Of course, it’s not an ordinary dog. If it was standing, it would be a defensive and offensive weapon on legs. Huge fucking legs to go with its massive head.
A bead of sweat runs down the side of my forehead and I swipe it away, the dog tracking my movement. But then she lifts her eyes to me, and I can’t stop my hand twitching in a need to rub over my chest, or to reach out and comfort her.
Jesus-fucking-Christ, her dog is intense, but next to her, his presence pales. She packs a punch. Right through me too. Her brown eyes are like battering rams.
Some women have eyes that are full of doe-like innocence, or endless submission and happiness. But not hers. Hers are full of warning and retribution, of chaos and rage. Without being told, I know that this woman is an omega. But I also know she is nothing like we’ve encountered to date. Nothing at all.
She doesn’t smell like jasmine in the soft sweetness in misting rain; it’s powerful and intoxicating. It’s jasmine that has been struck by lightning from one of those thunderstorms the chasers warn you about.
For the briefest moment, her eyes lock on mine and fill with a gathering of power. I watch defenceless as she fights against the rush of fury that held her for a minute before she explains what happened. And as Noah waits to help her, I’m left trying to figure out what the living fuck is going on.
And then I’m in front of her and she grabs my hand, demanding my attention, but her touch is like a live wire to my skin. It’s so unexpected, the bolt of fuck knows what courses through every cell in my body, and I have to fight with every one of those blitzed out cells of mine not to pick her up and throw her in my car, lock her in my fucking house, and own every inch of her.
I don’t know how, but I somehow manage to lock that shit down. I find a way to fight through her incredible scent and use a part of my brain to follow her requests. I even talk with her, and since Noah doesn’t argue with me or Gabe doesn’t correct me, I guess something is working for me, communication wise.
Her voice is surprisingly soft as she tells me how to be around her dog. There’s no way I could remember what I said, too lost. And yeah, I probably should pay attention to the two other people here with us. Even if they are out cold and clearly injured, but I don’t. I can’t. Noah’s job is patching her injuries and mine is her safety.
Her dog weighs a fucking tonne, but he’s light as a feather compared to the huge sense of… ownership that slams into me. And that makes no sense. None at all. I can see a stunning woman out, and thinkI’m going to tapthat,and do. I’m not adverse to chasing down pussy if I want, but this woman in front of me tilts everything on its axis.
I look at Noah, stunned, but also relieved to see him mirroring my own shock and disbelief. Maybe we’ve all been gassed by some new party drug because none of this makes sense. But right now, all I can do is lock down my weird ass reactions and scattered thoughts, focusing on getting this pint-sized omega to safety. Because one thing I do know is how to look after those in need.
3
LENNON
The mood changes after we leave. It’s like something has happened, but Valak’s forgotten to fill me in on the reasons for his mood swing.
“How are you doing?” he asks eventually. Even his voice has changed. Now it’s like talking with me is a hard task.
I shrug. His flip to his current mood is confusing, but I focus on Ares, which is easier than trying to figure Valak out.
It’s a huge risk reaching out to the Alliance, but I had no one else to turn to.
Valak keeps checking on me. I can feel his attention in the mirror but when I look, he’s focusing on everything but me. Leaning down, I drag over my bag and start reloading my gun. The soft metallic clicks as I reload, locking my anxiety down and helping me refocus. I know if push comes to shove, I could pump Valak with about six bullets in the space of a few seconds.
Ares tremors under my hand, bringing me back to what is the most important.
Seeing Ares like this is a real struggle. I honestly don’t know what would happen if something really, really bad happened to him. Tonight was bad enough. It happened so quick too; the woman came at me with a fucking syringe. Ares took it on his shoulder after he attacked the man.
The fight after got super messy and ugly, but there was no way I was going with them. It was a no-brainer to shoot; my life was in danger and I’d happily go to the police and argue my side of the story. Although, if we get to the stage where people want to question me, they’ll have to find me and Ares first.
Ares is a non-negotiable, and always will be. I struggled for a long time admitting I was petrified, even years after my escape. It was a bitter pill to swallow, but I eventually confessed to Bailey, because that girl knows nearly all my dirty secrets. After my reluctant confession, Bailey and I spent months searching for a solution.
I’d never even heard of the breed of dogs, Cane Corso, and yeah, I’m kind of glad I hadn’t. The first time I saw the image and read up on them, I closed the web browser and walked away wondering about my sanity. But clearly, I got over myself, and I’m happy I did.
My boy is black in fur and pure in blood. He also comes up to my hip, is insanely loyal to the point of being aggressively obsessed, and is so perfectly trained I barely have to utter a word of command and he knows what to do. He owns every part of my heart and soul; he is also an exceptional hugger. And right now, he is all that matters.
The car slows as Valak does a wide turn in my Jeep before driving down the driveway to park out back. The lights are off and the place looks closed for the night, but around back a garage door is open, light spilling out. And he parks in the middle of the garage before turning to face me.
Without question, I know Valak is an alpha; it’s in his commanding presence and in the way he speaks. I’m not a fan of alphas for a heap of reasons, but right now it’s not about me. And thankfully he seems to have gotten over himself and is back to being half friendly again. His scent keeps confusing me as much as he does; it’s so comforting and sweet.
“This Veterinarian is run by Pack Lombardo. Good people I can vouch for.” His brown eyes soften as he takes me and Ares in again, though his mannerisms remain a little stoic and cool but not frosty. “Are you going to be okay if they come out and help me? I’d like to be able to keep an eye out for you and carry your dog. I can’t do both.”
I nod, agreeing. And then before anything can happen, I brush my hair out of sight and tug the edge of my hoodie up to screen a lot of my face, hoping to keep a little anonymity. Smokey lilac hair makes that difficult. Valak’s eyes track my every movement. I keep my voice low and calm as I try to hide away. “I need to stay with Ares, so if that’s a problem I’ll be okay to drive in a few hours. I could make it to his breeder. I just needed a hand getting him in my car and away from them…”
“No, we’re fine. Pack Lombardo will work around us,” he says. And then he switches his focus, drops all his earlier weirdness, and talks directly to me, a slight growl in his voice making it so I can’t misinterpret a word he says. “The Alliance will doeverythingto make sure you’re safe.”
I already know the role that Valak plays in the Alliance from all his time on television trying to encourage the missing omegas to come forward. I also know about him by gossiping with Bailey, and she always said he was quiet and moody when he visited her pack. I have to kind of agree. He’s got that typical vibe security personnel have; his eyes moving constantly as he assesses people and situations.
