Page 18 of The Omega

My brain was still trying to process this new information. There had to be some mistake. “The big guy in the gray suit,” I said again. “Dark hair. Brown eyes.”

Please. I can’t do this.

“Don’t concern yourself with that beast,” Dorian growled low in his chest. “Atlas Volk is a prick, but he can’t hurt you. I won’t allow it.”

“We’re all beasts,” I said.

He huffed. “Some of us need a muzzle more than others.”

“He can’t be that bad,” I pressed, feeling my stomach sink with every word.

Dorian stiffened before shaking his head. “I can’t talk about him. Not tonight. I won’t let him take this moment from me.”

“Oh,” was all I could say, even as I felt the fairy tale slipping through my fingers.

My wolf had gone silent, watching, and now she gave a soft whine. No H.E.A?

It doesn’t look like it. Tears burned behind my eyes, but I didn’t let them show, keeping a smile on my face for Dorian as he spun us around the ballroom.

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.