Page 38 of Stolen By the Alpha Hunter
I shudder as he wraps it around my throat, the leather sitting heavy against my skin, snug, possessive, final.
The clasp snaps shut.
Javi’s fingers tighten on the back of my neck, pressing down just enough that I feel it, just enough to make me tremble. The pressure sends a wave of heat straight to my core, my thighs clenching involuntarily, my breath coming faster.
The leather smells like him already.
Like his hands, his sweat, his claim.
The crowd erupts in laughter, wolves jeering, barking, howling with approval.
Gideon watches, his expression smug, victorious.
But Javi?—
Javi doesn’t look victorious at all.
His face is still, his jaw locked so tight I can see the muscles jumping beneath his skin.
He doesn’t look satisfied.
He doesn’t look proud.
He looks disgusted.
And I don’t know if it’s because of them, because of me…or because of himself.
8
JAVI
In a matter of minutes, I’ve screwed over three—maybe four—people.
Myself, Boyd, Lila…and Peaches.
I don’t break contact with her as we follow Gideon and his generals through the crowd of alphas, the men of the Rig leering at Peaches even though I’ve claimed her. I bare my teeth and snarl at them, holding my omega close to my side and staring daggers at anyone who dares look at her. She’s still vulnerable—even with my bite still bloody on her neck, she’s so vulnerable I can hardly stand it.
I can’t figure out why I did this.
I think…
No—the fact of the matter is that I wasn’t thinking at all.
I did this because I let my wolf win.
The storm is just getting started again when Gideon guides us into the Citadel, the metal supports swaying overhead. If I didn’t have my sea legs, it might scare me, but I know that platforms like this have been through worse over the years. Peaches, on the other hand, can’t stop trembling. I grip her tightly, wishing she would just stop drawing attention to herself like this.
The Citadel is just as spooky as the last time I was here, featuring old, decrepit artwork and piles of loot all over the place. I catch the scent of other omegas in the building, but they’re nowhere to be seen—not like last night when I saw them chained to the floor.
Maybe that’s why I did this.
Because I grew a fucking conscience all of a sudden.
My timing could not have been any worse.
Gideon guides us to a sitting area with a torn up old sofa and two armchairs, taking a seat in the biggest chair. He’s about my size—big for an alpha, supposedly the biggest man here. It’s what’s always made me so valuable to Boyd, even when he scraped my strung out ass up off the floor of a fighting ring in Miami. I’m able to take on almost any alpha…but I never wanted to be a leader.
This might be my toughest match yet.
