Page 16 of Savage Trap

Jesus, Kelly. Rein it in a little, will you?

I smirk to myself as I cut through the crowd, my eyes peeled for our angel. I’m careful to exude my ‘stay away’ aura to the circling alphas, but I can’t keep my thoughts from drifting as well. With all the testosterone in the air, I have to wonder what our absent packmate would think of Nate Leon. Arben is the epitome of a dominant alpha, to the point Rory calls him a cock conductor because of the way he orchestrates our group scenes. As far as I’m concerned, there are alphas and then there is Arben, sitting all alone on his domineering throne.

The back of my neck tingles and I look around, wondering if I’ve actually manifested our guardian through wishful thinking alone. But when I try to tune into my bond with him, I get the same smothering static that makes my stomach clench.

A small mewl of distress leaves my lips and the big alpha next to me cocks his head, his gaze swinging in my direction. I fight the urge to duck my head, because the fastest way to blow off random interest is to let them get a look at the bite marks on my neck. Arben’s is huge – although still nothing on the mauling he gave Link in his monster form – and even the horniest alpha tends to back off when they catch sight of it. But this alpha is drunk, and the club is both dark and crowded. I can almost see the moment he decides I’m worth the risk, and my hand shoots to his balls, a single claw poking into his nasty sack. “I have a knife, and I’m not afraid to use it.”

Defensive training has been part of our daily routine since the omegas moved onto the estate. Most times it’s me and Elvi using one of our mates to demonstrate basic moves, which revolve around a) punching alpha dick, and b) running for our lives. The rest of the time we focus on getting their wolves to come out at will, because there’s no better self-protection than a pissed-off beast exploding out of your skin. And the fact I can now half shift - thanks to the dedicated tutelage of my avenging angel – means that I have every alpha literally by the balls.

No more bending over for some sweaty, abusive asshole who thinks every omega is fair game…

“Step back!” I hiss, giving him another poke, and he actually raises his arms as he stumbles away.

I’m tempted to follow just to make sure I’ve driven my point home – literally – but I swing towards the restrooms instead. I wouldn’t put it past him to find reinforcements and come back to teach my omega ass a painful lesson.

My mood lifts a little when I find the club has an Omega Only bathroom, and I push my way inside with a sigh of relief. There are only two cubicles – one of which is occupied – but I pause at the vanity and take in my pale face and wild eyes. My mesh tank is plastered to my skin, and I grab a hand towel and run it under the faucet before wiping it over my face and arms. I’m reaching for a dry one when the stall door opens behind me and a guy steps out.

I instantly reach for my bonds. And not just Arben’s, although I get the same static from all of them. It’s like I’ve suddenly been cut off from my pack, and I know it’s because of him. The huge, gold-skinned man behind me, deep scars in his cheeks and piercings through the eyebrows, nose, and lip. When he meets my gaze in the mirror, the air shimmers around him and I swear I can see his beast stalking towards me, although it’s twice the size of any wolf I’ve seen in real life.

I grab the vanity. I know there’s damp marble under my hand, but it feels like I’m clutching air. And before I can whirl around to confront him, he’s right behind me, his breath hot on the back of my neck.

But my training kicks in, all those hours of kicking alpha dicks and running for my life paying off. I rear back, using my grip on the counter to add momentum, my head snapping towards his face.

But before I can connect, his hand shoots out, gripping my throat and pulling me back against his chest. I thrash, ready to tear into him with my claws. But when a purr comes out of his chest, my hands freeze and I blink. Because if that face wasn’t staring into my eyes, I’d swear it was Arben. Only this guy is bigger, harder, and about a thousand times more savage.

A shudder runs through me, tinged with terror. But then that breath on my nape turns sweet, drifting over me in a hazy cloud. “Don’t fight me, little one. I’m not here to hurt you.”

Even the voice is similar to Arben’s, and I try that bondlink with him again, desperate to see some recognition in the strange eyes peering into mine.

More static, which seems to bleed into the rest of my brain. I try to blink it away, but the mirror suddenly goes foggy and my vision starts to blacken at the edges. I don’t think I’m going to pass out, but I can feel my pulse slowing under his huge palm, my wolf retreating into some dark, hidden part of me.

“Who are you?” I croak, and realize there are tears dripping down my cheeks.

He makes a humming sound, but doesn’t try to wipe them away. Instead, he lowers his face to my hair and rubs it back and forth like he’s scent-marking me. That sweet perfume takes on a darker undertone, and I shiver. But his fingers have found the edge of my mating bites and he chuffs as he strokes them. When he finds Arben’s mark, his purr rattles in his chest like an approaching hurricane. “Tell me about this one.”

I swallow, every instinct screaming at me to brace for those sharp teeth I can see glinting in his mouth. Fuck, I’m pretty sure at least a few of them are metal, which makes zero sense with a shifter. What’s the point of piercing our bodies when our wolves are the coolest kind of modification out there? But even as I have this scrambled conversation with myself, I can feel my mind growing hazier. “It’s Arben’s,” I murmur. “He’s one of my alphas.”

He says something in a language I don’t know, although it could just be a guttural growl. “Does he look after you, little one?”

I shiver and shudder, trying to blink past the mist in my mind. “Yes,” I whisper.

“Even when you fight the rage?”

I open my mouth, but nothing comes out. Does he mean my omega heat? Female omegas might become needy little sex beasts when they give in to their mating cycle, but I’m more likely to tear a cock off at the root during my heat. That rage was the only thing that kept me safe when I was locked in the basement, but it owned me, turning me almost rabid. And when I came into heat under Arben’s roof, I begged him to chain me up, to knock me out, just so I didn’t hurt anyone. But instead, he dominated me, forcing me to shift over and over until I got what I wanted: Rory’s mating bite.

“Always,” I croak. “He looks after all of us.”

“Ah.” He almost sighs against my hair. “That is good.”

I blink, trying to make sense of the expression on his face. But his eyes are hooded, his massive palm slack against my throat. I try to coax my claws out, to seize this moment when he’s distracted, but my wolf is still frustratingly out of reach.

And then his eyes snap open and I feel icy sweat pop all over my body. “I’ve enjoyed meeting you, little one. But you must forget it now. Forget you saw me, what we spoke about…” His hand slides over my throat, tracing Arben’s bite as if he wants to memorize it. “And then, when you see me next, wolfing, I will tell you to come with me. And what will you do?

I blink into those savage eyes. “Come with you,” I whisper.

And then he’s pushing me towards the door, hard enough to make me slam into the wood. I cry out, but use the force to propel my way back out into the club. The noise and lights and press of a hundred sweaty bodies hit me like a punch and I stagger. But as soon as an alpha swoops my way, trying to steady me, I snarl and dash through the crowd.

My heart gives a needy thump as I spot my pack at the bar, all their necks craning like they’re looking at me. No, not all… I still can’t see Angel, and for some reason that makes my skin crawl.

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