The shadows hid him well before, now in the light though he is exactly how I imagined him. He is older than me, perhaps even older than Hendrix. His eyes are captivating and hard to look away from. But I do, because he is no longer this figment of my imagination and that blows me away.
If I had to guess, I’d say he was of European descent, Italian maybe. His deep golden tanned complexion only confirms his heritage, but so does his dark brown hair. The way it is styled, so precisely, is in line with his grooming. Never have I been into facial hair, but by god, on him I am. His features are entirely masculine; he is every inch an Alpha and by the raging hot yo-yoing of my emotions, I’d say he was literally made for me. I have to bite my lip not to pine out loud for him.
When I finish my very obvious ogling of his body, I’m drawn back to his eyes. And they’re locked on me. The shock from before has intensified in them.
“It’s you.”
He barks, but his voice is like being dipped in a pool of warm silky ribbons—luxurious and lush. It has all those lust-filled thoughts of mine escalating into need, making me leak perfume and blush profusely. Effectively answering him without uttering a word.
He releases a slow, exaggerated exhale—long and deliberate. Whether intentional or not, his breath carries his scent directly to me, wrapping around my senses and sending me tumbling through the implications of who he is, over and over.
My body responds in spades, slick pooling in my panties and even more of my scent misting the air between us.
He makes another strained noise in the back of his throat. My overactive brain twists it into something between a purr and a low rumble—a sound both primal and beautiful, an Alpha’s call resonating through an Omega’s core. The vibration seems to stoke the heat flickering beneath my skin, awakening something I wish would stay dormant. But I know that wasn’t his intention. He made his feelings clear when he never reached out after the car incident. Still, my body doesn’t seem to care about that rejection. But itneedsto. I have to remember—he left me because he didn’t want me.
I slam my eyes shut. I’m stronger than this—years of pretending not to be affected by others should count for something. With my vision cut off, it’s easier to slip into the familiar illusion that he isn’t real. Just another dream.
I fumble a step away as I dig deeper inside myself, becoming Simona Vanderling the Omega promised to Brody Henderson. I can be that person, but I’m not sure I could do anything but fall apart completely if I hear the Alpha in front of me reject me in any way, shape or form.
“What the hell are you doing?” he snaps.
Without opening my eyes, I reply softly, “Finding out again that I should give myself more credit.”
There’s that same noise from before, and without looking, I can tell he swipes his hand over his face. I take another step, but he interrupts my escape. “You’re Sin?”
I bite my lip to stop myself from screaming back,Isn’t me being yours more important?When I finally find my voice, it’s thin and shaky—barely a whisper. Embarrassingly weak. “Simona Vanderling.”
He comes nearer. I don’t need to open my eyes to know. His presence presses down on me, heavy and palpable—almost as real as his touch would be.
“You’re Simona Vanderling?”
It comes out like a question but at the same time it’s not because I already told him my name.
I feel stupid walking backwards with my eyes shut, but it doesn’t mean I stop doing it. Digging deeper into my survival instincts, I manage another step—only to bump into the office door. I fumble to find the handle, finally curling my fingers around the cool metal. But before I can turn it, his voice cuts through the air, freezing me in place.
“Are you far? I need you to come back immediately.”
A voice echoes, and I realise he’s not speaking to me. He’s on his phone.
“Make it one minute.”
And then he doesn’t make another sound, but likewise I don’t move an inch. We stand together in frozen silence, and it should fill me with panic, but it doesn’t. By the time the first thirty seconds have passed, my intense reaction to him shifts, and for the rest of the time we wait, I’m waylaid by a deep peace that radiates out from the very core of who I am.
The range and depth of my emotions and confusion seems to get swept up into that pause again, like when I first saw him. I wish I knew what was going on and why I can’t find the will to open the door and leave.
Somewhere behind me, a noise intrudes on the gentle peace we somehow share. Heavy, hurried footsteps pound against the floor, their urgency sending a wave of tension through my muscles. Instinct coils tight within me, though I’m not sure what I’m bracing for.
Then, overlapping the footsteps, there’s another sound—a sliding scrape against the floor. I glance down, startled, to see a phone lying there, screen alight and ringing.
“Dom? Is everything okay? Did Sin make it?”
Ryder’s voice floats upwards at the same time as another familiar voice starts behind me. “Simona?”
Hendrix.
“What is going on?” I ask but at the same time Ryder and Hendrix also speak, voicing the same question.
“I found her,” the Alpha I’m meant to be meeting says.
