Page 54 of All In

I’ve never interacted this closely with an omega. I guess it could be a result of her approaching heat.

Alpha and omega biology is wild, but I have the innate urge to constantly be touching her. If we’re not, I get itchy and anxious until I give in and seek her out all over again.

Laken is dead asleep, wrapped up with a blanket and pillow that Ranger procured for the trip, but the longer we travel, the warmer she seems. She’s not as hot as she was this morning, but it’s a little concerning that her fevers will get worse the closer she gets to starting her heat.

I’ll do whatever I can to help her through, but it’s common knowledge that omegas need packs.

Back when single-couple pairings were more common, omegas often suffered because one partner wasn’t enough to meet their sexual needs.

Ranger might be an option for an extra body.

There’s some serious sexual chemistry going on there, but they’re both stubborn, and they clearly got their wires crossed somewhere.

I mean, he ran away from her this morning, too, while telling me to take care of her, like he’s not an alpha fully capable of doing the same.

Laken grunts in her sleep, nuzzling her face closer to my pec. She’s slept on and off throughout the drive, but this time, she’s all up on me while she does it. I’ve got the air vents blowing directly on us, but I’m still burning up with how warm she is.

I tighten my arm around her shoulder, running my fingers down her inner wrist to see if she’s hotter than the last time I checked.

She groans, jolting awake. Her head tilts until she’s staring at my face, and her face morphs from terrified to a look of relief. “Hey, sorry. I forgot where I was for a minute.”

I sigh, shaking my head.

I hope she wasn’t dreaming she was trapped in that fucking trunk.

“How are you feeling?” I ask, keeping my voice low.

She doesn’t answer. Instead, she twists until she can throw her left leg over both of mine. I scoot a little closer to the middle, so her knee won’t be squished, and my hands land on her hips.

Ranger procured a decent wardrobe for her, but it was all freshly purchased, and she mentioned the dress she’s in felt itchy. It seems soft as I run my hands over her backside.

Laken pushes up on her knees and grabs the blanket, wrapping it around her back before burying her face in my throat.

I tilt my head down. “You doing okay down there, firecracker?”

“Yeah.” Her fingers dig into my clavicle as she snuggles deeper.

It makes me feel like a king.

It’s got to be that alpha pride thing people always talk about, but it’s true. Having her close to me, looking to me for safety, it hits every button I didn’t know I had.

It all goes back to the dynamics between alphas and omegas. They look to us for security and comfort, and we’re more than happy to provide it. In return, they calm our aggressive tendencies.

A burning feeling slams into the side of my head. It’s obviously Ranger glaring like he can wish my brain to melt inside my skull.

I roll my eyes and look his way.

My face conveys that he told me to take care of her, but more than that. If he doesn’t like it, that’s too fucking bad. I’m not trying to care for her out of obligation.

Sure, Laken and I don’t know each other well yet, but I’m attracted to her. She went through some shit, but she’s still strong.

If she needs a shoulder to cry on, then I’ve got two.

“I’m sorry for getting you in trouble with Ranger,” she whispers close to my ear. “I also want to be honest with you about something. Before I was kidnapped, I had a date scheduled with a guy that I kinda like.”

My gut twists at her words.

I don’t like the idea that I was just a convenient alpha around to make her come when she was going through a wave of heat.

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