Two.
I unhook the key and immediately start my descent, staring straight ahead and not down, not wanting to see how high up I am.
Below me Thayer is calling out encouragement that under different circumstances might make my panties damp. “Good girl. You’re doing so well. That’s it. Just like that. Look at you,”taking my cock so well, my stupid brain inserts that last part in his growly voice with no prodding from me. And who am I kidding? My panties are done for.
I think that’s going to be the case for all my underwear by the end of the show, if I’m honest.
I scowl down at him. “Stop that,” I hiss.
His response is of course to just give me that same look he did on the docks that first day. But I can tell he knows what he’s doing. “Come on, omega, you’re almost there. You can finish this.”
My scowl only deepens. His smirk in response is…everything, and I’m so flustered that I miss the next rung and then I’m fucking falling all because a stupid alphasmirkedat me? My stomach lurches, and fear grips me tight. A squeak of sound pushes past my too tight throat.
I brace for impact, for pain and embarrassment. But I only fall for a half second before I’m cradled in a set of strong arms blinking up at Thayer as he grins down at me. Grins. Like he’s enjoying this.
“Asshole!” I shove at his chest and he lets me go, making sure I land on my feet.
His smile only grows. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, omega, I was just offering encouragement.”
“You know exactly what you were doing.” I snatch up my key and stalk toward the zigzag beams, so flustered and frustrated that I traverse them with nary a wobble and in seconds I’m stepping onto the beach, and Petal is taking my place on the obstacle, smiling big, arms outstretched. She’s short and nimble, a lower center of gravity from the rest of us, and she’s over the water and on the platform almost as quickly as I made my return trip.
“Nice move,” Joanie says, bumping her shoulder into mine in what I think is supposed to look like a friendly nudge, but actually hurts. “Getting him to catch you like that.”
I eye her. “It wasn’t a move.”
She ignores me and Odette scoffs. “Not that it’s going to help, though. We all know the royal pack isn’t going to end up with American trash like you.”
God, why is this their default? Insulting others? Trying to tear everyone around them down. If the Ashbourne Pack is picking their omega based on how catty they can be… well, I’m on the wrong show.
Out on the platform, Thayer has plucked Petal off the ground and placed her right next to her key. She laughs as she untangles the puff, and then again when the alpha just keeps her in his arms as he crosses back over the zig zag beams.
Oh, the cameras are going to eat that up, especially the way they beam at each other when they’re back at the sandy beach. A stupid niggling of jealousy creeps up my spine, seeing the careful way he sets her on her feet right next to the treasure chest.
“Keys?” he asks the rest of us, already dropping to his knees and inserting his and Petal’s into the locks. The rest of us hurry to his side and hand ours over. In seconds he has the chest open and the first canvas bag in his hands.
I’m aware of Forsythe dropping to his knees next to his chest as we take off across the sand, in first place. My competitive side just barely manages to suppress the need to crow about it.
Thayer keeps pace with me, shortening his strides and going much slower than he needs to. I can feel him looking at me out of the corner of his eye. “What?” I snap.
“I’d never have let you fall, you know that, right?”
I scowl at him. “Of course I know that.” The biological instincts ingrained on the core of every alpha is to take care of omegas, keep them safe and away from harm. Or at least, that’s the lie peddled in Omega Academies across the world.
Alphas keep us safe.
Unfortunately, it’s something I believed. Until one alpha proved me so incredibly wrong.
Stupid. I knew Frederick Bell was a bad alpha. I’ve known that for as long as I’ve known Haven. For as long as I realized just how buried under his alpha commands she was, and yet, until I experienced it for myself, I didn’t reallyknow.
Thayer draws me up with a hand on my elbow, halting me mid stride, until I turn to face him. “I mean it, Florence. I would never let anything happen to you. It wasn’t my intention to make you fall.”
He seems genuine. Really genuine. His blue eyes scouring my face, reading my expression. “I know,” I say again, softer, gentler. “It’s not your fault I’m extremely uncoordinated.”
He hums at the blatant lie. Because thatisa lie. A way to save face so maybe the whole world won’t know that I lost my grip on that net because of a few words of praise from this alpha.
“Now, come on,” I say, tapping the back of my hand to his stomach…. His very ripped and hard stomach. “We have a challenge to win.”
Before I can pull away fully, his fingers press into my palm, holding my knuckles against him for a moment. A moment too long.
