Page 161 of Lonely Alpha

“I won’t go into heat.” She said it with high confidence.

That confidence was immediately undermined by the way she slid off the bed and out of her nest… and whined. A low, involuntary whine that came from deep within her. Kiara didn’t want to leave her nest, and she shouldn’t have to.

My omega should be able to have a normal heat spent in comfort, and I was furious that she was right.

Noah Connolly wouldn’t take kindly to Kiara not listening to his directives, and it would negatively impact our ability to negotiate. It might harm Kiara more in the long run if she didn’t come to the restaurant, as uncomfortable as it would be in the short term.

“She can’t go,” Mercury said.

I hadn’t realized he was here. He had his arms crossed over his chest, leaning against the door frame with a fierce scowl.

“I’m going,” Kiara insisted again.

Her steps were stilted as she moved away from the nest. She glanced back over her shoulder no less than six times before she got to me where I stood across the room.

“No, you’re not,” Ambrose said.

Kiara’s chest rumbled with a little growl. It wasn’t like the sexy, possessive ones she often released. This one was angry, her sapphire blue eyes narrowed into a glare.

“Neither of you can stop me,” she said.

Mercury and Ambrose both growled back. Dash hadn’t come in here—he was neck deep in hacks as he tried to give us the best possible leverage for tomorrow. After napping in the nest with Kiara last night, he’d locked himself in the office. I imagined he would have the same opinion as his packmates.

“It’s unsafe and irrational for you to leave,” Mercury said. “Do you really want to leave your perfect nest?”

He softened his tone for the second part, making it a clear bribe. Kiara looked longingly at her nest before shaking her head. “I’m going.”

“Your scent is already spiking. If it gets any worse, you could send every alpha in the building into a rut,” Ambrose said. “Leighton, tell her she’s not going.”

It was my turn to growl, every instinct raging at being told what to do. At being told how to handle my own omega.

If I wanted her to stay behind, it was a simple order. The dark bond demanded she listen when I commanded her, and she couldn’t resist for long enough to follow me out to the date.

But was that ethical?

It would be to keep her safe. However, I knew she would be furious and I wasn’t sure if she would forgive me. This was her own safety. She should have control over it, shouldn’t she?

The alpha part of me didn’t want her out of her nest—even across the room from it was too far. The rest of me? I knew she had her own free will, and I hadn’t dark bonded her so I could take that from her.

“Kiara, do you understand what could happen if you go? If you go into heat while we’re out?” I asked.

Her teeth sunk into her bottom lip. She gave a hesitant shake of her head.

“Plenty of alphas will go into a rut around an omega in heat. They’ll go crazy trying to get to you. It might cause a riot—it’s happened before. I’ll try to protect you, but depending on how many alphas are there… It could get messy.”

She shifted from foot to foot, hand on her thigh. Her knife holster hadn’t been removed. The rest of her clothes had been shed ages ago, leaving her only in my plush robe, but she couldn’t bear to part from the weapon. I knew it must be rubbing uncomfortably against her ultra-sensitive skin.

“If I don’t go, it could be worse,” she whispered. “I won’t go into heat. We can go and get the Ashby pack to let us leave early, and I’ll be home by the time it hits.”

Ambrose and Mercury were stiff and doubtful. Honestly, so was I. Ultimately, it was her choice. Kiara believed she could make it through the night and would rather risk those consequences than the other ones.

“Fine. You’ll come,” I said.

Mercury growled, but I shut him up with a glare. Ambrose contained himself, not making a sound but creating tight fists at his sides.

“We’ve got to get you dressed now,” I continued. “It’s a good thing Dash got you so many fancy outfits. Let’s put you in the shower and get you ready.”

Worry kept me tense as I stripped Kiara out of her robe and placed her under the cool spray of water. I didn’t want to bring her out of this house. I would rather keep my omega safe now and deal with what happened later. If she’d accepted staying home, we would have figured something out.

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