Page 16 of Knight With Benefits

The color drained from her face, her chocolate eyes going wide as she looked at the group David was facing. I half expected her to argue, but something must have convinced her it was smarter to listen.

She slipped past me, giving the group a wide berth. Blake and Patch had noticed what was going on and stood, putting themselves between her path and the betas. Neither of them liked getting involved with the sometimes-violent side of Hell, but they wouldn’t hesitate if needed, especially to protect an omega.

“I’ve asked you to leave. If you continue to refuse, you’ll be removed by force.”

The male who seemed to be in charge of the group scoffed, but his buddy spotted me closing in, tapping the other on the shoulder. The first eyed me with a sneer, but another behind him whispered something in his ear that must have mentioned Blake and Patch, because he turned to look over his shoulder.

“I thought this was supposed to be a decent establishment. I didn’t realize you catered toanimals. Criminal ones at that.”

My bear rose beneath my flesh, a breath away from pushing through. Usually he laid quiet until I needed him, but being around Gwyn had my instincts running freer, and he wasn’t going to allow a threat around her. The way the beta was talking confirmed he had Purist leanings, which meant he wasn’t a local, so he wasn’t part of the people we aimed to protect.

“I don’t care what you think of this place, and I doubt they care what you call them, but youwillleave. Now.”

David had his hands on the edge of the bar, and I knew he had a weapon underneath the counter. More than one. He wasn’t stupid. As a beta he didn’t have the physical prowess of an alpha, but he needed to be able to handle the larger dynamic when necessary. He could probably deal with the whole group of betas on his own, but there was no reason to bring out weapons when fists would work and mean less cleanup.

“You heard him. Get moving beforeImove you.”

A growl laced my words, and I knew my bear was probably showing in my eyes. Betas weren’t naturally as submissive as an omega, but they still had enough instincts to feel the need to defer to someone more dominant, and none but the speaker would meet my gaze. Even he struggled, blinking and swallowing hard before turning to look at his buddies.

“Come on, let’s find somewhere cleaner to spend our money. It smells like a kennel in here.”

I’d heard it all before, and more. His insults were pathetic, and I didn’t bother dignifying them with a response.

Flexing my hands, I popped my neck and took a single step forward, grinning when two of the silent men stumbled backwards before practically running for the door. Blake didn’t bother holding back his laugh, and the mouthy beta was fuming as he followed the others, his stiff gate revealing his struggle not to rush as well.

“I’ll make sure they don’t get themselves into trouble,” Patch said as he followed them out.

He was probably the steadiest of us, his icy demeanor remaining no matter what he faced, so he was the best to be sure the group left Hell. I gave him a nod as he walked out, but neither Blake nor I moved until we heard the purr of his bike start and then fade away.

“You should probably let your omega out of the bathroom now. Or join her and release a little tension.”

Blake winked despite the scowl I shot at him. Gwyn wasn’tmyomega, but my bear and my alpha side were acting more and more like she was. As much as I might want to listen to the second part of his comment, Gwyn wouldn’t welcome it, especially after the scare, and I was irritated at myself since I couldn’t help picturing exactly what he meant.

My poor dick was getting sore from growing hard inside my pants so many times, and I made a mental note to wear my looser jeans the next time I was going to be around her. It was painful to walk across the bar to the hall that led to the bathrooms, but I’d managed to get myself under control by the time I stood outside the ladies’ door.

I tried to keep my touch light as I rapped my knuckles on the wood.

“Gwyn? It’s okay to come out now.”

The handle turned before I’d finished speaking, one eye peeking through the opening before the rest of her came into view.

“What happened?”

I lifted one shoulder, backing up to give her the space to emerge. The short hallway wasn’t big enough for two people my size, and the cloud of pheromones that emerged with her told me crowding her would send her running. The bitter edge of anxiety mingled with the burnt scent of fear, turning my stomach.

“They just weren’t taking the hint to leave, so we convinced them. It’s fine.”

Chapter Seven

Gwyn

Ipeeked around Carl, not sure what I’d see, but my shoulders relaxed when the bar looked as it had before I’d gone to hide. One of the alphas who wore the vest like Carl’s had returned to his seat and was pouring himself a beer from the pitcher David had delivered, and I saw a tumbler sat in front of where I’d been at the bar once I stepped out where I could see it.

Carl followed as I returned to my seat, his presence soothing the omega side of me. The men might have only been betas, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t be as cruel and destructive as an alpha, and I appreciated that Carl seemed to be looking out for my safety. Omegas might be taught that it was natural for an alpha to be protective, but too many times I’d seen the alpha be the one an omega needed protected from.

I was coming to realize that wasn’t Carl, though.

“So, the dividing wall. You want one side large enough for bookshelves and a seating area, and the other for tables. Have you decided how many tables, or how much space you want to give the two areas?”

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