2. Chapter Two
Chapter Two
F uck.
My vision goes red as I stare down at the meek Little Omega beside me. It was near impossible not to notice her wince of pain as she turned away from me. When I first walked into the classroom, the scent of burnt musk immediately pulled me into her direction. I couldn't stop myself from being dragged into her orbit. There was just something about her that called to me.
When she finally opened her eyes, I was pulled under. And then when her true soft musk scent filtered through to me, I knew I was doomed.
She is my scent match.
The Alpha in me knew it from the moment I saw her huddled form but it took her scent to confirm it.
She is mine.
And someone hurt what is mine.
“Kennedy.” I demand, willing myself to not use my bark with my mate, but if she doesn’t tell me who hurt her, I won’t hold it back .
She shakes her head, her arms coming up and wrapping themselves around her body, like she is trying to protect herself, “It’s okay. I’m okay,” she murmurs under her breath, trying to reassure me but it's pointless. I can see straight through her lie.
I’m already kicking myself for the decision I’m about to make but the red haze across my vision doesn’t see reason. It doesn’t see how inappropriate it is to touch someone without their consent.
It only sees my mate being injured and the burning desperation inside of me to protect her from harm.
I grab the bottom of her shirt and pull it up, dislodging her arms from her around her body.
Her body is black and blue.
Old and new bruises mar her pale skin.
My anger reaches its bubbling point. Who the fuck put their hands on my girl? How is she even here right now?
She winces as she tugs her shirt from my tight grip.
“Who the fuck hurt you, Kennedy? Don’t feed me any of that ‘I’m fine’ bullshit either. Those bruises tell me everything I need to know.”
She instantly starts shaking her head again, “Don’t worry about it. I tripped and fell this morning. I’m clumsy is all.”
Her scent turns acidic as her eyes start looking at everyone else sitting around the room. She's stressed. The thought of other people seeing her bruises unsettles her. But I don’t think that is the whole truth.
She grabs my hand in a tight grip just as I am about to demand her to stop lying to me. Even blind, Freddy could see she’s hiding the truth from me .
Her touch sends a shock through my system. Her nails dig into my flesh but I allow them.
Mark me up, love.
“Please, Theo. Drop it.”
Hearing my name on her lips sends a spark of arousal through my system more than
her scent already had been.
Being hard on my first day at a new university sitting next to my injured scent match - who I have just met not even five minutes ago - certainly wasn’t on my bingo card for the year. Yet, here we are.
“I can’t do that, love,” I say, shaking my head.
She purses her lips as she looks around the room again.
“Please,” she begs. Her grip tightens on my hands and I’m sure her nails are drawing blood by now.
Why does that thought turn me on? That's more of a Ledger kink than mine. But the need for her to mark me is deep. I want to wear her disturbance to my skin with pride, showing it off to everyone who will care to look.
I stare down at Kennedy, my height seeming to dwarf hers. The need to know who hurt her is nipping at me. I feel it like a persistent itch under my skin. The thought of someone so God-damned precious hurt, is too much for me to comprehend.
I eventually give her a nod, letting her know I will drop it, at least for now. But I do so reluctantly. One side of my brain is screaming at me to protect her. To wrap her up in bubble-wrap so no one can ever hurt her again.
I pull out my phone and send a quick message to Jax and Ledger .
Me:
Interesting turn of events… I have found our Omega.
Jax:
Fuck off.
Ledger:
Where are they? What's their name?
Me:
Kennedy. Beautiful little mouse she is.
We have a problem though… Someone’s been touching her up and she won’t tell me who it is.
Ledger:
They are already dead.
Me:
My thoughts exactly.
Jax:
Fucking hell.
Me:
Yep.
I sigh as I tuck my phone away, allowing my attention to come back to my Omega. While I was distracted, she has curled in on herself, like she was trying to roll up into a ball.
Her auburn hair hides her features from me and I can’t help my hand from reaching out and tucking the rogue strands behind her ear.
Her eyes dart towards mine and at my answering smile, she ducks her face from me again in an attempt to hide the blush that brightens her cheeks.
Fucking adorable.
I feel my phone buzzing in my pocket but I don’t give a single fuck about it. Not when she is in front of me. So fucking captivating and all mine.
God, it seemed like such a far off dream. Never did I think that I would be able to find an Omega that appealed to me let alone my scent match.
The one person in this entire universe that was made completely for me and I for her. I want to know every single thing about her.
What is her favorite color?
What is her favorite food?
What is her family like?
Does she have any friends?
Does she have a partner?
My stomach immediately drops at the thought.
Fuck. I never accounted for the fact that I might find my scent match one day and they might already be with someone, or bonded to a pack already. I quickly look over every inch of the skin that is visible, paying close attention to her neck and shoulder that peeks out under her baggy tee .
Nothing so far.
The bruises on her torso filter back into my mind.
Did a partner do that to her?
Is she in an abusive pack?
I will fucking kill them. That is if Ledger doesn’t get to them first.
Being underboss to one of the largest crime syndicates in the United States demands for you to be brutal. To draw blood and not bat an eyelid. To take a life and go sit down for a family meal with your grandmother right after it.
I’ve grown up knowing what is to be expected of me.
To take over from my father when it is time.
To become Don of the Duran Mafia.
The thought of taking over from my father when his time comes never scared me before but now with my Omega in the picture, the stakes suddenly feel higher. I already know that she is going to be my weakness. I barely even know her and there is no doubt in my mind that I would jump in front of a bullet for her.
I already know enough about her to lay my life on the line for her.
She is my Omega. Enough said.
It feels like Home Room goes by in the blink of an eye. I don’t even realize Kennedy has stood up until she jostles me as she tucks her chair in.
She startles as I launch out of my chair, scrambling to collect my belongings. I’m right behind her as she begins walking out of the room. Her gaze darts back to me as she enters the hallway. I give her a reassuring smile before she turns her head back around. “What class do you have now?” I ask, rushing to walk beside her.
“Ah, Designation Studies. ”
Thank God. “Me too,” I smile, “I’ll walk you there if that’s okay.”
She nods but doesn’t say anything. I take it as a win though. Whatever she gives me I will take as the most precious gift.
Breathing the same air as her is gift enough.
“A-are you new here?” Kennedy’s voice is quiet in the crowded hallway but because I’m so attuned to her, I hear her clearly.
“Yeah, it's mine and my brother's first day.”
“You have brothers?” she asks.
I chuckle, “Yeah I do. Jax and Ledger. Jax is my brother and Ledger is one of our best friends.”
She nods her head as she takes in what I said. “What about you, love? How long have you been here and do you have any siblings?”
“I’ve been here since I was born and no siblings.”
Her reply seems short but I nod my head. I can understand her maybe not wanting to give me a lot, considering I did find her in a very vulnerable position and have been nothing but persistent.
Kennedy turns left and I stumble as I try to keep up with her. For a small thing, she is quick.
“So, what is there to do around here?” I prod, trying to get as much from her as I can. What can I say? I’m selfish. Right now, I get her all to myself. Once Jax and Ledger meet her, I’ll have to share. Which is something I wouldn’t normally mind but right now, I want this piece of her. The piece that says she is only mine, even if it's for a moment.
“I’m probably not the right person to ask that. I don’t really get out alot.” I frown, “And why is that?”
She just shrugs her shoulders before tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, “Just a homebody I guess.”
“You guess?” I snort, raising an eyebrow .
“It's a bit hard to go out and be social when you don’t have any friends.” That makes me pause. A supposed homebody with no friends and a torso covered in bruises? Alarm bells blast in my head. My hackles rise as I follow closely behind her.
“Do you not have a pack then?” I ask quietly. I feel nervous as I wait for her to reply even though it's only seconds that I wait.
She shakes her head in reply and my body instantly relaxes. At least that's one thing I’ve got going for me.
“Just yourself and your parents then?” I query.
Kennedy comes to an immediate stand-still. Her previous meek demeanor is gone and in its place is one pissed off Omega.
“I don’t know what you are trying to get at here, Theo. This isn’t twenty questions. This isn’t some befriending the loner kid until you get in with the popular kids. This isn’t your chance to swoop in so you can stroke your hero complex. The best thing you can do is forget that Home Room even happened.”
Her body remains stock still as she looks me dead in the eye, “I’m not worth saving so quit while you are ahead.”
Kennedy turns away and takes a part of me with her as she goes.
I can’t move even though everything in me demands that I follow her. To make right whatever wrong I did.
Instead, I watch in a shocked silence as my pissed off Omega storms off away from me.