I look down, and my entire body locks up.
There’s a woman in my arms, her side pressed flush against my chest.
My arm is locked around her narrow waist, and the other hand is tangled in a cascade of dark red hair. My fingers curve around the back of her neck, holding her. Possessive. Familiar in a way that makes no sense.
I have no memory of how she got here.
The hand at her neck moves, forcing her head to tip back.
Slowly, her face comes into focus. She’s pretty. Soft-mouthed, lashes dark and thick against flushed cheeks. Her brown eyes stare past me, wide and glossy with fear.
I have no idea who this woman is, but there’s something about her that feels too good.
My grip on her waist tightens before I realize how hard I’m holding her. A small, frightened sound slips from her throat, sharp and involuntary. It hits me square in the chest, and my arms loosen enough to let her breathe.
The moment the pressure eases, my own breath stutters back in.
Her scent floods me all at once, no warning, no mercy. Sugared-tea leaves deepen into something unmistakable, sweet and grounding andalive. It slides under my skin, curls around my spine, and settles hard and sure in a place that doesn’t argue.
Omega.
The realization is a lightning strike in my addled brain.
Every alpha instinct I possess roars to life, a primal command to claim, protect,mate.
A jolt goes through me, and my cock gives a pathetic twitch against my thigh. A faint, stirring echo of what it should be doing. But the fire in my blood dies as quickly as it came, smothered by the pain and fever.
“Who,” I rasp as my hold on the omega tightens once again. “Who is she?”
But no one answers.
“Where did she come from?” I rip my eyes off her face, looking directly at Warren.
He looks wrecked.
Shame is written all over him. Head bowed, shoulders rigid, and eyes cast down like he’s already braced for the blow. He looksguilty.
“She’s our omega,” he says quietly. “Her name is Tansy.”
My grip on the back of her neck doubles, instinct snapping sharp and territorial. “I knowwhatshe is,” I bite, and the omega shivers. “I askedwhereshe came from.”
Warren swallows. “We got her at the Morder,” he says. “The omega black market.”
The room feels smaller, tighter, as shock tears through me. “Youboughtan omega?” I ask, voice low and dangerous. “While I wasunconscious?”
Warren nods, shame deepening in his eyes. “Yes,” he whispers. “I did.”
Something in my chest fractures, rage and disbelief colliding with a cold, hollow weight.
They made a permanent decision for our pack.
Without me.
“Cass,” Beck starts, eyes wide and pleading. “You were dying. We had to help you. We?—”
A growl rips out of my chest before I can stop it. Low. Stern. Final. It snaps through the room like a blade.
Beck’s slight body freezes up, color draining from his face as he goes silent instantly, eyes dropping in reflexive submission.
