Chapter 5
FIVE
Faye
I can’t breathe.
Every moment of the ball, from the second Addilyn and I walked in, has been torture. All around me, elegant gowns are twirling and catching in the light. It should be beautiful, I should marvel at the sight, but it just feels like an optical illusion designed to overwhelm me.
The music is too loud. I can smell all the people in here, including the perfumes that many of the omegas are drenched in, and the atmosphere is so tense with expectation it’s making my head hurt. Every omega is looking for a man, a mate, at least one, if not many. Every alpha is prowling around the place, grinning when a beautiful woman looks their way. It’s like I’m in a supermarket, except everyone is for sale.
I can’t stand it.
Addilyn wanted to stay together, but when an alpha approached her and asked her to dance, we both knew she couldn’t say no. Left to my own devices, I’ve been using my small size to my advantage. Every time a man in this ballroom looks at me, I slip away, moving through the crowd and trying to pretend I didn’t feel his gaze on me.
I can escape these men. I just need to be faster and smarter.
A live band sits atop the stage, playing a beautiful but upbeat song that has everyone dancing. It’s been so long since I heard live music. I should stay and try to enjoy it, but my body moves as though I’m not in control of it, seeking an escape, since I know better. If I get lost in that music, even for a moment, I know it could give enough time for an alpha to pounce on me. And if he asks me to dance, I’ll have no choice but to say yes. And if he likes me, I’ll have no choice but to be his mate.
So, I keep moving. Fleeing. Like a rabbit in a room full of wolves. Which is pretty damn ironic, given what I am.
When I turn the corner and dodge a server with a tray full of champagne, I see a man and woman coming through a door, giggling, their arms around one another. When I turn a bit, I can see it’s a door to a balcony. Out there, I’m technically participating in the event, but I’ll be out of sight. I dash out, taking my first deep breath of the evening.
I run to the railing, sucking in air, finally feeling my heartbeat calm. My temperature slowly decreases as the cool air sweeps across my flesh. I focus on the trees all around me, and the beautiful sight of a lake. This I can handle. Finally being alone.
“Well, hello there,” someone says, and I jump, spinning around, my hand to my chest. I get a quick glance of the man before lowering my gaze.
He has a shock of dirty blonde hair that’s been neatly styled and stands tall. His thick eyebrows give him a serious look, but the grin on his face quickly undoes it. His jaw is chiseled, his dimples inviting, in a face that screams “pretty boy.” Despite his good looks, my body tells me to get as far from him as I possibly can, even as his delicious scent of wood and smoke flows over me.
“Who are you hiding from, little omega?” he asks, and I see his boots as they take a step nearer to me. I back up, sliding away along the railing. How quickly can I make it back into the party if I bolt for the doors? Would he try to stop me?
“I’m not hiding from anybody,” I say, hearing how my voice wavers. “I just wanted a breath of fresh air.”
“You’re a breath of fresh air yourself, aren’t you?” he flirts.
I don’t respond. I don’t even know what to say. Flirting isn’t one of my limited skills, even if I wanted to. And I really don’t want to.
“Be honest—who are you hiding from?” he asks, and a little of the humor leaves his voice.
I decide to be honest. “Everybody. I don’t like parties.”
“Well, that’s new. Most of the girls I’ve met love parties. They’ll dance and drink all night long, not stopping for anyone or anything.” He pauses, and I can feel him studying me. “Are you from around here?”
He knows you’re not from around here.
I think of the stark contrast between my grandparent’s cabin, so far removed, and the bustling opulence of the city we passed through and this castle. I’m obviously not from around here and haven’t been operating in society for quite some time. Is it that easy to tell when you look at me?
“I get the feeling you don’t like to talk much,” he says, taking another step toward me. I match him with another step away. “Aren’t you here to find a mate? Standing out here on the balcony isn’t going to do you much good.”
“I’m not interested in finding mates,” slips from my lips before I can stop it.
“Not interested?” I hear him sniff audibly. “What omega isn’t interested in finding a mate? You have to find a mate. Did your mother teach you nothing?”
I cross my arms over my chest. “She taught me not to talk to strange men.”
“Luckily, I’m rather normal and completely safe,” he says, laughing as he advances on me. “There’s no need to run from me.”
“I’m not running.”
“I promise I won’t bite.”
“Biting is not what I’m afraid of.”
“What are you afraid of?”
My back hits the wall and I suck in a breath, my eyes darting up to meet his as he steps closer. Now that I have nowhere to go, he leans down, inhaling, his dark eyes roaming over my body in a strangely possessive way. A way I’m pretty sure the alphas shouldn’t be looking at any of us omegas just yet.
I feel my core heat in response, and a blush bursts over my cheeks when he raises his eyebrows at me. He’s ridiculously attractive, in a way that rivals every other man at this ball. How had I not noticed him before?
Maybe because I was too terrified. Or because I don’t want a mate and don’t want this man’s attention. But even though I remind myself of these things, I feel weird. Tingly and alive.
Tentatively, I breathe in, smelling his scent, something like cedar and dark, smokey ash. He’s the one who smells like a breath of fresh air… if you were trying to get it in the middle of a forest fire. Which has to be a warning. Right?
My skin lights up with pleasure when his nose touches the base of my neck, skimming along my collarbone, tracing up toward my ear. Slowly, he brings his other hand to my head, tipping it back, and I’m affronted when my traitorous body complies immediately, allowing him access.
All at once, my brain and body are at war—my brain telling me again and again that this is the exact scenario I was trying to avoid, my body stuck, paralyzed, vibrating with the pure, simple pleasure of having him this close, knowing he wants me. Knowing that he’s an alpha, and I’m an omega, and this is a dance as old as time. A dance I don’t want to participate in.
“Cayson!” someone shouts, stumbling out through the open balcony doors. The man, Cayson, freezes, his nose pressed to the side of my neck, my chest brushing his as it rises and falls rapidly. Apparently not realizing Cayson is busy, the person laughs, stumbling forward and grabbing his shoulder.
“Aye, bro, come on! There’s a chick inside letting people do shots off her!”
Cayson spins around, pushing the other person hard in the chest with two hands. The guy stumbles back, but keeps laughing, and after a moment, two more guys appear at the door, also clearly inebriated. I get the impression they’re all friends, but Cayson doesn’t seem to be in the mood to talk to them right now. Maybe because of me, maybe because he just doesn’t want to deal with a bunch of drunk assholes, I don’t know.
“What, you too much of a wimp to do a body shot?” one of them challenges.
Cayson glances back at me. Somehow, the other men haven’t noticed I’m here, but my heart is still hammering away. I managed to back myself into a corner when all I wanted was to get away. Out here on the balcony, there’s nowhere to go. But I have to get out of here. I have to stay away from this man.
“Get the fuck out of here,” Cayson growls at the men, taking another step toward them, herding the guys to the other side of the balcony.
Which offers me an escape.
My body protests the loss of the compelling man, but I use his distraction to slip out around him, edging back into the ballroom, hurrying along, terrified that he’s going to notice I left and come after me. But as I dart into the crowd and away from the man, no one comes after me.
Which is what I wanted. Right?