5. Too Much Temptation #2
Edward takes a slow step forward. The deep rumble of an Alpha purr vibrates low in his throat.
“Thank God.” Edward keeps his gaze locked on my face, a heavy weight lifting from his broad shoulders.
“We thought we were losing our minds. We felt the pull the second we met you, but your scent blocker threw us off. Our instincts demanded we claim you, but our brains saw a Beta. We spent the last three days pacing holes in the floorboards.”
Jake steps back, giving me space. He holds his hands up, palms facing out, showing he brings no threat.
“We had a pack meeting this morning at the local diner.” Jake keeps his voice low and calm, but the raw hunger in his dark eyes burns bright. “We decided to pursue you anyway. We agreed to court you, bond with you, and never knot again. We decided having you was worth the sacrifice.”
I stare at them, my heart hammering a frantic beat against my ribs. The confession hits me like a blow to the chest.
Alphas require knotting an Omega to feel a complete orgasm. Denying that instinct makes them sick and pent up. The frustration turns them feral, agitated, and miserable. Giving up a fundamental piece of their nature for a woman they just met is insane.
I shake my head, my wet hair sticking to my flushed neck. “This scares the hell out of me. I don’t know what a scent match means for me. I like being on the move. I like my freedom.”
I grip the counter, my arms trembling. The Heat demands a knot, but my mind demands autonomy. I let the guarded, professional mask shatter. The secret I spent years protecting spills out of me.
“Omegas don’t get to keep their independence.
I grew up bouncing through the worst parts of the foster system.
I owned nothing. I had no control over my life.
A social worker dictated where I slept and what I ate.
Moving in the middle of the night with my clothes in a trash bag became routine.
I swore I would never let anyone dictate my future again. I refuse to belong to anyone.”
I swallow hard, fighting the slick rush of dampness pooling between my thighs.
“I fought for years to get my degree. I worked insane hours to pay off my student loans. I built this career with my own two hands. I run clinics by myself. I rely on nobody. The veterinary world operates on a strict hierarchy.”
Nolan steps closer to Jake, putting his dark frames back on. He watches me with a deep, protective focus.
“If the veterinary board finds out I’m an Omega, they pull my contracts.
” I point a shaking finger at the floor.
“They deem me a liability. They assume I need a pack to manage my emotions and my Heats. They strip my licenses. If the town board finds out, they kick me out of this clinic. They want a reliable Beta doctor, not an unbonded Omega who might go into Heat during a shift and compromise the patients.”
“Jessie, breathe.” Jake steps forward, crossing the threshold from the living room into the kitchen. His demeanor drops the intense, predatory edge, replacing it with something grounded and protective. “Look at me.”
I lift my head, meeting his dark, serious eyes.
“Your secret is safe with us.” His rough baritone voice carries absolute certainty. “We won’t breathe a word of this to anyone. We won’t report you to the board or the council. But you misunderstand this town.”
Nolan steps up beside Jake. His intelligent eyes look soft and reassuring.
“Willowside isn’t like the cities, Jessie.
This community was built as a safe haven.
The town council embraces working Omegas.
The bakery owner is an Alpha bonded to an Omega who runs a wedding planning business down the street.
The mayor is an Omega. No one here will try to strip you of your autonomy or push you out of this clinic.
You could run this place for the next thirty years, and the town would throw a parade for you. ”
Edward moves to my other side, his massive frame blocking out the kitchen window. The heavy, warm scent of clove and dark tea rolls off his skin, wrapping around me like a weighted blanket.
“We don’t want to cage you, sweetheart.” Edward keeps his voice low and rumbling. “We want to watch you thrive. We want to be the ones waiting with dinner when you finish a long shift.”
Edward’s words sound like a dream, but a heavy, dark knot of doubt remains in my chest. Decades of running keep the fear alive. I still don’t know if I can trust them. I still fear losing my van and my freedom.
But the spontaneous Heat hits with an aggressive, punishing ferocity, drowning out my logic.
I can’t fight three massive Alphas and my own traitorous body at the same time.
The pain becomes too much to bear. I make a frantic, desperate bargain in my head.
I will let them help me through this one Heat just to survive the night.
I can figure out an escape plan tomorrow.
With that tiny sliver of permission, all of my professional boundaries evaporate. A raw, blinding lust takes over my brain. A desperate, keen whine tears out of my throat. The muscles in my legs turn to jelly. My knees buckle, giving out under my weight.
Edward moves with terrifying speed. He catches me before I hit the floor.
His massive, calloused hands span my waist, hauling my weight against his broad chest. The physical contact sends a jolt of pure electricity straight to my core.
A heavy rush of slick floods my underwear, soaking the cotton fabric.
I look up at him, my breathing ragged. I need them. Another wave of heat crashes over me. A desperate ache throbs between my thighs.