Chapter 10
Percs
Aurora
The jackass beta is not listening to me. I want to yank on this leash so badly and pull him into me. I want to get close to his face and tell him what I really think about him. But then I’m worried I might do something really stupid.
Like lick him.
I’m fucking horny as all hell, and being around the hottest guy I’ve ever seen is not helping.
His white hair is driving me wild.
And his stupid grin is going to kill me.
Mads.
Mads and Ro.
Aurora and Mads. Scent matches.
Fuck. I’m doing it again. Stupid, dumb crush. I’m too old for crushes. And omegas and betas cannot be scent matches.
I’m still staring at him, though. And his curly lips demand I kiss them.
I huff and turn back around to the cage.
It’s probably best that he goes to stand behind me. Then I won’t see the collar around his long, tight neck. I squirm in my seat. If he were an alpha, he would be able to smell how turned on I am right now.
The lights dim, and my insufferable father is handed a mic. The crowd goes quiet.
Here’s hoping Mads is not an idiot and is going to handle this correctly.
The same goes for Locke. I went to a lot of trouble for this.
A spotlight lands on Legs O’Bannon. He smiles, and his veneers sparkle. I try not to gag. There’s a chuckle from behind me, and I look back at Mads.
“What?”
“I’m starting to see your little micro-expressions. You have very expressive eyebrows.”
“I could say the same about your lips…” I snap my mouth shut. Don’t flirt with the beta, Ro. My god!
He grins at me again. I give myself one second to enjoy it before turning my back on him again.
“Alpha and betas,” my father addresses the room, “and our guest of honor tonight, Omega Aurora O’Bannon!”
He pauses for cheers. I soak in the attention and twirl the end of the leash in front of me.
“We are going to have a spectacular show tonight! I have the disgraced alpha in the ring, but we are going to find him a nice bench to sit on while we have the opening acts!”
Oh shit, this is going to be an all-night thing, isn’t it? My dad just took his first bump. I sigh and lean back.
He announces the first fight, which is between two amateur mixed martial arts fighters. The crowd goes wild. The screaming. The waving. Weed and cigarette smoke pump through the air.
Locke is taken to a holding pen. I could just watch him the whole time. It’s honestly not a hardship.
I toy with the leash.
“Did the Percs help?” I ask, hoping the beta is listening. Carmen gave me an entire bottle of Percocet pills. I gave Mads four.
“They did, thank you, sugar.”
“Don’t call me that.”
“Why not? You’re so sweet.”
“Are you being sarcastic when you call me that?”
“I’m not.”
I twist and see that grin.
“Why are you smiling?”
“I don’t know. I like how you look for my smile, though. Sugar.”
I roll my eyes and sink further into the chair, crossing my arms. I’m glad we are relatively alone up here. On some other part of the arena, my dad holds Sauvignon and Tara in both arms, squeezing the life out of their bodies.
Honey and Lucy are down near the cage as part of the show. I don’t know where Carmen is.
One of the men hits the other man really hard, or kicks him, I don’t know, I’m not paying attention, and the whole crowd gasps. I look around for Carmen again, and finally I see her near the bathrooms.
With a sigh, I stand up.
“I think my dad has a few more of these openers prepared. I’m getting a drink.
Padrick.” I click my heel on the ground, and he turns to me.
“Why don’t you stay and watch. Come get me when Locke gets brought in, will you?
” I don’t wait for his answer. I take my leashed beta, and we exit.
The crowd parts for me, thank God, and we eventually make it back out to the main hall.
It’s nearly empty. The card dealers are shuffling their decks and chatting.
There are some men here still playing, though.
I go up to the bar and just start searching for some wine.
“I’ll have a vodka soda,” Mads says. “With a lime.”
I pop up from behind the bar to see him sitting on a stool, chewing on a cocktail straw, and grinning at me. He takes out the straw, eats some olives and almonds from the bar and waits. I shrug. The guy was kidnapped and forced to wear a collar. I guess I could at least make him a drink.
I measure out a double and fill the rest with soda. While reaching for the limes, I realize I’ve never made anyone a drink. I’ve made myself a drink. I stop and look up at the beta. This is a strange exchange of power. I take the lime wedge and drop it into the glass, and pass it over to him.
“So, you want my alpha?” he asks with a wink and then takes a sip.
I wait to see whether he likes the drink or not.
Again, I’m hit with the strange realization that I usually don’t seek out someone’s approval.
He makes a “hm” sound and nods. He likes the drink.
A little seed of joy plants itself in my chest. I rub my sternum, hoping it was just a coincidence.
I shouldn’t be worried about the beta’s favor.
“Not for a while, Mads.”
“Are you sure?”
“The man hates me. So, I’ve moved on. I have other interests than just some pretty alpha male.”
“You’re very serious. Cute and serious.”
He laughs at the look on my face and takes another sip. I roll my eyes and finally open the bottle of sparkling wine. The cork pops, and I fill my flute glass.
“Do you really have an omega?” I ask, and my voice uncharacteristically wavers.
He notices it, but dismisses it.
“Her name is Cadi. They found each other in the eleventh hour. They still found each other.”
“They love each other?”
“Not yet. Locke doesn’t know how much she can love someone, and how much he needs it. She’s going to fall harder than he is. They are perfect for each other.”
“And you? Are you perfect for her?”
His teeth click shut.
“She’s the love of my life.”
My jealousy, which had been brewing inside of me, boils over.
Ro! Stop being so childish.
“She matched me on a dating app. She’s so good.
She’s done so many good things with her life,” he admits.
I lean over the bar so as not to miss anything.
I’m desperate to know everything. “I feel like most of my life was preparing to be the kind of man she needs. I know when she asks, I’ll be able to give her everything. ”
I shoot back my flute and drink my entire drink, hoping it’ll make the emotions go away.
“Omegas are needy things. You really think you can give her everything?” I don’t know why I’m saying this. I pour myself another drink. How many have I had tonight?
“I won’t fall short, sugar. But she does have someone she can always fight with in Oscar. Someone to fuck all day and night in Kol. And Locke is her scent match…”
The bottle slips from my fingers, and it thumps on the ground. The wine goes flying in foaming streams all over the bar.
A scent match?
My Locke has a scent match?
I can’t bury this feeling. It’s too great. I want to kill her. I want to rip her hair from her scalp while Locke watches. I want to bite her cheek. Scratch her eyes out.
I pivot to run out of the bar. To go to Locke and make him suffer for making me feel this way. How dare he! How dare he have a fucking scent match while I’ve been here this whole time!
I’m still holding the leash. It’s wrapped around my wrist, so it yanks on Mads’s throat as I’m running away.
He’s stronger than he looks, because he yanks back and pulls me across the floor and right into his arms where he cages me in and holds me tight.
I thrash and then bite down on his arm. He hisses but holds me tight.
I bite down harder.
“Calm down!” he commands in my ear. It’s oddly consoling. I bite down even harder and feel his flesh open up underneath my teeth. “You think you can hurt me? You have no idea of the kind of pain I can handle, sugar.”
I want to hurt him. I want him to take it.
Maybe then he’ll feel what I’m feeling.
He doesn’t budge. He holds me tight and lets me sink my fingernails into him, too. His warmth is what starts to relax me. He hums softly in my ear. His thumb strokes over my ribs.
The fight in me ebbs, and I extract my teeth from his arm. I take a few deep breaths.
“That asshole,” I say.
“Why are you mad at Locke? He can’t help a scent match.”
“He was supposed to be my scent match…” I admit, and I hate how it sounds. So childish.
Warm blood runs down Mads’s arm and over my fingers.
He still doesn’t move. I relax in his arms, and he holds me up. His leg starts to shake, though, and I notice his cane on the floor. It was from the lost-and-found. Obviously, some fancy pimp or drug lord came through here one night and left it. It looks good with Mads.
“I’m such a fucking idiot.”
“Stop.”
I turn into him, and my face rests in the crook of his neck. When I lift my eyes, I not only see the collar, but his bond mark.
It sobers me, looking at it.
They must love each other. Despite what Mads says, they love him. They would never let him go. You don’t bite someone on the neck like that if you don’t want to keep them forever.
“I have to ask again, do you want Locke or not? What is your game?”
I take a deep breath and get my feet underneath me. Mads loosens his hold but doesn’t let me go.
“I’m as serious as I can be. I will get you and Locke out of here. I swear.”
“And you’ll be stuck here?”
I close my eyes. “I can’t leave. He would never let me go.”
And that’s the truth of it.
Mads squeezes my arm. I look up, and his beautiful honey-brown eyes lock onto mine. It feels like he pulls my worries out of me. Wow.
I scoff at his touch. “Do you do this often? Console hysterical omegas?”
He laughs and gives me that grin I am desperate for.
“I can’t help myself. I’m a glutton for punishment. And omegas provide the most delicious punishment.”
My heart seizes.
“What?”
He leans in, and my whole body goes stiff. He keeps leaning in until he kisses my temple and then pulls me in for a real hug.
“It’ll be ok, Aurora.” I wrap my arms around his waist.
“I’ve never been with a man,” I blurt out. I pull back and hold his gaze. I want to know how he’ll react. His nostrils flare. His pupils dilate. He swallows.
I’ve only been with women.
His hand slides down my arm until he takes my hand and then strokes my palm with his thumb.
“Ok, but I think we have more pressing matters than that right now, wouldn’t you say?”
“Do you feel it?”
His head kicks to the side in confusion. And then suddenly his eyes blow wide. “Feel it? What’re you talking about?”
“This pull between you and I? Am I crazy?”
His face goes still. There are no thoughts across his lips. He’s cut himself off from me. He takes his hand back and rubs his face down with it.
“No.” His voice is no longer playful. “I don’t feel anything.”
I nod and look at my feet. Okay, he doesn’t feel it. I’m just having another girlish crush. I’ll ignore these feelings. There’s nothing here.
I take a step away from him, bend down, and grab the cane, then hand it to him.
“Do you need another Perc?”
He nods, and I shake out another pill. I stash the bottle back in the bar where I’d put it the first time (my bra).
Padrick comes into the gambling hall and down to the bar.
“Aurora, they’ve got the tiger out. Locke is next.”
I take a deep breath.
Maximus the tiger.
This was my idea, I remind myself. Let’s hope it wasn’t a terrible mistake.