Chapter 7
Dorian
I was still floating on clouds when I dropped her off at her hotel room. The wolf in me wanted to do more than kiss her hand at the door. He demanded to be let inside, mark her space with my scent, and stake my claim.
But I held him back by the scruff of his neck.
We needed more information on what we were working with first, because I refused to screw this up.
Fated mates. His shock was justified.
I whistled a catchy tune as I walked.
Fate is looking out for us after all.
I could still feel Opal’s silk-clothed hips under my hands from when we’d danced the night away.
Felt the brush of her soft body against mine.
The scent of her was still in my nose. Cotton candy and sweetness.
The thrill of opening day in a new town and place.
She smelled of my childhood, of everything I loved in this world.
The candy-coated promise of endless possibilities perfumed her breath as she spoke.
And I wanted more of her words—not just her body. Her voice was soft. So delicate. Just as calming as the blue of her eyes and touch of her skin. She was the type of female they wrote poems and songs about. An entire history of males brought to their knees by a creature as lovely as Opal.
I was falling fast, sliding without grip, head over heels and headed somewhere I’d never landed before.
Omega. I didn’t quite know what that meant and I needed to do some research. I’d heard the term in whispers and jokes. Peacekeeper. Submissive. Legend. Myth.
I hadn’t spent much time in larger pack circles and knew next to nothing of pack politics. Bailey Pack never had an Alpha before me, so I was getting a crash course on what society was like for wolves outside of packs like mine.
It was why I’d missed the mark when claiming my territory, assuming I could legally stake a claim on sanctioned land without knowing the full shifter law, but fate had given me the perfect gift.
We shouldn’t waste time. Let’s declare it now and claim her. We have our mate.
Next thing you know, you’ll suggest kidnapping her like some barbaric cave-wolf. I rolled my eyes at my own beast, but I couldn’t blame him. It felt like the universe had fallen into my lap, and I was terrified of losing it.
Opal was skittish, worried about something. I’d known submissives before, but this was more than that. Plus, she was too forward for a true submissive. I didn’t know if that was an Omega thing or an Opal thing.
It was most likely this show and the environment. I’d seen the drama play out as soon as Jay made the announcement, knowing they’d put a target on her back by dropping her in after the Lunas had all but secured their positions.
But they hadn’t counted on her meeting me. I could fix this. Keep her safe. I knew there was a way to get Ken on board. He’d been asking for more help with the show anyway. A quid pro quo would be in both our best interests.
My plans were unfolding fast. First, I needed to research Omegas to make sure I didn’t do something that would frighten her off.
I’d never thought I’d meet my fated mate—let alone one as precious as she was.
Once I made her mine officially, I’d get her safely through the season and back to Bailey Pack where we belonged.
My mother and aunt were going to lose their minds. They’d want to—
“What the hell are you doing here?” His feral growl tore me from my dreamer’s daze, which must’ve carried me through the elevator and down to the wrong floor.
Can we kill him yet? My wolf bared his teeth at the intrusion. Atlas stood in the open doorway with his arms crossed over his chest like he owned the hall.
This was the fate I’d been used to.
The one that kept screwing with me.
“Minding my own business like you should fucking do.” I loosened my tie, ready to be done with this charade. He might’ve had me beat in size and strength, but Atlas Volk would fight fair.
That meant I had the upper hand.
His eyes blazed golden with his wolf as his nostrils flared. “You touched her.”
I cocked my head at his accusation. “Her who?”
“Opal,” he breathed her name way too reverently for my liking.
He wants her too.
“Also, none of your business,” I growled.
Atlas’s eyes promised murder as he pushed himself off the doorframe, stepping into the hall. Alpha dominance pulsed off him in waves. It was enough to make a lesser Alpha bend the neck, but I didn’t have those genes in me. They played by a set of rules I didn’t have any interest in learning.
“She’s mine,” he said.
That did it.
Fire burned through my veins as fur sprouted on my skin. I didn’t know how to succumb to their hierarchy, but biologically, I felt the challenge in my blood.
And I was sick of this shit.
“You sound like a broken record,” I snarled. “Not everything in this world is yours. Screw you and your claims. Opal is mine.”
“Is that so?” Atlas smirked. A deadly calm before the storm.
“Damn right it is.” I stepped into his space. “It’s about time we finished this.”
“I agree,” he spoke through clenched teeth, his arms never unfolding from his chest. There was a slight twitch in his eyes as he glanced at the camera in the hall.
The breath left my lungs in a rush.
Sneaky, arrogant bastard. I’d almost lost it.
Almost officially challenged him.
I hated these politically correct rules of packs and Alphas and all their secret ways.
I cursed myself as I stepped away, turning back to the elevator where I belonged.
Atlas’s dark laughter followed me down the hall. “I can’t wait for the Alpha Games.”