13. Chapter 13
Chapter 13
Celeste
The date was going to rip me apart. My body and mind were in competition, being pulled in opposite directions. Everything about how they were treating me made my omega senses keen, but the knowledge that, in reality, they actually hated me made it all that much more painful.
Whenever they opened a door for me, presented me with their arm to steady myself, and hovered over me protectively, I wanted to grab onto them and never let go. And their scents, my Gods. Alpha pheromones grew stronger when they were near an omega, but I almost couldn’t handle how good it smelled to be surrounded by them. I never realized before how much a scent match screwed with your hormones. I was halfway ready to forgive them of everything and just beg them to take me to bed, bite me, and keep me forever. That’s how much my omega side wanted them.
But I was stronger than that. These men planned my downfall, tried to have me kidnapped, and wanted to take over the market share and put my company out of business. I had to remember that, scent matches or not. I kept up my act for the public, giving the pack puppy dog eyes and fawning over them.
Halfway through the burlesque performance, I noticed how even though we had been acting all this time, they were still so tense. Their eyes shifted around, watching for any danger. I knew this was an alpha thing - plenty of packs did this when they had an omega with them. So even if they did hate me, they were also still struggling with their instincts. Which gave me an idea - if I had to go through torture, so would they.
With a sly smile, I leaned into Liam’s side, letting my fingers curl around his bicep as I sighed and melted against him. The contact soothed the ache of being near my scent match - it calmed something primal in me. But more than that, it clearly got to him too. I caught the subtle twitch of his jaw, the way his eyes flicked toward me, his body tense with restraint. Slowly, I ran my hand along the length of his arm before lacing our fingers together, resting my head against his shoulder. He felt amazing.
“What are you doing?” He whispered out of the side of his mouth. I nuzzled into him, relishing in his scent while knowing I was riling him up.
“Playing the part. This is what you wanted, isn’t it?” I replied, a small shiver running through my body at the thrill of finally being close to my mate. Liam shifted next to me, swallowing as his eyes looked between me and his pack mates, their usual green even more alive than usual under the club lights.
“Oh, come on, you want it to be realistic, right?” I said as I leaned in closer, my lips brushing his neck. He let out an involuntary groan.
Ha! He was affected. And I wanted to make him feel just a fraction of the pain I’d been holding inside me ever since I first smelled them. I reached around the back of his neck, grazing my hand through his hair and touching him like any love-sick omega would.
“Celeste.” He growled softly, and I looked across at Vigo who was watching me with a burning gaze, his eyes unable to look away. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see that even Dante, who so far had ignored me as much as possible, was paying attention.
“What baby? We’re on a date, I just want to show you how much I adore you.” I said before leaning in and giving his ear a slight nip. His entire body jerked and I snickered as he balled his fists. His scent burst out of his glands, and I had to bite back my own moan as his woodsy, masculine scent filled my lungs. If I hadn’t taken double suppressants every day since arriving at their place, I’d have let out a puddle of slick just now. Every moment of teasing him was turning me on and giving me vindication for how they’d treated me. My omega instincts were pleased, and I couldn’t stop myself from reaching down to his thick leg, risking making him even more turned on. One thing I knew how to do very well was please an alpha.
I ran my hand over his thigh, his slacks tight on his quad. Something hard and long bumped up against my hand, and I froze as my eyes caught sight of his very large member imprinted through his pants. It was so big, so perfect.
“Fuck.” I said quietly. In my efforts to wreck Liam, I was close to wrecking myself and blowing my cover. I pulled my hand away, inadvertently grazing him on his bulge. He closed his eyes and breathed in hard through his nose.
“Celeste.” His words were half warning, half plea.
“Liam. Honey .” I taunted, my own body becoming dangerously warm as my hormones begged me to continue. I knew I should stop. I knew I was taking it too far. But I couldn’t help it.
I swung a leg over, positioning myself directly onto his lap, facing him as I pressed my core against the rock-hard cock that had somehow grown even thicker against his thigh.
It was like throwing gasoline onto a fire.
His eyes flared, and a growl rumbled from his throat, the decibel so low I could feel it more than hear it. His gaze locked with mine and for a split second, we were on a level that felt natural and inevitable. I felt warm hands moving along my own thighs and realized he was touching me, moving closer to my hips. From the corner of my vision, I saw Vigo lick his lips as he watched us.
“You’re even more wicked than we gave you credit for.” Vigo said, almost impressed.
At that moment, Liam suddenly shook his head, as if casting away a spell. Suddenly I was in the air, my hands on his shoulders as he lifted me. For half a moment, I thought he might rush me away somewhere private so we could do some unspeakable things together, but he quickly spun and sat me down next to Vigo, whose eyes were still latched onto me with hunger.
Liam stiffly walked around the table to get another glass, and though my omega side reeled from the sudden loss of his body under mine, another part of me was crowing with victory.
I threw my head back, laughing at his display. Vigo raised his eyebrows, and his glass at me. “Now that’s the kind of show I was hoping for.” He said as I covered my mouth, still giggling at Liam’s obvious confusion and lack of control once I touched him. At that moment, I felt like I had a chance. They weren’t invincible - they were alphas. And I knew more than anyone how to handle alphas. How to win .
“Oh come now, you wanted it to be believable.” I said while adjusting my dress. It had hiked up a little when I crawled onto Liam. I was so glad they couldn’t smell how I really felt. Vigo was still watching me like a wolf.
“You certainly made your point.” He said before taking another sip of his drink. I glanced down at the burlesque performance, which was nearly over. A few people in the crowd had been watching us, and I was sure a photo of me on Liam’s lap would start circulating online within the hour.
I took another glance at Vigo. He looked so good. His dark, wavy hair was pushed back, save for a lock that kept falling onto his forehead. His blue eyes were framed by dark brows and long lashes. In his suit, he looked like delicious trouble. I wanted to devour him, and yet he was still my enemy, one of the people who was actively trying to ruin my company, my legacy. One of the alphas who had set me up to be kidnapped.
But sitting inches from him, feeling the heat from his body and the buzz from the champagne, I decided to give myself something. Even though I couldn’t have him for real, I could pretend tonight. I could ease some of the ache of desire that had been burning within me, urging me to draw nearer to my mates.
I leaned into him, testing the waters.
Vigo wasn’t as easily affected as Liam. He’d already seen what I had done, and he sat still and guarded. But his eyes couldn’t lie. I knew very well how much alphas hungered for omegas, even ones that they supposedly hated.
I leaned in, reaching over to graze the side of his face with my nails. He closed his eyes briefly, and let out a small shudder.
I knew it.
Just then, a strong pair of hands lifted me again, turning me around. I looked over, indignant at the interruption. It was Liam, suddenly more composed, and with an evil glint in his eyes. He stood next to me, his hands on my waist as he looked down at me.
“What are you doing?” I asked, feigning annoyance. Even though he’d interrupted my moment with Vigo, I very much enjoyed his touch.
“I know what you’re up to. And it’s not going to work.” He said, acting like he was in control. But he wasn’t. “But you’re making it so believable, I figured you wanted to show off for an audience.” He smiled as he motioned with his chin to the dance floor below. The burlesque dancers had finished, and the crowd was now moving to the next music set. But they were starting to look up toward us. We were, after all, the biggest gossip story in the news right now. I could see a few people in the crowd that I recognized.
Liam used his body to herd me toward the edge of our section, near the balcony. Now we were in full view of anyone looking up at us. He leaned in, wrapping his arms around me from behind. I got a whiff of his scent, and tried to hold back a whine as I steadied myself. This was everything my body had been craving from the moment I first smelled them. But I had to stay in control.
I let him hold me for a moment, then spun to look at him with big, innocent eyes as I reached up and touched my collarbone, drawing attention to my neck. Liam swore under his breath and turned away again, his back to me while I stifled a giggle. But even though I was winning against Liam’s biology, I had another person to contend with, who seemed to love the challenge.
“May I have this dance?” Vigo’s voice interrupted my thoughts as he appeared next to me. I could scarcely answer as he started to move behind me, slowly running his hands up my waist as he matched the rhythm of the music from below. He didn’t hold back, either. Anyone watching us would see an intimate, sensual display as he acted like he was more than a date - we looked like lovers.
I could feel his body behind mine, and involuntarily pressed against him, seeking him out despite knowing he was my enemy. Vigo faltered for a moment, but then wrapped his arms more tightly around me as he leaned in and whispered in my ear. “You’re actually almost too good of an actress.”
I was going to give him a catty remark when someone entered my vision, distracting me from my view of the crowd below. I looked up to see Liam, seemingly back in control, and with a dangerous glint in his eyes. “You’re quite the surprise. But you won’t win at this, Celeste.” He said as he watched Vigo make a display of me, and our “courtship”, to anyone watching.
“Are you really that confident, or just trying to distract me from your lack of dancing skills?” I asked as I reached back to drape my arms around Vigo’s neck, feeling his body synchronize with mine.
Liam laughed, a low, warm sound that sent shivers down my spine. “Oh, I can dance, sweetheart. You’d be surprised at what I can do with my body.” I held back a gasp at his words, and the images that were running through my head at what he had hinted at. He extended a hand, that dangerous glint in his eye daring me to take it.
I reached out, placing my hand in his as he tightened his grip on me. But instead of pulling me away from Vigo, he stepped toward us, with Vigo gripping my hips in a way that meant he wasn’t letting me go.
My breath caught as I realized I was slowly being sandwiched between the two alphas. The sounds of the club faded away as my body lit up with the excitement of having one behind me, his breath tingling on my neck as he leaned into me, and the other looking down at me as he inched closer. Now both of their hands were on me, dancing with me as their touch lit me up, skimming across my skin in a way that was light enough to not be disrespectful, but looked borderline taboo to anyone watching.
I wanted more. I wanted their hands fully on me, and our clothes gone. I wanted to see all of them, rivalry be damned. Liam’s chest was so close to my face that I wanted to nuzzle into it and whine loud enough that his alpha instincts would force him to take me right here in front of everyone. I wanted to push my backside into Vigo, egg him on until he joined us. I was so hot with desire that I was surprised I didn’t somehow let perfume out and fill my panties with slick. And I knew they would do what I wanted. I felt their heartbeats on either side of me, pounding so quickly I thought they might go into a rut. Their breaths were heavy, and I looked up to see Liam’s normally composed face staring at me with half lust and half agony.
“You like being in control, don’t you little brat?” Vigo whispered, noticing his pack-mate’s reaction. I tried not to let his voice push me over the edge.
“Being in control comes naturally to me, Vigo,” I shot back, a teasing smile creeping onto my lips. “But maybe that’s a challenge to someone who thrives on acting so dominant.” I could almost feel his shock that I talked back to him. They were still dancing so closely to me, and so sensually that I could barely handle it. I knew if I didn't get out of this soon, my resolve would break.
Liam’s pupils were so big they made his deep green eyes appear black. He wasn’t even talking, just focusing all of his control. Vigo gave a soft, dangerous laugh, his breath tickling my neck and making me bite my lip. Liam’s eyes widened and a low growl filled the air.
“You really think you can challenge me?” Vigo said with bemusement.
Without another thought, I turned to face him fully, closing the space between us. The challenge in his eyes ignited something daring in me. “Why don’t I show you?” I said, my voice playful as I gave no indication what I would do next.
Then, before he could react, I leaned in and pressed my lips to his. It was a quick, bold kiss that caught him off guard, an explosion of heat flooding through me as our mouths met. I felt his surprise melt into something deeper, a flicker of molten lava that would ignite either passion, or war between us.
I pulled back, and could only register the shock in his face for a moment before strong hands pulled him away from me.
Dante was there. He looked at me, his face stone-like, but fury hiding in his eyes. “Enough! Photos of us are already online!” He said between gritted teeth as he glared between me, Vigo and Liam. I turned to see the faces and phones of half the club turned toward us, and cringed at the number of angles there would be of me being practically groped by two members of Pack Lockwood. Dante inserted himself between Liam and I next, his dark eyes and hair contrasting against the gold and green of Liam’s frame. “It’s time to go.”
My heart dropped, a wave of shock crashing over me. Faces filled with surprise and curiosity were locked onto us, whispers buzzing despite the deep thumping of the bass throughout the venue. I had pushed it too far, letting my hormones dictate my moves. In an attempt to tease the pack in retaliation, I’d given them exactly what they wanted for the tabloids.
Embarrassment crept up my neck, heat flooding my cheeks. What have I done?
I shot a quick glance at Vigo, whose expression had transformed from shock to that familiar cocky grin. Of course he’s enjoying this.
Dante ushered us out of the club, and I felt my wave of euphoria crash around me as I was reminded that everything we did wasn’t real. As much as I wanted them, I couldn’t let myself get lost in these feelings. Not if I wanted to win.
Vigo passed by me as we entered the car, sliding into his seat with a pleased look on his face.
“Was that acting good enough for you?” I asked him, staring at my nails as the car started. He just shook his head and tried to bite back a smile before he responded.
“Game on, sweetheart.”