But the dark circles beneath those eyes worried Roman.
“I don’t know who you are or what you’re here for, but if you come any closer to me, I'll make you pay for it.” Sidian took a step forward, the long grass brushing his slender ankles. “I’m done with alphas. Done with you sick fucks, and I’ll take all my anger out on you if you push me.”
Roman’s chest tightened at the words, but he ignored the childish desire to whine at Sidian for it. Alphas did notwhine,and given where he had just escaped from, Sidian wasn’t speaking to or about him. Not really. Sidian didn’t know who Roman was, and he could only imagine what Sidian must have endured depending on how long he’d been in the breeding center.
Roman would find every single alpha who ever laid a hand on his darling and cut off their fingers one by one.
Sidian winced, the scalpel lowering just a touch before he jerked it back up. “You stay here like a good little dog. I’m leaving.”
“Wait.” The word was a barely audible rasp, but Roman’s desperation permeated his very being, making it impossible for him to bite it back.
Because Sidian could not leave him. Because Roman had already lost Sidian once, and two years without him had been more painful than he knew how to put into words. He needed Sidian at his side always, tucked in against him where he could ensure Sidian was safe and sound, where no other alpha had any hope of reaching him. And the woods were not safe. There was nothing out there but the wilderness, and it was so easy to die unprepared in the wilderness.
Sidian’s muscles locked as if the sound of Roman’s voice alone had an effect on him; Roman’s alpha preened. “Shut the fuck up. Who gave you the privilege of speaking to me?”
An alpha’s command, dominance woven into every syllable, was about as unsubtle as a sledgehammer to the face. The boss had strict rules about the Vipers never using their commands within earshot of omegas because of the trauma it could cause them after being locked within the breeding centers, some of them imprisoned for decades of their lives, and some still children. Just the same, Roman knew what an alpha’s command sounded like. Requisite training for the Vipers ensured they could always shrug it off if need be, though even the boss could not infuse enough dominance in his voice to bring Roman to his knees.
Sidian silenced him with a single sentence.
He’s perfect in every way it’s possible to be.
Roman needed to touch Sidian. He needed to hold his mate in his arms and feel all the tension wound tight through Sidian’s body relax as he realized he was safe in Roman’s embrace. Such a powerful, unique, perfect omega deserved nothing but the best Roman could give him.
And he wanted to give Sidian everything.
Sidian took a step backward, but the slight tremble that rocked his frame told Roman just how exhausted his mate must have been. The adrenaline was likely weakening in his blood.
When Roman tried to draw closer to him, Sidian snarled. “Get down on the fucking ground!”
And Roman’s knees struck the dirt.
The impact jarred up his spine, a grunt leaving his lips. He did not try to fight whatever the hell was going on, though, his eyes for Sidian and Sidian alone. Whatever that was, whatever Sidian just did to him, it sparked pure electricity in Roman’s veins, zaps of anticipation sizzling beneath his skin. Blood filled his cock, which would have been embarrassing in any other circumstance, but not this one.
He knew Sidian was special. And now he had the proof.
And Goddess help anyone brave or stupid enough to rip his omega from his arms again.
Chapter Five
The sight of the massive alpha sinking to his knees on command stirred an unwelcome heat between Sidian’s thighs.
His hand trembled where it gripped the scalpel, his breathing quick and tight as he took in the broad silhouette.Massivemight even be an understatement on his part; even on his knees, the alpha was huge. Broad-shouldered and built thick through the thighs, the narrow cut of his waist made Sidian imagine the solid wall of abdominal muscle likely hidden away beneath layers of what looked like all-black fabric. Even the alpha’s gloved hands, hanging at his sides, looked large enough to swallow Sidian’s entire face.
Not that he planned on letting anyone touch him ever again. He could live without seeing what the comparison was.
His feet ached from running through the woods with nothing but socks to protect him, his lungs burned with each breath, and a stitch throbbed in his side. Though he was active before being locked away, he’d been doped up and confined inside so muchthat he could feel how much he’d weakened, and it sickened him. But no more. He didn’t know what the hell was going on, but he was free.
And no one was going to take that away from him.
He took another step back, his mind whirling through a thousand possibilities.Keep running and don’t look back.If this alpha followed him, he might have to figure out a way to kill him. Bred omegas shouldn’t trigger an alpha’s rut, at the very least, but if something happened to his baby… His heart sped up at the thought, his throat threatening to close. No, nothing could happen to his son. He was going to be just fine, and when Sidian had the chance, he’d hunt down Pack Kincaid and get his daughter back, too.
He could do it himself. He had to do it himself because everyone else was fucking useless. Everyone who ever offered him anything tied a high price to it, higher than he ever wanted to pay ever.
All he wanted was to be left alone.
Another step back, however, and the alpha on the ground let out a low, crooning sound. It sank into Sidian’s bones, and some of the tightness in his muscles loosened.
How the hell was the alpha doing that? More to the point,why?
