CHAPTER 15
AMOS
I fucking love her.
Goddamn, she makes my dick hard.
Ever since she walked into the restaurant, my eyes had been glued to her curvaceous body. The way she carries herself is so fucking sexy. Plus, the fact that she’s not backing down. God, I want to toss her onto this table and take that pussy for everyone to see.
But I can’t let anyone see my emotions. I need to stay as blank as a piece of printer paper. It’s better that way. Otherwise, I could be ridiculed like I used to be when I was younger.
When I was younger, I wore my heart on my sleeve.
I believed in allowing everyone to see what I was feeling so there would be no mistaking my intentions.
But then one day, a little alpha pointed it out and ridiculed me to the point I couldn’t take it anymore.
When I got home and told my family, instead of having my back, they did just as the small alpha did.
They pushed me to the point of no return.
That day, I learned that no one has your best interests at heart.
No one. Instead of backing me up, they completely ruined my outlook on life.
Now, it’s easier to keep my emotions closed off.
It’s easier not to be hurt that way. While it may sting, at least no one can pick and make fun of my pain.
Not like they used to do when I was younger.
I had no one. I don’t remember anyone, especially anyone in my family, being there for me at any time.
It’s not that I had a completely terrible home life.
Not at all. But I did have a home life that was more about appearances than actual feelings.
It made for an extremely emotionally stunted upbringing.
They didn’t physically abuse me, but the mind games they play do enough of that to make up for it.
She releases a laugh that isn’t all friendly before leaning toward the table to look us in the eye. “Buckle up, buttercups, because you’re about to see how loud I can be.”
Discreetly, I resituate myself as I stare longingly toward the little omega butting heads with Wolf. She’s fierce. Strong. God, she’s a beauty. A fucking goddess. She has no qualms about going toe-to-toe with a man I’ve seen make weaker men shake in their shoes.
My gaze can’t settle on just one part of her. My eyes are trailing over every inch of her body I can see. A hunger so potent it takes my breath away nips at my heels. I want this omega more than anything else in the world. But I can’t have her.
None of us can have her.
All because of Wolf’s father. Simply because she doesn’t carry a blueblood last name, she’s out of the running to be our omega.
It’s not fair. No one should have the right to tell us who we can or can’t be with.
It should be our choice, and only our choice.
Wolf’s father is playing with fire, and one day soon, that motherfucker will get burned. I’m sure of it.
She sits back in the chair across from us like she’s sitting in a throne rather than a seat.
She doesn’t slouch, doesn’t fidget. Instead, she arranges herself with a deliberate precision that screams she’s ready to win this test of wills.
Her back is straight, shoulders relaxed but ready, and there’s a challenge in her very presence.
Her chin lifts a fraction higher, her cheekbones catching the light in a way that sharpens the line of her jaw.
It’s a small motion, but it radiates confidence so potent it feels like a physical force pressing against my chest.
Her eyes lock onto mine, bright and unyielding.
There’s a fire brimming in them. Defiance.
So much of it that it makes me grow harder for her.
There’s also something wilder, something that refuses to be tamed.
It flickers and snaps like a storm brewing.
It’s behind her gaze, and the intensity of it hits me harder than even I want to admit.
Her presence makes my pulse jump. She makes me want to lean in to match her spark with one of my own.
I watch closely as she leans forward, elbows settling on the edge of the table. She closes the distance just enough to make it clear she’s not intimidated by any of us. She looks like she’s carved out of confidence and steel.
But it’s her eyes that pull me in.
They flash like someone striking flint. They’re bright and unyielding, carrying a defiance so potent I can feel it crackling between us. The storm in them is a wildness that refuses to soften or be contained. It hits me with a force that makes my breath catch.
Her presence is impossible to ignore. She radiates intense heat with a kind of raw determination that makes the room feel smaller, tighter, like everything within her proximity can’t help but funnel toward her.
Then she laughs. It’s short, sharp, and edged with something that isn’t entirely friendly.
My eyes glance between Wolf and Windy, watching which one of them will relent before the other.
Both seem dead set on being the victor in this battle of wills.
I’m more prone to go with Windy on this because there’s just something about her that screams that she gets whatever she wants.
She releases another little chuckle. It vibrates through the air. It is the kind of sound that warns the person on the other end of it that she’s here to be heard, to be felt, to make sure her intentions are not waved off or dismissed. It’s the sound of warning.
It’s the sound of someone throwing down the gauntlet, daring someone to continue onward.
And they do.
I really do think we met our match with Windy. She's simply not going to slip away quietly, and we would be deluding ourselves if we think otherwise. It’s in the unwavering line of her gaze. She’s not a passing interest or fleeting moment.
She’s a force of nature.
A force that doesn’t retreat because someone deems it. She’s here for the long haul, and I honestly think Wolf has met his match.
“It will be much easier if we just break contact now. You’re only going to get hurt,” Wolf grits out between clenched teeth.
She sneers. “You have no idea how thick my skin is, pretty boy. You have yet to give me a good reason why we cannot mark and mate. Not one.”
Pure silence descends on the table. Wolf sits back, huffing, as he looks between Finian and me.
It’s not like we can explain things to her.
She wouldn’t get it. I don’t even think she’d hear it at this point.
For her to abandon this pursuit, to stop chasing us, Wolf will have to do something completely extraordinary.
Wolf will need to do something that shakes the very foundation of who she is.
I don’t know if Wolf has it in him. He doesn’t set out to be a mean person.
He’s a man who knows how to manipulate a situation to his benefit, but he’s not a cruel person.
But I have a feeling that Wolf is going to get nasty.
This female stands in the way of Wolf getting everything he’s worked so hard for.
He doesn’t want to be a cruel person, but when someone threatens his future, he becomes downright ruthless.
Wolf shrugs, smirking. “Do we need one?”
He’s deflecting. She snaps right onto that like a pitbull would a raw steak.
“If you want me to flounce myself to Select-A-Mate and suggest an amicable split, I will require a reason as to why we can’t.”
For several seconds, we sit around the table, waiting on bated breath for the bomb to drop.
She has no idea what she’s doing. When backed into a corner, Wolf has no choice but to come out feral with his teeth bared.
While he may not be a cruel person regularly, it doesn’t mean he can’t be one. He learned from the best, after all.
Wolf scoffs. “We have already tasted the good, so to speak, and it left us ... wanting.”
Her eyes narrow on him, making the cruel smirk on his lips grow. But her features mirror his when she replies, “You had no problem with my goods when you were face-first in my pussy. I bet if I leaned over this table right now that I’d still smell myself on your face.”
She would. No doubt about it. The moment we got here, and I leaned over to ask him if this was something he was sure he wanted to do, I still scented her juices on his face.
Wolf merely shrugs. “You have no idea, little omega. Men do desperate things when they’ve been without for a while.”
She goes to snap back, but he interrupts her before she can.
“See.” He shrugs. “I can be somewhat of a gentleman, so you don’t have to feel too embarrassed for lacking in the sex department.”
“A gentleman? You wouldn’t know what that is if it hit you in the face, and my pussy is fantastic, I’ll have you know. I’ve never received a complaint before.” She smirks as if she knows just what those words will do to us. But she really doesn’t know Wolf’s need to succeed here.
Wolf leans forward, placing his arm on the table as he levels her with a lethal glare. “Your pussy is no more special than the next omega we’ll fuck. If anything, I’d say your pussy is subpar. Forgettable.”
The truth I don’t want to admit settles low and heavy in my chest: the more she pushes, the more that fire in her eyes burns, the more I feel myself drawn toward her, pulled by the gravity of her will. And I hate that we are going to douse that fire so she lets us go willingly.
Something tells me there will be no coming back from this. If we continue with our plan, Windy will eventually have that breaking point where she will no longer want us.
I sure hope that never happens. At least, not until we can explain to her why we’re acting the way we’re acting.
“Is that so?” She cranes her head to the side, leveling us with a terrifying look.
She takes a few seconds to peer at each of us in turn.
She pushes to her feet, putting her hands down on top of the table, and she shows an extensive amount of cleavage I’d give anything to get my rocks off in.
“Then, I guess I'd better go find a few alphas who are salivating at the thought of fucking this subpar pussy. Until next time, boys.”
It takes everything inside of me to swallow the growl trying to climb up my throat. When her eyes meet mine, they dilate. All that shows me is that she gets off on this banter as much as I do. She’s interested. She’s fucking perfect.
Fuck, I hope we don’t break her.
With a wink, she pushes to her full height, glaring down at each of us in turn, before she twirls around and saunters off. Her hips sway seductively, and I know she’s exaggerating her movements for our benefit. All we can do is sit here, watching as our mate walks away from us.
She may not show it, but Wolf hurt her feelings just now.
I saw that flash of hurt glimmer in her emerald eyes.
For the span of a second, barely enough time to notice, her entire world imploded because of his words.
No matter how strong she tries to be, I know his words were a direct hit to her heart.
She can try to appear as strong as she wants to be, but I know she’s not strong enough to withstand Wolf when he is forced to get vicious with his words.
“Did you really have to go there?” Finian asks once she’s out of earshot. “You know her pussy is the best we’ve ever had.”
“Just because we know that doesn’t mean she needs to know that,” Wolf retorts as his face twists in disgust. Disgust at himself, not at her.
“Something tells me she’s not going to be strong enough to take it,” I say, watching as she leaves the restaurant. “I’ll be back. I’m going to the bathroom.”
Absentmindedly, Wolf and Finian wave me away as they break out into a heated discussion.
Silently slipping from the table, I make my way through the kitchen, nodding at the workers, as I head toward the side entrance.
I need to make sure she’s okay. I have this feeling that she needs me.
I can’t explain it, but I just know I need to check on her.
I hope I catch her before she leaves, even if it is just seeing her in her car driving off.
I move toward the side entrance of Tesoro, keeping my steps light on the slick tile.
My hand closes around the cool metal handle.
I ease the door open inch by inch, slowly, careful not to let it creak.
A thin slice of the night air slips in first, then me, as I step out into the narrow alleyway beside the restaurant.
The door clicks shut behind me. I wince when the sound echoes off the alley walls.
Then I start up the alleyway, already planning the quickest route to see if she’s still in the parking lot.
I just need to make sure she’s okay. When I take another step, a soft, broken sound echoes from the entrance of the alley.
Instinct kicks in. I duck behind the nearest dumpster, pressing my back against the cool brick as my pulse skyrockets.
Slowly, I lift my head over the rim. My eyes take a moment to adjust to the darkness, shapes sharpening into something real. When they focus, I see what it is.
I see her.
Our little omega.
She’s standing there with her back against the brick wall like it’s the only thing holding her up. Her shoulders are shaking, and her face is buried in her hands.
The sound I heard ... wasn’t danger.
It was her ... crying.
The sight punches me in my stomach. My stomach twists, and a wave of self-loathing crashes over me so hard I have to grip the edge of the dumpster to steady myself. I shouldn’t be here. I shouldn’t be watching her break like this.
But I can’t look away.
I stand here, hidden in the shadows, hating myself for every reason she’s crying. Hating myself for being one of the reasons she’s breaking down in the alleyway alone.
Leaning flat against the brick wall, I let my head fall back against the brick, closing my eyes tight.
Emotions barrel through me. Fear. Hatred.
Sadness. They all tumble around inside my body until I can’t take it anymore.
Turning, I punch the wall as hard as I can, ripping the skin of my knuckles wide open.
Placing my hands flat against the wall, I cinch my eyes tighter and lean my forehead against the brick.
It’s only going to get worse from here. And I hate that because I want her so much it’s a physical ache inside me.