I don’t think it’s worth waiting around.
"I think it’s time for us to go," I say to Blue.
He simply nods. I move half a step ahead of him and lead him out through a side exit.
But as I reach the door, I feel it coming again. There’s still a crowd in the hallway, and I know they’ll surround him the moment we step out, so I stop.
"There are a lot of people out there. We’ll get surrounded. They’ll ask questions, try to touch you…" I say, turning toward him with my hand already on the handle.
I see it on his face, the irritation, the clear reluctance.
"I don’t want to be touched," he grits out coldly, his jaw tightening.
So I close my eyes for a second, running through another scenario.
"I can prevent it, but I’ll have to be a little rough. And ‘a little’ is an understatement."
"Then do it." His eyes lock onto mine. "Protect me, Gabriel!"
Those words trigger a strange, primal reaction in me, like my body has been hit with an electric impulse. Something almost wild awakens inside me. An omega is asking for protection, and I am an alpha. It’s deeply instinctive, and my body shifts into a new state of focused attention.
I slowly nod, not taking my gaze away. For a moment, it feels like we’re completely focused on each other, which is strange.
"No touching me."
"Copy that. I’ll handle them," I say, feeling even more grounded in my bodyguard role, an unexpected calm in my voice, something very unlike me.
"Let’s move."
I open the door, and the group in the hallway immediately notices us and starts surging in our direction.
There’s only one thing I can do to prevent us from being surrounded. I move fast, stepping straight into them and shoving the first guy hard enough to make him stumble back.
"Back off! Move aside right now," I growl, the warning AO tone vibrating in my chest like distant thunder.
What the fuck? Never, not once in my life, have I made such a low, almost feral sound from my throat, one that comes out sounding almost demonic in its depth. Where is this kind of energy even coming from?
It’s almost as if I were a trueprotectorrather than a bodyguard, and that’s a role much closer to the most fundamental nature of an alpha.
Where’s the old shy Gabriel? Now I’m acting like someone else entirely.
The question is…
Why is my alpha side waking up so strongly around Blue?
Even more people try to push in from the sides, but I move quickly, cutting them off before they can get close. Every time someone gets within six feet, I shove them away, sometimes hard enough to send them to the floor.
The visions in my head are running nonstop. I can feel the pressure building, a sharp ache at the back of my skull. I see every scenario where someone grabs Blue’s arm, and I stop it before it can happen.
The possibilities flood in one after another. If I don’t push hard enough, someone slips through. If I move this one, two more take his place.
It’s relentless, an overwhelming stream of paths and outcomes as I force my way through the crowd toward the stairs.
Finally, we make it, and Blue is still untouched.
I push the door open, relief hitting me immediately. My head is pounding. Blue slips through the narrow gap, I follow, then pull the door shut and hold it for a moment to discourage anyone from coming after us.
A few seconds later, security is already coming up the stairs toward us.
