THREE
Damon
Fuck!
My fists clench at my sides. I use every ounce of my willpower to not turn around, vault over the gate, and chase her down.
What would I do then? Bite her?
I kick a nearby trash can over, sending garbage flying. It does little to rid me of my frustration, but it’s better than nothing.
It should be a crime to smell that fucking good. She smells like a warm Sunday morning. Fresh sheets, honeysuckle and wildflowers coming in through an open window layered over a sweet, vanilla musk that made me want to tear off her flimsy dress and explore every inch of her soft skin.
What the hell is wrong with me? I’m not claiming anyone!
My inner beast claws at my insides, telling me to turn the fuck around. Knowing she’s out there alone, even somewhere safe like Omega Village, is driving me insane. I’ve never reacted to an omega’s scent like that before. I thought I had a handle on my urges, but I had to exert all my self-control to hold myself back.
What was she thinking, wandering around at night smelling that fucking good? They should lock her up and throw away the key. My skin tingles, and the rock-hard boner in my pants isn’tgoing anywhere. She’s burrowed under my skin, and my mouth waters at just the thought of her.
She’s short—5′1′′, maybe. Her floaty dress skimmed over her soft curves. There was a fragility to her that made me want to scoop her up, hold her, and make sure no one else, especially an alpha, ever looked at her again.
Mine!My inner voice demands.All mine!
Only she isn’t.
Raising them to my nose like a scent-starved monster, my hands still tingle from touching her. The longer I’m out in the open air, the quicker her smell fades, like water falling from my open fingers, making me desperate to scent her again. Damn, I’m like an addict, seeking their next fix. Not that she’ll ever want to see me again after how I behaved.
A group of passing betas yelp in shock when I let out an angry huff, scurrying to get out of my way.
I shouldn’t have touched her.You scared her. Like you always do, acting like a grumpy asshole.The way her brown, doe-like eyes widened in fear—no, pure terror—almost made my heart crack in two. I couldn’t help myself. I had to be sure she was safe, needed to know she was even real. Then I got mad, like usual. Although if I scared her enough to make sure she’ll never roam around outside Omega Village at night, maybe it wasn’t such a bad thing…
What other choice did I have? Should I have let her be ‘kidnapped’ by a bunch of assholes as a prize? My anger only heightens at the thought of another alpha laying their hands on her, especially one of the football team jerks. It’s a stupid tradition. On the first night of intake week, they do a scavenger hunt. They search for only one item, taking an omega then bringing him or her to the football field to take a photograph. Most omegas love the attention, because it usually guarantees lasting social standing, but my omega ran.
She’s not your omega, Damon!
Back at the Silverwood Pack house, I slam the door behind me with enough force to make the wall rattle.
The other guys are lounging across our giant sofas, empty boxes of pizzas lying open in front of them. Ren has his nose buried in a book—as fucking usual—while Cole and Laz play a very heated game of Mario Kart. From what I can gather, Laz just shoved Cole off Rainbow Road for the fifth time, and he’s mighty pissed.
Laz looks up in excitement when he sees me. “Ice cream’s here!” His face falls. “Wait, where’s the ice cream?”
“She sold out,” I lie.
“Already?” Ren looks up from his pages. “Vi always makes sure she’s fully stocked this week.”
“She must have been busier than usual,” I snap. “Who fucking knows? It’s only ice cream.”
“Just ice cream?” Laz drops the controller, to Cole’s delight, using the opportunity to overtake him and throw a red shell. “Who are you?”
Cole whizzes over the finishing line, scooping up first place. Although he only relishes in his victory for a second as he instantly senses my mood. “What happened, Damon?”
“Nothing fucking happened, okay?” I snarl before storming upstairs.
I don’t want to tell my pack what happened. There’s nothing to tell. All I did was help a lost omega. I do it daily on my security shifts. It’s no big deal. She’s just a breathtaking woman who seems clumsy, completely careless, and who smells fucking amazing.
Inside my bedroom, I blast heavy metal music to drown out my thoughts then turn my attention to my punching bag, hanging from the ceiling. I imagine it’s the smug faces of the football alphas who scared her. The ferocity of my feelingssurprises even me. I’m no stranger to violence, but wanting to tear those football players apart over their stupid tradition is a new low, even for me.
Despite working the bag for almost an hour, anger fueling me, I can’t get her out of my head. Her wavy, long, honey-color hair, the gentle curve of her calves, the way her mouth parted when she recoiled from my touch. Hell, even the way she apologized made me want to hold her face in my hands and promise to burn down the fucking world to protect her.
