26. MAX
Chapter twenty-six
MAX
O h fuck no.
No Alpha is about to lay his bark on my Omega.
I will ruin this motherfucker's day.
Katie whimpers, her body taut next to mine. I lean down and whisper in her ear. “Relax, Tough Girl.”
Her limbs loosen at my words just in time for the Alpha to round the corner. He’s in scrubs, his eyes wild. What is an unbonded Alpha doing on a surgical floor? He’s young, and his face still carries the roundness of youth. He could be newly presenting as an Alpha. Fucking great.
His eyes are blown black, the haze of lust so thick I am not sure that he even knows there’s another Alpha in this hallway with him.
He only has eyes for Katie.
She hisses again, softening her knees into a fighting position. I hear the clear pop of her left knee, but she doesn't make a sound, only raises her fists and focuses her whole attention at the charging male in front of us.
I casually take three steps in front of her, and in a single swift movement throat punch the charging Alpha. He collapses to his knees, panting.
There, now he won’t be using his Alpha bark on anyone for a while.
I grab him by his shirt-front and haul him up.
“Is that any way to treat an Omega?” I snarl, shaking him.
His trembles, thrashing in my grip. “Unbonded Omega,” he gasps. His cock knocks against my leg and I shake him again.
“Your mama didn’t teach you any manners, did she?” I drop him in a heap. “You were willing to attack an Omega. What kind of Alpha– what kind of person – does that make you?”
“A piece of shit,” Katie snaps.
He blinks, first at me, then at Katie. The haze clouds his eyes again.
Godsdamnit. I do not want to break this kid’s nose.
“Want help?” Lenny asks, but I shake my head. This kid isn’t a real threat and I really don’t want to hurt him if I don’t have to.
The Alpha grabs at my legs, trying to swipe them out from under me. But I use my momentum to flip backwards. The moment my back foot touches the ground, I swing forward, kicking the kid in the chest, and knocking him several feet back.
The Alpha slumps. His chest rising and falling, but he’s not getting up.
Good.
Lenny claps. “Still got it, Max.”
I snort. “Never lost it, Len. Don’t forget that.” I wink.
I turn to my Omega, who’s watching me with a mix of worry and… lust. A spike of her scent reaches me as I stride toward her. I wrap my fingers around her wrist, and pull her to the stairwell before her perfume attracts anyone else I’ll have to deal with.
“It’s okay, you’re safe,” I say once we’re in the parking deck and putting on our helmets. She slides onto my bike before me this time, and crosses her arms. I feel her anger rippling off her.
“How can he do that? Force me to be still?” She’s practically vibrating with anger.
“It’s called an Alpha bark. Omegas are by nature submissive-- don’t glare at me, I didn’t say you are or even should be. But that’s part of the biology. An Alpha can use their bark to force submission on an Omega, and some even over Betas and other Alphas, if they’re strong enough.”
She closes her eyes, taking a deep, steadying breath.
“Can you do that– the bark?”
I nod. “All Alphas can. But, I don’t like doing it. It feels like an unfair advantage.”
“Oh, you’re so sportsman-like,” she snaps.
I climb onto my bike, not sure what she needs. She feels like she wants comfort and reassurance– a promise that I won’t bark at her. I won’t, not unless she’s in danger. But something in the tense set of her jaw tells me that she won’t hear me if I say those things right now.
“Want to get dessert?” I ask, looking over my shoulder as we drive, to where Katie balances on my bike. She’s relaxed her grip on me and I miss it. She’s been quiet since the fight and I worry I’ve scared her. She’s a fighter, I know it. She was in the military– fighting is part of military life, right?
So why is she withdrawing from me?
Her scent doesn’t indicate fear, though the lust has cooled too. I know she’s not used to Alphas– would this terrify her? Does she think that I would behave like this? Callum nearly attacked her–maybe she thinks we’ll behave like that. Feral.
My thoughts spiral, and I’m trying to figure out how to tell her we’re not like that and that we would never hurt her, never bark at her like that.
“What kind of dessert?” Katie asks finally, turning her head back toward me. She’s watching the streets as we drive, and I wonder what she sees. How different is Amaata from her world? From Earth?
“I was thinking something chocolate.”
“I’m always game for chocolate,” she says, leaning forward as I turn right into one of the Fourth Ward arts neighborhoods. There’s a great bakery tucked beside a bookshop and a tailor. It’s not usually too crowded, so we can be in and out quickly. Hopefully without any more Alphas causing problems.
She likes chocolate. I file that away. I’ll need ways to spoil her once she settles in more.
We park and manage to get off the bike and stow our helmets without any perfuming or scenting. Which is a good thing, even if I like to see the lust in her eyes and smell her spicy sweet perfume. She’s quiet, and I wonder if she’s thinking about the Alpha.
I want to tell her it’s okay and that I will always protect her. But somehow I know that’s not what she needs right now. So I settle for getting her as much chocolate pastry goodness as she’ll allow me.
The bakery is small, but brightly lit with a glossy counter displaying a dozen different confections. My personal favorites are the triple layer cakes. Loren is a sucker for any kind of fruit-filled pie. And Cal… well, he’s not one for sweets, but he does love a buttery croissant.
Katie sniffs the air, and I can feel it when she begins to salivate.
“What does everyone like?” She asks, her gaze snagging on the chocolate-peanut butter cake, sprinkled with chopped peanuts.
“We’re not picky,” I lie. I’ll eat anything, and Loren will for her sake. Cal… he’s not been a fan of sweet things since the betrayal.
“Should we get a few things or one to share?”
She’s asking what her Alphas want. I blink. Omegas can be a little bit selfish, that’s part of their nature. They need to be cared for, protected. They in turn care for other needs, but everyone knows that Omegas aren’t great at spoiling others.
“Should we surprise them with their favorites?” Katie says, her smile wide. This soft side is more sweet than any confection in the shop.
“Whatever you want, Tough Girl. Although, I’m eyeing that chocolate-peanutbutter cake…” I trail off as she looks longingly at it.
“Can we get a piece to split?”
“Sure. And I’ll get croissants for the morning.”
“Can I help pay for it?” She asks, straightening in front of the glass display case. “The Conservatory gave me some money….”
“Absolutely not. No, don't argue with me. It’s my privilege to buy treats for my Omega. Part of an Alpha’s nature is to want to provide.”
“But I–”
“Katie, I know that you don’t understand everything in Solvinnian society, but refusing my gifts is like saying you don’t think I can afford them. Like I’m beneath you.” I relax the fist I’ve curled at my side. Her eyebrows have raised, and she looks shocked. She doesn’t know how close to home this hits. Of course she doesn't.
“Back home, it’s rude not to offer to help,” she says, standing her ground.
“All the same, let me get this. Think of it as a housewarming present. Do you have those?”
She nods, her shoulders finally relaxing down from her ears.
“Thank you, Max.” She lays a hand on my arm, letting her body lean into mine. For a moment I think she might kiss me, might lean a little closer and brush those plump lips against mine.
But she pulls away, tucking hair behind her ear.
The desserts are boxed up for us in two containers–I bought the whole damn cake– and I carry them in one arm as we wind out of the bakery. I know she wants to explore, but it’s nearly time for family dinner, and we should probably get back in case other foolish Alphas are about.
“How about we bring you back later this week? There’s a great cafe at the end of this street,” I say casually. “Loren knows all the best bookshops–of course he does, little scholar.”
“Sure.” She smiles. It’s coy and I want to chase it with my lips.
“And Callum has a few galleries he prefers.”
“Inspector Murphy likes art?” Katie raises her eyebrows.
“Oh don’t let the grumpy exterior fool you. He’s a softy for landscapes.”
She laughs, and we are nearly back to my bike, when I hear a shrill voice calling my name.
“Oh my gods, it isn’t Maximillian? Maxy-baby, it’s been too long.”
Fuck .
The tiny Beta is dressed head to toe in a purple velvet jumpsuit, big sunglasses obscuring her face. Waves of blond hair fall around her shoulders, and I swear all she needs is a purse dog to look like all the stereotypical pampered Omegas they show in movies.
But I would know the acid tone anywhere. It’s the voice of a thousand betrayals.
“Genevieve, how unpleasant to see you.”