Page 87 of The Omega's Alpha
“I’ll stay with you through this.” He seemed nervous, tenser than he’d been at the airport.
“They asked me here,” I told him, guessing at the source of his anxiety. “Nothing’s going to happen.”
“You’re Alpha’s Mate,” he said. “I won’t have you disrespected.”
That brought me to a complete stop. “Alyn, you willnotstart anything here unless I tell you, do you understand?”
“You aren’t my Alpha. And I’m here to look after you.”
“I can look after myself, if it comes to it. But Mercy Hills has worked hard to make this sort of thing possible. And,” I cast an amused glance at Laine, watching us with narrowed eyes and squared shoulders. “I brought my lawyer. Infinitely more frightening in their own way.” I patted Alyn’s hand and started walking again. “Trust me. It’ll all be fine.”
Inside the lobby, we got directions to an office on the seventh floor and wedged ourselves into an elevator to make the trip up. It was the only time I was grateful for the tabs on our collars, because we had the elevator to ourselves, several humans choosing to wait for the next one rather than go up with us. I wondered if I’d insulted Alyn, because he was quiet, and the other two Las Padros shifters were following their superior’s lead.
The seventh floor was decorated in shades of gray and pale purple; it looked like lichen on rock—kind of homey, really. A young man sat at a desk just to our left, exactly like in the TV shows I’d seen.
“Can I help—Oh, you’re here to talk to Kelly. I’ll just let her know you’re here.” He pressed a couple of buttons on his phone and spoke quietly into the handset. A moment later, he looked up and said, “She’s waiting for you. Last door on the right.” His gaze was full of burning curiosity, but no resentment
The office we were looking for was around the corner and down a busy hallway. As we walked, I overheard snippets of conversation, things like, “No, you have to find a way to do it without the horses, we can’t afford the insurance for that,” and “Look, you guys are my last hope, I need…” and then we were in front of a door with a plain gold nameplate that read ‘Kelly Thurston’ in the middle, just below my eye height. I glanced at Laine, who shrugged, and then I knocked.
“Come in,” said a woman’s voice. I opened the door and stepped into a paper explosion.
Everything was covered with paper. There were stacks on the floor, stacks on the desk. The walls were half covered in bulletin boards, which were also covered in paper.
In complete contrast to the room, the woman just getting up from behind the desk was immaculate, with perfect makeup and not a hair out of place. She made me feel like a hillbilly in my jeans and t-shirt and cheap sneakers. “I wasn’t expecting you to look so much like your pictures,” she said and looked me up and down in a way that felt like she was wondering if I’d make a good mate for her son or daughter.
“They were pictures of me,” I said, to buy time to get my feet underneath me in this conversation. “Why wouldn’t they?”
She brushed that comment away with a wave of her hand and came around the desk. “There’s usually a lot more ‘work’ done on the pictures, touching things up, more makeup. But they kept you pretty natural.” She reached for my face—I didn’t think she meant anything by it, it seemed pretty unconsidered—and Alyn stepped between us.
“Don’t touch him,” he said firmly.
“It’s fine, Alyn,” I told him firmly, then gasped as he grabbed my arm and dragged me out into the hall.
Laine followed us out. “Holland?”
“It’s fine,” I told him, not moving my eyes from Alyn’s.
“It’s assault,” Laine said firmly, back on his own territory.
“Keep your human out of this,” Alyn said.
Oh, no, no, no, that’s now how this was going to go. “You aren’t my Alpha. Or my mate.”
“You’re an omega. You’ll do as you’re told, and you don’t get to decide what’s appropriate or not.” His grip tightened on my arm, hard enough I suspected I would be bruised later. “These humans don’t see us as their equals and you need to understand that, or they’ll have you spreading your legs for them as well as your mate.”
Rage flooded me, though I kept it hidden as I’d been taught to do as a pup. Something Bax and I had in common, that fury inside. Anger wasn’t appropriate for an omega and if you were such a bad omega that you felt it, you certainly didn’t show it.
But being with Quin had changed that. I was slowly learning how to use that anger, and when I was right to be angry about something.
This wasn’t the time for rage, but anger—oh, anger could be helpful. “Get your hand off me,” I said, and let a growl trickle out between my lips, soft, so soft that only he and I would hear it.
His eyes widened and for a moment I thought he’d remembered that he was here to serve me and not the other way around. Then his hand closed tighter on my arm, hurting where I was sure the bruises were blossoming on my skin, and pushed me toward the wall. “Your Alpha—”
Whatever he was going to say—and I really didn’t give a shit, because I was for damn sure going to call up Las Padros’ Alpha and give him a piece of my mind—it got cut off when I turned into the force of his push, put a leg behind his and knocked him hard on his ass. He let go of my arm in his shock and I used the opportunity handed to me to grab him by the throat and press hard enough that I could see his pulse in his face. “Go home, Alyn. I’ll be fine on my own, as you can see.” I let go of him and stood up, a prudent several feets’ distance away. “In fact, if you could drop my luggage with the receptionist, I’ll find my own place to stay tonight.” And while he was still gaping at me on the floor like a trout suddenly flicked out of its native stream, I grabbed Laine and ushered him into the office, closing the door firmly behind us. I put my back against it and leaned, as I didn’t see a lock.
“I’m sorry,” I said to Kelly. “My—status in the pack is something that occasionally causes confusion.”
“Let’s talk about that.” Angry knocking sounded from the door. The doorhandle turned, digging into my back, and they got it a half-inch open before I dug in my heels and shoved back. Laine came to help without being asked, and I sighed. “I need to make a quick call.” Quin had made certain I had both the Alpha’s and his Mate’s numbers in my phone before I left, his way of dealing with the anxiety of not having me by his side. I debated between the two, but another strong shove against the door made up my mind for me.
