Page 31 of Dance Omega Dance

One of them, broad-shouldered and reeking of arrogance, locked eyes with me. His beard was patchy, his gaze worse, crawling over me like he owned the air I was breathing.

“Well, well, what do we have here?” he drawled, leering, as he stumbled a step closer. “Ain’t you a tasty little treat?”

The way he looked at me, like I was something he could unwrap with his teeth, turned my stomach. My skin prickled, stomach twisting, bile rising in my throat.

I couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe. Just stood there, trembling, my pulse thudding in my ears like a warning drum. I wanted to disappear. Fade into the grass, the trees, the sky. Anywhere but here.

His hand jerked in a crude, groping gesture, and my stomach twisted so hard I thought I might actually throw up. I couldn’t breathe, couldn’tmove. His stare alone felt like fingers scraping over my skin, peeling me back, exposing everything I didn’t want seen. My knees wobbled. Cold sweat beaded along my hairline.

Don’t panic. Don’t panic.

I didn’t even have to look. Ifeltmy alphas shift. The heat of them tightened around me like a shield, their calm replaced by something sharp-edged. Anders moved first, always the calm before the storm.

“I think you should move along, friend,” he said, voice low, controlled. But I could hear it, the tension just beneath, ready to snap.

The bearded alpha sneered, puffing himself up like a threat. “I ain't your friend, buddy. And I’ll go where I damn well please.” Then his eyes flicked to me again. My stomach turned inside out. “Especially when there’s such a sweet piece of ass on offer.”

A low growl started up behind me, and I knew without looking that it came from Blake. I didn’t turn. I didn’t need to. Ifelthim, felt the fury radiating off his body like heat from a wildfire. Zach had gone unnervingly still beside me. Like a predator just before it strikes.

But Anders stood his ground, voice still even. “That’s no way to speak about a lady,” he said, like he was correcting a child instead of issuing a threat. “Now, I’ll ask you again, politely. Move along. We’re trying to enjoy our day in peace.”

The alpha barked a laugh. “Peace, huh? Nah, I've got a better idea.” His hand went to his crotch, and hethrust, crude and deliberate. “How about you hand over the bitch, and maybe we’ll let you walk away without a beating?”

The world tilted. Cold rushed over me in a wave so fierce it stole my breath. I was going to be sick.

And then—

Crack.

One second, he was grinning at me. Next, he was on the ground, Zach's fist slamming into his face with a sickening crunch.

The other alphas let out startled shouts, tripping over each other as they lunged forward in an attempt to come to their friend's aid. But they were too drunk, their coordination shot.

Zach was already moving.

He hit the first one hard. An elbow to the gut, a fist to the jaw. The guy dropped like dead weight. Another swung at him, wild and off-balance, but Zach ducked, spun, and brought him down with a bone-cracking thud.

It was like watching a storm uncoil. Precise. Merciless. Beautiful in a terrifying way. Muscle and fury, all coiled in that lean frame, moving with a speed that didn’t seem possible. His snarl ripped through the air, feral and unrelenting.

They never stood a chance.

Not againstmyalpha.

In the sudden silence that followed, all I could hear was the rasp of Zach's breath, and the pounding of my heart. He stood over the fallen alphas, his chest heaving. When he turned to look at me, his eyes were wild, feral in a way that sent a chill down my spine.

It was Blake who spoke first, moving to my side in a few quick strides. "Summer, talk to me, sweetheart, are you alright?" His large hands cupped my face, tilting my chin up to search my eyes.

I shook my head, not trusting my voice. In truth, I wasn't sure I was alright. "I'm... I'm okay," I heard myself say, the words sounding thin and unconvincing, even to my own ears. "Just shaken."

Anders appeared at my elbow, his presence a soothing warmth at my side. "Of course you are," he murmured, sympathy and understanding etched into every line of his face. "That was a dark thing to witness. But you're safe now, Summer. We won't let anyone harm you."

I wanted to believe him, to take comfort in the promise in his words. But I couldn't quite suppress the shiver that ran through me as my gaze drifted to Zach, still standing guard over the groaning alphas. Gone was his usual playful grin, replaced by a cold, watchful expression I had never seen before. His hands were still clenched into fists at his sides, knuckles raw and bloodied, and I couldn't tear my eyes away from the sight.

He had moved so fast, struck with such ruthless precision. I had always known on some level that my alphas were dangerous.It was part of what made them so formidable, so capable of protecting me in a world that sought to tear omegas like me apart. But to see that lethal power unleashed; to witness the sheer ferocity of Zach's response... it unsettled me.

As if sensing my gaze, Zach turned, his eyes finding mine across the short distance. For a moment, his expression was unreadable, a storm of emotions brewing behind those striking gray eyes. Then, slowly, his posture softened, the coiled tension ebbing from his frame as he took a step towards me.

Almost unconsciously, Blake and Anders shifted, their bodies angling to flank me in a protective formation that felt both natural and deliberate. I found myself at the center of a triangle.

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