Chapter 4
Cassius
The water splashed up where Malin had jumped into the pool to get away from me.
What was happening to me? Why was I provoking him?
First and foremost because he was an alpha.
Second, I’d earned my anger and grief a thousandfold as well as the right to take it out on anybody I pleased, damn the punishment.
Third, well, that was a harder reason to admit.
Because it told me things about myself I didn’t like.
Such as, I was attracted to him for reasons I couldn’t fathom.
There were little things worming their way into my skin and blood.
Like when he called me angel. And the way he’d told me to avoid stepping on the glass in the changing room.
How he, a gorgeous rich alpha with all the privileges, had said the world was fucked up when I’d admitted they drugged us at Brimstone.
Right now, I wore swim trunks against my naked skin that had belonged to him. All because I’d protested about showing my junk. What alpha would ever let a stranger, let alone a set omega, wear their clothes?
He had made it clear he didn’t like sets. And that he had an anger problem. It was as if my brain didn’t care. I watched him come up for air in the middle of a group of alphas, pushing his dark hair back from his face.
Laughing alphas splashed at him, gestured to him, yelled to him.
“Malin’s in!”
“About time.”
“He’s still wearing his pants. We should take care of that!”
Malin shouted some bad words and pushed water into their faces, then swam towards the steps before they could catch him.
I could already tell he was the alpha among alphas, stronger and more forceful.
And with less than their sense of humor.
He wasn’t older or even prouder. I could tell he just didn’t want to play.
Malin quickly came up the pool steps with waterfalls coming off his darkly tanned shoulders. His pants clung to his shape accentuating the bulge of his crotch. Definitely a true alpha.
By the time he reached the lounges, he was still dripping, lashes glittering. “Get up,” he said.
I threw my legs over the side of the lounge, pulling the useless robe around me as I watched him gather up his clothes. He held them under one arm, then picked up his drink and downed it, the ice crashing against his teeth.
Standing, I left my drink alone. There was nothing else for me to take. My clothes were still in the changing room.
“Come on.” He turned away from me and started for the house.
“Where are we going?” I envisioned many bedrooms, an alpha taking me hard on a guest bed not because he wanted me or liked me, but because he could. He’d already paid. Now he wanted his money’s worth.
But instead of going upstairs, Malin led me back to the changing room. He never turned to look at me. I wasn’t sure he even knew I’d followed his order. With his clothes under his arm, he disappeared into a small ensuite with a shower and slammed the door.
I stood alone in the bench-lined room unsure what to do. My jeans and white t-shirt were strewn where I’d left them, my shoes kicked under a bench. Malin’s designer carrycase sat on a shelf by the door. All I could think to do was get dressed. For now, I was still Malin’s property.
I threw off the offending see-thru robe and turned toward my clothes. The door slammed open behind me, making me swivel and almost lose my balance.
“He’s already brought you back here?” Klonis stood in the doorway, hands on his hips. “What did you do?”
“I—I—”
“Shut up. Get dressed.”
“He’s still here,” I argued.
Klonis came toward me. “What did I just tell you? Get dressed.”
I pointed toward the little bathroom. “He’s in there. I’m waiting for him.”
“I don’t care. You were hired for this party.”
“He paid—”
“I know what he paid. But obviously you are misbehaving or you’d already be upstairs in one of the guest rooms ass up and getting pounded like it’s meant to be.”
A slow burn started in my stomach overtaking my fear.
Klonis kept talking. “Why do I always have problems with you? The others don’t mouth off or throw things. No matter how much that alpha has tipped, you have much to pay for when we get back to the ranch.”
I stuck out my chin. “I’ve done nothing wrong!”
“Nothing, eh? For one thing, you have attitude. Like that face you’re making at me right now.
You refuse your medications which would make things much easier all around.
Your heats are unpredictable. And the two times you’ve been bred we received complaints that you were non-responsive in addition to not conceiving. ”
I knew I’d been bred twice but I couldn’t remember anything about it.
They’d drugged me so hard I’d passed out.
By the time my senses returned a couple days later the heat had left me along with any memory of what had happened.
All I had were bruises and a sore ass to let me know I hadn’t escaped my fate.
“Like that’s my fault,” I sassed.
“And that mouth on you.” Klonis lifted his fist and held it about three inches from my face.
Instinctively, I reached up and grabbed his hand. I wasn’t thinking. Only defending. But like a mad bull, Klonis came at me, grabbing my arm and tackling me to the floor.
The bathroom door opened and to the side of Klonis, I saw Malin, hair wet but fully re-dressed, his pants still damp, coolly overlook the scene.
For a moment, because he showed no empathy, I thought he might let Klonis restrain me and take me away.
Instead, he slowly walked over to where we still struggled and yanked Klonis off me, tossing him aside as if the big alpha manager weighed nothing.
Klonis let out an angry howl. “You can’t do that!”
Malin ignored him and pulled me up until I stood on shaky legs. As if Klonis didn’t exist, he said calmly to me, “You weren’t gonna win that one.”
Klonis, breathing hard, stood and said, “I’m taking him back to the ranch. Clearly he’s a behavioral risk.”
Malin turned. “Do I get a refund?”
Klonis blinked. “Of course.”
Malin turned to face me again. “Your choice.”
Klonis blustered. “It’s not his choice.”
I frowned up at him. My choice? Nothing was ever my choice.
“It’s not his choice. I make the decisions,” Klonis repeated.
My anger had burned up quickly making my voice come out trembly. “I don’t want to go back.”
Malin shrugged, eyed Klonis and said, “There. You have it. He doesn’t want to go. And I have a contract with you. I’ve got him for the night.”
Klonis straightened his shirt, let out a hiss and said, “Fine. Have the little shit back by eight a.m. tomorrow. Don’t be late. And if he assaults you, we’re not liable.”
To my utter shock, Malin laughed. “Not in the least worried about that. Are you?”
Klonis scowled and pulled open the door with so much force it threatened to come off its hinges. It banged shut behind him.
The laughter abruptly stopped and Malin said curtly, “Get dressed.”
I had no other choice. Yet a big part of me wanted to obey this man, that given a choice, I would easily do whatever he said.
I hadn’t been in the pool and didn’t need a shower.
So right there, right in front of him, I tossed off my robe and stripped off the trunks.
I didn’t look at him as I handed them to him.
I focused on my own clothes, getting into my jeans, shrugging into my t-shirt and sandals.
I heard a click of Malin’s designer case and saw that Malin had opened it.
He rolled up the trunks and set them inside, then brought out a comb and ran it through his wet hair.
It was already drying on the ends and lay perfectly against his shoulders.
He smelled like lavender shampoo. My favorite.
I used to use it back when I lived in a pack.
At Brimstone, we washed with unscented generics.
It was thought alphas would want us more and pay higher if they could scent our natural omega pheromones.
When I was done, I stood watching him, waiting. The way he moved his arm and tilted his head back was almost graceful. His hair was slick now, as if he’d put something in it while it had been completely wet. His jacket perfectly outlined his frame.
Malin turned his head, his dark eyes lasering right into mine as if daring me. To do what? I didn’t know.
“Ready?”
I rapidly nodded.
He opened the door and I followed him down the hall.