Page 11 of Omega and the Beast

Adonis

Introducing Callista to his Betas — because that was how he thought of the Betas who lived at the castle — was an exercise in patience. The possessiveness he felt over her was unwarranted, yet he couldn’t get rid of it. When Westian held her hand for too long, Adonis growled at him.

Westian immediately released her, his eyes dancing with amusement.

Adonis worried it was the Beast rising up inside him because he hadn’t been growling in play — he had been ready to rip Westian’s hand off if he didn’t back away. Fortunately, they didn’t need to test his self-control in that manner since Westian had gotten the message.

He was glad the male wasn’t afraid of him.

Mostly.

He didn’t want his Betas to be afraid of him.

Mostly .

Except that little part of him that did when it came to Callista.

Even though her heat was over, her scent was divine. Tantalizing. The unmated Beta males were entranced — and Adonis couldn’t blame them — but his instincts were to keep them far away from Callista.

Mine, mine, mine.

The word pounded in his head in time with his heartbeat. But she wasn’t his. Not truly.

Not yet.

There were many things they would need to talk about. He also wasn’t sure Broderick approved. Not that he would let her father keep them apart, but he was beginning to see how close Callista and her father were, and he did not want to be the wedge between them.

He was also very aware of the sun getting lower in the sky.

Soon he would need to go to the forest and run.

The urge had hit him every evening, but he hadn’t been able to leave Callista while she was in her heat.

Now that the heat was over, he didn’t think he’d be able to resist, no matter how much he wanted to remain by her side.

“And then, Adonis said that he could harvest the most apples,” Deirdre said, yanking his attention back to the conversation at hand.

“Must you tell this story?” Adonis groaned. He hated the apple story. Deirdre said it made him seem less intimidating to newcomers, but Callista already wasn’t intimidated. She didn’t need to hear a story that made him look stupid in order to feel less threatened.

“Did he?” Callista asked as if he hadn’t spoken, ignoring him as thoroughly as Deirdre did. He glowered at Deirdre, but it was like glaring at the sun. There was absolutely no discernible effect .

“Oh, he did. He shook the tree harder than anyone else could, and the apples dropped down hard and fast… and so did he after five of them landed on his head, one after the other!”

Laughter rang out. Deirdre never ceased to be entertained by the story, and everyone else joined in, including Callista.

Adonis gave in with a chuckle, the others’ mirth infecting him, despite the fact he was the butt of the joke. Shaking his head, he sighed deeply, glancing at the window where the glow was becoming noticeably less bright.

“I have to go. No more embarrassing stories while I’m gone,” he warned, pointing to Deirdre as he got to his feet. To his surprise, Callista stood as well, concern on her face. Beside her, her father caught her hand.

“Where are you going?” Callista asked.

From the tone of her voice, she didn’t like the idea of him leaving her, which made doing so both easier and harder. Easier because he knew she didn’t want him to go, which perhaps indicated she reciprocated some of his feelings. Harder because he wanted to remain by her side even more.

Impossible. Once he turned into a Beast, the urge to run would hit him, and he’d abandon her either way.

Besides, if she was close, he wasn’t sure how the Beast would handle the presence of other males around, and he didn’t want to hurt anyone if the Beast became possessive or protective.

“The sun is going down,” he said gently. “I’ll be out in the woods. I’ll return not long before dawn.”

“Don’t worry about him. He does this every night,” Deirdre quipped, though her smile was tighter than it had been. They all worried that one night he might go out and not come back, but they couldn’t protect him, because the moment they left the castle, he saw them as a threat.

Adonis didn’t think Father Conal or the others would ever put together a concerted effort to get rid of him. If they did, how would they keep their villages afraid and under their tight control?

“I’ll be back,” he repeated. Deciding he didn’t care what anyone else thought, including Callista’s father, he bent down to press a kiss on the top of her head.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see everyone exchanging knowing glances or openly smiling in approval. Well, everyone except Broderick.

The male’s jaw tightened, although he didn’t seem to be directing his glare at Adonis.

Rather, he appeared unhappy with the situation at large.

Adonis agreed it wasn’t ideal, but surely, Broderick had to know that, as an Omega, his daughter would need an Alpha mate.

For the foreseeable future, Adonis was the only option.

Broderick would just have to learn to live with Adonis.

But Adonis didn’t have to make that harder.

He gave the other male a nod, acknowledging not only his watchful presence, but his importance in Callista’s life, and collected a nod of resignation in return. It was a start.

As the Alpha child of Alpha and Omega mates, deeply rooted in purely Alpha and Omega bloodlines, it was difficult for Adonis to fully understand Broderick’s resistance, but he was not without sympathy.

It had been the two of them for so long, and now, Broderick not only had to give up his place as his daughter’s only protector, he had to give it up to an Alpha who was going to become his daughter’s mate.

Between Betas, a father would expect to have suitors present themselves, to have the final (and often only) vote of approval.

Perhaps he was having trouble accepting the fact that he had no control over this part of his daughter’s life.

And he didn’t. Beast or no Beast, Adonis wasn’t going to let Callista go.

It was too late to entertain these thoughts. The sun would not wait. The urge to remain with Callista was strong, but he forced himself to keep moving, to head to the doors leading to the courtyard.

One of the guards at the gate shouted when he saw Adonis, and the huge doors opened as he approached. He had almost left it too late. He could already feel his instincts rising, the urge to run and to hunt pushing through his rational thought as easily as he pushed through the doors.

There was a new urge tonight, brought on by Callista’s presence.

Protect.

As he’d feared, the Beast wanted her as much as he did.

Adonis ran into the forest as the castle doors shut and locked behind him, aware of the setting sun disappearing beyond the horizon as his vision changed. It didn’t matter that the forest hid the view, he knew the moment it crossed the horizon.

Bone crunching, muscles sliding, fur growing, he howled at the night sky.

Ran back the way he’d came.

Ran around the stone walls, scrabbling at them, looking for any weakness.

Mate.

Protect.

Mine.

Deep within, he was relieved to be locked out.

The danger to the others within the walls was greater than ever. The Beast within wanted Callista, and he didn’t know if he’d be able to control his impulses when it came to her… especially with other males around her.

Finally, the urge to run through the forest outweighed the desire to find a way into the walls, and he gave up.

Being denied his mate added to his frenzy, and he howled as he tore through the woods, letting loose his frustration.

There.

Panicked, fluttering heartbeat. The smell of fear on the wind.

He changed directions, running for his prey.

It bolted, fleeing before him, but its speed was no match for his.

He pounced, claws tearing out its throat. Hot blood gushed over his claws, the scent of fresh meat filling his nose, and he crouched over the fallen deer, gorging himself as he traded one hunger for another.