21. Opal
Chapter twenty-one
Opal
N o, no, no. This can’t be happening…
I cannot go into heat now.
I have a mission to complete.
Gryphon Hart is going to die at my hands tonight; I just need to find him first.
Hopefully, far, far away from his suspicious Omega and Reed.
They’re both on to me, and I was a fool if I thought killing him would be so easy.
But it’s not as if it's my choice.
As I said, I am someone else’s puppet.
The warden is the one tugging my strings, choosing my every move, and the thought runs through my mind as I rush away from the raging Alpha.
Reed’s growl behind me makes my heart stop, and no matter what, I can’t let him capture me.
My mission was a failure.
My heat just fucked everything up.
Well, maybe if I can outrun my heat and the Alpha hot on my trail, then I may have the upper hand.
Then I can find Gryphon and stick my knife in his heart.
Unfortunately, my body freezes, and then I run no more.
My strings pull, and then I lose all free will as my body refuses to move.
A tear runs down my face, and when the Alpha catches up with me, I don’t fight him.
I merely let him push me to the ground, pinning my arms in place as he sneers down at my face.
His eyes are livid, and I swear his white eye burns brighter than the hazel at that moment.
I’m done for. He will kill me now.
He will take my bid for an escape as suspicious.
What could a little Omega possibly have to run from?
It comes to my attention that Reed cushioned my head with his large hand when he tackled me to the ground, and for a moment, the gesture touches me.
But only for a small moment.
This Alpha would kill me if he knew what lurked beneath. No questions.
I am deceiving him and his pack.
And he is about to expose me.
Now he pins both of my arms above my head as my heavy breaths echo through the hallway.
A low growl rumbles in his chest, and the sound vibrates through my body and all the way to my pussy, leaving me molten.
And just like that, I melt and submit for the Alpha, turning my face to expose the delicate skin of my neck.
My pulse pounds, and I have no doubt in my mind that he can see it through my veins.
His eyes linger on my throat, and then he licks his lips, leaning down to sniff.
His breath hitches, and then his pupil dilates when it fixes on me.
He's really holding himself back. Reed wants to bite, but he won’t let himself.
It goes against the Alpha code, but I tempt him regardless.
“Go on, you know you want to. Alpha …”
If he thinks he’s the first Alpha to get the upper hand over me, then he is dumb as a rock.
Reed closes his eyes, snapping himself out of it.
Then, when he opens them again, they fix on me, and his pupil narrows again.
“No. You’re not worth it.”
Oh, how charming.
What a way to make a girl feel special.
But it’s true.
If Reed bit me right now and tried to force a bond, then he would be arrested.
“Oh my goodness!”
My heart seizes when I hear the delicate voice, and then we both peer up the hall.
Belle stands with her hand over her mouth, fear etched on her beautiful face.
Ella is on her right-hand side and holy fuck…
Are her eyes glowing?
One thing I know for certain.
Ella is no longer holding a butter knife as she flipsthe blade around in her end, ready to throw it at the Alpha pinning me to the ground.
“Get the fuck off her right now, Alpha, ” she breathes.
Wait.
Is she fighting for me?
Not that I am in any kind of real danger, but her gesture still warms me, and I don’t deserve her.
I don’t deserve either of them as friends.
If only she knew that I was the villain in this scenario, not Reed.
Reed was only apprehending a criminal.
The Alpha bares his teeth. “This doesn’t concern you, Omega.”
Ella's eyes burn brighter, and holy shit she's scary.
I see why the warden favored her.
He was pretty pissed when he lost her.
“Oh, but it does. I’ve dealt with my fair share of Alphas, and trust me, you're no exception. If it weren’t for the love I bear for Zayden, Reed , then I would slit your throat. So, get the fuck off my friend.”
Friend?
Belle is still in shock, but then she shakes her head, waving her hands around. “It’s okay! I’m sure this is all just some misunderstanding. Ella, please don’t kill Zayden’s Alpha.”
Reed growls above me, and then his weight lifts from my body as he gets to his feet, giving me space at last.
I shuffle backward, raising a brow as I meet his eyes.
The Alpha doesn’t look at me again.
In fact, he slips away into the shadows.
Footsteps rush toward me, and now Belle and Ella help me to my feet.
“Oh, Opal, you poor thing. Are you all right?” Belle asks.
The Omega checks me over like any good mother would, and my heart cleaves when she brushes the red curls away from my face.
Ella, meanwhile, stands guard, her glowing blue eyes lingering on the spot where Reed vanished.
Suddenly, more footsteps arrive, and fuck…
This is the last thing I need.
An audience.
And a pretty big one, too, by the sounds of it.
“I… I’m fine, Belle. There is no need to worry,” I sigh.
Belle’s ocean-blue eyes waver in the dim light, and this girl really didn’t deserve what the warden did to her.
I’m so glad she got away from him.
I’m glad they both did.
“Are you sure?” she asks just as Rian rounds the bend.
“Belle, what happened?"
He moves to her side, looking back and forth between us. It's clear they’re talking through their bond as Rian’s gaze widens.
“Reed?”
Brody approaches Ella next, and they speak through their bond, too.
He sighs, rolling his eyes, and I don’t know what he tells his Omega, but as he drags her away, it’s obvious he is telling her to drop it.
They all have their own problems to deal with after all.
It's just boring pack politics. Every pack suffers from it to some degree.
Zayden is by my side now, but he has to speak out loud since we don’t share a bond like the others.
“Opal? Are you okay?"
I close my eyes, nodding my head quickly to reassure him, but his face still blanches.
He knows the problem is Reed. Yet he doesn’t speak anymore on the matter.
“What happened here?”
We all look toward the end of the hall.
Oliver stands with his arms crossed, Mila on his right.
It seems all Omegas are accounted for, and we should get back to the party lest the Alphas make their way here, too.
The last thing I want to do is draw even more attention.
And even though he's a prick, I won’t have people turning on Reed.
He was only looking out for his pack.
Hell, he was looking out for every pack involved here tonight.
Reed has everyone’s best interests at heart.
I don’t meet Oliver’s eyes as he talks to his squad.
They try to explain what they saw, and it's not looking good on Reed’s end.
However, Oliver doesn’t seem all that pissed when he hears of Reed’s actions.
In fact, his eyes narrow on me.
“And where is the Acute now?” he asks.
The fact that he refers to him as the Acute is telling.
Oliver doesn’t trust me, just like Reed.
It looks like getting to his Alpha will be harder than I realized.
Zayden sighs. “I’ll find him, Captain. Don't worry.”
Oliver nods. “Very well.”
Zayden peers back at me, and there’s no missing the pain in his eyes as he’s hesitant to leave me.
Oliver directs me next. “Opal, I suggest you find your other Alphas. In the end, they’re the best to deal with Reed. They’re his pack , after all. And I suggest you all return to your own packs, too.”
He looks pointedly at the other Omegas.
Ella still looks as if she wants to stab Reed in the chest as her eyes linger on the spot where he vanished.
“Do I make myself clear?” Oliver’s voice amplifies for Ella’s benefit.
“Ella…” Brody whispers, and she finally closes her eyes, addressing Oliver.
“Yes, Captain,” she says through gritted teeth.
Oliver narrows his eyes at her for a few moments, and it looks like he is about to give her a mouthful.
Then he looks at Mila on his right and rolls his eyes.
“You’re right," he says out loud. "She was just looking out for Opal. And yeah, I know how Alphas can get, Mila. Gryphon was a big prick to you, too.”
That’s right. He was.
I feel less judged now.
Most of the Omegas in this vicinity have dealt with their fair share of dickish Alphas.
Our pack is no exception.
Finally, everyone departs.
Zayden goes in the opposite direction as I follow the others back to the ballroom. “It’s okay, Opal. I will talk to him."
I smile as best as I can.
Not that it would make a difference.
Reed will never trust me, and he has every right not to.
Zayden shouldn’t, either.
And Ella and Belle shouldn’t, for that matter.
If only they knew…
Maybe they wouldn’t be so quick to defend me then.
Zayden steps away, moving on after Reed.
But he doesn’t make it two steps until he suddenly freezes, and I stop.
“Zayden?”
His brown eyes find mine, and then the strong scent of hazelnut hits my nose.
Oh, no.
He's gone into heat.
Zayden drops to his knees, and my scream rebounds through the hall.
“Zayden!”