Page 3 of Claiming the Pack’s Omega (Riverwell Omegaverse #2)

After meeting Obsidian, I can honestly see why she’s so jealous that I’ve been assigned to be his ring girl.

I’d be jealous too, and I don’t normally get jealous.

There’s something refreshing about him. Something that feels safe.

Which is a bizarre thing to say in a place like this, when he’s actively beating another man in front of me. But still. My point stands.

“Hey, omega,” a sleazy beta says, coming up from behind me and trying to grip my hips.

Shit, I got distracted again.

The beta’s scent of rust is almost drowned out by the stale smell of cigarettes and alcohol.

“Hands off, buddy,” I say, taking a step forward and trying to shove him off me.

Even though I want to get flowery with my threats when a guy is touching me like this—like telling them to get their hands off before I twist off their nuts—that sort of thing doesn’t usually work for a crowd like this.

Maybe on nights when no one really cares about the fights and they’re just here to get drunk.

Those nights, a lot of guys honestly think it’s funny to see the tiny, hot omega threaten them.

Tonight, something like that, with all the bloodlust in the air, could get me hurt.

Hell, by the way this guy’s face twists in anger at my basic request, I may still get hurt.

“Come on, a girl like you is for sale, ain’t ya?” he slurs.

“Like you could afford a girl like me. You know Dominic keeps his price sky high,” I huff, trying to push him away again, this time with a bit more real force.

I glance around nervously, trying to find one of the bouncers I know Frankie has floating around the place, but they’re nowhere to be found. Maybe they’re breaking up another fight somewhere else.

His lips pull back in a snarl, and he wraps his meaty hands around my neck, pulling me so close to his face, I can practically taste his disgusting breath.

I fight him in earnest, this time, his grip on my neck making it hard for me to breathe.

“Omega sluts like you need to know their fuckin’ place,” he growls, using his grip on my neck to throttle me.

I shove my heeled foot into his shin, making him stumble, but instead of getting him off of me, he just trips into me, shoving my back against the metal chain links of the cage.

That’s when the panic starts to set in. I’m trapped. There’s nowhere for me to go now. Why isn’t anyone fucking stopping this creep?

The crackle of the MC’s microphone plays over the speakers. “And the winner is—hey, wait, Obsidian where’re you going!”

There’s a shadow above me as someone vaults over the wall of the cage, and a split second later, the beta is ripped off of me.

Obsidian smashes his fist into the creep’s face. There’s a spray of blood on the concrete floor in front of me and I freeze, the memory of nightmares I try really fucking hard to bury creeping back in.

“Fuck off,” Obsidian growls, his dominance swirling around him. “Before I fucking kill you.”

The almost sheepish, teasing man I spoke with in the locker room is nowhere to be found. In his place is a fighting machine, his bloodlust nearly as thick as the bloodlust of the crowd.

The beta scrambles away, holding his face, and disappears into the crowd of people that’ve started watching us instead of the cage.

Obsidian steps close to me, seeming to try to shield me from the gazes of the people around us. His hand rests on the curve of my hip. His blood-covered hand. The white wraps he has around his knuckles are stained red.

My chest heaves as I struggle to breathe. I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to shut out the memories of the first time I saw a fist covered in blood.

The blood of my first boyfriend. On Dominic’s fist.

“Are you okay?” Obsidian murmurs into my ear.

“Get your hand off of me,” I grit out.

He jerks his hand back like I burned him, or like he didn’t even realize he was touching me.

“Shit, sorry.” His hands come up like he’s trying to soothe a wild animal as he takes a step back.

I see the moment his eyes fall down to my neck. To where that beta probably smudged the foundation covering purple finger-shaped bruises. Older bruises.

His expression grows dark. “Those?—”

“Stop it,” I cut him off before he can start interrogating me. “Thanks for winning. And for saving me back there.”

I start shoving my way through the crowd, baring my teeth at anyone who looks like they are going to stop me and wrap my arms around myself. It’s probably the fact that Obsidian stepped in to save me that makes all the other men around me keep their distance, but I don’t care.

“Wait! Raine!” Obsidian calls.

Either he’s stuck in the crowd of people wanting to congratulate him on his fight or he doesn’t care enough to follow me, but I make it to Frankie’s office without any other incident.

“The boss?—”

I send a glare up at Frankie’s guard dog of an alpha and he freezes.

“I’m going in,” I growl, throwing open the door.

Frankie nearly jumps up from his desk. “What the fuck, Raine!”

“Obsidian won. I want my cut. And fucking hazard pay, a stupid beta just choked me out on your floor and Obsidian out of all fucking people was the one to stop him. Bet Dominic wouldn’t wanna hear about how you’re letting one of his favorite girls get roughed up under your fucking watch.”

His eyes go wide at my rant, but surprisingly, he turns to start opening the safe in the corner of the room.

“How much on top of the fifteen hundred to keep that neck of yours covered and your mouth shut.”

“Another five hundred and the rest of the night off.” My eyes dart around the room almost wildly. I can’t stay here any longer. I need to go back home.

“Fine,” Frankie grumbles, throwing a few stacks of cash on the table.

I don’t even take the time to count it before I grab it and practically bolt out of his office.

I let out a bitter laugh as I make my way down the hall and to the dressing room. It’s either laugh or cry.

I got these older bruises around my neck for five hundred too. Dominic has a rule about no bruises.

But there was a stupid dark green-eyed alpha with a big mouth and a general energy that screamed douchebag who I got on my back for last weekend. He wanted to choke me. And apparently, I can’t fucking say no to money.

Even if it means being scared that I’m going to die.

The dressing room is empty. Thank god. I don’t know if I could handle Lulu’s jealous bitchiness. Or Peaches’ kind concern. Either of those would make me lose my shit.

I grab my stuff, only bothering to put on my hoodie before I head out the back and to my beater of a car. It’s only a year younger than I am. Only reason why it’s still working at twenty-three years old is ‘cause of how well my dad knows his way around an engine.

My heart is racing so quick I don’t even feel the chill in the air, even though it’s so cold outside that there’s frost on the ground.

I throw myself into the front seat of my car, letting the silence around me sink into my bones. I rest my forehead against the steering wheel and fight the urge to cry.

Why do I do this to myself? Why do I put myself in these situations? Work these sorts of jobs?

I feel cheap. Dirty. Weak.

My phone buzzes from my bag and I take a deep breath, grabbing for it blindly.

My phone screen flashes in my face.

2:30AM

Mom

Sorry to bother you while you’re at work, sweetie, but Daisy seems to have a stomach bug. She’s all feverish. Could you grab some medicine on your way back from work?

Oh.

That’s why.

Reyna

of course, mom. actually got off work early tonight, so I’ll be home soon

Mom

Oh, that’s awesome! Was the bar slow tonight?

I grit my teeth and shut my eyes again. Ah yes, the “bar” I work at.

It’s not too far-fetched of a lie. The Warehouse sells drinks, though I’m usually not the one serving them unless we’re short-staffed.

Reyna

yeah

Mom

I get paid next Friday, so I can send you some money for the medicine then

no need, mom, it’s fine

I can never tell her the truth. I can never tell any of my family the truth. This is my burden to carry alone. I’ll figure it out, I always have.