12. Koa
Koa
The Valla holding me stops just inches from Amel, his grin wild and unhinged, like he’s carrying a toy he just snagged out of someone else’s hands rather than a whole ass Omega. His arms around me are firm but not painful and he’s not even breathing hard, like the chase didn’t take anything out of him. Meanwhile, I’m trembling so badly I can barely hold my head up, the heat bleeding through my veins making everything worse.
Amel groans, his hand dragging down his face like he’s already regretting his life choices. He reaches for me, his fingers brushing mine as the Valla finally lets me down onto shaky feet. Amel’s hands immediately go to straighten my dress, smoothing out the fabric where it’s crumpled, but his eyes never leave my face.
“These are the St. Clairs,” Amel says, his tone dry but carrying a hint of warning. Like I should’ve known who they were already. Like their name alone should explain everything.
And maybe it does. I’ve heard of the St. Clair family in whispers—Valla who operate like shadows, quiet but ruthless, with a reputation that’s more rumor than fact. But now, standing between the three of them, I can’t figure out if I’m more terrified or curious. Because as terrifying as that chase was a second ago, he didn’t hurt me.
I glance between the two Valla. The one who chased me, the one who carried me back here, is watching me with a look that borders on smug. His hazel eyes glint like he’s still riding the high of the chase. He doesn’t seem bad, at least not outright. But the other one—the blue-eyed one—is something else entirely.
He’s silent, his piercing gaze fixed on me with an intensity that feels like it’s peeling me apart, layer by layer. There’s something about him that makes my instincts flare in every direction at once, like I can’t decide if I want to whine or crawl under a table and hide. He’s huge, taller than anyone I’ve ever been this close to, and he radiates authority, danger, and something deeper. Something I don’t know if I can handle.
My breath hitches as Amel steps in, his body shielding me slightly from their towering forms. “Koa,” he says softly, pulling my attention back to him. His voice is steady, grounding, like a thread to hold onto in the chaos. “You have a choice to make.”
A choice. As if there’s really an option here. Either I go home with one of the men Damien picked out for me—men who are careless, cruel, and already planning what they’ll do with me—or I go with Amel. With them. With the St. Clair Valla.
Amel’s dark eyes search mine, waiting, but the weight of it all is too much. The trembling in my hands spreads, my breath catching in shallow gasps as I glance at the two Valla again. Their presence is suffocating, their size, their strength, the raw power they don’t even try to hide. They terrify me. They’re so much more than I’m used to.
But Amel is different. Calmer. Softer, even with his sharp edges. I cling to that as my last thread of hope. Amel crouches slightly, catching my gaze. “We can take you home for the night,” he says gently, “or drop you off somewhere safe. I don’t know who Damien is to you but he’s your Alpha, right? The one who’s overseeing your care?” I manage a small nod. “I won’t give you back to him. That’s not happening.”
I glance down, hoping and praying that I’m not making the wrong choice. “Promise me. Promise me you won’t hurt me.”
“I promise. We won’t hurt you Koa.”
There’s no hesitation but it’s so hard to trust his word. To trust anyone after that first heat experience, even more so now that I know who was behind it. Slowly, I nod, allowing Amel to wrap an arm around my waist and guide me to a sleek black car. There’s still chaos running around us, people leaving the venue but that’s behind us for now.
The car ride is silent, my sorry ass stuffed in the back corner, my knees hugged to my chest, as I try to make myself as small as possible. It doesn’t help. Their scents are all-consuming, thickening in this small space, making me want to submit and give myself over to men I don’t know.
Every time one of the Valla turns to glance back at me, it feels like they’re looking straight through me, peeling down every wall I’ve put up, tearing away all my defenses in just one stare. My body reacts before my brain can catch up, the heat flaring under my skin, making my breathing shallow and my thighs press tighter together. Slick pools in my panties, an embarrassing whine sitting at the back of my throat.
If I’m not careful, I’ll go into heat tonight and even though these men saved me from the alternative, I might have just stepped into another den of monsters. My gaze moves to Amel who’s sitting back here with me, the Alpha giving me these pitiful looks, his dark eyes full of concern, and I hate it. I hate that he can see me like this—weak, trembling, barely holding it together.
He shifts closer, his hand reaching out as he opens his arms, gesturing for me to come closer. “Koa,” he murmurs. “Come here.”
I hesitate, my body frozen in place as my mind wars with itself. But then he pats his thigh, his arms still open, and something in me gives. My body curls against his automatically as he lifts me into his lap, my head pressing into his chest, the steady rhythm of his heartbeat drowning out the chaos in my head.
I try so hard not to make a sound, not to embarrass myself more than I already have, but my body betrays me. The heat in my belly flares again, more slick coating my panties until it’s soaking through my dress. My entire body stiffens, my face burning with humiliation as I try to pull back, but Amel holds me steady. But that’s when my scent blooms, filling the car until two low growls pull from the front seat.
The one with hazel eyes, the one that ran after me, looks like he’s barely holding himself back, his knuckles white against the steering wheel. The blue-eyed one is just watching, that fierce look on his face making me want things no sane Omega should want. My breath catches in my throat as I try to ignore the desire running through me, Amel’s purr vibrating against me. It soothes the chaotic emotions and the panic bubbling up in my chest.
“Sweet girl,” Amel starts but I furiously shake my head, burying my face farther into his chest. I don’t want to hear him placate me or tell me that this is okay. It’s embarrassing as fuck and I wish a hole would open up and swallow me.
By the time the car stops, I’m on the edge of losing my mind. My impending heat is making it nearly impossible to focus, Amel having to steady me when he helps me out of the car. But the moment my feet hit the ground, I take off. Maybe it wasn’t a good idea to run but I need space. A door, a wall, something to keep them out. The entrance is unlocked—probably some electronic mechanism because no one in their right mind would leave their door unlocked. I make a beeline down the hallway, eyes peeled for a bedroom, and then shut myself in it before dropping to my knees on the cold tiles.
“This wasn’t supposed to happen,” I mumble to myself, heat tearing through my body as slick pools between my thighs. It’s dripping down my legs at this point, a cramp settling in my belly. It’s humiliating, my pussy starting to throb as it yells for relief. My Omega is chanting ‘knot’ over and over again, my instincts telling me to walk back out there and beg for one of them to fuck me. But I can’t trust myself in this state.
Slowly, I pull myself toward the bed, hoping that this is just a spike and that tomorrow I can start on a new round of meds. A whine tears from my throat as I curl into a ball, pain and pleasure surging through me until I can’t take it anymore. My hand snakes down between my thighs, my dress caught between my legs as I massage myself through my panties. It does nothing but aggravate me, the pressure nowhere near enough.
Their scents wrap around me, another gush of slick pooling beneath me as I ruck up my dress and shove two fingers up inside me. It’s a brief moment of relief before I’m trying to ride myself to completion and can’t. “Fuck, just let me come,” I plead to myself. My words are soft, almost a plea and I’ve never heard myself so fucking needy. Well, not since that one night.
No matter what I try, I can’t come. I can’t find relief. So, I just curl up into a little ball and pray it’ll be over soon.