1
Skylar
It was a stupid mistake, and I knew it. But it had already happened and there was no going back now.
As the warm buzz of the alcohol wore off, my body turned cold and I shivered. The night air was cool and windy, and I hadn’t brought a jacket--and the guy I was with hadn’t offered me one. Of course not. Why should he? Once the post-orgasm haze hit him, he was already done with me. He didn’t offer a ride home, or a glass of water, or even agoodbyeas I slunk out the front door.
I laughed humorlessly, the sound loud in the empty street. All my friends would’ve been ashamed of me. Hell,Iwas ashamed of me. Skylar, hater of asshole alphas. Skylar, always standing up for his friends, five-foot-three of omega fury, never afraid to take on any alpha who was harassing omegas.
I looked down at my hands like they were filthy or covered in blood or something. Liketheywere responsible for what I’d just done instead of me.
No, Sky,I told myself soberly.You made this mistake and now you have to own up to it.
But I didn’t want to own up to it yet. I could still blame someone else. I could blame my friends, for finding their soulmates and having beautiful babies. I could blame alphas, for wanting to put their cock in a warm hole and be done with it. I could blame society for expecting me to be this way. I could blame anyone but myself, and it would still be wrong of me.
It wasn’t anyone else’s fault. I knew that. I was a grown-ass man, and I had to take responsibility for my own actions.
I shut my eyes, wanting this living nightmare to be over.
The energy was suddenly sucked out of my limbs and I leaned on the brick wall of the nearest building, sighing.
Why the hell am I walking? I should just call a cab home.
I reached into my pocket, but couldn’t find my wallet. Not panicking yet, I checked the pocket of my work uniform that I held folded in my arms, but it wasn’t there either. I checked every possible place it could’ve been but no wallet turned up.
I just started laughing, but it quickly turned into a sob.
Of course this would happen. Of course.
I didn’t know how long I stood there, sinking to my knees in the cold empty street and crying. I felt miserable and pathetic, a disgrace to the Skylar I knew. I wasn’t supposed to be like this. I was a strong omega. I wasn’t this weakling who forgot his wallet at some douchebag alpha’s house and broke down in the middle of the street.
But Iwasdoing exactly that.
As much as I needed my wallet, I needed tonotbe face-to-face with that alpha again. Not right now. I didn't think I could handle it, and the last thing I wanted was to break down even more in front of him, my legs turning to jelly as I cried and cried on his front step. No thank you.
The logical part of my brain told me the guy could steal my cash and cards and identity, but my skull was swamped with chaotic emotions. I didn’t give a fuck right now. I wanted to curl up and chew through an entire bag of family sized chips and cry myself to sleep.
And I didn’t even have a bag of chips.
The fatigue was starting to set in. All this had happened after a long shift at work, so I had the delayed exhaustion of that, plus my mediocre sexcapade and following emotional turmoil. It was all taking its toll on me. My knees felt weak. My muscles refused to let me stand back up. My body was screaming at me to stay here, balled up with my knees at my chest on the cold sidewalk, and...
And do what? Wait for some imaginary white knight to come save me?
I would have laughed bitterly again at that, except my chest hurt too much to laugh.
As exhaustion crept up on me, I felt myself nodding off. It would be okay if I sat here for a few hours, right? Nobody was around. I could just nap for an hour or two…
My brain was foggy with sleep when someone started touching me. Instantly I panicked. I punched and kicked. It was still deep in the night, dark as hell even with the light pollution, and I was too disoriented to remember I’d fallen asleep on the sidewalk.
“Don’t touch me!” I yelled. I smacked at whatever my fists could reach.
“Whoa, whoa! Hold on! You’re gonna poke my eyes out!”
The voice sounded less menacing and more exasperated. A moment later I realized it even sounded a little familiar.
“Who are you?” I demanded, squinting my eyes in the dim light.
Before me stood an alpha, tall with broad shoulders and defined muscles beneath his t-shirt. A layer of stubble ran across his strong jawline. He had a pleasing face, or at least it seemed like he would when he wasn’t scowling.
