Page 12 of Pack Rivals, Part One

The alpha growls, the noise making me shake and whimper. He turns his head to look at me with distress, curling an arm around my side.

"She is safe with me. I wouldn't do anything to an omega without her permission."

Ellie scoffs. "As if an omega can give you her permission. You'll take advantage of her."

"Oh, for goodness' sake," Alicia sighs, "if you're so concerned for Bea's welfare why don't you accompany her home."

"But I'll miss out–"

"Then Mr. Boston can bring you back to the party when he returns."

Ellie looks up at the alpha with nervousness, but nods her head, taking hold of my hand and yanking me away from where I was enjoying his warm embrace. I mewl a little, looking back at him longingly, and the alpha swallows hard.

Then his face turns all business-like. "We'll go out the back way. Come on, we need to leave quickly before news of your existence sweeps through that ballroom and this party descends into chaos."

I don't understand what's going on or why everyone is so panicked, but when he beckons me his way, I'm more than willing to follow.

4

Silver

Runningsecurity for the city's great and good means I've encountered some fucked-up shit over the years. Rescuing abducted cats, tracking down runaway teenagers and escorting senile grandparents.

However, if I'm honest, most of the assignments are plain and simple. Nothing to write home about. Nothing to challenge me intellectually or physically. Besides, I handle hardly any of them myself these days.

Tonight, though? Well, fuck me, this is testing all right.

I've babysat omegas before. I've been assigned to protect them from trouble. Although, most of the time, I find those omegas are damn keen to land themselves right in the lap of trouble. Most of the time my lap.

But they've all been the overly pampered, overly spoiled types, idolized by their daddies, worshiped by their mommies, expecting every alpha in the goddamn city to shower them with gifts and praise. It's what they're accustomed to.

Never have I been handed an omega who argues all the way out to the car; argues that she is not in fact an omega but a beta. Like I don't own a nose. Like she doesn't smell wet as fuck. Like her sugary scent hasn't got me half-hard.

Then there's the way she's acting. Despite her friend's attempt to prise her away from me, she takes every opportunity to cling to my arm and rub her soft little body against mine.

I'm a professional. I take the suppressants the doctor prescribes, and I tamper down all those urges to fuck and screw and rut and knot. Instead, I take all that pent-up energy and use it at the gym, or on some dude's face if the occasion requires it. When I first started in this line of work, I can't pretend that it was easy. Cute little omegas purring in my ears were hard to resist. But their daddies were paying the bills, so I learned how.

Anyway, I got bored with those omegas pretty quick.

This girl is different. She's working as a fucking waitress for starters, and she must be in her mid-twenties. Most of the omegas in the city are mated and bonded long before they reach that grand old age.

Where the hell did she come from?

"What's your name, sweetheart?" I ask her as I lead her and her friend through the back passages of the hotel. I have my hand poised to hook my gun out of my jacket if I need to. I don't know who this woman belongs to, but they've left her vulnerable and unprotected. I'm not letting some alpha swoop in and snatch her. She's in no fit state to make any decisions right now.

"Bea," she purrs. Her amber eyes are all liquid. Her pink lips are wet and parted. And oh fuck, I want to scoop her up myself and carry her home.

I scrunch and flex my fingers and try my best to breathe through my mouth. Not that it makes any difference. All I end up with is a mouthful of her flavor. My imagination runs wild.

Fuck, it's been a long time since I swept my tongue through an omega's sweet lips and tasted her slick.

Far too long, and here one is all ripe and wet and ready and …

I cough, pushing the thought from my mind. Her friend side-eyes me with suspicion. I was annoyed at first when she insisted on coming too. Now I'm thinking it was for the best. My will power isn't usually tested like this.

"And where do you live?"

"Naw Creek."

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