AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"And your reservation number, please," I reminded him. He rolled his eyes and opened his phone, reading off the emailed reservation number. Typing it in, I clenched my jaw, keeping the annoyance at bay the best I could. Nothing was worse than rude customers who hadn't even given the place a chance yet.
"I hope this place has decent food," he huffed to his silent wife. “From the service, I doubt it.”
"We have one of the best chefs in the state," I reassured him as I finally got their reservation to pull up. The second part of his comment didn’t deserve to be dignified with a response. Why go on vacation if you’re going to judge and hate everything you do?
"I guess you would know," he laughed mockingly.
My fingers froze mid-keyboard-stroke, and I narrowed my eyes on him. The dragon in me wasn’t about to let that slide, not to mention my omega side. Omegas weren’t known for being quiet. We were a walking ball of hormones some days, and unlike the old days where we were forced to submit or be broken by some alpha on a power trip, we were free to speak our minds now.
Thank god our society had changed and grown. Every damn designation was important. Alphas were supposed to be leaders, protectors, not abusive dicks. Betas were the glue to groups, the balance. Their calming effects worked on alphas and omegas, calming both sides of the extreme instincts and hormones. Omega women bore the children, but both omega men and women were the soft sweetness that the family group needed to be happy. We all ran on instinct, and sometimes it was overwhelming and could influence our lives, but that was why having a balanced grouping was so damn important. Something I wouldn't know about since I was on my own.
‘Not forever. You will find mates,’Zehra countered, an argument as old as time for us.
The man’s eyes trailed over my form, holding nothing but superiority and judgment, and that was the last straw.Strike three, asshole.
"As an employee, yes, I do know that our kitchen staff is top notch," I said firmly, looking back down at the screen. The sooner I finished, the sooner he’d leave. The audacity of humans never ceased to amaze me. "And it seems your ID and your reservation do not align."
He slammed his hands on the counter and glared at me. "Are you calling me a liar?"
"No, I'm telling you the name on your ID and the name you made your reservation with do not align. When you made your booking, the terms and conditions clearly stated that the person making the reservation needs to show ID upon arrival, especially when a deposit is made." My voice had lost all kindness, so it now matched the annoyance in his.
"Look, I don't need to hear the incompetence flowing from your mouth. You've clearly spent too much time in the kitchens stuffing your face and not enough on your education," he gritted out. His partner gave me an apologetic look behind his back and slowly backed to the door. She knew they were about to be kicked out.
"Is it under my name? It's Angela Cor—" she started as a last ditch effort to save this, cutting off abruptly when he turned his anger toward her. Her eyes went from desperate to terrified, and Zehra took notice, filling me with as much magic as our amulet allowed. If it were up to her, we’d have killed him by now. It would have been a satisfying victory.
"Nope, not in my lobby!" West growled, coming down the stairs like an angry bull on the run. Relief flooded me. West would have it under control in moments, and I didn’t want to have to use my magic and risk exposing myself. "If she wants to stay to avoid your toxic ass, she's more than welcome. But you?" West pulled out his phone and snapped a candid photo. "You’ll be going on our wall of shame." I could only imagine how amazing that photo was.
"You and your fat employee can fuck off," he thundered, pointing at me. But little did he know, West and I weren't the type of people to fuck with.
"It's always funny to me that small-dicked men always talk the loudest. You think the biggest insult to me is that I carry some extra pounds?" I cackled at that. If only he knew what these extra pounds hid. Either way, I did a little shimmy just to piss him off. Impossibly, his face went from raging red to a purple.
He lunged at me, though not quickly enough to keep West from stopping him. My hand drifted to my amulet, but Zehra stopped me from doing something stupid.
'Don't shift in the lobby,'she warned, but she also sent an image of her burning his awful comb over off of his head.
"If I have to say to get out again, you won't like the outcome," West prompted, calm and icy. The human glared, muttering as he turned and walked out. West's voice softened toward his companion. "I meant what I said. We can help keep you safe here." We had seen some of the worst people over the years, both human and otherwise, and we always helped when we could. Emberwood was a small town, but we were the kind of people who wouldn't turn a blind eye.
She hesitated for a moment before taking a step toward the door, then stopping again. I could see the internal battle in her head, but I also knew we couldn’t make the decision for her.
"The room is already on your card. Stay. We can find you a job and get you on your feet if you don't have somewhere else to go," I promised. She turned back, eyes glassy, before nodding. He'd taken his suitcase with him, so at least she still had hers.
"Okay." There was a burst of relief in her answer, and I wanted to fold her in a hug. But with a man like that, I wasn’t sure what she’d endured. Even in human form, I could smell the fear coming off of her.
"Angela, what the hell! Are you stupid?!" her former man called out after he yanked the door back open and stuck his head in. He’d apparently taken this long to realize she hadn’t obediently followed him back outside. She took a single step closer to us, and that was all the signal West and I needed to put ourselves between them. West shot me a side eye, the alpha in him not pleased I was putting myself in harm’s way, but I was an inch taller than him and twice his size. So he couldn't argue much. This human was no match for me, even with me being a ‘weak’ omega.
"I brought my important things with me. Here, have your ring," she said evenly, showing a hint of a long-buried backbone as she tossed the ring across the room. It dinged against the floor before stopping at his feet. He reached down and picked it up, spewing a fresh wave of poison from his mouth. Before long, his words were cut off as he was yanked backward. His eyes went wide before he disappeared, leaving the heavy lobby doors to close with a thud. West and I shared a confused look. He nodded toward Angela, giving me a silent order.
"Come on over," I urged. "Let's get you to your room so you can settle in and get comfortable. You arrived just in time for lunch, and we can even have a plate sent to your room if you need some time alone."
"I don't think the things he said," she promised, meeting my eyes before flicking her gaze to my hips. "I'd kill for those curves."
I smiled at her thoughtfulness. "Thanks. But I think you're a bombshell just the way you are. Don't let men like that dull your shine."
"It wasn't easy to find a way out, but thanks for giving me one. This place is as magical as it seems," she smiled. "Here's my card. Does it match?"
"It does," I confirmed with a smile. Despite our policies, I’d have given her a room either way. She needed refuge, and we had the space.
"He forgot his card that day, so he took mine," she laughed, openly showing her disdain now. "Idiot."
