Page 7 of Love in Excess

The café across the street is a short walk, the city is always quiet around this time, the only hustle and bustle are the locals or some of the college kids who don’t stay on campus. I’m far enough from the hospital not to hear the constant hum of sirens which makes this the peaceful edge of my life.

I push open the café door, the warm scent of coffee and fresh bread hitting me as I enter. My order here is always the same, the main barista at this time recognizing me as she throws me a wave.

“Roast beef cold cut and iced mocha, right?” She asks, a giddy smile on her face.

“Yeah,” I respond, handing her my card.

My routine is just that…routine.The only thing that really changes is my work schedule. I lean back against the counter as she scurries off to start making my sandwich, my ears perking up to the conversation unfolding a few feet away.

There’s another Beta, a little bigger than me, a smug look on his face. It takes me a moment to recognize that it’s the same Beta from earlier but the last time I saw him, he was sprawled out on the pavement. Carter, I believe his name is? Not that it matters.

There’s a bruise forming beneath one of his eyes, Carter holding a bag of ice to his nose. That damage wasn’t there earlier so I’m not entirely sure what happened.

“I’m gonna bring that Alpha down a peg the moment I find a way into their pack,” he says, leaning over the counter as he nods to one of the baristas. “As long as the Omega accepts me, I’ll show that Alpha who’s boss and defile what’s most precious to him.”

The fuck?Anger flares in my chest at his words. Just the idea of him defiling Celeste makes me want to rage in a way that’s almost irrational. It’s something more than just protecting her image or wanting to stand up for her. It’s like a biological need to show Carter that he’s not allowed to talk to her like that.

The problem is that she’s not mine.

I can defend her honor all I want but I have to realize that she’sjustan Omega I helped this afternoon. The last several hours are making it harder to keep my mind in check.

When Carter mouths off again, I can’t help but step in as I wait for my food. “Why would you talk about someone like that?”

His laughter cuts off, the Beta’s glare falling to me. “Why the fuck do you care? Are you some Omega sympathizer or some shit?” His smirk cuts across his face as he swipes his iced coffee from the counter and takes a large swig. The barista who was fawning over him earlier steps away, sensing the shift in the air.

I shake my head, keeping my stance as relaxed as I can but beneath the surface I’m one bad decision away from punching him in the neck like Celeste did. “No, but whatever beef you have with her Alpha doesn’t mean you need to drag her through the middle of it. If your only intent is to defile her, as you say, you have no business being anywhere near her.”

Carter laughs again, the sound like nails on a chalkboard as he takes another swig of his coffee and then tosses the ice pack on the table. “Who the fuck are you, really?” He stands up a little straighter, one of his brows raising to assess me.

“I’m the Beta who picked up the Omega you assaulted earlier. If you don’t shut your mouth, I’ll have to do that for you, but I’m off duty and I’d rather not be bothered. I just came in for a sandwich and a coffee.” I appreciate the timing as my iced coffee is slid across the counter and I hold it up to prove my point.

Carter’s laugh turns into a snarl and then he lunges, his hands reaching for my shirt. His coffee spills to the ground, forgottenbut I just sigh and fling my cup in his face. The iced liquid splashes across his cheeks, and he stops, letting out a growl as he wipes his face on his sleeve.

I don’t like using violence unless it’s necessary, but I stepped in where I shouldn’t have, driven by this need to protect Celeste like she’s mine. If this was anyone else, I’d have ducked my head and gone home to Jasmine. But I can’t seem to make myself walk away.

And now, I’m standing here with no coffee, a very angry Beta, and the possibility of being thrown out of my favorite coffee shop for good.

Carter tries to lunge again, but his vision’s blurry so it’s easy to sidestep. I merely stick out my foot, using his rage to trip him up, Carter slamming headfirst into the wall with a dull thud. That just makes him angrier as he twists around, a new cut on his forehead revealing a small stream of blood making its way down to his cheek.

The café’s gone silent, everyone watching as I just raise my hands, not wanting this to go any further. Fuck, I should have just ordered in and had the beer in my fridge. “Hey, we all saw he started this bullshit first, right?” I didn’t mean for it to go this far, but Carter looks like he’s ready to keep going.

Carter lunges again, swiping my cheek but just as I go to wrangle him into submission, a flurry of movement cuts through the haze. Carter’s pinned against the wall, Hunter’s hand around his throat, the shorter Alpha radiating power that heightens the tension in the café. It’s almost comical, Hunter’s smaller frame dominating the taller Beta, but there’s nothing funny about the snarl on Hunter’s face or the strength of his scent rolling off him in waves. My cheek throbs, but I can’t look away, my Beta instincts screaming to submit to that raw authority.

Hunter leans in, his voice just about a growl. “I thought there was a misunderstanding, Carter, because I know you. Weworked together a year ago, and even if you found Celeste on whatever fucking app it is these days, I thought she was safe with you. But that handprint on her arm is going to be the death of you.”

Carter growls, struggling against Hunter’s grip. “You think you’re this big-ass cop,” he spits. “No one can touch you, huh?”

Hunter’s eyes narrow, his grip tightening on the Beta. “And you still came after my Omega? That’s low, even for you.” He releases Carter, shoving him back against the wall, the Beta stumbling back, catching himself before he falls.

Hunter turns to me, and my breath catches as he steps close, his hand reaching up to caress my face. That teakwood scent hits me full force, sending a shiver through me. I fight every instinct to lean into his touch, to submit, as my body hums with the mate bond I’m trying to ignore. His thumb gently brushes my cheek over the fresh bruise, my heart beating a little faster beneath his touch.

He twists back to Carter, his hand still on my face as his voice drops to a deadly calm. “If you hurt my Beta again, we’re going to have more than words. I’ve been told not to do anything stupid, so don’t let me see you anywhere near my pack again, you hear?”

Carter glares at the both of us, wiping blood from his lip, and stomps out, the café door slamming behind him. A barista mutters, “Sorry, I didn’t know,” as she hurries to clean the spilled coffee, her hands shaking. The other customers are quiet, their eyes darting between us, but I barely notice. Hunter’s hand is still on my cheek, no doubt checking the bruise, but it feels like more.

“Um, your pack?”

Hunter’s eyes meet mine, a faint smile tugging at his lips. “You okay, Lincoln?” he asks, his voice softer now, but still carrying that same power from before.

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