“Your omega shouldn’t be so enticing. Lookin’ all innocent and smellin’ ripe for the taking. She is standing there begging for the room to pay attention to her and only her.” His voice dripped with arrogance instead of anger as if he hadn’t done anything wrong. “So how about you just move over and allow me to continue my conversation with that fine omega behind you?”
The power of his words rolled over me, making my knees weak. It took all the power within me to prevent them from buckling and begging him to leave me be.
He wasn’t attractive—at least, not to me—and I found his scent repulsive enough to want to go against his wishes. But, I wasn’t going to allow my crazed hormones to let some random alpha—a mere stranger— have his way with me.
“You can try, but your alpha bark doesn’t work on me.” Quinn jerked her head in challenge, releasing her hold on me as she stepped closer to the cocky male. “So how about you stop ruining my omega’s time and go try to impress someone who cares. Like your reflection.”
“You gammas are all the same—”
“And you haven’t changed at all,” a rich, powerful voice mocked, articulating each word as if they were daggers. “You’d think after thirteen trips to The Den, you would’ve learned something by now, but it seems only to make you desperate. I would say you would need another, but I don’t think whatever unfortunate omega graced in your presence would be able to teach you something. So how about you stop making a bad name for the rest of the alphas aboard the station and listen to this gamma who is trying to do her job?”
The alpha in a familiar business suit stepped beside Quinn, using his body to shield me from the unruly alpha. His scent of warm coconut, sweet pineapple, and tarty cherries washed over me, making my mouth water.
The ventilation system couldn’t hide his sticky sweet flavor nor Quinn’s calming foggy mornings scent as they blocked the unpleasant aroma from the alpha who had overstepped his bounds and the beta awaiting our purchase decision. Licking my lips, I scanned the neck of this new alpha and wondered what was under his business suit. It was the mere thought of how protective he would be of me in my nest, naked with his knot begging for me, that had me suddenly hot and bothered. The lack of any underlying scent only made me squeeze my thighs together and swallow a whimper.
“I don’t care who you are, but you are no longer welcome in this establishment,” Toasty demanded, his voice not as powerful as this mystery business alpha but still making a point. “So I would advise you to leave before I report you to the enforcers and have you escorted off of the station.”
“Let’s not get hasty,” the burnt lime-smelling alpha replied, jerking his wrist away from Quinn. Raising his hands, he slowly backed away from the counter with his eyes locked onto my delicious businessman beside me. “There’s no need to report me. I know I am no longer wanted and will see myself out. I’ll leave the four of you alone.”
“I’m glad that you finally see clearer,” Quinn snapped. “There might be a chance for you yet.”
The room fell silent as my hands instinctively grabbed the back of my tropical paradise’s suit and pressed my face against him, seekinghimfor comfort. Suddenly, the back muscles stiffened as he became aware of my presence, but he didn’t make any movement to get away from my touch. I was too afraid to move, to breathe, to do anything that would ruin the moment.
This alpha had come to my rescue and put his body in front of mine. My beaded nipples and the amount of slick between my thighs were proof of how aroused I had become from his display of power as he protected me even though we weren’t acquainted. The lack of his name didn’t matter to me, for I had already become enthralled in his presence.
Suddenly, I wanted nothing more than to place my hands on the counter to allow him to have his way with me. I was willing to throw my ass up in the air and whine loud enough for the store to hear as I begged for him to fill me with his thick, knotty cock that I knew he had to be packing.
All alphas had them, and they knew how much betas and omegas wanted a taste of them. That’s why they were often arrogant and wanted to take control of everything, especially those of a lower-class gender.
Gammas were the only class gender capable of resisting both alpha barks and omega whines. They brought balance to society—as they made sure alphas never overstepped their bounds, betas were treated fairly, and omegas weren’t abused.
“That’s enough, Elara,” Quinn said, grabbing my shoulder. Her very touch felt oddly wrong upon my skin—a first. And soon, it left as she overrode the alpha’s scent on my skin and surrounded me with her own. Her scent was so familiar it was almost mine—and would remain so until I was claimed. “Leave the male alone, and let’s get out of here. It seems you are too keyed up from your coming heat to be in public right now. We don’t need you to give the wrong person the wrong idea.”
“I don’t want to,” I whined and pouted. Then, closing my eyes, I gripped my savior’s suit hard, hoping to not have to be forcefully removed. “I don’t want to leave, especially without knowing his name.”
“Is it only my name that you want?” the remaining alpha asked and chuckled. His chest bounced slightly with each one. “Aren’t you missing something?”
“What?”
The word fell out of my mouth before I was able to stop it.
“I’d advise you to watch your tongue, alpha. If you don’t, the same threat I just gave—”
“Owen,” he interrupted her. “His name is Owen, and his twin brother’s name is Keanu. They’ve been known for hunting down unmated omegas without their gammas on the station, hoping to convince them that two are better than one when it comes time for their time in the Den.”
“He didn’t mention a brother.” Quinn raised an eyebrow. Her voice was laced with skepticism. “How do I know you’re speaking the truth?”
“I’ve heard of them,” Toasty confirmed, crossing his arms. “They’ve often drifted in here from time to time, scoping out pieces of jewelry they could give to their future omega. Unfortunately, they are no longer welcome here after what he just pulled.”
“Toasty, could you please package up those three pieces that this omega was looking at for her dress and put their price on my tab,” the alpha said, gesturing to the jewelry in the black case. “Once my betas are done with their shopping and cash out, we’ll be on our way.”
My betas.
The way he said those two words sounded more like a pack than a clan. How could I compete with an alpha that did not need an omega? Yet, he lacked any lingering scents that he would’ve gained from bonding with another—and he hadn’t resisted my touch.
Could he not be interested in me? Of course, but if he wasn’t interested in me, why did he give me such an expensive gift when we were mere strangers? People wouldn’t do that unless they were hoping to impress someone or ask for forgiveness, especially since we hadn’t met in The Den. Furthermore, he’d never formally announced his intentions to court me, so why would he make such a grandiose show. There had to be a reason I wasn’t seeing.
“I can’t…”
