Chapter Thirty-Two
ARINA
I stood there, open-mouthed, watching as Revel walked away. It was the most decent conversation we'd had since he picked me up on the side of the road, and now he was leaving. Just like that.
I was conflicted.
Annoyed.
Angry.
I went from a panic attack, to sobbing on the bus, to arguing with the alpha in a matter of minutes, and my mind was all over the place.
I wanted to run, to scream, to cry.
But most of all, I wanted Revel to… stay?
Rather, my omega instincts wanted him to.
They were throwing a fit, making it impossible for me to sort out my emotions.
They tugged at my turmoil and latched onto his sticky-sweet candied-apple scent.
Begging me closer, making me yearn to bury my face in his chest and breathe him until the chaos passed.
Absolutely not.
I stayed rooted to the spot as he walked away, fighting the incessant urges, unsure what to do. They burned beneath my skin, tearing at me internally. No matter how hard I tried to fight them, they were relentless.
My mind whirled.
Nothing made sense.
The only thing I knew for certain was that I didn't want Revel to get off the bus.
Before I could stop myself, I opened my mouth and words flew out. “Sure, run away like you always do.”
The way he froze mid-step had chills crawling down my spine, and when he whipped around to face me, my stomach bottomed out. He'd never looked at me with so much hatred in his eyes.
“What did you just say?” Every word was sharp, deadly.
Shit.
I should have kept my mouth shut.
Provoking an already irate alpha wasn't the smartest move. In fact, it was probably the dumbest thing I could have done.
But I was here now, and I wasn't backing down.
If I was really packing my things and fleeing tonight, I didn’t have to watch my tongue from here on out. I'd never have to see him again. I could say whatever the hell I wanted.
What does it matter?
I could get everything off my chest, leave, and never think about it—or him —again.
Mind made up, I steeled myself.
“If you’d stop trying to run away all the time, maybe you’d find a reason to stay.” My words came out with alarming confidence.
Despite bracing myself, icy fear still prickled up my spine as he stomped back up the aisle and stopped right in front of me. His shadow engulfed me as he glared down the bridge of his nose, and my insides fluttered.
For the first time, his alpha aura was on full display, the pure, raw power enough to make grown men cower. It seemed to vibrate and crackle through the air, almost tangible.
Goosebumps raced over my skin.
“You know nothing about me, beta ,” he growled through gritted teeth. His words were full of venom. “Not a fucking thing.”
My breath stuttered as heat swelled in my stomach. I wasn’t sure if it was from fear or how his alpha aura crushed down on me, calling to every facet of my omega instincts like a drug.
Or both.
I swallowed hard and managed to find my voice.
“Nor you me.” My heart raced, fear quickly overwhelming my system. “But you’ve hated me since the moment we met. You should have left me on the side of the road if you were just going to chase me out of the circus.”
“I should have!” he roared, the force enough to make me flinch.
His hand snapped up to wrap around my throat, squeezing until I whimpered. Unlike my dream with Zero, pain burned my skin, making my heart lurch.
A sickening question made the blood freeze in my veins.
Revel wouldn't hurt me… would he?
A minute ago, I would have said no. But the fury brewing behind his gaze, coupled with his fingers digging into my skin, had me second guessing.
I hissed through my teeth.
“I should have,” he repeated slowly. “But I didn’t, and I have to live with that decision. I hate everything about you, and seeing you here distresses me every minute of the day. My life would be so much easier if you would just leave.”
“Then let me go,” I demanded, forcing the words out despite his grip threatening to cut them off.
My breaths came faster as my nerves worked themselves up again.
“I’ll pack my things, and you’ll never see me again.
If that’s what you want, I’ll go. Then you can live out the rest of your days in your precious little sideshow without me ruining it. ”
Silence swallowed us.
I expected him to let go, to shove me away and tell me to get a move on, but he didn’t. He didn’t move at all.
His sweet, tangy candied-apple scent bloomed around us, filling my lungs and making my head swim. He was everywhere, all around me, and I was hyper-aware of his hand on me. That, combined with the torrent of my conflicting emotions, made it impossible to think.
“You’re infuriating,” he said, his icy blue eyes piercing straight to my soul. Seeing me, analyzing me, tearing me apart.
“And you’re an asshole.”
We were at an impasse. He hadn’t let go, and I couldn’t leave unless he got out of my way. I expected more banter or insults to be tossed around, or for him to finally blow up and storm off. Or maybe he’d squeeze his hand tightly one good time and snap my neck.
The last thing I expected was for his mouth to crash down against mine.
My eyes flew open wide and I froze, my brain struggling to process what was happening.
Revel was kissing me? When we’d been fighting seconds ago?
Surely this is another dream…
But even as the thought crossed my mind, I knew it wasn’t. Everything from his scent to his hand around my throat felt way too real. The heat flooding my system and churning through my veins threatened to set me on fire.
I should have pushed him away or bit his fucking tongue, but I was kissing him back before I could help it. My lips chased his in a frenzied dance, our teeth clashing together.
I hated him.
I wanted him.
Shit.
Somehow his scent grew thicker, stronger, threatening to choke me faster than his hand wrapped around my neck.
He pulled away for a beat, probably to gauge my reaction, and I fisted the front of his jumpsuit, dragging him back.
My instincts had completely taken over, crushing me with the desire to be closer to this alpha.
Every inch of space between us was too much, and my pussy fluttered when he growled.
Low and deep, the sound sank through me.
“This changes nothing,” he bit out.
“It better not,” I breathed as he finally let go of me. He unzipped the front of his jumpsuit, shrugging out of it at the same time he kicked off his boots. He was left in a white T-shirt that clung to his muscular frame and black boxers.
His eyes never left mine as he backed me up against the cabinets, like a predator preparing to pounce on their prey.
Once I was pinned, he grabbed the front of my unlaced dress and shoved it down, exposing my chest. I gasped, but he swallowed it with a kiss before his massive, calloused hands grabbed my breasts.
He squeezed them, rolling my nipples between his fingers, and I whined.
My thoughts short-circuited.
Alpha. Alpha. Alpha.
Knot. Knot. Knot.
Did I even know what to do with a knot? No, but I wanted it.
It didn’t matter that I’d never gone this far with anyone before; my omega instincts had taken over, driving my actions. They had consumed every part of me, chasing off any whispers of panic and worry, determined to get what they wanted. Which, apparently, was this alpha’s knot.
I had no idea what I was doing. If Revel expected an amazing fuck that was going to blow his socks off, I doubted he’d get it with me. Still, that didn’t hold me back. I grabbed his shirt, begging him closer, before trailing my hands up his arms and over his shoulders.
A growl rumbled in his chest, and he pulled away abruptly, leaving my lips aching. His icy blue eyes locked with mine.
“Tell me to stop,” he demanded.
I blinked up at him. Was he insane? My body was on fire, slick soaking my thighs, and he wanted me to walk away?
Not a chance.
I shook my head adamantly. “No.”
The growl in his chest grew louder, sending shivers down my spine. “Tell me you don’t want this.”
Rather than answering, I grabbed the dress still hovering around my hips and shoved it down. The fabric fell into a messy heap at my feet, leaving me in nothing but a thong and fishnets. Revel’s gaze darkened with lust as his eyes dragged down my form and crawled back up.
“Does that answer your question?” My voice sounded more confident than I felt.
I never imagined myself to be so brazen, but if this last week had taught me anything, it was that I was much braver than I thought. I might have been terrified, hands trembling and knees shaking, but that didn’t stop me from being stubborn as hell.
With a smirk, Revel tore his T-shirt off over his head and tossed it to the floor.
My eyes trailed over his perfectly chiseled torso, which somehow looked even more massive without fabric covering it.
His hands went for the elastic of his boxers and my stomach fluttered.
I’d never seen a naked man up close before, but I refused to be bashful now.
I’d already decided that this was what I wanted. There was no point in dragging it out.
As he shoved the material down, I scrambled out of my fishnets and thong.
My skin heated when I realized I was completely naked, but when I looked up and saw Revel’s massive cock bobbing free of his boxers, all my shame evaporated.
It was thick and long, with veins running up the sides, and it had a silver hoop through the head.
I tried not to stare.
Christ, he was sexy as sin.
“Come here,” he urged, his voice deep and gravelly.
Under normal circumstances, taking orders from this alpha was the last thing I would do. But with the heat burning through my veins, and my pussy throbbing needily for attention, I did as I was told, carefully stepping over the collection of clothes growing on the floor.