Chapter Nine
Never in my life have I been so utterly captivated with a single woman.
I know that I wasn’t even this obsessed with my son’s mother when I first met her, and she was my scent match.
Yes, I was completely and utterly in love with her—my soul ached when she was taken from me—but I was never obsessed. I never wanted to follow her to the ends of the earth. To pull back every single layer of skin until I understood the very core of her.
I loved my Omega but I wasn’t like this.
For the past week I have been over analyzing every single thing that I thought I knew.
To me, scent matches were the pinnacle of love. That once you had found that one person, nothing else mattered to you anymore.
While there is a part of me that will forever hold onto her, not only as my first love but the mother of my children, it feels freeing in a way to finally have something else consuming me.
Since that night, my grief has consumed me in a way that I didn’t think was possible.
It was my first thought in the morning and my last at night.
I became angry, someone that people were terrified of.
I made a name for myself in our family, helping to solidify our name as being one of the most powerful in the country.
But since meeting Valentina at the park, my thoughts have been dominated by a certain brunette.
That and her precious daughter. Both her and her mother had my protective instincts spiking. I want to be there for them. To provide for them. To ensure that they are safe.
It’s abundantly clear that Valentina has trust issues. A blind man could see the way she assesses everyone she interacts with.
It's surprising to me that she chose stripping as her job. Especially when you are left so vulnerable up on that stage.
Watching the way that Valley moves her body is an experience like no other. I never knew that someone could be so fucking perfect.
She has this aura about her. One that seems to be magnified the moment she steps into her heels.
I’m completely and utterly addicted to her.
It’s a shame that she has zero interest in any of us.
I’m embarrassed to say just how hard I got when she told the three of us off. It was magnificent watching just how little she cared about hurting our feelings. A lot of other Alphas would have been pissed being spoken to like that, but not us. If anything, I want to encourage that defiance in her.
From Conall’s reaction to her attitude, I know that he will do anything to help motivate that ire.
He is a fucking masochist.
I can hardly taste whatever the bartender has been pouring me; too focused on the vision on the stage. I clutch my glass tighter in my hand. If I don’t hold myself back, I will storm the stage, throw her over my shoulder and take her for my own.
My Alpha is riding at me hard to claim her. To rut her and mark her with my bite.
She isn’t an Omega. She is a Beta.
The knowledge of that also doesn't make sense to me. How is she, a Beta, able to pull such primal needs from the three of us?
The thought makes me suspicious.
What is our girl hiding from us?
It is clear that it is something. No one is that steadfast in rejecting someone unless they are already in a committed relationship.
Judging by what little of her I have seen, I doubt that is the case.
No, my girl is unattached.
There is more to this than meets the eye.
Going back to our first interaction, Valentina was fine until the wind changed and she caught a whiff of my scent. Is that her problem?
Does she hate Alphas?
If so, that's going to prove to be a bit of a problem.
While I would never choose to be another designation, I can understand the reasons why she might not be all that interested. Some of the Alphas I have had to deal with through my life have made me question their choices more than once.
But that also isn’t fair to put all of us in the same box.
On the other hand, I get it.
Sometimes it's better to just remain cautious. There are too many men that would be more than happy to push someone that is too trusting.
Eventually, Valentina’s final set of the night ends. I feel a stab of disappointment as she collects her earnings and walks off the stage.
How can I already miss someone I have barely met?
I mourn her loss either way as I turn back to my packmates. Judging by the looks on their faces, they are feeling the same way.
Cal sits up straighter and places his now empty glass onto the table.
“How the fuck are we going to win her over?”
Both of us are looking at Vic already. As the unofficial leader of our pack and the Don to our Syndicate, we always turn to him.
It's a lot of pressure to put on a single person but Vic seems to be able to handle it. It's why we have been so successful.
“I don’t know.”
My eyes blow wide at the dejected sound in his voice. For the first time in thirty years, Vic looks lost. I turn to look at Cal who looks like he could currently catch flies with the way his jaw is dropped.
“What the fuck do you mean you don’t know?”
Vic’s head snaps up to his twin’s. A frown forms on his face for a moment before he shakes his head and runs his hand through his hair.
“It’s exactly that, Cal. I don’t fucking know how to win her over. She isn’t like any one else I have ever met. Just when I thought I had her worked out, she goes and turns it completely on its head.”
I nod, agreeing with him wholeheartedly.
“She is an enigma. A fucking perfect one at that.” Conall picks up his drink but shakes his head when he finds it bone dry. “I don’t understand it but there is this pull in my guts. This desperate need to make her mine.”
“I feel the same,” I murmur.
Vic nods but remains silent for a moment as he stares in the direction of the backrooms before turning back to us.
“She is ours.”
There is no room for play in Vic’s voice. This is the man that hundreds of men cower in front of. The man that has made powerful men weep at his feet. The man that I would follow into any situation blindfolded.
“If we have to tie that cute ass up in our fucking basement just to show her that, we will. Now that I have had the slightest taste of her fire, I need more.”
I chuckle but nod. While the delivery leaves much to be desired, I know that I will do exactly that just to make her mine.
I never said I was a good man after all.