Chapter 12
Opal
“You brought me breakfast?” I asked.
Aww. I love him. Such a good mate.
The tantalizing smell of something sweet mixed with notes of salty bacon drifted from the pink box in his large hands.
But it was nothing compared to the rich, earthy smell of Atlas so early in the morning.
The soap on his skin mixed with his masculine pheromones was making my stomach clench with need.
I’d never been so hungry.
I’ll bet he tastes as good as he smells. My wolf licked her chops. Drop to your knees and—
Shh, I shushed her and purposefully breathed through my mouth, cutting her off from his scent.
These pills weren’t strong enough.
“I hope you don’t mind.” Atlas coughed to clear his throat. I got the feeling he wasn’t used to talking this much. “Here’s some almond croissants and bacon topped maple bars. Protein in compromise.”
I know what else has protein.
Will you stop? I almost cried. Keeping my wolf in check so she wouldn’t send us into heat again was going to be really hard if he showed up looking like that and bringing me yummy food in the morning.
“Do you not want it?” Atlas frowned.
“Oh no, I want it.” I grabbed the box.
Our fingers touched. His eyes flashed with his wolf. I barely held back the needy whine at feeling his rough skin against mine.
“Good. I want you to eat,” his husky voice commanded.
“Yes, sir.” I lowered my gaze, dropping it to his lips.
He gave the slightest smile, which softened the harsh lines of his face and made me weak in the knees.
I’ll eat everything you have to give, she growled.
My face flushed as I pushed the door open wider, intending to invite him inside. It’d be rude not to share or show my appreciation—
“Is there enough for two?” Clara’s voice snapped me back to my senses.
Bad wolf. I shook my head to break the spell.
What? He looks hungry too.
Atlas stood growling in the hall, gripping the door frame as he fought against his own beast. “Is someone in there with you?”
“Just a friend.” I balanced the pastry box so I could rest my hand on his shoulder, smiling when I felt his muscles relax.
“I didn’t mean to interrupt.” He sniffed, leaning closer, and I was caught in his gaze, ready to taste his lips and—
“Well, you did, so scat.” Clara moved to close the door. I wasn’t even sure what she was doing in my room this early anyway.
I put my foot in the doorway. “He doesn’t have to leave.”
“Yes, he does,” Clara ground out through clenched teeth. “He needs to get ready for the kick off to the Alpha Games and you need a shower.”
“I do?” I cocked my head to the side. My hair was still wet from my shower thirty minutes ago.
“Yes, because you stink.” She pinched her nose.
“I do…” I caught a whiff of myself. “Goodness, I do stink.” I turned to Atlas’s face peeking through the crack in the door. “Thanks for breakfast. I’ll eat, promise. And I’ll see you on stage.”
“I have something special—”
Clara closed the door in his face.
Mortified, I stared at her. “Is it really that bad?”
Clara backed away, fanning the air with her hands. “I didn’t believe it when you said how strong it was yesterday, but I’m not gay, or a wolf, and even I want to dive between your legs.”
“Sorry.” I clung to the pastry box.
“It’s fine,” Clara rushed to assure me. “Let’s just open a window.”
“No. Don’t do that.” I cringed. We were on the second story, but there was a breeze blowing the trees outside the balcony.
Clara hesitated. “Will it, uh, bring all the boys to the yard?”
“Something like that.” I smiled, opening the box in offering. “Here. Eat to distract yourself. I’ll take a second pill.”
Double-dosing this early could not be good, but I didn’t know what else to do.
“Don’t get me wrong, this is great foreplay. I bumped a few uglies when I was locked up, so I don’t totally hate the female form.” Clara took one of the maple bars and my wolf pouted.
It’s your fault we’re in this position, I scolded, reminding her not to be impolite as I went to grab another pill.
“Ivan will probably thank you for the warm-up,” Clara chuckled. “Wait, is that TMI?”
“You’re fine.” I chewed up the bitter pill and swallowed, hoping that would make it work faster. “What’s the story with you and Ivan, anyway?”
“There’s not much to tell.” She sat her butt on the table and crossed her legs underneath her despite being inches away from a chair.
“We’re kind of a freak situation. When I got out of jail, my coyote latched onto the big guy and his wolf felt the same.
So now he’s stuck with me. But I’m fine with it. He’s one of the good ones.”
As an Omega, I was very aware of what it was like to feel like a freak and I didn’t think their relationship was all that strange.
I was more interested in what Clara could’ve possibly done to end up in jail. “Is it rude to ask why you were there?”
“Nah, it’s alright.” Clara licked maple frosting from her fingers as she said, “Murder.”
I’m going to murder her if she keeps eyeing those other pastries.
What has gotten into you? I gasped.
Besides you drugging me into submission?
You are submissive!
“But enough about me.” Clara hopped off the table. “You’re going to have to let me know why you’re going into heat this early. Aspen is worried. Which means I need to be worried. And you aren’t telling us the whole truth.”
I took a bite of the croissant, stalling.
It wasn’t their fault they didn’t know much about Omega biology. Heck, I was one and I barely understood it either. It was the kind of information only passed down from mother to daughter, or in my case, in an email from the Omega clinic when I got the courage to ask my first questions.
Omegas were the rarest of the wolf shifter species and the cloud of mystery helped keep us safe from those who sought to exploit us.
But I felt like I could trust the murderer in my room and I knew I could trust Aspen enough to give them a little information. “Omegas can go into heat any time.”
Neither of them needed to know what happened when we did without mates to get us through. It was typical for all females to need some help during that time, but their bodies didn’t physically shut down without support.
Some things were best kept to ourselves.
“That’s not too crazy,” Clara said. “Other species go into heat during different times of the year too.”
I laughed a little. “But do other species send out these aggressive sex pheromones to help lure in their mates that amp up and make them ill the harder they fight it?”
And these were only the early stages. If I was in full-blown heat, my mates would tear apart the walls to get to me. So might a few other wolves who got caught up in the fray.
“So you’re like a sex beacon?” Clara frowned. “That feels like some patriarchal-coded objectification.”
“Sex doesn’t discriminate between those who want it.
” I tore into a doughnut and moaned as the salty sweetness hit my tongue.
“And you’ve been around humans too long if you think that me being able to bring males to their knees as they pant for my attention makes me the one without power in this situation. ”
“Touché.” Clara tipped an imaginary hat. “I knew that I liked you for a reason. But what do we do with all this powerful sex juju you’re pushing out?”
Own it. My wolf yawned as the suppressant started to work its magic.
“I’m not sure.” I reached for another doughnut, needing to carb up if I was going to get through the day, and the rest of the days to follow. “Right now I’m hoping to keep it in check long enough to convince my mates to work together.”
“I don’t envy you.” Clara sighed as she took my last croissant. “On the bright side, at least the Alpha Games will be entertaining this season.”