Page 22 of Captivate

I swallow the lump in my throat, and I do. I tell her all about Kennedy and his arrest, the cops chasing me, and Miles rescuing me. I tell her about Fox, Thane, Levi, the mansion, everything that has overwhelmed me in the past day.

I even somehow manage to choke out that I have cervus, something else I’ve never uttered to another personeveroutside of my family. After I’m finally done, my throat is dry, and Caroline is quiet—which is not a good sign.

I take a long drink of water and meet her gaze. “All right, just say it.”

“Say what?”

“Say whatever is making your face like that,” I gesture vaguely to all of her face.

She lets out a long sigh and reaches along the table for my hand. “It’s a lot,” she murmurs. “And I’m worried about you. Four Alphas in a close environment like that, after you’ve been away from their kind for so long… it just seems like it would be trouble. I mean, hell, I’ve been in bars where only one or two Alphas come up to me, even though I’m a Beta.

They’re rough, they like to push me around, and they don’t like it when you say no. I can’t imagine what four Alphas would be like. That being said, the way you’re describing these men doesn’t sound like your typical Alpha at all. This might be a good thing, Rile. You might’ve found the right pack, one that’ll properly take care of you. And with your cervus, you need that.”

Her words only make me feel worse. It’s bad enough that I’m hiding my condition, lying to them by omission. Miles is the kind of Alpha that would take me in, even if he knew I was sick, but I’m still not sure about the others. Particularly Thane. And I don’t want to do that to anyone, especially not them. Not Alphas who are kind and caring. Ones who deserve an Omega who won’t just drag them down and bring them grief.

“Still,” she says after the server brings us our main courses. “You need to be cautious. More cautious than you’ve ever been. Not just because of your disease, but because of your history. You’ve had a bad time of it with Alphas.”

I shudder at the reference to the veryadultAlpha who almost stole my virginity at sixteen. I’d told Caroline about him once over a bottle of wine, but at the time she thought I was a Beta. Now, knowing I’m an Omega, it likely makes even more sense to her.

“I totally get why you did what you did in hiding yourself from the world. But that said, you can’t always play it so safe that you don’t get to live. Have some fun. Maybe get rid of that V-card, finally? But only if they’re worthy. And tell the one called Thane to shove it where the sun don’t shine.”

I snort a laugh and she squeezed my hands.

“Just… be careful. Promise?”

“I promise,” I say solemnly, my mind still filled with vile memories from her offhanded mention of the past. But it puts my situation into perspective. There are hundreds of packs out there full of cruel men. I am lucky to have been found by a good one. As a Beta, Caroline probably doesn’t understand the inherent need I have inside to find a pack, but her words soothe me anyway.

The atmosphere at our table has gotten so heavy I feel my back hunching, so I decide to give my head a shake, sit up straight, and change the subject. Caroline takes my cue and we talk about some of the new books she’s gotten into the store, chatting back and forth until her eyes narrow on something behind me. “Who is that?”

I turn around to see Levi walking toward our table, his smile bright and cheerful. “That’s Levi. He’s one of the Alphas.”

“Good afternoon, ladies,” Levi says in his smooth voice, placing a hand on the back of my chair. “Do you mind if I join you?”

“Not at all,” says Caroline before I can answer. Levi chooses the chair next to me, and when he sits down, he scoots it closer to mine so that our arms nearly touch. Typical Alpha.

“Levi,” he says, holding out a hand to my friend. “And you are?”

“Caroline,” she says, shaking his outstretched hand. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“All good things, I hope,” he says, flashing a perfect, white smile.

“How did you know where we were?” I ask suspiciously.

“Miles texted me,” Levi says. “I was done with class and thought I’d stop by and say hello.”

“You do realize that you’re about to get the best-friend interrogation,” says Caroline bluntly, tenting her fingers and staring at Levi with an intent gaze.

He nods solemnly. “Lay it on me.”

“What are your intentions with Riley?” she asks right off the bat, and heat rushes to my cheeks.

“My intentions are Riley’s intentions,” he says with all the confidence in the world. “If she wants to be part of our pack, we would love to have her. If not, we will give her all the support to take the next steps in her life.”

Damn. That was a perfect answer, and Caroline’s stern expression is fading by the second.

“Why don’t you already have an Omega?” she shoots back.

“My packmates and I are extremely close, and we were nervous to change that dynamic. However, I think Riley would enhance that dynamic rather than change it completely.”

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