"You better be watching your back," I tell her, voice dropping into something darker. "Because I'm not going to let some Omega bring me down. I worked too hard to get where I am."
I feel proud of myself for approximately three seconds.
Until she bites my finger…
Not a gentle nip.
An actual bite, teeth closing around my finger with enough pressure that I feel it, sharp points of pain that make me flinch and jerk my hand back.
"What the fuck?!" The words explode from me. "Why did you do that?"
Aurora shrugs, the gesture infuriatingly casual.
"Well, if you're going to present me your finger like that, you can't expect me to not bite it."
She takes another sip of coffee while I stare at her in disbelief.
A growl rumbles from my chest—low and threatening and completely involuntary.
"You're fucking insane."
Her smile is bright and utterly unrepentant.
"Welcome to having an 'insane' Omega. And if you're going to have access to me, at least try to learn a few quirks about me,partner."
The way she says "partner"—with just enough emphasis to make it clear she's claiming equal status rather than submissive deference—makes something complicated happen in my chest.
Respect, maybe.
Or the beginning of attraction I'm not ready to acknowledge.
She turns to address the others, coffee mug still cradled in her hands.
"I'm going to change, by the way. Then we can head to the garage or back to our lives or whatever. I guess we'll figure this pack stuff out later as we go."
Her eyes land on Elias specifically, and her expression softens.
"We need to name the kitten properly. And I'm keeping your shirt."
Elias's smirk is immediate and pleased.
"Wouldn't have it any other way."
Aurora saunters toward the bedroom—actually saunters, hips swaying in ways that draw attention whether she means to or not—leaving me standing in the middle of the kitchen staring after her.
My finger throbs where she bit it.
And despite my frustration, despite my resistance to this entire situation, my traitorous brain decides this is the perfect moment to remind me exactly what her body felt like during the heat.
The way she moved.
The sounds she made.
The feel of being inside her, her heat clenching around me, the taste of her slick on my tongue.
The way she took control even in heat, directing us with surprising clarity about what she needed and how she wanted it.
The way she looked riding me, head thrown back in pleasure, claiming her satisfaction with the same intensity she apparently approaches everything else in her life.