9. Oliver
Oliver
M y alpha snarls in the back of my mind as we watch our mate crumble to the floor. I shut the door and lock it, before dropping to my knees and gently wrapping my arms around her.
She digs around with her nose, searching for my scent to comfort her, but instead of the reaction I received before, her whole body tense up, and she pulls away.
“Her smell is all over you,” Savvy whines, struggling to free herself from me. “Let me go, Oliver; I’m going to be sick.” She scrambles away, pressing herself against the wall. Pulling her knees up, she wraps her arms around herself, her body trembling.
My alpha is raging; he wants me to storm out of the bathroom and tear Valerie apart for upsetting his mate.
I almost give in to the urge, but Savvy’s soft whimpers hold me back.
Instead, I rip off my jacket and march it over to the trash can before heading to the sink to scrub every exposed part of my body.
I need Savvy to talk to me, but she won't unless I can rid myself of Valerie’s cheap perfume and beta scent.
When I'm done, I glance over at Savvy. She has stopped crying but is now watching me warily.
I drop down in front of her to ensure we are at eye level without getting too close.
I wait for her to meet my gaze, needing her to see the truth in my eyes.
When she finally makes eye contact, I take a deep breath and tell her everything- how much it hurt when she left and how I never stopped looking for her, as well as the guys asking me to join their band and their pack.
About Jane taking care of me all these years when my terrible dad couldn’t be bothered. How he beat me when he was in a bad mood and got away with it because he was a cop. I worried that he would hurt her if he ever found out how close I was to Jane.
How Valerie wasn’t my girlfriend, that she was blackmailing me with Jane’s safety. My safety.
That you are mine, and now that I found you again, I’ll never let you get away. I don’t say that out loud when I tell Savvy how deep my feelings for her go; I want it to be perfect. Not on the bathroom floor.
Savvy had slowly inched her way closer to me, and by the time I was done, she was sitting on my lap, stroking my chest with her small hand.
“You need to go back out there, Ollie,” she says after a moment of silence. “We’ve been here for way too long. She’s probably already suspicious.”
“I don’t fucking care,” I growl, pulling her tight against me. “I can’t go out there when you’re right here. I’m scared that if I blink, you’ll disappear.”
“I don’t think I could, even if I wanted to,” she admits. “I’ve missed you so much, and I don’t want to fight it. I have my own monsters hiding in my closet, and I was too scared to involve you in my messed-up life. You being so brave and telling me about yours makes me want to be brave too.”
My alpha is pleased with her calling me brave.
“Tell me everything, Savvy.” She shakes her head.
“Not now Ollie, when tonight is over, I’ll tell you everything I promise, but right now you have to go back out there.
” She slips out of my hold, jumping to her feet and I reluctantly follow her movement.
I stand in front of her, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear, before leaning in and kissing her softly. “Don’t disappear again, Little Ember; it would break me completely.” I stroke her cheek, and she leans into my touch, letting out a little sigh of pleasure.
“Savannah Jordan,” she whispers. “My name is Savannah Jordan.” She reaches into my pocket and grabs my phone, holding it up to my face to unlock it. A few seconds later, she hands it back, and I see she added her number to my contacts.
I dial the number and hear a faint vibration coming from her pocket before hanging up. I pull her flush against me, kissing her with more force than before. When we finally pull apart, she brings her fingers to her lips, a small smile on her face.
“You need to go,” she says, pushing me towards the door, and I reluctantly let her. We walk out into the busy dining area, and I scan the crowd for Valerie, spotting her in a booth at the back of the restaurant.
“Shit, you guys are in my section,” her face pales when she spots Valerie.
“Go ahead, and I’ll be by to take your order in a couple of minutes.
” I squeeze her hand, and she gives me a small smile before heading back in the direction we just came from.
I walk over to where Valerie is sitting, her eyes shooting daggers in my direction.
“Where the fuck have you been?” she grinds out when I finally sit down across from her. “It’s fucking embarrassing sitting here on my own .
“Make up your mind, Valerie,” I sigh while glancing at my watch. Hale should be with Gray and Jack by now, on their way to get Jane. “First you’re embarrassed to be seen with me, and now you’re worried about me leaving you alone.”
She doesn’t bother responding, and I breathe out a sigh of relief. Hopefully, I can get through this meal without exchanging any more words with her; my mind is far too busy with more important matters.
I still can’t believe I found her, my mate, and I need to make sure I never lose her again.
Unless her birthday has occurred since I last saw her, it means she is still seventeen.
I make a quick mental note to ask her when her birthday is.
Hopefully, it’s soon, but I don’t mind waiting around here until she turns eighteen.
The label wants me and the band in California in a couple of months to start recording, but my omega comes first. Any alpha worth his designation knows this, so hopefully, they’ll be patient with me until she is ready to leave.
I frown, quickly realizing I can’t assume that this is something she would want.
We need to have a few serious conversations about our future sometime soon.
She was quite adamant about not being an omega, but her toasted marshmallow scent had been more pronounced tonight.
Hopefully, she’s ready to accept who she is now, but if not, I’ll just have to convince her.
I chuckle at the irony of the situation. There’s Valerie, insisting she is an omega, probably even believing it, and then there’s Savvy, who almost seems terrified to admit she is an omega.
Valerie looks at me, opening her mouth, likely to ask what was so funny, but I’m saved from explaining when Savvy pops up in front of our table.