Page 175 of Pack Rivals: Part Two
39
Silver
One monthlater
I squeezeBea’s hand as she hooks her arm through mine. I still can’t believe I’m this fucking lucky. So fucking lucky, I get the most beautiful woman in the city, probably in the whole country, hanging on my arm. Sweetest, funniest and cleverest too. Her new employers are already talking about sponsoring her through a college degree. I’m hoping she’ll accept. We’ve been offering to pay for her to go, but the little thing is just as stubborn as she is beautiful – she wants to do things her own way.
“I really don’t want to do this,” she mutters.
“It won’t be for very long,” I promise her for the tenth time this morning.
She pulls a face, but then I nudge her and she plasters on a pleasant smile. It’s not particularly convincing. But then I can’t blame her. It’s going to take all my best powers of control to keep the look of disgust from my face.
“I can’t believe they’re actually agreeing to have lunch with us,” she mutters, watching as Melody and the head of her new pack, Don Cleaver, walk side by side along the promenade and stop in front of the restaurant.
Melody’s dressed in some designer outfit, so skin tight, I’m surprised she can breathe. Her purposely curled locks tumble around her shoulders and giant sunglasses block out most of her face.
It reeks of fakery. Pretending she doesn’t want to be seen, when really it’s all she wants. To be looked at and admired. To be honest, most people are looking her way, except her alpha. He hardly seems to register her presence. Maybe he’s already discovered just how shallow his new omega is.
Good. The two deserve each other.
I’m really looking forward to ruining their day.
“And miss the chance to scoop some gossip she can spread like muck among her minion friends?” I whisper and Bea giggles.
Fuck, I love that noise. I’m not the best at making her laugh. I’m not Hardy with his easy jokes, or Connor with his quick wit, I’m definitely not Nate with his chaotic ways. But, fuck, I’m trying, because every time this woman smiles it lights me up like a furnace inside.
“I doubt she’ll be spreading the details of this lunch,” Bea says, with a sneaky look.
Melody reaches us first, greeting Bea with a squeal, gripping her shoulders and kissing the air by her cheek.
“So good to see you, Bess. I’m so sorry we couldn’t stretch to have you at the wedding ceremony. But you know,” she giggles, “it was all such a whirlwind and ended up being quite an intimate thing.”
I hear she had three hundred guests at the wedding as well as photographers from each of the gossip magazines.
Next she turns her attention to me, locking her hands on my bicep and squeezing as she plants a wet and lingering kiss on my cheek, sucking in my scent. I catch Bea’s eye over the omega’s head and she’s suppressing another of those giggles. Probably at the bewilderment dancing across my face. Isn’t this woman meant to be newly bonded?
If my omega was fawning all over some other man, I’d be flinging her over my shoulder and taking her home for a spanking. Once again, Don barely notices. Instead his eyes are all overmyomega. I shake off Melody’s grip and step in front of Bea, holding out my hand for Don to shake. Then I wrap my arm firmly around my omega’s waist and lead her to our table, making sure I secure the seat next to hers before Don can.
“So nice of you to invite us to lunch,” Melody says, unfolding the napkin from the table and spreading it across her knees. “Although, I’d have loved an invitation to the place you’re building on the beach, I hear it’s quite spectacular.”
“We’re not building anything,” Bea corrects her. There’s no way Bea would allow that. “We’re just remodeling a property we own there already.” The condo her aunt has sold to us.
Melody ignores her, directing all her attention to me. “And still not bonded, huh? Yet rumor has it you’re virtually living together.”
“Not virtually. We are.”
“Then what on earth are you waiting for?” she laughs. She leans across the table, pretending to whisper to Bea. “Cold feet? Unsure?” She laughs again and leans back in her chair, placing her hand over Don’s. “Because when you find the ones, you really have no cause to wait. The connection, you know,” she holds her hand over her heart, like the woman actually owns one, “it’s so strong, you just have to bond.”
“Oh, it’s strong,” I say, resting my hand on Bea’s shoulder and stroking over her throat with my thumb, the place I’m going to bite her one of these days, bite her and make her mine. “But there’s no need to rush. I love this woman and we have all the time in the world.”
Don frowns. There’s about as many sparks between these two as there are between a damp match and a used flint box.
“You’re really not proceeding with the development down on North Beach?” Don asks, opening a bottle of sparkling water and pouring himself a glass.
“No, we’re not,” I say, reaching for the bottle myself. “And we’re not going to be selling it either, before you ask.” We’ve had plenty of offers. We’ve said no to them all. I pour Bea a glass of water and then one for Melody too.
“Ahhh no,” Don chuckles, “I’ve no interest in property.”
