AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I open and close my mouth, trying to think of the millions of things I have to say, but I can’t get my brain to function as his shadow casts over the wall, and I spot his reflection in the mirror, peering down at me.
Rolling over, I stare up at the handsome alpha, meeting his hazel eyes. His features mimic Wilder’s the most, but he shares the same jawline as Enzo and straight smile as Desmond. He breaks eye contact, taking a moment to drink me in, his muscles flexing with my attention on him.
“Would you like to come out for a bit?” he asks, encouraging me to respond to him. “I’m sure you could use some exercise. I’m sorry this has taken so long. It was never my intent to keep you locked in here. My brothers and I have an agreement, and your presence...tests us.” Arsenio’s voice remains even, but his scent grows stronger as he bends down beside me. I don’t move an inch, keeping my face toward the ceiling. Something clinks—the fork on my uneaten plate of food—and he moves it, setting it on the counter. “Was your meal unsatisfactory?” He’s prying for information to see why I haven’t eaten.
I don’t respond again as I shut out the world around me. I’m far too proud to make this easy on him despite the palpable attraction emanating between us. I don’t know what he was expecting coming in here acting kind, as if I’m not a prisoner, but I won’t let him think it’s okay because he’s acting friendly.
“Enzo brought you some cupcakes. They’re a bit messy, so you can eat them at the desk. Maybe we can talk for a bit. What do you say?” Arsenio leans down, darkening the world as he blocks out the light with his tall frame.
He crowds my space, completely oblivious to the fact that I don’t want him anywhere near me. His scent fucks with my head as my order runs rampant, free from the suppressants holding it back. It’s been too long since I’ve had to deal with being an omega, and I was warned by Gillian that once I stopped the pills, things would be super intense for a while until I allowed myself to go into heat again.
I lick my lips, inhaling a soft breath. “No, thank you. Just leave me alone or get the courage to do whatever you want to do. This is bullshit, keeping me in a fucking bathroom. I’d rather you turn me into the authorities. It would be better than this.”
“Sorry, sugar. I can’t do either. Now, let’s get you up. You’ll be happier. Promise.” Arsenio surprises me by sliding his hands beneath my body and lifting me. Holding me under his arm like a ragdoll, he carries me from the bathroom. I screech and smack at his legs, realizing just how close I’m to his hardening body. I’m setting him off.
“What the actual fuck? You can’t treat me like this.” I squirm and thrash, forcing him to tighten his hold on me.
“And you can’t just waste away in the bathroom. I understand that you are unhappy and frightened, but things are going to change.” Arsenio sets me in the rolling chair at the desk. He slides the ceramic plate closer, putting the cupcakes right in my line of sight in front of my nose. “You aren’t going to be treated like a prisoner any longer. We just...need you to promise not to try to escape. If you agree, then you can have all the cupcakes you want.”
Damn him. He’s not bribing me with cupcakes.
My stomach roars in anticipation, the sugary frosting smelling just as good as the marshmallow caramel scent wafting from him to me, his amusement over my reaction consuming me.
Shit. Who knew I would be so easy to sway? Fucking delicious cupcakes. I’m nearly certain there are the exact ones Enzo modeled for me, which doesn’t help.
“Here, let me help you.” Arsenio offers me a smile. “Sweets always cheer me up too.” His offering sends butterflies fluttering inside me. I have to be careful, though. Arsenio might be responding to my pheromones and my sudden appreciation over the act of Enzo and nothing more. Now I feel a bit bad that I started ignoring Enzo. The poor dickhead.
Why I do? I know I shouldn’t. This whole situation is complete bullshit, and no one is giving me answers. No one is telling me what’s going to happen. Yet, they’re acting kind. It’s been so long since an alpha or pack has done that...I’m embarrassingly desperate. Pack and alpha issues, and all that crap.
I fold my arms over my chest and lean back in the chair. “No, thank you. I’m fine without your dessert bribery. I’m not that easy.” My stomach screams, the rumble catching Arsenio’s attention, calling out my lie. Stupid, treacherous stomach.
Arsenio growls in his throat, the noise sounding so incredibly sexy. It makes me hate him even more. Someone so attractive shouldn’t be a monstrous kidnapper and a tolerable alpha in one. It fucks with my head.
“Don’t be stubborn, sugar. If you want them, eat them. You deserve a dozen after everything. It might even sweeten you up a bit to me. I know you’re angry and confused.” Arsenio picks up one of the red velvet cupcakes and tugs at the wrapper. Pinching a piece off, he holds it to my lips.
I heave a couple of breaths and relent, opening my mouth and surprising him by chomping down on his fingers. He jerks away, spinning and tensing. I brace for him to shove me. Maybe even hit me. It’s what Madame Tamsin would do. But he only growls again and tightens his fingers into fists.
I hum under my breath and lick the cream cheese frosting from my lips, satisfied by my quick thinking to fight back while getting what I want. Reaching for another cupcake, I attempt to pick it up only to have Arsenio take the plate away from me.
He narrows his eyes. “I don’t think so, sugar. How about we try this again? I want to help you.”
I glare right back at him, pursing my lips. He’s crazy if he thinks he can just try to persuade me to be nice by taking away a cupcake. “It’s your hand on the line. I don’t know why you just won’t let me feed myself.”
Arsenio tears another piece of the cupcake off, gingerly offering it to me. “I’m trying to prove to you that I’m kind and won’t hurt you. Let me show you that I’m not a bad guy. It’s just...the situation is complicated. It’s why I want to talk. I ran your photos through our recognition database and—”
I jerk forward and lock my hand around his wrist, stopping him from yanking away. I glide my tongue over his fingers as I draw the piece of cupcake into my mouth, sucking his fingers in a way that sets him off. I can smell the potent fragrance of his growing lust, like baking apples and rainfall, fresher and fruitier than any of his brothers.
I peek up at him, smacking my lips together. “And what? What did you find?”
Arsenio blinks a few times, whatever thought on his mind vanishing. His biceps bulge and flex, and he offers me another bite of the cupcake like it’s the only thing he currently knows how to do. Pleasure courses through me. I never knew how easy an alpha could be shut down. I don’t have that kind of experience as it’s never worked before. Blood-related alphas don’t act the same way. They can sense a related omega’s pheromones, but it doesn’t mess with them the way a potential mate’s does.
It usually wouldn’t mess with a bonded alpha either, but now I know we’re both unbonded. I’m absolutely certain of that, because the scent of the other omega belongs to their sister. This might change things. They’re going to have to. I don’t like the way Wilder acts, and I desperately need Arsenio to challenge him like Enzo and Desmond. He might destroy me otherwise.
“And?” I repeat, letting him absently feed me another piece of the sugary cupcake.
Shaking his head, Arsenio clears his throat and steps back. His face flushes, his pretty hazel eyes look more green as they shift from me to the computer.
“I’m sorry. What was I saying?” Arsenio perches on the desk, scrubbing his palms over his freshly shaven cheeks. I can’t see any similarities to Wilder apart from their noses and the shape of their oval eyes. He’s more clean-cut and proper than Desmond and more tense than Enzo. Controlled. Aware.
