Page 6 of Forbidden Taste
An opportunity like this would put me on the map but my craft would become my job, forced and ridiculed and molded.
Mom reaches over to squeeze my arm. “Riley, it would be a great path to start down. Besides, it would allow you and Benjamin to move on together. He’ll need his Omega at his side as he starts his career.”
This really doesn’t have anything to do with me. I can see it in her eyes, that hopeful expression that I’ll give in like I always do, trying to appease everyone but myself. My parents are rich as fuck but there’s no fame attached to their name, not like it is with Benjamin’s. Getting married to this Alpha would afford that last piece of the puzzle that my mother has been gunning for.
I’m just not going to be her vessel for it. “What about what I want?” My voice cracks, louder than I mean it to. “What about the things I want to do or experience?” Some part of me wants to ragein the middle of this restaurant, the other part wants to scour the academy, find Leo, and drag him back into my nest. That would terrify him, though, and I don’t need to make a scene.
So, I remain in my seat, fisting my hands under the table.
My mother laughs, her eyes narrowing at me. “You want to experience other things? Like the Omega you were caught with, his tongue down your throat? We don’t have time for any of that, Riley. You need to stay focused.”
I shove the pamphlet back across the table. “Great,” I say, bitterness dripping from the word. “Is that all you wanted to tell me? I refuse. I’m not doing that program. I already bleed music for you—I’m not going to die for it.” I push out of my chair, ignoring my mother calling my name.
I stagger out of the restaurant, the brisk night air sending a chill down my spine as I wrench my phone from my pocket. My only thought is to call a car or hell a taxi at this point and get back to my apartment. It’s my only safe space away from home, the only place no one is allowed in without being invited—campus rules. Tears blur my vision as I try to scroll through my contacts, someone snatching my phone from my hands before I can get the chance to call freedom.
“I’m not in the mood, Ben,” I rasp, reaching for my device.
He steps around in front of me, a snarl on his lips, his eyes darker than usual. “Use my full name,” he growls, stepping closer, his shadow swallowing mine. “And that disrespect in there has got to stop. They’re giving you a once-in-a-lifetime chance and you’re throwing it away to what, have some fun? Professor Jameson was very forthcoming about what she saw in there and that’s not going to happen again.”
I clench my fists, nails digging into my palms until I feel the sting. “I don’t expect you to understand,Benjamin.Omegas don’t get the same freedoms once they’re mated. They’re expected to perform for their Alphas—something my mom drills into me every fucking day. Cook your meals. Scrub your floors. Spread my legs whenever you snap your fingers. So, excuse me if I wanted a little more time before I’m shackled to your house, throwing my ass out for you to fuck it.” I shouldn’t have said any of that but Benjamin has been making sure everyone knows I’m his when we haven’t done much more than me sucking his cock because he wanted it.
Benjamin’s growl rumbles deep, a sound that vibrates through me as his hand shoots up, over my head. I flinch hard, cringing into myself as my scent sours—roses and honey curdling into something acrid, rancid with fear. He freezes, then sighs, his arm dropping back to his side, but the damage is done.
My Omega is telling me to submit, to make this right, even if I don’t want to. Benjamin would never actually hit me—I don’t think—but it doesn’t matter now. Knowing he’ll threaten me with it is enough for me to clamp down my objections until I can safely get away.
“You’d do well to curb your words. Dress properly. Keep yourself away from that Omega. You do not have time for distractions.”
Leo’s not a distraction. He’s the air I’ve been gasping for, the little piece of sunshine I’ve been craving. He’s everything—freedom, feeling,love. With him, I can almost hear the notes of that piece I’ve been bleeding over, the melody I’ve chased for months finally taking shape. Leo’s the missing ache, the emotion I couldn’t find, and they already want to rip him away.
Benjamin’s voice interrupts through my thoughts. “You’re going to come back and have dinner with us. Make nice. Then we can discuss on Monday about the choice you’ve made.”
“I’ve already made up my mind,” I mutter, my voice barely audible. I wrap my arms around myself, the pink hoodie suddenly too thin against the chill seeping into my bones.
“And I told you tothinkon it,” he counters, Benjamin pushing his bark into his words. His hand hovers near my arm, not touching but close enough to make my skin crawl. I want to make a scene—scream, shove him, run until my legs give out. But my instincts betray me as I curl into myself and follow him back inside.
There’s only one thought lingering, one that I firmly believe and surprises me all at once.
Leo would never force me to do anything. And not just because he’s an Omega but because of the way he looks at me. To him, I’m precious and those few moments with him made me feel like I was the center of someone’s entire world.
five
LEO
Saturday morning, I can’t stand to hide away in my dorm room any longer. I’ve only slipped out for the bathroom or a shower, nothing calming the ache in my chest and slight headache worming its way into my skull. My only options for escape is home and I don’t really want to talk about what’s going on in my head right now, the library, or the café down the street.
Which is why my head’s buried in a textbook, the pages blurring as I sip my mocha latte—extra whip, extra sugar, the sweetness coating my tongue. It’s things like this that remind me I’m an Omega: my stupid, overbearing love for sugar, or the way I picked this fluffy jacket instead of my usual long sleeve shirts.
I’m tucked into the corner of the coffee shop, back to the wall, safe from anyone sitting behind me. It’s almost perfect. The air smells of roasted beans and cinnamon as my pen scratches at anotebook, half-hearted, my focus no longer on angles and blueprints. It’s on Riley, on last night, on the heat still simmering under my skin.
I fell asleep with his scent pressed to my nose, the insatiable desire to fuck and knot my fantasy disappearing but I still woke up hard, almost in pain, heat coursing through me. There’s a thousand reasons Omegas shouldn’t be with other Omegas but I’m beginning to think it has more to do with our pheromones going haywire than anything else.
My concentration is shot, an attempt at focusing falling away when Riley’s scent hits me full force. I’m hard all over again, confusion welling up in my chest. Burying my head deeper into the textbook does nothing, Riley’s suddenly across from me, slipping into the empty seat. He’s got this wild smile on his face, gorgeous brown eyes staring at me as I meet his gaze.
“You can’t be here.”
He leans forward, elbows on the table. “Is this seat taken?” He teases, obviously not understanding my words.
I shake my head, closing my textbook and shoving it into my bag. “I’m a distraction to you,” I mutter, gripping my pen tighter. “You’re going to get in trouble again.” They’re not words I want to say but that professor had been so angry. Her scent was harsh, her expression disappointed at my presence, and she called me Mr. Woods.
