Page 29 of Coveted

“Ignore her. She clearly has no manners, and she’s sullen because the alpha she’s been matched with is out on the fringes and she has to wait to meet him.”

“Not like I want to meet him, I just want to get out of here,” the girl muttered.

Suri’s lips were drawn into a thin line, but the shine of lights on the silver scar on her neck reminded Alana that Suri had an alpha waiting for her. Pushing away the urge to cling to the only person she knew, Alana offered her an encouraging smile.

“Go be with your alpha. I’ll be fine. I’ll see you in the morning.”

Expression softening, Suri nodded and said goodnight to everyone before striding toward the lift. With her nerves calmed, Alana’s stomach reminded her it had been a long time since her paltry lunch, rumbling loud enough the other women heard it.

“Grab yourself some food and join us. We won’t bite.”

Teeth flashed as brown eyes stared up at her, and Alana huffed a soft laugh before nodding.

She sat and ate with the other omegas, the younger woman leaving once she’d finished her food, though the other two lingered. The one Alana had seen Suri talking to when she arrived was quiet, only speaking a few times, but they all stayed at the table until Alana realized how long it had been.

“I’ve got to get to bed or I’m going to be a mess in the morning.”

The other two stood with her, all three of them carrying their dishes to the receptacles beneath the buffet table. The quiet one gave her a smile and nod before slipping off to a room across the space from Alana’s, but the other lingered a moment longer. Alana had admitted to them over dinner that she’d only just met her alpha but was leaving with him early because of his responsibilities.

“Be safe. Don’t let him push you into the background, and make sure you contact Suri at the first hint of trouble.”

The ghost of pain flashed across her face, and it wasn’t until then that Alana noticed the scars on her neck. Where Suri and Alana’s mother’s marks were perfect crescents, these scars were thick and mangled, as if the skin had torn while the teeth making them were locked in her flesh.

As if she’d been struggling while she was bitten.

She turned away before Alana’s shock cleared enough for her to speak, and she had to swallow the questions bubbling in her mind. The woman had been pleasant, but Alana didn’t know her well enough to ask the kinds of questions burning on her tongue.

“Thank you. I hope you find happiness,” Alana called after her.

A quick smile was flashed her way before the other woman disappeared into the room a few doors down from her own.

Fresh worry stirring Alana’s thoughts, it was a long time before she could fall asleep, and far too soon when the alarm woke her. Rolling from bed to prepare for breakfast and the trip to her new home with her future mate, she reminded herself this was her fresh start. Her chance to rewrite her roll in her life. She couldn’t let fear or her body’s response to Vax control her actions.

Chapter Sixteen

Vax

Vax had been up well into the early morning handling business since Farcon 1’s daylight time was different than Earth’s. He finally let himself crawl onto the bed when there was only three hours left before the breakfast with Alana, not bothering to undress or get beneath the blankets, but even his dreams wouldn’t let him relax. Alana had stayed in his thoughts the entire time, and his dreams only made things worse.

Pale flesh writhed beneath his, her sugary citrus scent wrapped around him. Whimpers and breathy gasps filled his ears, his cock throbbing until he looked up at the sound of voices. The Council surrounded them, glaring down at him and demanding he give them more crystals.

“We don’t care if the miners are pushed to exhaustion, do your job or we take the omega.”

He’d awakened to the sound of his own growl filling the room, nothing but the mattress beneath him, his erection trapped and leaking through his clothing. Groaning, he checked the time before heaving a sigh. There wasn’t enough left to bother trying to go back to sleep.

Rolling from the bed, he grimaced at the clinging cloth covering his groin. Growling under his breath at the tense need coiled in his belly, he stomped to the shower, stripping as he went.

It didn’t take long to take the edge off the lust writhing within him as warm water cascaded down his skin. Memories of green eyes staring up at him mixed with the pseudo memories from his dream, his knot swelling almost as soon as he took hold of himself. Thrusting into his grip, he painted the wall of the shower with his seed, rope after rope of it leaving him as he groaned through the release.

He still wanted to pounce on Alana and pin her beneath him. He couldn’t imagine a situation where he wouldn’t want her, no matter how many times he was drained. But at least some of the tension abated and he was able to wash and dress without an erection bobbing between his legs.

He returned to the Collection Center and followed the Lohofia female from the reception desk back toward the same meeting room he’d been in the day before, but he spotted Alana and Suri coming from the opposite direction before he stepped inside. Pausing to let them catch up, he couldn’t stop his gaze from running down Alana’s body before returning to her face.

Instead of the green dress from the day before that had flared around her hips, she wore a soft pink sheath that hugged her curves and made his mouth water, his cock stirring in interest despite what he’d done in the shower. The smile on her face was innocent and shy, but his thoughts were anything but.

Vax smirked as Alana held his gaze despite the way her chin dropped with the instinct to submit. While he didn’t want her fighting him or causing a fuss, he wouldn’t mind if she had a little spunk. The time he’d spent with her the previous day had left him with the impression that she was pretty mellow, but it was too soon to be sure.

He greeted the women as they stopped in front of him, Suri cocking a brow as she returned it. Finally dropping her eyes to his chest, Alana murmured good morning as well before peeking back up at him.

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