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“I challenge anyone who throws… It won’t matter who, I will challenge them,” I found myself—once again!—talking over an alpha. I didn’t know what to think and feared for a minute that my heat was upon me called forth by overwhelming alpha pheromones. Heats were one of the few times omegas became aggressive with alphas. If my heat came here, my uncle would not be able to protect me. With so many alphas about there would be a riot. I would be raped by whichever alpha had conquered the others. There would be no other outcome. I might die in the chaos.
I took a deep breath, I needed to leave.
The others must have noticed something. Pray let it not be my omega’s scent!
“And how,” growled a new alpha who stood in the door. “How would you propose to do that, little alpha?”
He was handsome with sharp grey eyes and a full mouth. Though now it twisted unpleasantly. No denying it. I felt a small part of me, the omega that I hated in moments like this, weaken towards this darkly brooding alpha. I looked to my uncle hoping for some guidance but his face was still watching the new alpha who was easily the tallest in the room.
“The duello,” I managed to get out, more intimidated by this alpha than the others. He was dangerous. Controlling. Dark. Powerful. “I am accounted good with a sword.”
“It wouldn’t be your choice,” the interloper pointed out. The other alphas stayed quiet. At first, I thought it was out of fear of this alpha dressed in a suit of rich grey velvet and a short sword at his side.
“Pistols then. It matters not.”
The viscountess snickered. “You are put into a difficult spot by young Hartwell. Do you, do any of us, challenge such confidence from such a diminutive firecracker?”
“Faith! To think to have that spark when I was her age,” the old alpha laughed. “Paxton, you are well taught. Prick the cub and it bites. Girl, come. This here is Lord Paxton and no enemy.”
“I’ve heard of you,” I admitted like a fumbling schoolgirl reprimanded for getting a lesson wrong. “Luciano told me you were a student of his. That it would be a success to have a hand as sure as yours.”
“Pretty words. But I hardly believe that you have danced with the master,” Lord Paxton smirked, his eyes narrowing. He was an alpha of shining, cold silver—I could not imagine anyone meeting him and not coming out the worse.
“He retired to… He retired to Hertfordshire and was our neighbour. I have danced with him. As have all my sisters,” I refused to back down especially given my audience.
“Of course! Hartwell!” He threw up his hands as if coming to some profound realisation. “How could I forget that Beatrice Hartwell is your sister?”
That seemed hard to believe for despite the differences in our colouring and stature we looked like sisters. Had he therefore sought me out, sought to antagonise me because of Beatrice?
“Speak with that tone about my sister again, and I shall take offence.”
He stood head and shoulders above me, but, in the heat of the moment, that was nothing. My family, my omega sisters we had all worked hard to be more than the weak dynamic we were seen as. “Beatrice on her worst day would be able to take you with swords or pistols.”
Lord Paxton’s eyes widened. Beatrice was the most omega of my sisters. Feminine in both form and face. Put a rapier in her hand? She could and would go up against the strongest alpha. With pistols, she was even more deadly, for that required less strength or stamina.
“Stand down, stripling. Paxton meant no harm. Isn’t that so?” Viscountess Gale invested her words with enough bark to remind us all who the top dog in this room was.
“I meant no offence,” he gritted out. “Your sister… The lady is singular.”
“I don’t like the sound of that.” This time it was my uncle. I looked over my shoulder at the alphas who now stood at my back.
“Fine, I’ll back down. An old pack growling over an omega—“
I lunged.
But a firm hand on my collar prevented me from tackling the alpha who seemed to have a death wish when it came to my sister.
“Paxton, go now before I release the pup on you. You’d deserve—“
“Pass on my compliments to your sister. She is a fine woman.”
I locked eyes with Paxton and something almost like regret flashed across his face. With a bitter smile, he bowed and walked off.
“That was reckless,” the florid alpha holding my collar shook me as if I was a child. “But by damn, it did my old bones good to see one of his crowd back down. Well done, young Hartwell. Though keep that temper close and pray Paxton does not hold a grudge. He ain’t one to be trifled with.”
“He spoke of Beatrice!” I protested.
“You’re like to hear worse. You’ve three pretty omega sisters. Alphas will be sniffing after them. By all means, protect them but do not challenge every alpha who chooses to test you,” Gale said. No doubt a warning.
