Page 93 of Pack Rivals, Part One

"Don't you need to talk to them about the French deal?"

"Oh, yeah," he says, swiping two glasses of champagne from a passing waitress in one large hand. "The Martins. We'll find them later." He offers her one of the champagnes and she takes it from him and gulps it down.

"Easy, sweetheart," Axel says, his brow creasing.

"Sorry." She hiccups, covering her mouth with her fingers. "Nervous."

"No need to be nervous," I say. "The three of us are here to take care of you tonight." Hopefully, we'll be taking care of her in all manner of ways.

"That's easy for you to say," she mumbles. "My last encounter with the other omegas in this city didn't exactly go according to plan. And while I may look the part tonight, I'm still Bea from Naw Creek. I'm not going to have a clue which fork to use and I won't be able to talk about art or ballet or politics or whatever rich, powerful people at parties like this discuss."

She spots a tray rushing past us and plonks her empty champagne glass on top. The waitress stops to offer another full one and their eyes lock on one another.

"Bea!" the waitress squeals, her face a picture of amazement.

"Ellie!" the omega squeals back, grabbing the other girl's wrist.

"Wow." The waitress's eyes dart down our girl's dress, and then over her face. "Wow! You look–"

"Incredible," Nate says. His head tilts to take the waitress in. "You know each other?"

"This is my friend Ellie. We worked together," Bea says, frowning, "briefly. Until they fired me for being an omega."

"I can't believe they can get away with that bullshit," Ellie whispers.

"They can't," Nate says, his voice growing two octaves lower. He winks at me and disappears into the throng of people and I have a fair idea he's gone to talk to the caterers.

"He wouldn't …" Ellie asks with concern, glancing in the direction Nate went.

"No idea," Bea says.

"Probably just going to have a word," Axel says, towering above Bea, as I stand by his other side. "Axel York," Axel says, holding out his hand to shake Ellie's. The waitress shakes his bear-like paw.

"I know who you are," she says, somewhat stunned as if she's meeting royalty. Ellie's gaze tips back to take both of us in. "Is this your new pack, Bea?" she blurts out.

"No," Bea says.

"Not yet," I say.

She stares at me and I stare right back.

Ellie's gaze flicks between the three of us. "I think I'd better leave you to it," she mumbles, scurrying away.

"You scared my friend off," she says with a hiss, once the friend is out of earshot.

"Did not," I say, coming to stand on her other side.

Flanked like this, I don't think anyone else is going to be brave enough to approach and talk to her. Considering the hungry glares from all the other alphas in this room, I decide that is a good thing.

"Well, thank you anyway," she says.

"For what?"

"You actually talked to my friend – a waitress – most people at events like these hardly notice the waiting staff's existence or stubbornly ignore it."

"Most people in this city are jerks," Axel says darkly, his eyes roaming the room.

"Manners in the city are definitely different to how they are back home."

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