Page 5

Chapter 5

Parker

The thrum of bass vibrates through my bones as I descend the stairs into Club Midnight. The first thing that hits me is the familiar scent of arousal and need. It fills my lungs like it does every time I come here.

Black leather masks hide faces in the dim light, leaving only hungry eyes and parted lips visible.

“Coach! Long time.” Kyle slides a whiskey across the bar. “It’s been so long, I thought you’d found an omega.”

“No time.” I adjust my dark gray mask. “The team’s schedule is brutal.”

I scan the club.

A pack of three have claimed a corner booth, their attention locked on a blonde omega swaying to the music with her friend .

The copper-haired omega from the last time I was here dashes past; her energy crackling through the air like static. Our gazes meet and she opens her mouth—I turn away before she can start another endless ramble about her latest baking disaster.

“How’s the kid?” Kyle asks.

“Growing up too fast.” I take a slow sip, scanning the dance floor where alphas circle their prey when a movement catches my eye.

I turn around on my seat to watch a new omega as she dances at the edge of the floor. My breath catches.

Her body moves like silk in the wind, her black dress hugging curves that make my hands itch to touch.

Dark waves tumble down her back, and behind her onyx mask, turquoise eyes flash with challenge.

Then I groan when I see she’s dancing with the crazy baker.

I knock my drink back.

“Another?” Kyle’s voice breaks through my trance.

I push my empty glass away. “No.” My focus stays locked on the way the new omega dances. She’s confident but holding herself at a distance from the alphas trying to catch her attention.

Pushing off my bar stool, I stroll closer to the dance floor when her scent hits me—coconut, vanilla and then something deeper and darker. Something that calls to every alpha instinct I possess.

I catch a glimpse of full pink lips curved in a smile that makes my chest tight but the copper-haired omega grabs her hand, pulling her into a spin.

I smile listening to their laughter as it carries over the music.

My body tenses and my alpha stirs in a way it hasn’t in years.

The need to possess her hits harder than any desire I’ve felt before. Usually, these nights in this club are about release. Find a willing omega, knot them, and leave .

Simple.

Mechanical.

But lately I can’t do what I come here for, my body seems to rebel and not react like it should. But could I get over this drought I’m having if I have her?

There is something about her...

An alpha approaches her and sets off warning bells in my head. It’s his swagger, the way his hands already reach for her–he’s trouble. I edge closer, telling myself I’m just being cautious.

“What brings a pretty thing like you doing here?” he asks her.

She laughs, but it’s hollow. “To be knotted. Nothing more. I want nothing more than a knot.”

“I can do that for you.” He smiles. “And how long are you staying out west, sweetheart?” His East Coast drawl matches hers.

“Not long.” Her voice carries notes of steel beneath the silkiness.

My fingers curl into fists. The thought of her with another alpha makes my chest burn.

He grabs her wrist. “Let’s get out of here.”

She grabs his forearm and tries to pull away.

“Hey. Leave her alone!” The copper haired girl yells.

The dark-haired girl tries to pull herself from his grip again. “Thanks, but—”

“Come on, don’t be like that.” His hold tightens on her wrist.

I’m moving before I realize it, sliding between them. “The lady said no.”

His eyes narrow behind his mask. “This isn’t your business.”

“I’m making it my business.” My voice drops low, threatening. “She said no.”

“It’s okay,” she says. He drops her hand and she scurries behind me.“You need to leave,” I tell him. Feeling every nerve ending zing to life.

He tries to sidestep me to get to her. “And you need to back off. I found her first.”

As I face off with the alpha, a voice in my head asks if I can walk away after this? After saving an omega without realizing why.

Not that I’d want anything to happen to her.

The alpha’s scent spikes with aggression.

I clench my jaw and bare my teeth, letting him see exactly what he’s dealing with.

She holds my waist as she stays behind me and instinctively I push my hand behind my back and pull her closer to me.

As her body touches mine, electricity zips through my body.

“Please. I’ll just leave.” Her voice is as sweet as her scent. And I know something about her pulls at me, makes me want to break every rule I’ve set for myself.

The alpha steps forward.

“Fuck off!” I growl.

Her face is on my back and… did she just sniff me?

“I saw her first.”

“I’m sure your mother never taught you to treat women like that?” I growl, my muscles coiled tight. My hand curls into fists and out again. All the time, I’m trying to contain my anger.

“Fuck you.” The alpha’s face twists and he steps forward. “She wants it.”

“Not with you I don’t.” Her words are hard, but her voice trembles against my back. She wraps one arm around my waist and she points at him. “Please, leave me alone. ”

Her perfume spikes and I begin to turn toward her when pain explodes across my jaw.

I reach and press my hand over my jaw.

The bastard sucker-punched me.

Her friend screams.

She screams too.

And before I can recover, she launches herself at him like a wild thing, nails raking down his face. “You piece of shit! I’m a fucking alpha, you stupid imbecile.”

“Get this crazy bitch off me!” He stumbles backward as he stares at her, disbelief written all over his face.

Security floods in the dark club.

Two bouncers grab the alpha while another pulls her away.

She fights against their hold, her dark hair flying around her face.

“Everyone calm down!” The head of security barks. “Break it up!”

“Come on, Harlow, let’s get out of here while the security has that man,” her friend says when her feet touch the floor.

She bites her lip as she stares at me. “I need to go home.”

A first aid guy appears at my side with an ice pack. “Let me check your mouth, sir. You’re bleeding.”

I wave him off, but he insists. Dabbing my chin as blood trickles from my split lip.

“I’m so sorry.” She stands beside me, hands fluttering like nervous birds. “This is all my fault. I should never have come here. I’m sorry.”

“Wait.” I reach for her, but she steps back. “At least let me buy you a drink.”

“I can’t.” Her eyes lock with mine one last time, something vulnerable flickering in their depths. “I’m sorry. This place isn’t for me.”

She turns and rushes toward the exit .

I try to follow, but the first aid guy blocks my path, pressing the ice pack against my face.

By the time I push past him, she’s gone.

I slam the front door, wincing at the throb in my jaw. The scent of coconut and vanilla, and now I smell pineapple too as it clings to my clothes and there’s a mysterious undertone I can’t place.

“Holy shit, what happened to your face?” Oliver lounges on the couch, feet propped on the coffee table.

Asher appears from the kitchen. “Whoa. What happened to you?”

“I ran into a fist.”

Asher disappears in the kitchen, reappearing a minute later with a medical kit already in hand. “Sit.” He points to the chair.

I drop into it with a grunt. “I was at Club Midnight.”

“The hook-up club?” Oliver’s eyebrows shoot up. “Since when do you go there?”

“Since I needed to blow off steam.” I hiss as Asher dabs antiseptic on my split lip.

Oliver sniffs the air, his nostrils flaring. “You met an omega.”

“Not in the way you’re thinking.”

“Hold still,” Asher murmurs, examining my jaw.

“There was this omega dancing. Some alpha wouldn’t take no for an answer.” My hands clench, remembering. “I stepped in.”

“Why?” Oliver leans forward. His nostrils flare as he leans forward and smells me.

“Stop sniffing me.”

I sink deeper into the leather armchair, letting my head fall back against the cushion. Our living room is bathed in warm light from the Tiffany lamp Asher insisted on buying.

“It adds character,” he’d said. “And it’s the kind of thing omegas like.”

Strange, considering Asher’s personality.

He wasn’t wrong, though.

The soft colors reflect off the cream walls, creating a cozy atmosphere that helps ease the tension in my shoulders.

“Did Jagger get to sleep, okay?” The thought of my nephew makes my chest tighten. No matter what happens, he’s always my first concern. Not getting an omega. Though I know one would be good for him.

Oliver nods from his spot on our oversized sectional, the dark blue fabric. “Yeah, I helped him with his homework and he was down before nine.”

Asher continues cleaning my split lip, his touch gentle but professional. The familiar scent of antiseptic fills my nostrils, and almost—yet not quite—masking that lingering tropical perfume that followed me home.

“What did she look like?” Oliver asks, completely ignoring the fact I’m getting medical attention.

I poke my tongue out and lick over my stinging lip. “She wore a mask.”

“Blonde, redhead, brunette?” He leans forward, elbows on his knees .

I glare at him. “What does it matter? I never got to talk to her. Not properly, anyway.”

“What did she sound like?”

“Oliver, what is it with you?” Asher gives Oliver a puzzled look.

But Oliver continues, “Why were you bothered that the guy was pestering her—”

“Yeah. Isn’t that what the club is about? Quick hookups?” Asher says.

Oliver adds. “Why did you do that, though?”

“He was bad news. I sensed it.”

“Or was it the omega?” Oliver’s mouth curves into a knowing smile.

“She claimed she was an alpha.” The memory of her launching herself at the guy makes me chuckle despite my sore jaw.

“And you stepped in to protect her.” Asher’s careful movements pause as he considers that. “That’s not like you.”

“Yeah, what happened to ‘I don’t have time for an omega?” Oliver mimics my voice.

“There was just something about her.” I close my eyes, remembering turquoise eyes behind that black mask. “I couldn’t let him hurt her.”

Oliver and Asher exchange a look that speaks volumes.

“What?” I growl.

“Nothing.” Oliver grins. “Just nice to see you are actually interested in an omega for once.”

"Like I said, she claimed she was an alpha."

Oliver laughs. "That's not an alpha's perfume on you. Those pheromones are definitely from an omega. Tell me more about her."

“She said she was staying in LA, but not for long.” I touch my tender jaw. “She told the guy harassing her she was just here for a knot because her alpha boyfriend cheated. Had an East Coast accent. Boston, maybe?”

“Boston?” Oliver’s eyes light up. There’s a slight grin on his face. “What else do you remember?”

I close my eyes, trying to recall details through the haze of adrenaline and that intoxicating scent. “Her friend pulled her away after the fight. Called her—” The name floats just out of reach. “Harlow, I think—”

“Harlow!” Oliver leaps up, scrambling for his phone. His fingers fly across the screen before he thrusts it in my face. “Is this her?”

I squint at the photo, trying to match it with the masked woman from the club. The same dark waves, those gorgeous eyes. “It could be.”

“That’s my omega. Our omega. I told her once, and she laughed in my face.” Oliver’s voice trembles with excitement. “That’s Colton Sinclair’s girlfriend. She claims she’s an alpha, but she isn’t—”

“Colton Sinclair?” My head snaps up. “The New York hockey player?”

Oliver nods vigorously.

“She was definitely looking for a knot tonight.” The memory of her words makes my alpha stir again. “But even then, she insisted she was an alpha.”

“She knows!” Oliver practically bounces on his feet. “She fucking knows.”

“She knows what?”

“That she is an omega.”