Chapter One
Brooke
What do you do when one of the worst alphas you know decides he’s going to take you during your next heat?
You find a bigger, badder alpha to spend it with instead.
Or you try to.
Tension crawled down my spine as I forced myself to keep my chin raised, though I didn’t meet the gaze of the male in front of me. My plan was insane. Completely desperate and ill-advised, but it was the only thing I could come up with to save myself from Arik.
“You want to what?”
The alpha’s tone was neutral, as if he was asking me the weather and not to repeat the most embarrassing thing I’d ever had to say. It didn’t matter that I’d known him once, he’d changed since then. Become dangerous, according to some. Bikers weren’t to be trusted.
Sucking in a deep breath, I squared my shoulders and met his dark gaze.
“I want to offer you my next heat. It should begin in about a week, and I—I’d appreciate you tending me through it.”
Not an ounce of emotion showed on Sebastian’s face as he stared down at me. The noise of the garage seemed to have stopped as I spoke, but I refused to look around to see how many others were watching.
Massive arms rose to cross over his broad chest, the white t-shirt doing little to hide the muscles and dark ink swirling beneath. Grease and dirt smeared his forearms, the tang of it blending with the virile, musky scent of him, teasing my nose even amidst all the other smells in the shop.
“Do I know you?”
The rumbled question sent a shiver through my belly. His already deep voice had dropped further, the only sign he’d registered what I was offering.
What I’d be submitting to if he accepted.
I’d known the alpha in front of me because he’d been best friends with my older brother, but I doubted he had ever noticed me back then, and that was a long time ago anyway.
I had been just an awkward girl who’d yet to present when my brother got in trouble with one of the local gangs and was killed shortly after, but I remembered how close the two of them had been before the issues started.
“I’m Vincent Frost’s sister.”
I saw a flash of something in those chocolate eyes, but it was gone too fast for me to be sure what it was.
Surprise?
Grief?
Arms dropping to his sides, he took a step closer, my own feet moving me back before I could resist the instinct to retreat from the powerful male.
“You shouldn’t be here.”
The way his voice scraped my insides had me taking another step back, heartbeat fluttering in my throat. I’d known it was crazy to approach Sebastian, but I was grasping at straws to save myself from what was coming. Arik was the last alpha I’d let use me, even if denying him meant my death.
I needed help.
I bit my lower lip to stop it from trembling. Blinking back tears, I dropped my gaze to the stained concrete, trying to come up with something to convince Sebastian to agree. This was the only plan that had a chance of working.
Before I could think of a valid argument, a large hand landed on my shoulder, startling a small yelp from my throat before I could choke it back. Spun around to face the open garage doors, I was thrust forward by the hard grip.
Chuckles followed as Sebastian marched me out of his garage.
The size of it proved how well the business had done, and it provided a place for his motorcycle club to hang out during the day.
I didn’t know much about the Hell’s Knights, but they were discussed in whispers just as much as the Purists.
The main difference was that Sebastian’s club was more inclusive and respected by the average person, while the Purists were hated except by sympathizers.
Sebastian didn’t release my shoulder until I cleared the building, and I took two more steps before turning to face him again once he let me go. His ridicule would be better than what I’d face with Arik if I didn’t find a way out of his reach.
“Please.”
The whisper was pathetic, and shame burned my cheeks as I resorted to begging.
Omegas were desired, shifter or not. They bore whatever they mated with, so there was plenty of interbreeding. I should have had alphas fighting over me, not be forced to beg one to take pity on me and see me through my heat to save me from another.
The problem was finding someone who didn’t answer to the Purists, wouldn’t claim me, and wouldn’t enjoy hurting me.
Movement to the right caught my attention but I ignored it to keep my gaze locked on the man in front of me.
Even if they were Knights and a better choice than Arik, the others weren’t who I was here for.
It was hard enough to place my trust in a man I barely knew, but my brother had trusted Sebastian.
“Just for this cycle. I’ll figure out something else before the next. I’m not asking you to claim me or do anything more. It’s just a couple days.”
Sebastian’s eyes narrowed, his features hardening, but he remained silent.
The figure who’d approached from the side stepped into my field of vision, another grease-stained alpha, though smaller than Sebastian.
His stringy hair was slicked back from a narrow face, his grin sporting missing teeth despite being around my age.
“I’ll tend you through your heat, pretty. You say when and where, and my knot is yours.”
A shudder rolled down my spine at his leer, the way his eyes focused on my breasts as he adjusted his crotch making my stomach surge.
The scent of something wet and dirty rolled off him, gagging me further.
I parted my lips to form a denial, but a harsh growl rumbled through the air before the words could emerge from my throat.
Hands clutching my belly as it spasmed, I fought to stay upright under the weight of an alpha’s displeasure.
As civilized as people tried to pretend they were, we were still animals at our core, and instincts were impossible to ignore.
There were different kinds of growls, but this one was clearly full of rage, and it took a moment before I realized it came from Sebastian, but wasn’t aimed at me.
Dark eyes locked on the second male, lips pulled back in a snarl as his canines elongated, the noise continued until the other alpha bowed his head and backed away, apology lost under the grating noise assaulting my nerves.
Trembling, I stared at the ground and sucked in great gasps of air when it finally faded away, drenched in sweat and on the verge of tears.
I didn’t notice Sebastian move closer until his boots appeared on the concrete in front of me. Dragging my gaze up his body until my head tipped back, I was hit once again with how large he was. Human alphas were big, but shifter alphas tended to be even more massive.
Unlike the other male who’d approached, Sebastian’s scent wasn’t revolting. It wrapped around me, filling my lungs with each inhale and making my eyes want to roll back in my head as I shuddered.
The omega part of me knew this was a strong, dominant male, and was ready to roll over and present for him at the first sign of acceptance.
The wholly female part enjoyed all that was before me.
He was everything an alpha should be. Everything I desired rolled into one delicious package that I shouldn’t want beyond what I needed him for.
“Go home, Brooke, this isn’t the place for you. You’re better than this. Vincent would be disappointed.”
Check out Tempting a Knight: Hell’s Knights MC Book 1!