Page 18 of Toxic

Sean suddenly stood on his tiptoes and muttered into my ear, "I can give you a discount today. 100% discount, if you know what I mean…" And he winked.

I blinked dumbly in response and cleared my throat. "Thanks, but we’re both tipsy. I’m not into drunk hookups."

Such a blatant lie on my part. I would’ve definitely said yes if that was Soren’s proposition. I stepped back, noticing the immensely disappointed grimace on Sean’s face.

Why did I deny him at all? Why couldn't I just convince myself to do this? I should have said yes and taken the free, enthusiastic fuck.

Just to change the energy, I went outside, but far too many people were standing at the building exit, smoking and drinking. That’s when I decided I didn’t need that much fresh air after all, feeling frustrated with the noisy crowd. I remembered I had cigarettes and a lighter in my jacket pocket, which I still carried around. I took out a cig and stepped aside toward the bushes to light it and relax a bit. I stood there for a moment, smoking and mindlessly staring at the dark sky.

Unexpectedly, I heard two voices coming from around the corner of the building.

Something got my attention, so I moved closer, pressing myself against the wall. I immediately recognized Soren’s voice. "Give it a rest, fucker, I’m not in the mood."

"Come on, Soren, why are you so stubborn?" I cautiously peeked out from behind the corner of the building. I saw Soren leaning against the wall, with Don practically pinning him there, his elbows propped up on the wall. He was trying to kiss Soren’s neck, but Soren was pushing him away.

"What’s your problem? I can’t figure you out. Is it really that big of a deal, or do you just enjoy playing hard to get?" Don held him tighter and tried to press his lips to Soren’s mouth, but Soren resolutely turned his face to the side and shoved him awayeven harder. It didn’t help though—the betas were no match for alphas. Even ones as lame as Don. Our bodies were filled with ten times more testosterone than the other subgenders; we could literally bend metal rods with our hands.

"You’re drunk, let me go. You’re not getting anything from me," Soren growled. But Don didn’t back off; he pressed Soren harder against the wall and tried to kiss him again. The beta made a sound of protest and punched him in the chest with both fists, but Don didn’t let go, didn’t stop. Soren started pulling back, arching his body away and making almost sobbing sounds, and that’s when I knew I couldn’t just leave it like that.

I stepped out from around the corner of the building and spoke up in a calm tone, "Is there a problem?"

Don immediately released Soren, his face red and sweaty.

Soren quickly turned toward me, his lips trembling slightly, surprise filling his eyes. Suddenly, he took two steps toward me and spoke in an odd, almost desperate tone, "Still interested in the Kingdom of Promises? I’m in the mood to do something stupid tonight, so if you want, you can use me. Bj?"

I barely processed what he said—it was so unexpected. But Don heard it clearly.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Don exploded, stepping toward him and grabbing Soren’s arms roughly, spinning him to face him. "You never do bjs, what’s going on?"

I could see his fingers digging into Soren’s slender arm. Soren looked stressed and desperate to get away. I let out an instinctual growl, directed at Don as an alpha, and then I pushed him to the side to separate him from Soren.

"Don’t touch him without his consent," I snarled.

Don growled back. Now we stood facing each other, low rumbling sounds coming from our throats. Soren was positioned beside us, watching with a mix of shock and confusion. Being a beta, he might not even hear those growls clearly—or onlyhear parts of it, which probably just sounded like a dog barking or something. But little did he know, those sounds were actual words in AOs’ language. It was something like: 'I'm going to pin you down, fucker', 'Keep your distance', 'Stay out of my business', and so on.

"You two need to calm down. You sound ridiculous, like… animals," Soren snorted.

"We are animals, Soren," I said in a low voice.

"Speak for yourself," Don hissed.

"Get the hell out of here!" I shot back, my tone raspy.

"No, you get lost, idiot!" Don spat, and then I shoved him, surprised by my own strength. He flew backward and landed on his ass. Maybe he was drunk, but it took way less force than I thought to knock him down. And it worked like a charm, even though I was only two inches taller, and I didn’t have any martial arts training.

"I saw what you did. He said no, and you still tried to force him. Get out of here before I kick your sorry ass."

Don tried to get up, but I pushed him down again. And then a third time, not letting him get up because I felt he wasn't done fighting.

"Don’t even try it. You’re too drunk to take on me; let’s postpone this for another time."

To my surprise, Don finally reacted. He got up much quicker this time, then turned away and rushed off, his face twisted in anger. Honestly, I didn’t expect him to back down that easily, but maybe he sensed something in me—some aggression he couldn’t handle while drunk—and decided to let it go.

I didn’t even look at Soren. I saw no point in it. I just started walking away, but then I heard his voice.

"Skye!"

Wow, Soren actually said my name. What a fucking ‘honor’, finally. I slowly turned toward him, now staring at me withhis head slightly tilted and his bottom lip bitten. A moment of silence fell as I looked at him, and he looked back at me.

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