22. Erain
CHAPTER 22
Erain
P iper was allowing us to meet her for lunch at the Capitol’s most exclusive French restaurant? That was a good thing, right?
Right?
I have to believe it.
Even though technically the restaurant wouldn’t open for an hour yet, I was there early because I was just desperate to see my Omega. It’s only been a few days since we brought her back to the Capitol, and I’ve barely eaten, barely slept, can’t think of anything through my panic at the broken mate bond.
And the goddamn thing is that the more I see of Piper, the more I find to adore.
Now that she’s not bothering to hide her scent behind cigarettes and awful perfume, I can smell her everywhere, track her down all over the palace grounds. It’s driving me half-crazed with desire.
I walked into the waiting room and there was Piper. My heart gave a leap in my chest, pounding with feverish need.
But she was not alone. Not only did she have Beatrice, Cressida, and Teddy’s damn twins there, but there were dozens of other high-ranking Betas and even some Alphas I didn’t recognize.
“Welcome to my competition for choosing an Alpha Pack,” Piper said. “We’re all here to try to fix this this scent match mistake.”
Piper’s boots were up on a chair, and all I could think about was how hot she looked and how much I wanted to fall to my knees in front of her and beg to be able to run my tongue up her leg.
“There was no mistake,” I croaked out, gutted despite myself at her rejection. Even though I reminded myself that we have to build trust back with Piper, it still stung so badly.
And even worse, my cock was twitching at her scent. I don’t want her to think all I care about is fucking and knotting, but her scent drives me so fucking wild I can’t control my dick.
“Can we find a table and talk?” I asked, trying to subtly stand behind a chair so she couldn’t see the thick bulge in my pants.
“No thanks,” Piper said, grabbing the arm of an Alpha I don’t recognize, sliding her slim hand up his meaty bicep.
Where the fuck did she find this guy? All the Alphas in the entire fucking Capitol should know not to touch what’s Pack Skystone’s.
Her fingers tighten on his upper arm, and it’s like a hard punch to my gut seeing her even touch anyone else, and my stomach heaves remembering what happened with Mario, who I’d still fucking love to kill.
“Piper, no—“ I started forward, tangling over my tongue, and everyone looks at me like I’ve gone insane.
Because I’ve never acted like this in all my damn life.
“Please don’t. I’ll do anything, please.”
“Please don’t what? Touch Benjamin here?”
She ran her hand further up his arm, wrapping her fingers as far as she could go around him.
This Alpha was a big bruiser, looked like an active juicer, and he only grinned at me.
“Piper please,” I begged. “Don’t do this. I am your mate. I am your Alpha.”
I was down on my knees now, crawling toward her on the floor as everyone’s eyes widened.
“Oh, now you’re my mate?” she asked scornfully. “Actually I think I’ll choose one of these other Alphas. Test out their knots and see if I like them.”
It was like my knees gave way and I fell to my belly on the ground.
“Please, Piper, please. I made a mistake.”
I dug in my elbows and began to crawl toward her.
“You revolting cheater,” she retorted. “You said my scent would stink. Hot Cheetos and Marlboro Lights, I believe you said. And what the fuck is wrong with Cheetos?”
“I was an idiot!” I begged. “A complete asshole!”
“Well, here’s your chance,” she snapped. “No need to worry about me. Go have dinner with the woman you chose over me. Let’s just admit we all made a mistake and go our own ways.”
She waved her arm over to the other women sitting expectantly beside her.
Cressida looked hopefully over at me. “If they made a mistake at the ceremony, we could be together again,” she said sweetly.
Delicate and tiny, she certainly made a contrast to Piper who was leaning back against the table, her long legs stretched out in sweatpants, eyes bold and blue.
But there was only one woman I felt pulled toward. And it was my bold, unafraid, unashamed Omega.
“Go with her, Erain,” Piper purred.
“C’mon,” Cressida coaxed, her angelic little face smiling at me. “It’s what you always wanted, to be free from her. She’s not our kind.”
I felt a surge of anger.
“ Our kind? She’s my Omega. I don’t want to be with you anymore. She’s my scent match. There was no mistake. Except the one I made in fucking you.”
“Look at her!” Cressida cried. “How could you be on your knees for this woman? She’s wearing sweatpants in the palace!”
Piper was looking at me, with a little smile on her face, and suddenly I felt suffused with shame. Everything I had done for years had primed me for failing my Omega.
Rook and Teddy had gotten me away from the worst excesses of my aristocratic family and the friends I had grown up with. But dating Cressida I had allowed myself to fall back into the old ways.
Rook and Teddy had been good influences on me, but I had let myself fall into bad habits.
Raw, stabbing pain filled my gut as Benjamin put his hand on Piper’s shoulder. She was wearing a loose top, and the tips of his fingers curled into her skin as I writhed with jealousy.
“Get your hands off her!” I choked out to him.
Even in my agony, my cock was hard as a rock and digging into the ground.
“Cressida, it’s over,” I growled.
She was for the man I used to be. Not the man I want to be. Not the man I am. I am a better man than Cressida thought I was.
I crawled inch by inch toward Piper, despite the agony.
“ No ,” I cried, my eyes glued on her as she leaned back and tipped her head up for a kiss.
I felt that kiss all through my body, and I had to close my eyes to stop the room from spinning. But even still, a low pained groan burst from my body.
It was an agony on every inch of my body, hot burning shame at my failure stabbing through me.
I opened my eyes to see her pink tongue tangling with his, and the way she was leaning back in her chair meant I could clearly see that she wasn’t wearing a bra, her nipples tight little peaks against the shirt.
“Nooo,” I moaned again, making it an inch further, then another inch.
It was torture
But I didn’t care that I was crawling in front of Cressida or anybody else. I just wanted Piper.
The door slammed open suddenly, and I heard Rook’s Head Alpha bark fill the room.
“ Get away from our Omega .”
Benjamin froze in place, pinned by a Head Alpha voice, and I saw Rook stalk across the room and put his hands around Benjamin’s throat.
Then Teddy was there too, stumbling across the floor, retching again, and ripping at the Alpha’s arms as I made it to Piper’s feet and wrapped my own arms around her legs to clasp her tight.
“Everybody out!” Rook roared as he squeezed with both big hands. “Piper belongs to Skystone Pack. Anyone kissing her fucks with us. So keep away.”
There was a splash of blood on his nose and I realized with a shock that his nose was bleeding and because I know Rook, I know he’s barely holding it together.
“I didn’t know,” Benjamin chokes out, and Rook finally unclenches his fingers with an effort.
“Then get the fuck out.”
I am aware that with Teddy retching and me clutching Piper’s legs, hoping I can imprint my regret on her skin, we look damn desperate. But I don’t care.
I just need her.