Page 10 of Drown My Sorrow

I walk away from her, not to do as she asks because Charis is only fifteen years old, and her scent makes me feel faintly ill, but to escape.

The dim lighting and flickering candlelight is giving me a headache, as does the bombardment of scents. The rich don’t use scent blockers, these people use scent enhancers; it’s all the rage, right now.

I don’t want to do this.

It takes me twenty minutes to do a round of the room. I know everyone by name. All of them know mine.

I don’t want this.

I feel like the tux is slowly tightening, threatening to strangle me to death on this polished floor.

Ezekial, stand up straight. Don’t eat too much, don’t drink too much. Walk with confidence. Act charming. Assert your alpha but don’t pick fights. Be better. Be excellent. Don’t be you.

Don’t be me.

What’s so wrong with me?

My mother’s voice gets louder and louder until I could scream.

I don’t know how I get out onto the street, but my hands are clenched so hard that I’m bleeding. I’m breathing so fast I’m almost doubled over. It hurts, it all hurts.

I don’t know when I made the decision to run, but, suddenly, it’s all I can think about. Anything is better than living another second here.

I peel off the jacket, throwing it and my life away, and hail a cab. My first stop is to get some money, then I’m getting on a plane.

The only thing that matters is getting away from here.

If I don’t, I’m sure I’m going to die.

PresentDay

The most stunning scent is mixing with the smell of the beach, and all I can do is watch as the three savages stalk away with the little golden omega. It’s the same scent as those jasmine plants my grandfather had planted for his omega. The ones that only bloom at night. I haven’t smelled that scent in forever.

I turn my eyes on the blue-haired alpha. He’s got her in his arms again, but the others look feral. Little island kids who grew up without manners or rules. To be fair, I knew plenty of kids in the city like these guys, but none quite so intimidating.

Assholes.

Kelly mops up the blood from his nose and lets out a frustrated sound. His eyes land on me, heavy with accusation. With a growl, he turns away angrily.

I don’t care. How could I explain what happened? There was no way he’d be okay with ‘hey, so I met someone on the Internet, except I know nothing about her, and I went to meet her, but she stood me up, so please forgive me?’

“What the fuck, Ezy?”

“We were exchanging emails.” I shrug my shoulders, gazing in the direction that the guys disappeared with her. “We were going to meet, and she never rocked up, I thought…well, no, my feelings got hurt, so I just blocked her, and I moved on.”

Kelly finally looks back at me, but I don’t see any forgiveness on his face.

“How is it that our scent match is someone we’ve all met and is living here on this island so close to where we are? Hell, we’ve been here before!” Gael shouts and then stops. “And who the fuck are they?”

I consider the trio of alphas again. Shale had blue hair and a vibe that was just fucking crazy. The other two weren’t much better, but the way they touched her, the care, the gentleness. They were so hot.

What? No!

“Shale was the one who hit you, Kelly. Keagan has the long blond hair, and the guy with the tattoos is Beau. She spoke about them a lot,” I murmur. I think she was hoping I would like them.

“She hasn’t been bonded.”

I turn my head to Kelly. “So?”

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