Page 44 of His Snowbound Omega

But Thorn couldn’t afford that type of luxury thinking. As always, he needed to be the one with a clear head on his shoulders.

No matter how badly he secretly wished he could give in and call the alpha his own.

Chapter 14:

The party was held at the same hotel they’d stayed in a couple of weeks ago, but in a hall Thorn hadn’t visited before. They’d decked it out in a mixture of traditional and classic decorations, with gold and black balloons and three towers of champagne.

It was a black tie event, and Thorn had been given a three-piece suit to wear, though in place of a tie, the gifted collar was around his neck.

Baal kept his hand over the back of it, around Thorn’s nape as he led them through the packed room, making the rounds. As the underboss, it was his duty to mingle, and he greeted various guests, some who were also members of the White Frost, others who were close associates.

He never allowed Thorn to get very far from him, and he introduced him as his omega to every single person they spoketo. Some were clearly more interested than others, but Thorn felt eyes on them constantly, no matter where they stood or who they were talking with.

“Is this your first New Year’s together?” an older gentleman asked Baal.

His wife, an elegant female alpha in a gorgeous sparkling black dress, had her arm linked through his and seemed every bit as engaged in the conversation as her husband.

Thorn had no clue who either of them was, but there’d been mention of a bank…or something like that. It didn’t really matter what they did. No one spoke to him without Baal’s permission, and so far, the alpha had only granted it once, when a waiter had asked Thorn what he’d like to drink.

He’d gotten the impression early on that his role here was reduced to relative arm candy, meant to elevate Baal’s status. Whatever. It wasn’t a great hardship to stand there and look pretty.

Though he could do without all the leering.

The large hall was crowded with alphas and omegas, their scents mingling and tickling at Thorn’s nose. Every now and again, someone would grow bold, step a little too close, let off more pheromones than was socially acceptable.

But it was never an alpha.

By the fifth time it happened, Thorn’s irritation had grown to insurmountable levels, and he switched from playing the disinterested mate to openly glaring.

He may have even growled once, a low sound that no one would have heard, but whoever was looking definitely would have registered from the lifting of his lip as he sneered.

They were all trying to tempt his alpha.

Right.

In.

Front.

Of.

Him.

Had Baal always been this popular? Out of all the alphas in the room, the amount of attention he was receiving was only second to that of the Dominus. And a lot of that was due to the fact that Leviathan Morningstar had chosen a seat on a balcony overlooking the party.

Like a king on a throne.

Thorn didn’t like it. It kept bringing him back to the question he’d been desperately trying to ignore since their very first night together at the White Hunt.

If Baal was this sought after…why had he settled for Thorn?

How long would it last?

A particularly beautiful blond omega appeared to their left, shifting ever closer, his gaze latched onto the underboss. There were practically hearts visible in his stupid green eyes, and when he released a flood of sweet scented pheromones, it was clear they were aimed Baal’s way specifically.

Thorn hooked his finger into the loop of his collar and tugged at it, adjusting it as his skin prickled with unease. Other omega pheromones didn’t typically bother him, but he felt his stomach start to knot from this man’s.

Slowly, as though trying to convince himself already not to do what he most definitely was about to, Thorn slipped his arm free from Baal’s. He barely noticed that the alpha allowed it, too focused on the omega who was standing less than five feet away now, working himself up to approach them like he had an actual right to talk to Baal.