Page 30 of Broken Alpha (Unwanted #1)

The following morning I woke to an empty bed and Luke’s muffled voice from beyond the bedroom door.

I found a sweatshirt he had left for me at the foot of the bed and pulled it on before leaving the bedroom.

I was instantly hit with the scent of burnt cloves and citrus, his pheromones indicating that Luke was agitated and angry.

I had left my glasses in the bedroom in search of him and found his fuzzy frame in the living room, pacing, his phone to his ear, with his back turned to me.

I slid my arms around his waist, resting my head against his broad back as I pulled him against me.

Instantly his body relaxed, leaning into my touch while I released some of my pheromones to taper the burning anger within him. My Omega’s purr rolled out of my chest, vibrating against his back as his arm clutched mine.

“I really don’t know how many times I have to tell you that I’m simply not interested in Miss Richards.

I have a mate, and I don’t give a flying fuck if he’s not good enough for you because he’s more than good enough for me.

I don’t need your approval on my life partner, and I’m going to stay with him until I know that his heat has passed. ”

The last time Luke spoke to his parents, it had also been a fight about me and insecurity clutched itself tightly around my body.

Attempting to pull away from him, he clung to me, refusing to let me go.

Luke turned around in my embrace, cupping my face in his free hand, exhaustion and sadness on his face.

“A mistress does not come before family and duty. You will show up for Thanksgiving, or I’ll drag you out of your apartment myself. Do you understand me?” His father’s voice was loud over the phone's speaker, while his tone suggested that he viewed Luke as a problematic child.

“Mistress?” I whispered, smiling at Luke. “They do know I’m a guy, right?”

Luke gave a halfhearted smile and rolled his eyes, but there was a war raging behind his gaze.

Like Luke mentioned last night, my heat didn’t give a damn about holidays or families.

Luke’s family didn’t give a damn about anyone he saw as his mate, and it was clear that I wasn’t invited to their holiday dinner.

That didn’t bother me. What did bother me was that I was coming between him and his family. I wouldn’t be the reason they fought.

“Go,” I whispered, placing my hand on his cheek and stepping on my tippy toes to kiss him.

“I can’t, you need me here.”

“Go. Please,” I insisted. “I’ll be alright, and I’ll be here.”

Luke’s eyes searched my face before he replied, “One hour. We’ll have dinner, and then I need to leave. My duty is here.”

Despite the plan, the closer to Thanksgiving we got, the more mini heat spikes I experienced. I doubled up on my suppressants, carried de-scenter spray everywhere, and ignored Luke's look of concern. I just needed to get through the next few days.

I spoke with Dr. Easton the week of Thanksgiving about the change of plans, and Luke filled out the form to take a leave of absence for the week after, citing a family emergency.

The issue was that not many could teach his class, so he left behind a list of documentaries the substitute professor could show with a quiz to review the information learned and required reading for his return.

In the five years that Luke had taught at the university, he never took a leave of absence, so he was confident the university wouldn’t deny his request.

Dr. Easton explained that, unfortunately, there was nothing that could be done to stop my impending heat, but he said that it might mean I won’t go into one when we flush the suppressants out of my system in December before the winter holidays.

He couldn’t find a reason as to why I was still having a heat, despite being on suppressants, and he apologized for the inconvenience.

Which had me laughing, because holy fuck was this an inconvenience, and the idea that I might have a second heat next month just irritated the hell out of me.

We had gone shopping for water bottles, boxes of protein bars, and a box of Alpha condoms in preparation for my heat, and I placed them in the bedroom near the foot of the bed.

It made sense to do so since my nest was likely where I would spend my heat.

Luke had already left for his parents’ Thanksgiving dinner, and the apartment felt quiet without him.

I tried to focus on homework, finishing a project that was due next week, but struggled once more.

God, this was annoying. Sighing, I entered the bathroom, turning the shower on to let it heat up.

Stepping under the spray, a heat spike surged through me, and I groaned in need, using the wall to prevent myself from collapsing to my knees as the wave crashed into me.

I could feel slick gathering at my entrance as I reached behind me, inserting two fingers easily into my body.

I groaned in frustration, my fingers not quite reaching the spot within my body that would provide temporary relief.

I had grown so used to having Luke assist me that my Omega became greedy for him, desperate for him to make us feel good.

But I had to handle this alone. Grabbing my cock, I ran my fist along the velvety skin of my shaft, my back arching slightly in pleasure.

Visions of Luke and me together flashed through my head, bringing my release quickly, splattering across the tile surface.

But it wasn’t enough, and my body felt tight and unsatisfied, agitated.

I turned the nozzle to cold, letting the water cool my feverish skin.

This wasn’t like my previous heats. I had never spiked like this, and I couldn’t help but wonder if it was because I had access to another dominant.

The desire for my mate was quickly replaced by fear.

Fear of the unknown and fear of my cycle changing.

I trusted Luke; I wouldn’t have asked him to spend my heat with me if I hadn’t, but I couldn’t help the anxiety that welled up within me.

Somehow, I knew that my Omega would take over soon, I would be going into heat soon, and I could only hope that Luke would be here when I did.