Page 2 of Enticing Little Omega (Twisted Little Tales #5)

Cindy

T he necklace gleamed like a secret at the base of my throat.

It was delicate. Silver with a single teardrop-shaped opal that caught the light and shimmered with pinks and blues. My fingers brushed over it, the metal warm from my skin. It was the only thing I had left from my mom.

I remembered little about her; she died when I was just a toddler, but Dad said she wore this necklace every single day.

He gave it to me on my fifteenth birthday, tucked into a velvet box with trembling hands and glassy eyes. Just before he told me he was marrying someone else.

Her.

Now, three years later, I stood in front of the mirror, finally having the courage to wear it.

I'm almost eighteen.

Only one more day.

My reflection stared back. Older, sharper and even more jaded than the girl who once believed in birthday cake wishes and happily-ever-afters.

The wild watercolour of rainbow my hair sported this week was mostly a mix of soft lilac, cotton candy pink, and turquoise at the ends. A defiant choice, one I'll probably pay for later, but it's the armour I needed.

Tracy would hate it, which only made me love it more.

She believed young Beta women should look natural, soft and pretty in an unforgettable way.

But I yearned to be seen .

Heard.

I tilted my head, trying to see myself through my dad's eyes. He would've smiled at me, chuckled at the hair, but he always said I reminded him of my mother when I laughed.

Goddess, I missed him.

A full year had passed since he'd died. A year of aching silence and polite lies.

A year of living under the same roof as Tracy, who hadn't even cried at his funeral.

And after we put my hero in the ground? She kept me. But not out of kindness. No. Out of convenience.

She'd inherited everything. His business, his properties. I still couldn't believe that he'd not made any provisions for me.

And Tracy had made it real clear I owed her for every meal, every item of clothing, every ounce of generosity she showed me.

Translation?

I worked like a dog in one of her restaurants, sometimes open to close, and I would be grateful for it.

But today, all that changed

Tomorrow, I will be free.

Eighteen meant my freedom. I could finally leave. Walk out that door and never look back.

I just had to make it through one more night.

"Cindy!" Tracy's voice snapped through the old house, sharp as a whip. "Why aren't you downstairs yet?They will be here any minute!"

They .

The twins.

Drew and Anton. Her precious Alpha sons were finally visiting. The first time since she married Dad.

In all this time I'd never met them. The closest I'd ever come were those dismissive voices over the phone years ago.

And now, suddenly, they were coming.

And I was expected to smile and serve hors d'ouvres while pretending this wasn't the most twisted thing ever. Serving guests in my home like an unpaid servant.

I turned from the mirror, the necklace cool against my skin.

"Coming," I called back, smoothing down my thrifted dress as my eyes landed on my packed bag.

Just one more night.

Just a few more hours.

Then I'd be gone, and they could have each other.

I'd take my mother's necklace, my dad's memory, and the money I'd been saving in secret, and carve out a life of my own.

The music was already thumping by the time I reached the bottom of the stairs, something vaguely jazzy and definitely expensive.

Tracy didn't do anything by halves.

Except parenting, it seems.

The house had been transformed for the night. It has been turned into some kind of winter wonderland. According to the gossip running amongst the staff, she'd convinced—more like blackmailed—the twins into coming back for a party.

A celebration of the formal Pack paperwork for the twins being finalised.

They were yet to find their Omega but for a group of influential Alphas to settle on a formal pack was a big deal. And Tracy wanted to show off her boys along with letting them meet a few single Omegas that would help her new political ambitions.

I tugged my jersey tighter over my arms. It wasn't cold, not really. In fact... it was the opposite. My skin felt too tight, my blood too warm. I swallowed and tried to shake it off.

Just jitters about finally meeting the twins and their pack mates.

And fear of being caught out in my escape plans.

Only one more night, I reminded myself.

I slipped behind the temporary bar and grabbed a tray of mini crab cakes on delicate glass spoons, and balanced it on my palm.

My skin prickled, my heart thudded in an odd, irregular beat.

Dammit. I couldn't afford to get sick right then.

I plastered on my patented fake smile and wove through the crowd, offering food to a few people who barely looked at me.

As I turned toward the next table, the world tilted sideways. A heat curled low in my belly. My knees wobbled for a split second—and then I crashed into a wall.

No.

Not a wall.

A man.

An Alpha. All hard, solid and broad.

The tray clattered between us, and I fumbled with it, horrified that I might drop it. Strong hands shot out, gripping my elbows to steady me.

My head snapped up, and I stared into a face I'd only ever seen in those smug family portraits hanging in Tracy's office.

Thick dark hair, buzzed at the sides. A square jaw. Sharp cheekbones. Eyes like amber fire.

And he was huge . Taller than I expected. Wider too. His grip was strong but careful, and his scent...

Oh no.

No. No. No. No.

It hit me like a freight train. Musk and leather and home. Even though for the last three years I've not really known what home could really possibly look or feel like.

A flush surged through me, and my knees buckled again.

He steadied me, one brow quirking as he studied my face. "You okay?" His voice was low, rough velvet with a low, almost-purr that instantly settled my rattled nerves.

I blinked. "You're in my way."

He blinked back, clearly startled.

"I'm trying to work," I added, straightening my back and pretending I didn't feel like my entire body was about to combust. "But by all means, stand in the middle of the damn room like you own the place."

The corner of his mouth twitched. "Charming."

"Don't let Tracy hear you say that. She'll have a fit if someone thinks I have a personality."

That earned me a full grin, and dammit if that didn't just make things worse. He smelled good, and the heat in my body was climbing again.

"You're Cindy," he said. It wasn't a question.

"Wow. You must be the smart twin."

"I'm Drew."

Right. I knew that. The fun-looking one. The one who ran his own company already.

I stepped back, breaking his hold on me and forced myself to smile through the heat fogging my brain. "Sure, sure. Now would you mind, I've got a job to do."

And with that, I turned and marched toward the food table, heart racing, thighs aching and heat pooling low in my belly.