“You must,” Toasty said. His words held an underlying warning but lacked the power of a command, much less than what it would’ve been if he was an alpha refusing to use their bark. “Do you know who he is?”
Suddenly, I realized that the man I had instinctively been attracted to may have been someone of importance. Someone who could’ve afforded such lavish gifts to give willingly to mere strangers.
Gifts that I didn’t want or care about, even if they came from him.
We were going to purchase something here anyway before the whole embarrassing event happened. What was the point of wearing something gifted by someone I didn’t know, especially when I was supposed to be wearing them to select an alpha to spend the rest of my life with? Why would I want to wear something that reminds me of someone I couldn’t ever have? What would my future alpha think, knowing that another Alpha had given me such an elaborate gift?
Forcing myself to release him, I stepped back into Quinn’s embrace. He wasn’t mine, no matter how much I wanted him to be. It wasn’t fair for me to cling to him, unwelcomed, when he had a pack.
Quinn instantly pressed her wrist underneath my nose, forcing her calming scent to overtake his. My arousal soon faded—as the heavy fog on my mind parted like a shooting star blasting through an asteroid field—from the empty promises his aroma gave me.
“He’s Mr. Coco, co-owner of Coco Pharma,” Toasty whispered; his voice had instantly lost its bite.
“Elara,” Quinn hissed. My name came out more like a curse as she tightened her grip on me. “What are you doing?” she whispered in my ear before pulling her face away. “I am sorry about my omega, Mr. Coco. Unfortunately, she is close to her heat and tries her hand at The Den tomorrow.”
“There’s no need to be sorry.” He spun around and straightened his jacket from the wrinkles I’d made. “Others, especially an alpha, should be able to control themselves around omegas, no matter if they are in heat or not. That’s the point of being vetted. So they can freely traverse amongst others without trouble.”
“Are you sure you want to pay for my jewelry?”
Scanning his body, I tried to prevent myself from licking my lips as I took in his athletic build, dressed in his black business suit like a treat wrapped in a wrapper to be hidden away from me. His sapphire vest and tie brought out his icy blue eyes as they locked onto mine. My chest ached as I heaved in deep breaths, forcing myself to calm down once more and not lunge for the male that I could somehow still smell over my gamma’s aroma. Instead, he stared at me in shock, as if he were unsure about how to respond to my question or perhaps confused why I wasn’t willing to accept the gift from him blindly.
Omegas loved gifts… and I would love whatever Quinn had picked out for me for my debut, but I hadn’t met him in The Den, and we weren’t currently going through our courting phase. Perhaps that was the reason why something deep inside me felt so wrong.
“I thought all omegas love to be spoiled.” He gave me a soft smile. “It would be my honor to provide you with these pieces. It’s not like alphas don’t already sponsor omegas. We provide you with a safe home to live in away from the rest of the human race as we work on rebuilding. Our government’s focus has been expanding our reach within the galaxy, providing enough space to create alpha-led communities. It’s in our best interest to shelter our future from the mistakes of our pasts and only allow those who proved themselves worthy to be rewarded with the opportunity to court an omega.
“All omegas should be treated like a treasure that they are, surrounded by their caretakers until you select the male you want to fulfill your dream. Then, it would be up to them to win your heart.” He let the words fall from his lips as he glanced over his shoulder at his pack, who watched our exchange with a curious gaze. Taking in a deep breath, Mr. Coco turned toward me before letting out a deep sigh. His icy blue eyes had darkened into sapphire gems, studying me as he licked his kissable lips. “If we never meet again, at least I know that I was able to help assist your gamma by stepping in.”
“I had it under control,” Quinn muttered, pulling her wrist from my nose a little too roughly. She’d never been aggressive with me before—never like this. Did his very presence threaten her? He hadn’t done anything to justify her anger. “I am fully capable of doing my job.”
“I didn’t say you weren’t,” he corrected with carefully spoken words. “It wasn’t my intention to upset either of you, so please don’t take offense by any of my actions. I will be more self-conscious in the future.”
I believed him… And for my sake, I wished I would meet him again, and soon, too.
Forcing myself to pull my gaze away from him, I leaned past Quinn and reached for the case of jewelry. Picking up the three-tiered necklace, designed to tempt the eyes to trace my spine along my bare back, I gently bounced the precious stones and took in their heaviness in my hand. It was odd how something so small could weigh so much and be worth more than what most saw in a lifetime.
“If you were me, which one would you wear?”
“That would be easy,” he purred. The growly sound from the back of his throat made me shiver as goosebumps spread all across my skin. “If I were you, I would wear the choker to show all the alphas in that room that if they wanted me, they would have to work hard to prove themselves worthy of marking me.”
