Chapter 8
CHAPTER EIGHT
Romeo Ballet Academy, Sanctum
I whine.
I can only see the man’s heavy boots and black leather encased legs.
He swings himself off the Harley, pulling off his helmet and dropping it to the frozen ground.
His shadow swallows Swan and me, as we lie beneath the marble statue.
I’m breathing too fast.
Shaking.
The pale sun streams through the sun clouds, glinting over the icy courtyard like it’s encased in diamonds. It blinds me.
I squint through the light at the Alpha.
He’s tall and strongly built.
He looks like a rock god, who has somehow stumbled off stage, taken a wrong turn, and ended up in my ballet academy.
He doesn’t fit here.
Especially, since he’s dressed in a scarlet, biker jacket with a black scarf around his neck and leather gloves. He’s bouncing on his toes.
He’s a ball of hyper energy.
He looks to be a couple of years older than Swan and me.
When he crouches down, my breath catches.
He’s gorgeous.
His straight, raven black hair falls over his handsome face. He has olive skin and ocean blue eyes.
Then his scent hits me.
It’s delicious: Vanilla espresso.
It winds around me, warming and safe.
This Alpha is my scent match!
Instantly, I whine.
The Alpha is sniffing the air. His blue eyes become darker. His gaze settles on me, assessing.
Swan misunderstands my whine, twisting to shield me with his body. Then he glances over his shoulder to bare his teeth at the Alpha, before letting out a deep, rumbling growl.
Shit.
What the hell is this Alpha going to do?
He’ll have scented me as much as I have him, and a Beta is possessively clinging onto me, while directly challenging him — an Alpha.
He’s going to tear out Swan’s throat.
Right?
Panicked, my gaze meets the Alpha’s, pleadingly.
To my surprise, he doesn’t appear angry. But instead, releases a burst of soothing pheromones that make me relax.
I’d forgotten how incredible it felt to be soothed by an Alpha like this. How many years has it been, since an Alpha helped me to feel better with their pheromones?
It must’ve either been Ambrose or Silvanus.
Shit, I needed that.
“Don’t worry, beautiful. The pretty Omega who smells like delicious chocolate and cherries is yours, message received loud and clear.” The Alpha salutes.
Swan stops growling abruptly.
I don’t know if it’s from shock at being called the pet name beautiful so casually or by an Alpha saluting him.
“I’m sorry that I startled you,” the Alpha offers.
I don’t reply.
I can’t.
I’m still overwhelmed by this man’s vanilla espresso scent.
I feel like I’ve been waiting for it my entire life.
My throat is too tight.
I don’t even know who this Alpha is. He can’t claim me. He’s not an elite.
And this will break Swan .
How can I tell him?
I bite the inside of my cheek — hard.
The Alpha’s gaze slides between us. “Impressive fall and catch. It takes me at least eight bottles of beer and a night out dancing on a table, before I can perfect falling off one. But sadly, no takers for catching me yet.”
Swan snorts with laughter, before he can stop himself.
“We’re not allowed to talk to strangers,” I force myself to say.
“That’s easy.” The Alpha winks. “I’m Vito. See, not a stranger now. And you’re…?”
“In big fucking trouble for talking to you,” Swan growls.
“I’m sorry, beautiful,” Vito says, sounding like he means it.
“My name’s Swan, and she’s Juliet,” Swan tells him quickly.
I’m pretty certain it’s so that Vito will stop calling him beautiful .
I don’t understand the way that Vito’s eyes light up at hearing our names, before he hurriedly shutters his expression.
“Thanks, beautiful .”
All of a sudden, Vito’s face creases with concern.
He scrambles on his knees closer to Swan, who curls his arms tighter around me. “Hey, your arm’s bleeding. Are you okay? May I see?”
Swan scrabbles to sit up, pulling away. “It’s nothing.”
For the first time, I notice the jagged rock, which Swan must have landed on and been driven onto, when he caught me.
Alarmed, I turn to Swan. “Show me.”
Swan glances between us. “Gang up on the Beta, why don’t you?”
I blush, but Vito’s expression is amused.
“Tough life, huh? My Omega sister, Candy, has me trained in the same way. I don’t dare hide a paper-cut from her anymore. I wish that I could say that having people around who are protective has stopped me from doing reckless things like…climbing on statues…but that’d be a lie. Dancing, partying, causing a fucking riot. It makes you feel alive, right?”
I stare at Vito.
Since when do Alphas speak to Omegas and Betas like this? As if we’re equals?
He should be barking orders at us or treating us like servants.
Swan exchanges a confused glance with me.
We’re both thinking the same thing. Who the hell is this Alpha?
“Why are you visiting the academy?” Swan demands.
I can hear the strain in his voice.
He is in pain but is hiding it.
I want to kick Swan’s ass, however, because no matter how kind Vito appears to be, that’s no way to talk to any Alpha, let alone a guest.
Vito doesn’t appear bothered, merely unzipping his biker jacket. “I’m delivering Christmas treats to some local shelters and clubs for poor Omegas. I figured why not drop some here too?”
My chest tightens. “We won’t be allowed them.”
Vito’s gaze sharpens. “Why’s that?”
“We’re never allowed anything at Christmas.”
I don’t tell him that Swan ensures that we all get something anyway.
“Hmm.” Vito scans Swan. “How’s the arm holding up?”
“It doesn’t hurt,” Swan replies, defiantly.
“I’ve heard that before.” Vito’s expression darkens. “I’ve spent most of my life saying it in order to stop my sister worrying. So, I guess that means your arm hurts like a bitch, right?”
A look of understanding passes between Swan and Vito.
Then to my surprise, Swan slips off his coat and extends his arm to Vito, as soft as a kitten.
“Who are you and what have you done with Swan?” I blurt.
Vito looks smug. “Here, Jules, those shit coats are paper thin.”
Jules.
I love the name on the Alpha’s lips.
Vito wrenches off his warm biker jacket and wraps it around my shoulders.
My eyes widen.
Ambrose is the only Alpha who has given me his clothes before. I bury into the warmth of the jacket, taking more deep breaths of its delicious vanilla espresso scent.
“You’re safe,” Vito promises with a quiet earnestness that catches me off-guard. “Your boyfriend caught you. And I’m here now.”
“B-b-boyfriend?” I choke.
Shit, is it that obvious?
It’s a secret.
A fucking important one.
“Isn’t he?” Vito quirks his brow. “He looked ready to tear out my throat…”
“He’s my best friend,” I say because that’s not a lie.
“And born high on the feral spectrum,” Swan adds.
Unexpectedly, Vito looks delighted.
Vito’s only wearing a long-sleeved R.E.M band t-shirt underneath his jacket, apart from a scarf. He ignores the fact that he’s now shivering, however, and grips Swan lightly by the wrist to turn his arm from side by side. He examines the slash that runs across his upper arm.
I wince.
Guilt churns through me.
Despite the reassuring warmth and scent of Vito’s jacket, I’m still trembling from the shock of the fall and the sight of Swan’s blood.
He was injured because of me.
I bite my lip, anxiously watching as Vito shuffles closer to Swan.
He rips the bottom of his t-shirt off in a long strip. The sound makes me jump.
“R.E.M are one of my favorite bands.” Vito yanks the black material free, revealing an olive strip of his flat, sculptured stomach. I flush, forcing myself to look away. But I seriously don’t want to. “I’ve had this t-shirt, since I was sixteen. So, at least we’re sharing in the pain.”
Carefully, he starts to wrap it around Swan’s arm. I can tell how much it’s costing Swan to hold back his groan of pain.
Vito appears to understand as well because he casually keeps his eyes fixed on the makeshift bandage, tying it up as quickly as possible. “You look good like a trapeze artist on a night out to a glitzy club in that glittery tank top. But are you such a fashion victim that you’d wear it even on a winter day?”
“It’s my ballet uniform,” Swan snarls like he’s imagining sinking his teeth into Vito’s neck. “You’re the one who looks like an indie rock band reject.”
“Ouch.” Vito dramatically winces, but his smile widens. He raps his fingers on the bandage. “There, all done, beautiful. I’m a baker and not a doctor, but it should hold until we can get those doors open for you. Someone inside should be able to treat it properly, right?”
Well, someone like me .
“Thanks.” Swan pulls his arm back with a grin, dragging his coat back on.
“A biker baker?” I wrap Vito’s jacket more firmly around myself, hoping that he won’t take it back yet. “It sounds like you should be on TV.”
When Vito laughs, it’s a beautiful sound.
He bounds to his feet with enough energy to rival Swan. “I’ll call the producers now. I never could get my own show but I can see the angle: the biker baker rides Route 66. ”
Swan is eying the motorcycle excitedly.
Vito catches the look, and his chest puffs out with pride. “She’s awesome, huh? I don’t give a shit about most possessions but I saved for years to buy Grace.”
Swan wrinkles his nose. “Don’t tell me that you named her after your Omega.”
Vito pats the handles, comfortingly. “Actually, after my favorite album by Jeff Buckley. Music and this motorcycle are the two things that help me feel free.”
I swallow. “Like my dancing.”
Vito strolls back to his motorcycle and opens the latches on the clam-style saddlebag. “Then you should never stop. Freedom, however you can find it, is the most important thing to fight for. Well, that and family. But I believe in you. Whatever you want to achieve, I know that you can do it.”
“Alphasplaining,” Swan arches his brow. “Don’t you just love it? You have no fucking idea how we battle every day to survive. It must be a true warzone in your kitchen. Flour like grenades and terrifying bread knives. Scary shit.”
“Don’t disrespect bread knives. They can be deadly.” Just for a moment, Vito looks dangerous, before he turns back to his Harley. “Ta-da!” He pulls open the saddlebag to reveal pink boxes inside with a donut logo on them. My mouth is already watering from the waft of sweet and cinnamon scents from inside those boxes. Swan’s stomach rumbles. “These are from my bakery, the Dough Knot. Well, I may be overselling that. It’s also my Omega sister’s bakery.”
“Seriously?” I stare at him.
Whoever’s heard of an Omega running a business?
Yet Vito says it casually like it’s nothing out of the ordinary.
What the hell has been going on in the four years that I’ve been buried in this academy?
Did I miss an Omega revolution?
Swan exchanges a wild look with me like he’s just as excited but blown away by the thought.
“Okay, you caught me out. I was boasting before. You can’t blame an Alpha for wanting to make a good first impression.” Vito settles on the saddle of the Harley, pulling one of the pink boxes next to him. “Candy’s the real baker. She’s a creative genius. She creates new recipes, orders equipment, supplies, and ingredients. I mainly deal with the marketing, business, and bookkeeping side. Also, supply the pizza and movie nights for her entire pack, the Saints. But we’re a good team.”
Swan shoves himself to his feet with a twirl of his coat.
Disbelief is painted over his face. “And you helped an Omega, allowing her to take the lead over an Alpha…?”
“Why not, when she’s the one with the talent? When it makes her happy?”
Swan and I both freeze.
Vito says that like it’s simple.
Obvious.
It takes away my breath.
Swan looks like every Christmas wish from throughout his life has just popped into existence in front of him.
I didn’t know that they made Alphas like this.
Is Vito a liberal?
I don’t think that I’ve met one before.
I remember my uncle ranting about the dangers of liberal Alphas.
My pack are Traditional. So are the Romeos.
What the fuck is a liberal doing riding a motorcycle of all things into the academy?
The Alphas here are going to kick his ass.
I scrabble up, and Swan dives to steady me. I wrench the biker jacket off and throw it back at Vito.
Startled, he catches it.
“You should leave,” I say.
Swan nods.
“But I haven’t given out my Christmas treats yet.” Hurt flashes across Vito’s face, before he hurriedly buries it.
Shit, does he think that I’m rejecting him?
He can smell that we’re scent matches, as much as I can.
How can I explain how dangerous it is here for everybody, even an Alpha?
“It’s not a problem, if that’s what you want. An Omega will always be heard by me. It’s your choice, Jules.” Vito ducks his head, and his silky hair covers his face. He pushes his jacket onto the saddle. “But why don’t you at least take these for later?”
He flips open the lid of the pink box. I lean forward to glance inside at a dozen cupcakes, which have blue icing on the top in swirls like two snakes.
“They’re the Dough Knot’s signature design: Candy and Viper Cupcakes.” Vito waggles the box from side to side temptingly. “They represent my sister and me.”
“Viper?” I ask.
“My nickname.”
Swan prowls to rest his hands on either side of the Harley’s saddle. He cages Vito, before swiping his finger through the frosting and smearing it over the Alpha’s lips.
I’m not sure Vito even realizes how indecent his moan is, as he licks the frosting off.
I was sure that Swan would be dominant with everyone but me. He’s always shaken off the label of Beta with everyone but Ambrose.
But then, Ambrose is like the King of Alphas.
Swan leans to whisper into Vito’s ear, “I bet that you taste sweet. But it’s not safe for you here, my Little Snake. Slither away, huh?”
Fuck, they’re hot together.
I knew that Swan would get revenge for being called beautiful .
Vito laughs, shakily. “Hey, less of the little. I’m taller than you.”
“Then should I just call you a good viper ?”
Vito’s eyes widen, before he shivers.
Unexpectedly, the heavy front door to the academy slams open.
“You’re trespassing. I could have you arrested or shot.” Katerina’s voice cracks out like a whip.
She storms down the steps with Dimitri close at her heels.
I gag, as the burned coffee scent of two furious and dominant Alphas, washes through the fresh air like rain.
Swan leaps back from Vito.
Swan’s expression cools with affected boredom. He holds out his hand to me, dragging me behind him. He’s careful to drop my hand afterward.
“Ride,” I hiss at Vito.
Instead of fleeing, however, Vito drops the cupcakes back into the saddlebag and squarely stands in front of Swan and me.
“I’ll protect you.” Vito’s expression becomes grim.
Swan rolls his eyes. “And who’s going to protect you ?”
Vito’s scent becomes bitter with a corresponding anger, the closer that the two instructors draw to him.
He doesn’t duck his head, however, or show any sign of appeasing them like many Alphas would when caught outnumbered on another pack’s territory. Instead, he straightens his shoulders as if to say that he’s not intimidated.
In fact, he tilts up his chin in direct challenge.
Hell, have I been scent matched with as courageous but as unhinged an Alpha, as Swan is a Beta?
I have to respect that.
Next to me, Swan is studying Vito with admiration.
Vito’s defiance appears to enrage Dimitri even further. After all, he’s used to deference and fear from his students.
Dimitri looks like a giant next to Vito, as he grabs him by the throat. “Bare your neck or—”
Vito snarls, shoving Dimitri in the chest.
Dimitri slips on the icy floor and loses his grip. Vito dances back a step, breathing hard.
“I’ve been beaten by far more dangerous men than you for most of my life.” Vito’s eyes flash. “I’ve had guns held to my head and knives pressed to my back. From one who’s experienced at being around psychos, your intimidation attempts need work. So, I’m going to give you one warning not to try it again.”
Dimitri’s cheeks flush with rage. “You’re dead.”
“Better but not by much. Now, these two were shut out here in the freezing cold. The important thing is to get them inside and warmed up. Why would you let them outside dressed like this? And Swan’s injured. I did the best that I could but I suck at first aid. So, his wound should be looked at properly.”
Katerina raises her cane to jab Vito in the chest. “How dare you tell me how to treat my students?”
When she jabs him a second time — harder — Swan growls like he can’t stop himself, stepping forward.
Katerina’s eyes become cold shards of ice. “I’ll teach you not to growl at me.”
She raises her cane high above her head.
“Feathers…” I grab Swan by the arm but I can’t pull him out of the way in time.
It isn’t Swan who hisses in pain, however, as the cane thwacks down.
It’s Vito.
I stare in shock, as Vito twirls, covering Swan’s body with his own. The cane viciously slices across the thin t-shirt of his back.
For a long moment, Swan and Vito stare into each other’s eyes.
Then Swan grips Vito’s hand and squeezes.
I’m frozen.
What Alpha would take a beating for a Beta?
Dimitri’s dark gaze is looking between Vito and Swan like he’s trying to work out what’s going on. Also, as if he wishes that he could take the cane and beat Vito to the ground with it.
When Vito turns to face the other two Alphas, he’s transformed into a different man to the one who first crouched next to us like a gorgeous rock god.
His energy is transformed into a protective rage.
“You are not to punish either of these students.” Vito’s voice is low and deadly. “And you’re to ensure that no one is shut out in the cold again.”
Katerina’s mouth gapes open with outrage. “I’ll break this cane over you this time. Who are you to come here and bark orders?”
“Shall we ask Ambrose that?” The gleam in Vito’s blue eyes is dangerous. “My name is Vito Romeo. And I’m your CEO’s Second Alpha.”