Page 39 of Why Cruise

I traced a casual finger down the length of my cock. Willow’s gasp brought me back to the table.

“That’s the standard rate for heat assistance,” I said, keeping my voice casual. “Though if you think your omega isn’t worth the investment…”

Lawrence got all puffed up with that “how dare you insult my bank account” pride.

I put both forearms on the table and leaned in. I tapped her designer bag. It was one of those custom numbers you couldn’t buy outright, but had to be “invited” to purchase by some snooty sales assistant. I’d stolen dozens of them over the last few years. Their price on the resale market was insane.

“Lawrence, her hand bag cost more than what we’re discussing here. Are you really going to tell her that the accessories that goonher body should be worth more than the things that goinher body?”

“Alpha,” Willow cooed, double teaming his ego.

I sat back and let them stew on that for a second. The sharks circling Mackenzie were getting closer. One was just four deck chairs away. And she was gloriously oblivious to it all. She didn’t have any idea how fucking perfect she was.

“Alpha, to settle your concern,” Willow turned her omega purr up to eleven, “why don’t we invite Ren to our stateroom this evening? We can see if he can do the job before all the wild emotions of heat.”

Oh, you calculated little bitch. This wasn’t just about heat. This was about getting fat knots on demand. I had to respect the con.

“Remember my fantasy?” She said, pitching her voice low, “how I want to be knotted and worship you at the same time?” She dropped her hand into her alpha’s lap.

“Omega,” he growled, and I knew she had him.

I tipped her bag over and sorted through the lipsticks and random make up debris for a pen while she stroked her alphainto a frenzy. I wrote my wire transfer information on a napkin and tucked it back in her bag. She nodded at me with a knowing smile.

“Fifteen and I’ll see you at 10.”

“Fifteen!” Lawrence’s outrage died when Willow licked the side of his neck.

“The extra five is for rearranging my schedule.”

Willow handed me her room card with a wink. If I played my cards right, I might be making 10 large a night for the rest of the cruise. I left Willow to jerk off her alpha under the table.

That one alpha had gotten a chair closer to Mackenzie. The growl came unbidden to my throat. I didn’t fuck with my aura a lot. I kept it close to the vest, mostly. It was too intimate to feel people in your space, but I let it roll out now, let it take up as much space as it wanted. Every alpha head turned toward me.

I claimed the chair next to her, effectively claiming her in their pathetic alpha brains.

“So,” I drawled, stretching out on the chair like I owned it, “are you going to tell me why you’re pretending to read that book upside down?”

Mackenzie

I flipped through the orientation manual, comparing it to Theo’s color-coded spreadsheet. His neat handwriting filled the margins with notes about which activities might attract the right pack. The amount of thought he’d put into this was impressive.

“Introduction to Pack Dynamics,”I read aloud.“Learn how successful packs balance alpha authority with omega autonomy while maintaining healthy boundaries.”

My finger traced under the words “alpha authority.” That’s what relationships were supposed to be, right? Alphas led, omegas followed. Daryl had always made the decisions. All the decisions. Where we ate, what I wore, how I spent my time. That was normal. Natural.

Wasn’t it?

I turned the page and caught another workshop title:“Financial Freedom in Pack Life.” The description made my stomach clench.“Join our expert panel to discuss modern approaches to pack finances, including joint accounts, omegaallowances, and maintaining financial independence while building pack prosperity.”

Omega allowances. Daryl had given me a credit card for “necessities,” but I’d always had to show him the receipts. That was normal too, wasn’t it? I didn’t even know how much was in my checking account anymore.

Stinging eyes joined my tight throat. Did I even have a bank account anymore? Jillian had given me her credit card. She had said everything on the ship was paid for already. But I might need money for souvenirs.

I had no money. I had… nothing.

A gust of wind snatched my new hat, sending it tumbling across the deck.

“Justice!” I gasped, watching it blow away. I scrambled after it, relief crashing hard into me, like that hat was my only possession. And that too I only had because of an alpha.

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