An uncomfortable silence settled between us when she didn’t reply.
“I’m only going about half an hour up the road,” I finally said when it was clear she wasn’t going to offer any more information. “To the Holt Road exit. If you don’t mind riding on the back of my bike, I can take you that far.”
It was the best I could do. If I was already going in that direction, at least it would get her closer to her destination.
Plus, I was overdue for an act of charity.
The last kind thing I’d done wasnotpunching Zero in the face when he tried ordering the troupe around last week. He might have been second in command, but he wasn’t Hallow, and he could get fucked if he thought he could tell me what to do.
I reached for my motorcycle helmet and took a step toward her, offering it. “What do you say?”
She hesitated, like she was second-guessing her decision.
Then, she lifted her head, and her eyes found mine. For the first time, the shadows obscuring her face disappeared, and I drank in her features. Gray eyes, plump lips, pale skin. She was pretty, probably in her early twenties, and she looked fucking terrified.
“I…” Her eyes bounced between me and the helmet, and I could see the gears in her mind turning.
For a moment, I thought she might decline. The chances of anyone else stopping for her were slim, especially at this time of night. But right before I was about to withdraw the helmet, she grabbed it and clutched it to her chest.
“Sure, thanks.”
CHAPTER THREE
ARINA
Alpha. Alpha. Alpha.
The word bounced around my skull, each syllable followed by a shot of panic.
My only hope to get closer to Houston was a fucking alpha.
How could my luck possibly be so bad?
The second he offered me the black helmet, his scent wafted into my face and overwhelmed my senses. He was everywhere, the sweet taste of sugar candy making my mouth water, and underneath…was that apples?
My fight or flight reflex kicked into overdrive, and it was everything I could do to stay rooted to the spot. All I wanted to do was hightail it back into the trees and put as much space between him and me as possible.
“Put that on.” He gestured to the helmet in my arms, and I nodded before I even processed his words. My brain was struggling to function in his presence.
The last time I was face to face with an alpha was before I awakened—my mother had made sure of that, to keep me safe.Back then, I didn’t have the primal instincts of my destination licking through my veins, urging me closer.
I inhaled again, trying to keep my expression neutral despite my nerves. He smelled like a candy-coated apple, the kind you got at the fair. Rich, sweet, with a tang of sour underneath. My mouth watered instantly.
A beta wouldn’t react to his scent, no matter how amazing he smelled, so that’s how I needed to act. Unbothered. Unaffected. He might not be able to scent me because of the suppressants, but I could still easily blow my cover.
If he discovered I was an omega, I wouldn't have to worry about the Stone pack or their forced bond. In my attempt to escape them, I’d hand-delivered myself to another alpha.
Shit.
Revel didn’t seem malicious, but that meant nothing. Not when an omega was involved. Even the gentlest of souls could be corrupted by that much power.
His scent made my head spin, my thoughts clouding as I was overwhelmed by alpha pheromones. I parted my lips and breathed through my mouth, which helped. A little.
He was massive, his muscles stretching out the leather jacket he wore. Tight black jeans hugged his thick, muscle-wrapped thighs, and even in the darkness, his pale blue eyes pierced straight through me. As he turned back to the motorcycle, mounting it and revving the motor to life, my eyes lingered on the long, white braids hanging down his back. They were tied together with an elastic band and stood out against his dark brown skin.
He was hot as fuck, edgy in a way I’d never seen in real life—only in movies about badass pack leaders who slung guns and fists accordingly. I wondered how hot Revel would look fighting shirtless in an octagon like the main character of the last movie I watched…
I mentally scolded myself.
