5. Opal
Chapter five
Opal
I can't take my eyes off the large Alpha as he hovers by the double swinging doors, never taking his narrow, hazel eye off me.
The other is white as snow, and he's blind in the left eye. Yet, if his flaring nose is anything to go by, then he can see me just fine.
He's an Acute Alpha . One with a heightened sense of smell, and a shudder rakes its dark claws down my spine.
Just my luck, hey? To end up with a pack with an Acute Alpha , and fate really is a fickle bitch.
So, this must be Reed. He won't stop scowling at me as he has yet to take his place at the table, and then a low rumble sounds in the dining room.
The Alpha is sensing the threat.
This is it. The jig is finally up. Four years of subterfuge gone just like that.
Reed is about to tell the others what they can't see. I bet my deception drips from my pores, portraying me as the villain I truly am.
No. I will not let him catch me out. I've worked too hard for this.
So, I raise my shoulders, school my features, then put on a showstopping smile.
The perfect Omega. One willing to submit and bend to an Alpha's will.
This is what I trained for.
No one will see through my mask. Least of all the pack enforcer and an Acute Alpha.
He’s Pack Gold’s greatest weapon. So great, in fact, that his special skills are classified. Not even the file Felicia handed me at the Academy had him down as an Acute.
Still, I get a sense of something sweet beneath the overwhelming scent of gunpowder, yet it’s hard to pinpoint right now.
My eyes roam the plans of his face.
He’s handsome, of course. They all are.
But Reed has a certain rugged charm that the others lack. He’s almost bear-like, and it stirs something inside me as I squirm on the seat, trying to ignore the tingling deep in my core.
His rogueish nature awakens the darkness inside me, the one that's as sharp and honed as an ax's edge.
It awakens the killer in me.
At some point, I should look away from his eyes, pretending to be the coy Omega that I have somehow managed to convince the world that I am, yet I can’t.
That single hazel eye.
Reed is unhinged and it fascinates me.
Finally, I peer down at my plate setting, finding my golden eyes gazing back at me in the silverware.
Wait... Are they glowing?
“What did I tell you, Reed?” Magnus snaps, taking his place on my other side. “You’re scaring Opal.”
Oh, he isn’t. Trust me.
He's doing quite the opposite actually.
All I want to do is unravel this feral beast, but I need to keep up the ruse that I'm demure. Innocent.
Just as my trainers taught me at the Academy.
Still, I hope none of them have noticed that my nails have been fashioned into small blades—nails hidden by a layer of red polish.
I had to come here armed in some way.
Reed won’t see these nails coming.
The best part: they never chip.
Zayden huffs. “Reed, sit down. It’s time we got acquainted.”
And just like that, my inner serial killer recedes, and now my Omega bubbles to the surface at the sound of that Omega's dulcet voice.
Zayden is my scent match. And I’m not even sure if he has realized it himself yet.
Unless he is just keeping it to himself.
Though how can he not be falling apart at the seams like I am?
Everything I trained for almost gone from the moment my Omega caught that dark hazelnut, and I was ready to drop to my knees and forget all about my mission when he smiled at me.
Zayden will be my ruin. I know it.
As the thoughts swim through my mind, my back straightens of its own accord, and then I remember the warden and my mission.
Right. No getting distracted by the pretty, brown-eyed Omega.
Time to focus.
Still, there’s no missing the pounding of my heart as it beats against my ribs. Even as I cut my steak with practiced precision, placing it between my lips, it won’t stop.
Sweat drips down my temple, but I manage to hold it together even as Reed stares me down at the other end of the table like a king on his throne.
He's not pack lead. Levi is, but Reed sure acts like he answers for the whole pack as he keeps his glare on me.
He doesn’t bother with the silverware. The Alpha merely grabs his steak with his big bear paw, biting a chunk off the end, and I watch from the corner of my eye as his teeth do a fine job of removing the meat from the bone.
Blood drips down his chin, and of course he likes his steak bloody.
Once he’s done, he drops the T-bone onto his plate, wiping his greasy mouth with his large, callused hand, and the way he chews.
I want him chewing me like that, right between my legs.
Again, my core clenches and the sweat drips in earnest now, ruining my makeup.
“What have I told you about eating like an animal, Reed!” Zayden scolds.
But Reed smirks, shoving a whole baked potato into his mouth.
Damn.
“That's because he is an animal, Zayden. Didn't you know?” Magnus remarks, and finally, Levi sighs, turning to Reed.
“Knives and forks were invented for a reason, Reed.”
Reed just chuckles, grabbing his fork as he uses it to pick his teeth.
Zayden huffs, turning to face me, and I get lost inside those soft, hazelnut-brown eyes.
The Omega is beautiful. More so than half the girls I trained with.
His eyes look naturally lined with charcoal. His eyelashes are thick and black, and he wouldn’t even need makeup if he decided to wear it.
His tawny, matte skin looks soft to the touch, but he has the callused hands of a fighter.
He’s training with Oliver Hart, and I fight back the guilt when I realize he is fighting a war he cannot win.
None of them will win.
The warden already has his claws in too deep.
He has his claws deep in me…
My soul has the gouge marks to prove it.
Zayden smiles, placing his hand over mine, and I ignore the sparks that fly between us. “Opal, I’m so glad you’re finally here. We’ve all been looking forward to your arrival. Haven’t we?”
Levi and Mangus nod their affirmations, but Reed takes a while to respond.
Zayden projects his voice across the table. “ Haven’t we?”
Reed grunts a sound, then grips his mug, swigging back his drink.
I guess that's a yes .
Zayden grits his teeth, rising in his seat. He takes me with him, pulling me to my feet as he still holds my hand.
“You must be tired. Time to show you your new room, Opal.”
My room.
I ignore the swelling in my chest as he leads me toward the stairs, escorting me like a perfect prince.
Still, this place will never be home.
Soon, I will have to carry out my mission. And then I will never see Zayden, Levi, Magnus, or the growling Reed ever again.
“Tomorrow, we will take you out shopping so you can decorate your nest. Anything you want.”
It's all too much.
I do not deserve any of these nice things since I am deceiving this pack.
So, I can’t get close.
Finally, we arrive at my room, and Zayden won’t stop smiling as he pushes the door. My eyes land on a giant canopy bed.
One fit for a queen.
Oh, God.
There’s an en suite too, and a walk-in closet, and I can spy a few of my things hanging in there already.
Felicia works fast.
Yet she doesn’t normally do so unless she thinks it’s a perfect match, and the guilt tears me apart further.
Felicia had such high hopes.
“Well, do you like it?”
I suck in a deep breath, one that feels like razor blades along the inside of my throat, then meet his brown eyes. “I love it.”
Zayden grins, and that smile could stop any war.
“We will get you some new furniture too for your bedroom. Anything that catches your eye.”
I don't care. So long as it isn't lemon.
Even though I don’t plan on getting comfortable here, I am sick of the pastel color.
I’m sick of pastels altogether.
I just wonder what my new color will be.
“Okay.”
Zayden hesitates as it seems he doesn’t want to leave.
Even though I shouldn’t, I ask him, “Would you spend the night?”
His chest heaves as he whispers, “Y-yes… if that’s what you want.”
We don’t have to have sex. Not yet. However, the time will come when I'll be expected to perform my Omega duties for my pack.
Just so long as I don't get pregnant.
A heaviness falls upon me as I turn around for Zayden, letting him unzip my lemon dress.
His breaths come quick as he zips it down the length of my spine, exposing my skin. Then when I climb out the offensive garment, draping it over a chair, he gets an eyeful of my lingerie.
All white lace.
To signal purity.
There is nothing pure about me.
“F-fuck…”
My eyes trail down to his pants, and I see he is at half-mast.
So, to put him out of his misery, I step toward my closet, finding one of my nighties that isn’t lemon, thank God, then slip it on.
Not that it makes much of a difference.
Zayden’s pupils are still blown. Now they make his hazelnut eyes look black as he watches me move across the room toward the bathroom.
I even invite him. “Would you like to join me?”
He can help me wash up.
The Omega nods eagerly. “Sure.”
Lacing his fingers with mine, I move to the en suite, and there I let him take care of me.
He removes my makeup with such reverence, and soon I am bare-faced in front of him.
Zayden swallows visibly as he sees the real me without the mask. His eyes track every freckle on my face, and an Omega purr escapes him.
“Fuck, Opal… You are everything I dreamed you would be.”
I smile. “You too.”
He's my scent match. Something I never thought would ever happen to me, yet here are.
Carefully, he cups my cheek, rubbing my jaw with his thumb. Then, he leans in for a kiss, and my Omega melts beneath his touch.
Then he lifts me in his arms, and I see that all that training paid off. His biceps are strong as he carries me to the bed, fluffing up my pillows. Then he strips off his shirt, letting me get an eyeful of the toned, tanned muscles beneath.
Again, my Omega liquefies, Zayden truly will be my ruin one day.
Still, I need to make this work. I can’t let them suspect a thing as I reach my hand out, inviting him to join me in bed.
The Omega gets under the sheets, and now we lay together. I even let him spoon me as sleep soon consumes me.
I just hope that when I wake again, I will come to my senses.
Still, I will indulge in the feel of his strong muscles at my back.