Page 23 of Foxy Filthy Omega

“Are you sure?”

Soren stepped onto the mat without once looking down at Taylor. “I am.”

That’s when I saw he’d wrapped his hands at some point. I raised an eyebrow, wondering what his motive was.

“I feel like I could learn a lot from you,” Soren admitted.

Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t hide my surprise at his admission and I felt the psychotic need to feel blood on my hands start to fade away.

It didn’t seem like he wanted to prove to everyone just how strong he was, but that he wasn’t afraid of me.

He even looked to me as an example.

It was such an impressive way of diffusing the situation that all I could do was stand there like an idiot and stare at him with a hint of admiration.

Soren didn’t exactly blush but the tips of his ears turned red and he cleared his throat before looking down at Taylor who was slowly starting to come to.

“Let’s do some drills then,” I suggested. “I want to see how you deal with an opponent who’s smaller than you.”

My new recruit didn’t bother helping Taylor up, but he did take a step closer until he was standing at my side, nodding once in response to my suggestion. “Whatever you think is best, James.”

I turned my focus to the other senior detectives, hoping no one could tell just how much this rookie was starting to get under my skin.

Even though it was his first day, I could already tell that he’d make an excellent partner if I ever decided to make this situation permanent. Soren would be really good for me since he seemed to have some innate talent in calming me down.

I didn’t understand how he did it so effortlessly, but I really liked it.

Too bad it only made me more nervous instead of less.

I reached out to help Taylor to his feet now that he was finally conscious. “Next time, go for my left side.”

Taylor grimaced, but he nodded instead of arguing. “I always thought you spent too much time in the gym, but you certainly have something to show for it, don’t you?” He rubbed the bruise on his neck with a rueful smile. “Careful rookie, or she’ll eat you up and spit you out.”

I grinned, glad he was proving my assessment of his personality right whether he knew it or not. Taylor was a decent guy if a bit hard headed and stubborn.

“You should go see the physical therapist about your knee,” I suggested. “And make sure to work on your core to make up for it so you won’t have to twist it as much.”

The other detective slapped my shoulder in silent acknowledgement before rejoining the other detectives and their respective rookies. They all looked impressed with him despite his loss and I couldn’t help but wonder what it was I was doing wrong.

I’ve never gotten along with other alphas the same way Taylor did. There was always this space between us that made it impossible to have any comradery. I used to think it was my pheromones, but maybe it was something else.

Maybe they could sense that I wasn’t the same as them somehow – that there was somethingwrongwith me.

Was it the same thing that made alphas like Soren and Leo gravitate toward me?

I glanced over at him to see he was patiently waiting for me to indicate that I was ready to move on to the next thing.

What exactly was it he sensed from me?

“Let’s go,” I muttered, deciding not to ask. “Let’s not waste the last hour we have in the gym.”

Soren followed me without question, his presence impossible to miss.

I had a bad feeling I was going to get used to it far too quickly until his absence would be as obvious and painful as Lucy’s was.

Or Leo’s.

CHAPTER 9

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