Page 3 of A Nest of Maple & Mist

My usually dormant omega sprang to life, practically howling. A sudden warmth bloomed between my thighs, slick pooling in my panties.

Alpha, my omega whispered. Our alpha.

The glands on my wrists ached, and the one on my neck prickled, as if already preparing for a bite. My oversized sweater suddenly felt too tight and my leggings too itchy.

Something shifted. The pressure in the room intensified, neither speaking, neither able—nor wanting—to look away.

Easy dominance rolled off him, the kind that commanded attention from omegas, betas, and alphas alike. The boy next door grew into an alpha—an Apex at that.

Apex alphas were the strongest and most dominant ones. They led packs and had barks capable of bringing omegas, betas, and even other alphas to heel.

“Jason?” I whispered, my voice shaking.

My tears stopped, leaving my eyes swollen and itchy. Another wave of his glorious scent hit me, and I wobbled. Slick pooled in my panties, and I sucked on my lower lip. He smelled perfect.

He smelled like he was safe and mine.

I shoved aside my omega who yelled at me to present for the alpha.

That he was ours.

Our scent match.

Without a word, he moved. My brows shot up to my hairline as my eyes widened.

Heavy boots thudded against the creaking floor.

Only a foot away, he froze.

Those bright blue eyes vanished in an instant, blowing black and flecked with need. His chest heaved with labored breaths as he took me in, the awe contorting when he landed on my tear-streaked cheeks.

A dangerous sound grew in his chest, rumbling with barely restrained power. His knuckles whitened as he clenched his fists.

“Mia. My Mi. You’re back,” he rasped, his voice thick with a hunger that made my toes curl.

I blinked through wet lashes, overwhelmed and on the verge of running away. It would only spur on the alpha. A running omega was like a beacon to alphas. Their dominance would demand that they chase, catch, and bite.

Sensing that, my feet remained rooted to the spot.

His scent drew me in, the fragrance a balm that drowned out everything else until there was only him.

Only us.

The Apex alpha’s dominance surrounded me like a fluffy blanket, telling me I was safe, telling me I was home.

I was so fucked.

TWO

JASON

The moment I stepped across the threshold of the old Birch place, my world tilted on its axis.

I’d seen the car pull in from the living room of my parents’ house. The beat-up little sedan looked on the verge of falling apart.

After kissing my mom goodbye, I walked over, expecting to find a squatter or maybe one of the low-life contractors I’d suspected were milking the estate for years.

A growl built deep within me; the Apex in me prepared to fight.