Destiny climbed onto the low stage and took her seat on a stool placed before a microphone stand. She picked up her guitar and felt calm return immediately, her shoulders unwinding as she settled the instrument in her lap. She smiled out at the room of eager faces, seeing no one. It was just her and the music now.
She let it say all the things she couldn’t.
Chapter six
Hunter
Hunter was pretty sure he’d just made a fool of himself in front of Destiny Duvalle. Again.
If he hadn’t already been so furious and humiliated by Xander’s escape last night, he would’ve been mortified by the discovery of his pack leader in the popstar’s room. As it was, he’d been acutely aware of everything about her, and it took all of his discipline to focus on getting Xander to safety and cleaning up his mess. He hadn’t let himself look at her for more than a few moments at a time. He couldn’t. It was like trying to stare directly into the sun.
But Hunter was looking at her now and he was enraptured by what he saw. He watched her settle on the low stage, a look of serene concentration stealing over her lovely features. It was his second favorite expression he’d seen on her face so far.
His favorite was the look of death she’d been giving Xander when Hunter arrived to retrieve him from her room. Her greeneyes glittered like a panther, and her posture held the predatory grace of a wildcat. Hunter thought that she might well have tased Xander if he hadn’t arrived when he did, and it would’ve served the asshole right. Destiny Duvalle’s face had said she was over Xander’s bullshit, she didn’t give a fuck who he was, and she wasn’t putting up with it. Hunter liked that.
Hunter and Greyson had been putting up with Xander’s bullshit for far too long. In their determination to help him succeed, they’d somehow turned into enablers of his bad behavior, and it was getting them nowhere. It was nice to meet someone who so immediately cut through Xander’s arrogant-but-charming façade.
The arrogance was all an act, but it took time to get to know the man beneath. Hunter had met Xander back when he’d tried much harder to please people, eager for friends who didn’t care that he was Prince Alexander Stepanov, heir to the Avondalian throne. Hunter, on the other hand, hadn’t tried to please anyone. He’d always been happy to keep to himself and wasn’t used to the company of people his age. He and Xander were an unlikely pair.
Hunter’s beta grandmother had homeschooled him during his early years, so going off to an alpha academy had been something of a culture shock after years with her and the little old Chinese ladies she hired as tutors in an attempt to connect Hunter with the mother he didn’t know. The most time he’d spent with other children had been during his martial arts classes, and even that hadn’t lasted long. Hunter advanced to the adult classes before he’d turned twelve. He’d never had to manage his temper around peacocking young alphas.
After he revealed and somehow landed at an obscenely expensive and exclusive alpha academy, his volatile young hormones immediately landed him in a few fights, which he won with brutal efficiency. The other boys quickly stoppedchallenging him. He could’ve taken over the so-called cool crowd, but he didn’t like any of them or care about their dumb interests. He preferred that everyone do him the courtesy of leaving him the fuck alone. Until he met Xander.
Hunter hadn’t submitted to Xander as pack leader because he was the prince, as Xander probably thought. No, he’d submitted to Xander’s leadership because he actually believed Xander could be a great king. He was charismatic, had a big heart, and a knack for putting people at ease. It’s how he’d gotten past Hunter’s self-imposed solitude. He could play the role of Prince Alexander and be incredibly likable when he wanted to be. The problem was he didn’t often want to be anymore.
Hunter knew that Xander hid his good nature because he didn’t trust people to value him for who he really was. The burden of the crown had always haunted him. He was constantly worrying about disappointing his parents, but actively defied them at every opportunity, then felt awful about it and ended up wallowing in self-pity. It was very poor-little-rich-boy-woe-is-me bullshit, and Hunter had had enough of it.
Xander had gone too far last night, using his bark to send Hunter away, and endangering himself needlessly. He knew that for Hunter to resist the command, he would’ve had to challenge his authority as pack leader, which would fracture the pack unless Xander then submitted. Part of him thought Xander welcomed the challenge, that he wouldn’t have fought for his position. He might’ve been hoping Hunter would resist and take the weight of leadership off his shoulders.
Hunter would never do that. He still believed that Xander had what it took to lead them. And Avondale. Hunter prided himself on being a good judge of character. It’s what made him so good at his job. He was sure Xander would be great, just as soon as he got his head out of his ass.
Hunter was also suddenly sure that the pack needed an anchor, someone who would balance Xander and bring peace and purpose to their dynamic. They’d been off kilter for a while, as though they were missing some vital piece. Hunter had thought it was because of Xander’s reluctance to accept his position, but now he saw there was more to it.
He was surprised he’d never considered the possibility before, but now it seemed blatantly obvious that Pack Stepanov needed an omega. They werefatedto have an omega. And not just any omega.
Destiny Duvalle.
The moment Hunter caught her scent, he knew. He’d spent years honing his instincts and observation skills, watching from the outside, seeing what others overlooked. When he smelled Destiny, he was immediately struck by the rightness of it—the way her peppermint and cinnamon fragrance mingled perfectly with Xander’s sage and hint of nutmeg. Later, when they’d all been in the gym together, their combined scents had settled the matter beyond any doubt.
It was a scent match. An actualscent match, despite the rarity of the phenomenon and the unlikely scenario that had brought them together at the perfect moment. Hunter had never known anyone who’d found their scent match.
He couldn’t tell if Greyson and Xander had realized the truth yet, though he suspected they were both aware on some level. How could they not be? Hunter could feel the pull of Destiny right now, making it hard for him to stay on the room’s perimeter where he could watch for signs of trouble. As vigilant as he typically was in social situations, he found his eyes constantly drawn back to the omega on the stage.
Hunter had been a big fan of Destiny Duvalle for years. She was one of his first crushes, and he’d had her poster on his wall back in the day. Hunter’s grandmother had looked at the posterand warned him about falling for pretty faces. Hunter knew Meemaw Debbie’s disdain was more about his mother than Destiny.
He’d heard plenty about the gorgeous omega who’d appeared on his grandmother’s doorstep with an infant in her arms the day after Debbie had buried her only child. Even before DNA testing confirmed it, Meemaw Debbie claimed she knew her son had sired him. She said she could feel it—that he’d been a gift from God sent to help her deal with her grief. She’d made sure her grandson never felt the loss of the mother who’d left him behind. Hunter’s mother had moved on, found a pack, and built a new family, but his grandmother had held on to Hunter and a lifelong grudge against pretty young omegas.
Still, he’d caught her singing along to Destiny Duvalle’s music on several occasions. Deciding that his grandmother secretly approved of the popstar, Hunter didn’t feel guilty about making her the object of his adolescent daydreams. But all of his fantasies paled in comparison to meeting the real woman.
Of course, she was beautiful. But beautiful was too common a word to describe her. Destiny Duvalle wasmagnificent.
She strummed her guitar, her rich, sultry voice filling the room. Her cat-like green eyes were closed, dark hair parted down the center to frame her heart-shaped face and falling around her shoulders in soft, beachy waves. The look on her face was so peaceful it made Hunter’s heart ache. He studied her wide forehead, high cheekbones, and alluring cupid’s bow mouth. He wondered if her tawny skin was as soft as it looked, and how good it would smell up close. And her body—he couldn’t even think about her body. He’d definitely lose all his focus if he started down that path.
Hunter wanted to memorize everything about her. Every moment he’d spent around her so far had been captivating. Looking at her, knowing what she was, what she was meant tobe, was so completely overwhelming. Hunter was looking at his forever and he was impatient for it to begin.
But he couldn’t rush her, and he definitely couldn’t just tell her that she was their mate. He needed to show her who they were. Thanks to Xander, they were off to a rocky start. She deserved better and Hunter knew she wouldn’t settle for less than she deserved. Destiny was a fucking firecracker. When Xander was being a prick in the gym, she hadn’t missed a beat. She’d just watched him with those wildcat eyes, then sliced him with her claws. Their omega might have a sweet veneer, but there was plenty of sass and sense beneath.
The audience burst into applause as she finished her first song. She smiled her stunning smile, lowering her head in polite acknowledgment. The picture of elegance and poise, her comportment befitting a queen. Hunter felt a surge of pride.
