Page 28 of Forbidden Taste (An Omega’s Preference #3)
twenty
LEO
I sit at the back of the art history lecture, my pencil tapping against the desk, the professor’s voice a dull hum I can’t latch onto.
My mind’s a mess, snagged on this new designation that I didn’t even think was a possibility.
I filed the medical paperwork this morning, the nurse staring at me for several long seconds, her eyes wide behind her glasses, before she scurried off down to the administration wing with my forms clutched in her hands.
I should’ve felt relief, but it just tightened the knot in my chest because there’s now yet another label I don’t know how to wear yet.
Eugene’s been buzzing around all morning, his nasally voice grating as he rambles about some project, and I’ve barely heard him, my head buried in my phone, scrolling through patchy articles about Zetas—half science, half speculation, none of it clear enough to settle me .
Calling home was my next plan, asking my dads about Uncle Bear, but that doesn’t feel like a phone conversation.
So, I shove it down, trying not to get lost in all of the chaos.
My eyes dart to the clock, the red numbers ticking down to lunch—ten minutes, eight, six—counting the seconds until I can find Riley as I focus on his calm through the bond, the only thing that’s kept me steady since this morning.
What little I have garnered from all those articles told me that everything I’m feeling is normal after claiming a mate but I hate it, hate feeling this anxious, this untethered, like I’m fraying at the edges.
Because once again, Riley isn’t the only one I’m thinking about.
That needy part of me keeps flip flopping between fantasies of Riley or Hawk beneath me, sometimes putting Hawk over me, a thought that I’ve come to dwell on way faster than I thought was possible.
I’m hard and achy, heat bristling beneath my skin, my only saving grace is the scent blocker Octavia prescribed.
Unable to sit still any longer, I mutter an excuse to the professor—bathroom, probably, I don’t even know—and grab my bag, slipping out the door before anyone can question it, immediately looking for a place to disappear.
The whispers follow me, slightly different accusations than yesterday but they’re softer, less certain, more confusion.
I don’t care, not really, just need to get away, need air, need Riley.
I turn down another hall, the architecture wing fading behind me, and the sound shifts, upbeat music pulsing from the practice rooms ahead.
Several students are gliding across the floor, tights and tutus and elegant dresses full of rich colors stare at me through the large windows.
It’s pure elegance in motion as they mold themselves to the beat but I keep moving, following the familiar musky vanilla scent drawing me in.
And that’s where I find Hawk, alone, moving through the space with that dancer’s grace—lean and fluid, his dark hair falling into his eyes as he stretches, his shirt clinging to his frame.
It makes sense now why I was slowly coming into my Omega instincts even before Riley. I’ve been down this hallway dozens of times, passing these rooms, catching that musky vanilla in the air—muted then, a whisper I liked but didn’t linger on. It didn’t do much, didn’t pull at me, not until now.
I press against the glass, my breath fogging it in shallow bursts, watching Hawk move across the practice room floor—just like I used to watch Riley, hours lost outside his door, caught in his music.
Hawk’s different, though—weightless, graceful for an Alpha, all lean muscle and soft edges despite how hard he fucked Riley last night, his body cutting through the space with a precision that steals my air.
The upbeat music pulses in fast and sharp bursts, nothing like Riley’s soaring strings but I can’t stop watching, my eyes tracing the line of his legs, the flex of his arms, the way his eyes seem to hold the very weight of the music.
I’m not sure what gives me the confidence but I don’t want to stay in the hallway so I push inside, careful to stay quiet, to allow Hawk to continue expressing himself in one of the most beautiful ways I’ve ever seen.
It’s different from Riley’s—less tender, more action, invoking a heat I didn’t expect.
Hawk’s eyes are closed, I realize now, his body moving to the melody purely out of memory and feeling, every step a dance he knows by heart.
I don’t notice I’m in the middle of the room until the song tapers to an end, a soft fade that leaves silence in its wake. Hawk pulls up short, stopping inches from me, his chest rising and falling, his last step landing like he planned it—like he knew I’d be here .
He opens his eyes, focusing on me a faint surprise flickering across his face. “Finding you here standing in front of me wasn’t something I imagined,” he purrs. “Are you feeling okay?” An Alpha asking if I’m alright, the gesture throws me for a loop, and I frown, no idea how to answer.
“Is Riley okay?” Hawk adds, tilting his head, searching my expression. “What are you doing here?”
“I’m not entirely sure,” I say, the truth spilling out before I can stop it.
“I just… it wasn’t on purpose.” My instincts are confusing, screaming at me for things I thought I shouldn’t want and now know that it’s just natural.
Part of me wants to shove him against the wall, sink into his ass, claim him with every thrust. The other part wants to present, to bare my neck, let him take me.
A whine sits at the back of my throat, slick wetting my hole as I step back, my nose flaring, pulling in more of that musky vanilla scent which only proves to make the matter worse.
Hawk’s shoulders fall, a soft exhale escaping him as he steps closer. “Why do you seem so new at this?”
“Because I am,” I push out, panic clawing at my chest. I’m freaking out, unsure if I should bolt, my legs tensing to run, but then Hawk moves, closing the gap, his hand pressing to my chest. His purr starts up in response, my entire body relaxing, tension melting away as I let out a little sigh, my shoulders slumping.
“Riley mentioned having a conversation,” Hawk says, his hand still on me, his purr steadying my racing pulse, “but I think it might be something better to have sooner than later?” His dark eyes hold mine, waiting until I give him a shaky nod, the panic easing under his touch.
Hawk heads toward his backpack, pulling out his phone to text someone. Moments of silence stretch, his fingers tapping the screen, and then he looks up, a small smile tugging at his lips. “Riley says he’ll meet us at the café. That okay? I didn’t think you’d want to be in the cafeteria.”
“Yeah.” It never really occurred to me that Hawk would care, that he would see me as anything more than Riley’s. Sure, I understand the biology of it but I’m so used to Alphas trying to force me to submit or dismissing me altogether that everything is just more confusing.
Hawk comes back over to me, placing a soft hand on my arm. “You doing alright? I know everything is a bit chaotic at the moment but you okay?”
I search myself for a moment, a mixture of Riley’s calm and excitement rushing through the bond. Paired with Hawk’s presence here, I realize that I am okay. It could be worse but in this moment, I’m okay. “Yeah, I think I am.”
He squeezes my arm affectionately before returning to his pack, stuffing items into it. The silence of the room is almost haunting compared to his performance and I can’t help but ask the lingering question.
“You dance like that all the time?”
“Some days,” he says, glancing back with that sugar-spun smile. “I’m usually practicing with the others but I have a solo part that I need to nail. Dancing like what you saw, though? Only when there’s a reason to. Music and dance, like every other art, is another form of expression.”
My brows furrow as I follow him out into the hallway. “And what expression did I just see?”
“Love.”
That’s not what I expected, my cheeks heating as we make our way off campus and to the little café Riley and I had been at just a few days ago.
My Omega squeals as he drags me inside to that back booth, waiting until I’m seated before sitting on my lap, straddling one of my legs.
When I go to say something about it, he just shakes his head.
“No, I don’t get to do this on campus. Let me enjoy being held by my mate.”
I don’t fight it because secretly, I’m enjoying Riley’s whims. His confidence is seeping into me, making it easier to adjust to all these changes in the last day.
The conversation eases into our final projects, the performances at the Karlen Center, professors we despise before morphing into the more serious discussions.
It’s not as difficult as I thought it would be, spilling about my feelings, my place at this academy, my new bond with Riley, me being a Zeta, and the fact that my heat is just around the corner.
Hawk doesn’t say anything at first, sipping his espresso with mild interest before a small smile cuts across his face.
“Wait, you’re a Zeta? I’m not surprised, to be honest,” he adds, his smile widening just a fraction, “but that does explain some things. Look, Leo, I told Riley the same thing—we don’t have to jump into anything.
It’s awful timing and I can’t imagine how confusing this is for you, but we can take it one step at a time. ”
I swallow hard, my voice rough when I finally speak. “But that’s the problem,” I say, my fingers tightening on Riley’s waist, heat bleeding through me. It’s been steadily getting worse since we left the practice room. “We don’t have time. The doctor said I could go into heat within the week.”
Hawk reaches across the table, his hand flipping over, palm up.
I stare at it—long elegant fingers begging me to give in.
The hesitation lasts only a moment before I slide my hand into his, his touch calming, the tension unwinding as his thumb brushes my knuckles.
“ Leo, I presented when I was 17, and there were signs before that. I didn’t have to figure anything out.
I’m assuming Riley was similar. But you don’t have to figure this all out on your own—not anymore, and I’d be honored if you invited me to your heat. Whatever you need.”
“Because we’re mates?” I ask, needing to know, needing something solid to hold onto.
Hawk’s smile softens, his hand squeezing mine gently. “That’s part of it,” he says, “but not all of it. And I know this is all moving hella fast. Let it happen naturally, okay?”
Riley twists in my hold, turning to face me, his legs shifting on my thigh as one of his hands slides to my chest. “Sweetie, take what you need, okay?” Hawk hums his agreement like it’s just that easy to take what they’re offering.
“That’s…” I start, my voice faltering, “it doesn’t work like that. Alphas don’t submit.” My face turns crimson, heat flooding my cheeks as I groan, realizing that I’ve just eluded to what I truly want.
An easy chuckle falls from Hawk’s lips, pulling my attention back to him. “Babe, I go both ways. Leo, you’re not the only one that doesn’t fit the mold.”
“And the mate thing?” I’m not sure why I can’t just trust their words. Maybe because I’ve only had days to figure everything out rather than years like most people my age.
Hawk shrugs, his thumb brushing the back of my hand. “Let it happen as it does. I’m a patient man, Leo.”
“I only want what’s best for you,” Riley offers, twisting further in my lap to cup my face in his hands, “for us.” Love trickles through the bond, warming me from the inside out.
It never dawned on me that I might only have one mate, having grown up with four fathers and my aunt with four mates.
However, finding someone else, wanting someone else feels like I’m betraying Riley in some way.
It doesn’t make sense which is why I ask. “So it’s okay to want him too?”
Riley’s eyes light up, his smile widening. “God, yes,” he punctuates his answer with a kiss, a soft remembrance that I so desperately need. He lingers there for a few moments before pulling away, giving me the room to say whatever else is in my head.
My gaze darts between Riley and Hawk, neither of them judging me, pushing me, disgusted with me.
All I see is concern and love and desire and it helps to know that these two men want me, that there’s absolutely nothing wrong with it, either.
“Can we do dinner? Really talk? I think talking helps, and I just… I need to figure this out in my head.”
Hawk breaks out into a toothy grin, bringing my hand up to his lips.
“Absolutely, you tell me what you want and I’ll bring it to Riley’s apartment after classes.
” Then he leans back in his chair, chugging the rest of his espresso, a new deviance in his eyes.
“Now, Riley told me that you sound like an absolute angel. Said that you added a melody to his song. Is that true?”
My face heats, eyes widening a little but the sudden laugh that comes from the Alpha soothes me.
A few weeks ago, I would have excused myself, found a way to leave the situation thinking that Hawk was making fun of me.
But there’s only admiration in his expression as if he wants to hear my voice the same way Riley did.
I wonder if he’d think I sounded like an angel too.