Page 50 of Knot Your Average Beta

I’m a terrible omega.

I’m too fucking volatile, too angry.

And they’re supposed to want to comfort me. It should be nearly impossible for them to listen to me scream in this room and not feel the need to soothe me. Maddox shouldn’t want to see me flinch. He shouldn’t want to hurt me and he sure as hell shouldn’t want to lock me alone in a bare ass room.

I’m not sure how long I stand there, staring at the closed door only inches from my face. But it’s long enough that my muscles lock up and begin to ache. I wince when I shift, pain spiking in my legs.

I must have dropped the block on my bond with Luca for a moment, because he sends a wave of concern.

I send him back two giant middle fingers (or the emotional equivalent of them) and slam the bond closed again, before I move back to the bed. I don’t have any clothes to sleep in. I haven’t brushed my teeth and I still have makeup on my face. I feel sticky with dried sweat from dancing. And my bladder is nudging me like “you’re going to need to pee here pretty soon.” Not right now, but soon.

The door remains locked and I know it won’t be unlocked anytime soon. Probably not before morning when Maddox feels he can ‘deal’ with me. Asshole.

All of them. Assholes.

Maybe not Swift because he’s not here, he doesn’t know what happened and Logan… I have no fucking clue where the pack’s doctor is. But the rest of them can go fuck themselves.

With nothing else to do, I strip down until I’m naked. What does it matter? It’s not like any of them are going to come bursting through the door. And I prefer to sleep naked. So I’m going to take the opportunity.

Ignoring the way my skin feels sticky with sweat and my eyes feel gritty with mascara, I slip under the blankets, curl onto my side and cry myself to sleep.

Chapter 15: In which I realize it's too late to spare myself pain

When I wake up the next morning, I don’t feel much better. My eyes are gritty from tears, my nose is stuffy and I still feel sticky with sweat from dancing. I roll over, wincing at the black smears on the white fabric and then kick myself for the guilt that tries to rear up for staining their pillow case.

It’s their fault.

It’s Maddox’s fault. He’s the one that locked me in here without the chance to do my normal nightly routine. My eyes flick to the door as if that will tell me if it’s been unlocked or not. But of course it doesn’t. My bladder is beating out a frantic tattoo against my uterus though, so I groan and push myself up from the bed, then make my way over to the door totally, butt ass naked.

I let out a breath when the handle turns and I’m able to crack it open the slightest bit. I peer through the slit, find the hall empty, and then yank the door open and run to the bathroom. Or at least I try to, but at that exact moment, the door to the gym opens and the prime asshole himself steps out, all sweaty and shirtless, wearing only a pair of athletic shorts and running shoes, a water bottle gripped in his fist.

He draws up short when he sees me, dark green eyes running from the top of my messy head, over my puffy red-rimmed eyes and mascara smeared cheeks down my very naked body. My nipples pucker and between my legs grows wet at his perusal, at the heat in his eyes. My omega wants to drop to the ground right there in the hallway and present for him, the events of last night apparently forgotten at the sight of him sweaty and half naked. But I’ve been a beta far longer than I’ve been an omega and I clamp down on that instinct hard.

This is the asshole that locked you in your fucking room last night, I all but snarl internally. He’s the one who called you nothing. Only trouble. He does not deserve to have you fawn over him like he’s your alpha. Not until he starts acting like it.

With that reminder, my omega stops panting. Fucking good.

He’s still looking at me hungrily, so I arch a brow and fold my arms over my chest. Maybe I should run in the other direction, embarrassed at being caught naked, but also why would I be, when it’s obvious he likes what he sees.

He mirrors my position. “Do you often walk around naked, trouble?”

I grit my teeth to keep from flinching. “All the fucking time,” I say sweetly. It’s true. When I’m in my own space, I love being naked. And since I live alone, there’s usually not anyone to see me. “But in this case, I’m naked because an asshole locked me in my room without giving me a chance to use the restroom or retrieve my things. You’ll note the smears of makeup on my cheeks and the wild hair because of a lack of a hairbrush. My clothes were sweaty from dancing and I didn’t want to put them back on. If it makes you uncomfortable, maybe don’t be a dick next time you find your omega.”

His brows arch at my use of the words ‘next time’. But I don’t give him a chance to say anything, because my bladder really needs relief and I need to not stand here under his heated gaze and listen to him be a grade A asshole again. As his lips part, I spin, giving him a view of my ass, and stride into the bathroom with my head held high.

Just as I close the door, there’s a thump on the other side. Then he tries the handle, but it’s locked. Ha. How do you like them apples, asshole? “Sadie!” he calls through the door. “Open up.”

“Nope. I’d rather not. Thank you very much. I have better things to do.” Like peeing.

I don’t even care if he can hear me through the door. There is no stopping me. After I’ve finished and washed my hands, I rifle through my bag and find my hairbrush and a clean set of clothes, setting them on the counter before I take a nice long shower, finally washing off the remains of the night before. I feel a million times better once I’m clean.

The hot water washes away the lingering grit from my eyes and the fog from my brain. Last night I was too upset to understand where they were coming from, Luca’s anger and Ethan’s worry.

Of course they’re worried. Their instincts demand it from them. Especially Luca. Whether he likes it or not, I am his bonded omega, and I disappeared yesterday. I’m about ninety percent sure most of his anger was actually possessive jealousy after hearing I danced with another alpha.

I shiver when I think about the way he pinned me against the wall by my throat, the growl of his voice when he called me his. I know part of that is just his alpha instincts, but part of him must actually want me too, right?

But if it’s only instinct, only the bond between us that makes him want me, that makes him care, is that enough?

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