Chapter Two
Felix
March: Three Months Ago
“You’re not going to make me take a drug test or something?” I asked, looking at the tall, toned, blonde woman behind the bar with apprehension.
“Do I need to make you take a drug test?” she asked as she folded her arms across her chest. She wore a black, low-cut tank top, and the motion made her breasts pop in my peripheral vision.
“No, of course not,” I stammered. “But every boss I’ve had since getting out of rehab always makes me prove that I’m not using. Regularly.”
She scoffed. “Either you’ve been working for betas with a terrible sense of smell, or for people who were trying to make you feel inferior. If you ever show up here smelling like heroin or anything else, I’ll know, and you’ll be done. No peeing in cups for me. No second chances either. Got it?”
“Yes, okay,” I said, nodding rapidly.
I’d been in recovery for two and a half years, and I’d spent the majority of that time bouncing around from city to city, bartending and waiting tables.
I’d only had two goals for most of that time: stay far away from my ex, Ryder, to keep our bond as weak as possible, and stay sober.
The therapists in rehab said going back to the town where you’d developed your addiction wasn’t something most people could handle in the early years of recovery.
Especially when it was a small town with easy access to the drugs you were constantly craving.
I’d heeded their advice and waited until I’d truly felt ready to handle the cravings to come home.
My older sister, Clara, had kept me informed of happenings in our hometown.
Ryder had been bouncing in and out of Crescent River ever since I’d left him.
And while I’d longed to come home to the Lakes Region of the Northeast, I’d opted to return to the next town over.
Mirror Lake was different enough that I wouldn’t be faced with places where I used to get high, and similar enough that it still felt like I was back home.
I’d only been in town for a week, but I was confident I was ready to settle down here for a while.
When I’d noticed the “We’re Hiring” sign in the window at The White Fang an hour ago, I’d stopped in to apply, and now the owner of the bar and restaurant, Ally Winchester, was offering me the job.
I was pretty sure Ally was an alpha, and her citrus scent was stronger than most other alphas I’d encountered.
Her no-bullshit approach to the rapid-fire interview she’d just conducted gave me the impression that working for her would be easy.
I’d certainly never have to guess where I stood with her since indirectness didn’t seem to be a word she knew.
The rarity of stumbling across a female alpha made me wonder if I was misreading her designation at first, but it was impossible to ignore the way she commanded authority, and my omega body responded instinctually to her.
Taking orders from her as an employee certainly wouldn’t be a problem. In fact, it would be harder to ignore the instinct to do as she said.
Maybe I should keep working for stupid betas.
I’d never minded being an omega because I’d never really bought into the idea that we were the weaker designation, only here to please alphas.
I was five foot nine and had put on a lot of muscle since I’d started working out in rehab.
Hitting the gym regularly had become a standard part of maintaining my mental health and sobriety.
Even if I wasn’t as tall and naturally strong as alphas were, I certainly didn’t see myself as weak.
Besides, healthy alpha and omega relationships made it abundantly clear to me that the omega had far more power in a relationship than the alpha.
Sure, there was a natural give-and-take, with both parties having varying degrees of power, but most people understood that a healthy relationship wasn’t just an alpha overpowering an omega.
Unfortunately, I’d fallen prey to that type of relationship once already and I wouldn’t let it happen again.
Any alpha who was worthy of my time would in no way domineer me, they would seek to protect me and love me fiercely, making me feel precious. And I’d make sure they received the same love from me. I sure as hell wouldn’t be settling for anything less than that again.
Ryder had never wanted to protect me, he had wanted to possess me, and despite the genuine affection that had existed between us at one time, our mating bond had been a terrible, heroin-induced mistake.
A few hours after offering me the job, Ally had successfully shown me the ropes at The White Fang. Bartending and waiting tables weren’t all that different from one restaurant to the next, and I wasn’t worried about this place being too crowded given what I knew about the area.
In late spring, the snow still lingered on the ground and the lake produced a steady, cool breeze that kept tourists away.
The kitchen closed at eight o’clock and the bar closed at ten o’clock until tourism picked up in early July.
Even then, I wouldn’t mind working late hours.
The bars in the city were usually open until midnight year-round, so I was used to late nights and the good tips that came with them.
Ally acknowledged everyone who walked into the bar by name, most of them clearly regulars who lived in town.
I finished serving a couple of women at a table in the back corner when the bar door opened. A man who appeared to be in his late twenties walked into the room and his presence knocked the air right out of my lungs.
Okay, obviously an alpha.
I stood, frozen to the spot with a tray in my hand as I watched him smile at Ally, his dimples softening his otherwise-rugged face. His wavy brown hair was chin-length, and paired with the five o’clock shadow on his face, gave the appearance of someone rough and strong.
I bet his hands would feel nice and rough wrapped around my dick.
As if he’d heard my inappropriate thoughts, he jerked his head up and locked eyes with me.
The heat in his gaze warmed my entire body from across the room.
Never before had I felt compelled to drop to my knees and service an alpha the way I wanted to with him.
It was like my body was demanding I submit to him, make myself his, and beg him to scent mark me so everyone would know who I belonged to.
Wow. What the fuck was I just thinking about omegas having all the power? Fuck that. This alpha can wreck me six ways from Sunday, and I’ll still ask for more.
I managed to force a smile and give a little wave. His deep brown eyes widened, nostrils flaring, like he’d just caught the scent of something enticing in the air.
“Hey, Bennett. Stop staring at my new bartender,” Ally yelled from behind the bar, causing us both to look in her direction. She looked at me and shrugged. “Sorry, he’s not usually this weird.”
“It’s fine,” I said as I forced my legs to move. I rounded the counter, returning to my spot making drinks next to her. I was used to waiting tables while I tended bar, and tonight it was just Ally and I covering the floor, so we were each doing a little bit of both.
Bennett took a seat at the end of the bar and I approached him.
The rich scent of pine surrounded me, instantly soothing me.
I was used to being affected by alpha pheromones—it was part of the whole omega deal—but the intensity of Bennett’s scent and the effect it had on instantly calming my body was overwhelming.
Did my heart rate just slow down from being near him?
“Can I get you anything to drink?” I asked, setting a cocktail napkin in front of him.
Ally appeared behind me, popping the top on a long-neck beer bottle. “He’s going to show up when his garage closes every night, drink one double IPA from Mirror Lake Brewing, and then go home. It’s like he thinks I need his business or something.”
I watched him in awe as he smiled at her. Fuck, he’s beautiful.
He took the beer from her, running his other hand through his hair and letting it fall behind his ear.
“I’m Ally’s older brother, Bennett. I actually just like to decompress with a beer before I go home alone, and she’s built up this notion in her head that my choices have something to do with her. They don’t.”
I chuckled. “I’m Felix. Ally hired me today, so I guess I’ll be seeing you most nights about this time.”
The corners of Bennett’s lips curved upward, revealing his dimples again. “I look forward to it, Felix.”
“Felix, can you check on table six’s appetizer?” Ally yelled from across the bar.
She moves around here very fast. That’ll take some getting used to.
“Of course,” I said, reluctant to tear my eyes from Bennett. “I’ll see you around.”
He nodded and tipped his beer back with a pleased expression that radiated pure sex and desire, making my dick thicken at the thought of his lips around me.
I shook it off and hurried to complete Ally’s request before I got fired on my first night for dropping to my knees at her brother’s side.
I was not the kind of omega who was naturally inclined to submit so quickly.
In fact, I’d struggled to do it with Ryder all the time, and since being bonded to him, my reaction to other alphas had been muted, so this was definitely uncharted territory.
I spent the rest of my shift focusing on the bar while Ally focused on waiting tables.
The hours flew by, and the entire time I worked, I felt Bennett’s presence in the air around me.
The way my body perked up and felt charged around him gave me the impression that I’d been living in a black-and-white world and had just encountered color for the first time.
By the time Ally locked up, Bennett was on his second beer and remained seated at the bar.
“What are you still doing here?” she asked him as I wiped down tables in the dining area, trying not to be obvious that I was listening to their conversation.
“Why do you need an explanation for how I spend my night?” Bennett asked.