Page 20 of Rook

“Good.”

Hunger surges through me, an alpha primal instinct that demands I claim her over and over again, to show her she’s wanted for more than what her omega status could ever dictate. My hands explore her curves, committing every inch to memory, while her soft moans fill the silence of the apartment

We’re lost in each other, everything else fades away—the danger outside, the complex web of our relationships, all of it. Right now, there’s only Aisling and the undeniable truth that she’s under my skin, etched into my bones.

And I’ll be damned if I don’t prove it to her with every touch, every kiss, every whispered vow—

“Damn, you two—get a room.”

Aisling stiffens in my arms, and I can’t suppress the growl that rumbles in my chest. Slowly, reluctantly, I pull back to look at Rook, standing in the doorway with an eyebrow cocked and a smirk playing on his lips.

“Already in one,” I retort, but there’s no heat behind it.

“Right.” Rook rolls his eyes, leaning against the frame. “Just came to say the world’s still turning out here.”

I pull her closer to me anyway, my hand on Aisling’s lower back…and I watch Rook’s eyes shutter for just a moment, his lashes flickering, his lips parting. He wants her. Even though he can’t scent her, even though he’s just a beta…he wants her as badly as I do.

I clock that, file it away.

“I could use a nap after that sleepless night,” I murmur. “Ais—wanna join me?”

Rook’s mask is back up when I look at him again, but Aisling’s hand is in mine, pulling me toward the stairs.

“That’s a great idea,” Aisling says. “I’m beat.”

Chapter ten

Rook

I shouldn’t be watching this…but I’ve been dying to see it fo weeks.

The scent of them clings to the air, a potent mix of musk and desire that coils tight in my gut. I lean against the doorframe, pulse hammering beneath my skin, and watch Aisling’s pale throat arch into Oberon’s mouth. The way she’s pinned against the wall, her chest heaving, lips parted—it’s a vision ripped straight from the darkest corners of my fantasies.

Oberon is completely wrapped up in her, no idea I’m here, that I’m done with my shower…but Aisling’s eyes flutter open, locking onto mine with an intensity that sends a shockwave straight through me. She doesn’t look away, doesn’t even blink, and in that moment, I see it—her grey eyes glazed with the same hunger that’s gnawing at my insides.

I take a step toward her and her lips part, a moan purring through the air between us like a physical touch…

“Damn, you two—get a room,” I suddenly blurt out.

Aisling stiffens and Oberon holds her tighter, a growl low in his throat as he looks at me. The growl fades as he shoots back a retort, but I can’t even hear him…because I’m looking at the way his big hands hold her waist, her hip.

Fuck, I want to touch her so fucking bad.

“Just came to say the world’s still turning out here,” I murmur.

We pass each other as they go up the stairs, and I go down—them to the bedroom, me to my lab. I can still feel her gaze burning into me, a silent call that begs me to turn back. No, I’m not an alpha—I don’t feel that pull to her, like a physiological need.

But I’m falling her like an ordinary man.

And somehow, I think that’s worse.

Because I can’t just put my cock in some other girl…not anymore. I’m falling for Aisling Faye, the Stargazer—a beacon of omega strength in a world gone sideways. And here I am, caught in her gravitational pull, fighting the urge to crash headlong into her orbit.

“Focus, Rook,” I tell myself, the memory of her helpless moan echoing in my ears as I put distance between us. “You’ve got bigger fish to fry.”

The lab’s chill is a slap in the face, sobering. I need it—the cold, the quiet, the familiar scent of antiseptics mingling with machinery. With every step toward my workspace, I shed pieces of the encounter upstairs, but Aisling’s phantom touch clings like a second skin.

“Get to work, Rook,” I grunt, placing the samples I got from the morgue on the stainless-steel counter. Machines hum to life at my command, their screens a welcome distraction.

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