"Kade, wait." Dustin's voice cuts through the red haze, but I can’t stop moving back toward the grandstands. "Kade, stop."
I make it three steps before he catches me, his hand wrapping around my bicep. I could shake him off easily. I'm bigger and stronger and right now I'm so far past rational thought that nothing short of violence will satisfy this need burning through me. But it's Dustin. It's always been Dustin. So I stop.
"Let me go." My voice doesn't sound like my own. It's too low and too rough, vibrating with barely contained fury.
"Not until you calm down." Dustin moves in front of me, blocking my path back toward the stadium. "You're not thinking straight, Alpha."
"Someone hit you." I reach up and touch the edge of his black eye as gently as I can manage. He winces anyway. "Someone put their hands on you, and I'm going to find them and make sure they never do it again."
"It's not worth it." Dustin catches my wrist, holding my hand against his face. "Getting arrested for assault isn't going to help anything."
"I don't care."
"I do." His brown eyes meet mine, steady despite the swelling. "Kade, I need you to listen to me. I met someone."
His words stop me cold. The anger doesn't disappear, but it shifts, redirecting itself as confusion takes over. "What?"
"An Omega." Dustin's scent changes, sweetening with something that might be excitement or nervousness. "She came out of the bathroom and her scent just hit me. I've never felt anything like it. Vanilla and orchids and like pure sugar. She's beautiful, Kade. Soft and curvy and she has these eyes that are mostly brown but with little flecks of green and when she smiled at me I swear my heart stopped."
I stare at him, trying to process this sudden shift in conversation. "You met an Omega."
"Her name is Solana." The way he says her name is like a prayer, like it's something precious. "We talked for maybe five minutes and then I kissed her because I couldn't help myself. That's when one of her guards from Harmony House showed up." He gestures to his face. "He wanted to teach me a lesson about touching their property."
Harmony House. Of all the places his mystery Omega could have come from, it had to be there. Those places are notorious for how they treat their residents, hiding abuse behind bureaucracy and legal protections. Getting an Omega out of Harmony isn't impossible, but it's expensive and complicated and requires navigating a system designed to keep them trapped.
The anger from before comes roaring back. "No one puts their hands on my mate."
"I know." Dustin steps closer, his free hand coming up to rest against my chest. "I know you want to go find him and make him hurt. But that's exactly what he wants. I’m not asking you to do anything because that would be reckless but I just...”
He trails off, sucking his bottom lip between his teeth as his gaze darts toward a few Betas leading horses into their trailers and then back to me. We’ve talked over the years about adding an Omega to our pack and I made sure Dustin knew that whoeverhechose would be okay with me.
However, he’s still thinking about my choice even as I see the longing in his eyes and feel the pain of separation in our bond.
I let out a heavy breath, deciding to be smart about this. There’s no doubt in my mind that the visceral connection Dustin had to Solana means she’s not just his but going back there and beating the hell out of some Harmony House guard would feel incredible in the moment and then cause nothing but trouble.
They'd press charges and we'd end up tangled in legal problems that would only put attention on our businesses that fall outside the ranch. I force myself to take another breath, letting the rage settle into something more manageable.
Dustin relaxes slightly, relief flickering across his face. Then I lean in and kiss him, tasting him the way I've been wanting to all day. He melts against me with a soft sound, his fingers curling into my shirt. I lick into his mouth, cataloging every familiar taste and finding something new underneath. Something sweet and floral that definitely doesn't belong to Dustin.
I pull back just enough to speak against his lips. "I can taste her on you."
Dustin grins, those dimples appearing despite the split lip. "She's so pretty, Kade. And soft. When I touched her, she just leaned into me like she'd been waiting for it. Her scent got even sweeter and I could feel her trembling but it wasn't fear. It was want. She wanted me as much as I wanted her. She’s so perfect."
I can imagine it so easily—Dustin with his hands on that pretty Omega, her body pressed against his, both of them drowning in pheromones and instinct. My cock hardens in my jeans, desire mixing with the lingering anger to create something almost overwhelming. I kiss down Dustin's jaw to his neck, finding the spot that always makes him shudder.
"Kade." His voice comes out breathy. "What happened to not wanting to get arrested for public indecency?"
I grunt and pull away, though it takes more effort than it should. He's right,again. We're still in a public parking lot where anyone could see us. I grab his hand and drag him back toward the truck. "Get in."
Dustin climbs into the passenger seat, his grin turning wicked. "Where are we going?"
"Home." I start the engine and peel out of the parking lot faster than strictly necessary. "I'm going to fuck you senseless when we get there, and then we're going to find our Omega."
"You're that sure?" Dustin watches me, something vulnerable flickering across his expression. "You haven't even met her."
"She tastes like ecstasy on your lips, Dustin." I reach over and thread my fingers through his, bringing his hand to my mouth. I kiss his knuckles, then the center of his palm, breathing in his scent mixed with hers. The combination is perfect in a way I didn't know I needed. Hay and honey and vanilla and orchids, all blending together into something that feels like home. "Yeah, I'm sure."
Dustin's scent sweetens further, happiness and arousal creating a heady cocktail in the confined space of the truck. "Harmony is going to ask a fortune for her."
