Chapter 2
Chapter two
Dustin
Ten Minutes Prior
I lean over the side of the railing, watching the handlers lead my horse toward the staging area.
Thunder's coat gleams from the grooming session I gave him, muscles rippling beneath his dark bay coat as he tosses his head.
He knows a race is coming. I bet he can feel it in his bones the same way I can.
"Everything will be fine if Morrison decides to play fair today," Kade says beside me.
I twist around to look at my Alpha and snort at the serious expression on his face. His arms are folded across his chest, staring in the same direction I just was, though the certainty in his eyes intrigues me. "Morrison? Playing fair? That'll be the day."
The guy's notorious for finding ways to bend the rules without quite breaking them.
Last month he had his jockey use a crop that was just barely within regulation weight.
The month before that, his horse somehow got an extra water break that nobody else's did.
Nothing you can prove, but everyone knows.
Kade laughs, the sound rumbling from his chest. "True enough."
Movement catches my eye across the way. Stefan stands near the opposite grandstand, his arms crossed over his chest much like my Alpha’s.
Even from here I can see the tension in his shoulders, the way he scans the crowd with that watchful intensity he's had since we were kids.
I raise my hand in a wave, hoping to grab a smile from my grumpy stepbrother.
He sees me and returns the gesture with a slight nod.
"How's Stefan doing?" Kade asks, following my gaze.
I shrug, turning back to watch Thunder, trying not to think about it too hard. "We're not as close as we used to be but I think something's bothering him."
"You think it's the Omega he's taken a liking to?"
"Probably." I rest my forearms on the railing, feeling the rough wood beneath my skin. "He likes taking wounded birds under his wing. Always has."
Kade makes a sound of agreement, moving a little closer until I can feel the heat of him against my side.
His hand moves up my back and then settles around my neck, his fingers digging into my flesh with a touch that’s more possessive than anything else, a clear signal to anyone watching that I'm his. That I belong to him.
And fuck, I totally do.
Heat shoots straight down my spine. I bite back the sound that wants to escape my throat, but a small moan slips out anyway. "Alpha," I manage, my voice rougher than it was a second ago. "If you don't fucking quit that, we're going to have a problem."
I shift my legs a little, easing the growing pressure in my pants. Kade knows exactly what he's doing too, the bastard always trying to catch me off guard in public. If we wouldn't end up in jail, Kade would absolutely fuck me in public.
I'd be all for it, even if the world around us isn't completely on board with an Alpha submitting to another.
Kade squeezes a little harder, his thumb pressing into the side of my neck. "Dusty, if you end up coming without my permission, we're going to have a very different problem."
A growl rumbles from my chest. My cock twitches in my pants, my knot already starting to throb from the fantasy of Kade slowly bending me over in a show for everyone else to watch. Fuck. Not here. I hop down from the railing, putting some distance between us before I do something stupid.
"I need to go fix myself before I embarrass myself," I mutter, glaring at my Alpha. Desire wars in my chest with good ole rational thought the moment I really look at the man who’s had my heart for nearly half a decade.
He always looks good but when the sun is high up in the sky, just before late afternoon really sets in, it’s like the heavens gave him a little something extra to fuck with everything else.
Kade raises an eyebrow in jest as I shamelessly ogle him, the jeans I bought him last week that he swore he didn’t need sit low his hips, paired with a bland black shirt.
It’s simple but it showcases every last rippling muscle beneath his dark skin.
His smirk widens a little as I continue to stare, the bastard knowing exactly what he does to me, a chuckle rumbling through him and shaking those broad shoulders of his.
I throw him the middle finger and stalk toward the bathroom area, forcing myself to breathe slowly. In through the nose, out through the mouth. Think about anything other than Kade's hand on my neck, his scent wrapping around me, the sweet promise in his words...
Another scent pulls me out of my head, reality slamming back into me.
Flowers. Fresh ones? A mixture of vanilla and sweet orchids and something else I can’t quite place.
I pause mid-step, the absolutely intoxicating scent taking over any rational thought.
My Alpha instincts roar to life, every nerve ending suddenly on high alert.
I've never smelled anything like it or felt this immediate pull toward someone I haven't even seen yet.
I scan the area, searching for the source, confused when there’s just… nothing. Until an adorable Omega steps out onto the pavement just outside of the bathroom.
She's beautiful, all gorgeous curves beneath a simple green dress, her braided hair pulled back in a neat braid. Those wild eyes and full lips draw me in closer, the Omega freezing when I step up in front of her, her pupils dilating until her eyes are nearly black.
Her lips part slightly as I take a tentative step closer.
"Hello, sunshine," I say, my voice coming out as a low purr. "Name's Dustin." Her eyes never leave mine and I can’t help but wonder what it’d be like to stare at her for more than just the few minutes I’m sure we have. A woman like this surely has an Alpha or a pack. Still, I can’t help but ask. "And who might you be?"
"Solana." Her voice comes out soft, barely above a whisper, but the way she says her name feels like a present not so easily gifted.
"Solana," I repeat, tasting it on my tongue. "That's a beautiful name for a beautiful woman." Every one of those words feel cringey coming out of my mouth but it’s like I can’t stop whatever trainwreck this is supposed to be.
She blushes, the color rising in her cheeks as she glances away. "I really shouldn't be talking to you."
"Why not?" I ask, even though I'm starting to piece it together. The way she keeps looking around nervously, the simple dress that screams institution rather than choice, the fact that she smells this incredible but there's the chemical tang of suppressants underneath.
"I'm from Harmony," she admits quietly. "We're supposed to stay with our group."
There it is. My jaw tightens at the name. I know about those places and what they do to Omegas under the guise of protection. "Just a conversation," I say gently. "Nothing wrong with that, right?"
She bites her bottom lip and I watch the way her teeth sink into the soft flesh as her emotions war across her expression. Want versus training. Desire versus fear. I can see it all playing out across her face.
"What brings you out here?" I ask, trying to keep her with me for just a few more minutes.
"The races." A small smile touches her lips. "I've never been this close to horses before. They're beautiful."
Some part of me immediately wants to drag her to where Thunder is but I’m not stupid.
Harmony would no doubt try to get me arrested for kidnapping or some bullshit.
By the looks of it, Solana isn’t even that young but the hold those Omega centers have both on the law and their Omegas is ironclad.
One step in the wrong direction and I wouldn’t just be ruining my life. I’d be ruining hers.
So, I decide to stay right here instead for as long as I can keep her.
"They are," I agree, taking another step closer.
She doesn't move away and that feels like a victory.
"We've got a few running today. I grew up around them.
There's something special about the way they move, all that power and grace together. "
"That must be amazing." Her voice holds genuine longing. "To grow up with that kind of freedom."
Freedom. The word hits me harder than it should. Like it's something she's never had, something she's only dreamed about.
I'm close enough now to see the flecks of green in her dark brown eyes. Inches from her, her scent wraps around me completely, making it impossible to think about anything else. My Alpha instincts are roaring at me to get closer, to touch her, to claim her.
"Solana," I say again, just because I like the way it sounds.
"Dustin." She breathes out my name and the sound goes straight through me.
The air between us crackles with something electric. I can see her pulse jumping in her throat, her scent sweetening further, responding to mine in a way that's pure biology. Fuck, this is bad. I shouldn’t entertain the thoughts running through my head but I need her.
I need her like water.
I lean in slowly, giving her every chance to pull away but she doesn't. Her eyes flutter closed, her lips parting in invitation. So I kiss her.
The world narrows down to this moment, her mouth soft beneath mine. Solana makes a small sound in the back of her throat and then leans into me, her hands coming up to grip my shirt. She tastes like mint and something sweeter, and I want to memorize every single second of this.
My hand comes up to cup her face, thumb stroking along her cheekbone. She trembles beneath my touch as I gentle the kiss, making it softer, trying to show her she's safe. That I've got her. God, she’s perfect. I can’t wait to show her to Kade.
I drag my tongue along the seam of her mouth, knowing that every minute that passes, the more likely one of us is going to pay.
Unfortunately, I have no self-control, something Kade enjoys, so I keep kissing her, keep tasting that sweetness of her lips like it’s the only thing allowing me to breathe.
Her fingers tighten in my shirt as she lifts onto the balls of her feet, kissing me back harder, all that carefully controlled composure cracking open. There's hunger in it now, desperation. Like she's been starving and I'm the first real meal she's had in years.
I press closer, my other hand finding her waist. She's warm and soft and everything in me is screaming mine. My Omega. My girl. I want to take her away from here, away from Harmony and rules and whatever hell that place puts her through.
But in the next second, a rough hand grabs the back of my shirt and rips me away from her. I stumble backward, trying to catch my balance, but a fist connects with my face before I can. Pain explodes across my jaw, the taste of copper flooding my mouth.
I look up through swimming vision, a large Alpha standing over me, his face twisted with rage.
He’s in some kind of gray uniform, but I can’t smell the rage that should be wafting off of him.
I’ve only heard stories of the guards or whatever they are that keep their Omegas in line but I had no idea any of those stories were true. Holy fuck, he’s terrifying.
"She's property of Harmony," he snarls. "You put your hands on her again and I'll have you arrested."