all it was, a really really big hall, was securely chained and padlocked. Rust was even appearing at the edges of the padlock and I assumed that the inside of the padlock must be completely rusted since after a minute of trying to open the lock with its key, Damon just broke the padlock off with his hand.

"Why even keep a padlock on then?" I rose a brow at him.
A 'Keep out, Alpha's watching' sign would be more effective in keeping people out. If they really wanted to enter this place, I really doubt that this flimsy padlock that snaps like a twig would keep anyone out.

He just shrugged pulling the iron bars apart, revealing a heavy set of doors with yet another flimsy padlock. "Formalities."

"Ah, makes so much sense." I said reaching forward to snap this padlock open as well. I'm not ready to wait longer for him to try and jam this one open as well.

Hm.

This padlock looks exactly the same as the other one. It's also badly rusted.
Why then, doesn't this one snap like a kit kat bar in my hand like it did just a few seconds ago with Damon.

I applied more pressure, pulling and tugging and jiggling it to try and make some of the joints weak so it can snap open.

The bloody thing refused.

Damon looked at me with a slight look of amusement on his face and a hint of something else I couldn't really focus on right now.
I was in battle with a padlock that had the audacity not to break when I told it to.

"Need some help?"

"No! I. Got. This." I ground out between clenched teeth.
With a final tug, the lock snapped open.

It didn't break or crumble in my hands, like I wanted it to, it just snapped open.
That was it.

This one must be of higher quality. Surely.

I pulled the chains that were holding the doors together off and let them fall to the ground.

Seeing the state of the front doors and the padlocks keeping them shut should have given me some sort of foreknowledge of what to expect inside.
And yet still, I was surprised to see how... how abandoned this place looked.

And from inside it somehow looked bigger, more intimidating. The ceiling so high above me, I really hope it's very sturdy.

My gazing at the ceiling made me notice the balcony or gallery above us.
Walking further into the large place, I turned towards the door. There was a raised seating platform that went a little past what would have been the foyer, and then went along the edges, once shiny looking rails trailing along all the edges, all coated in layers of dirt.

I couldn't even begin to imagine how beautiful this place was when it was first made. It probably looked like a giant banquet hall. Which is probably what it was.

The wall facing the door was blank, except for the three sets of glass block windows at the very top, there was nothing else.
Just a little stage, but that was it.

The great hall, as dusty as it was large, was used for special occasions, which mostly involved eating, so saying that there were a couple of food stains on the ground would be an understatement.

The place looked like it was just haphazardly swept after the last occasion in here. Tables and chairs all lazily strewn in the corner of the room.  There was obviously no proper cleaning done so the food and grease stains littered across the floor, peeking up through the film of dust coating the place, told me that this was going to be quite some work.