Page 14 of Omega's Faith

As we approach, the crowd clears slightly and I spot two burly security guards elbowing their way through the crowd. They manage to clear enough space for Dad to pull up. We sit frozen for a moment, trapped in our car while the mob waits to devour us.

"Ready?" Dad asks, voice steady despite the chaos.

Mom grabs my hand. "Yes."

The moment we open the doors, they surge. Microphones thrust at my face, camera flashes blinding. Someone grabs my elbow and I jerk away, stumbling into Mom.

"Mr. Wells! Do you approve of your son marrying Alexander Colborne?"

“Jonah! Are you a virgin?”

I feel my face color, but we push through, Mom's lavender scent sharp with distress. A camera lens clips my temple.

Then the security guards are there, shoving the cameras awayand pushing at the crowd as hard as they are pushing at us. One of them roughly grabs my elbow and pulls me through the crowd. By the time we stumble through the restaurant doors, we're disheveled and shaking.

Inside, there is sudden silence. The entire restaurant is empty. The tables are set with pristine white tablecloths and crystal that catches the light like diamonds. All of it cleared out for us. For him.

"Mr. and Mrs. Wells. Jonah." Diana Norris materializes from nowhere, immaculately dressed in a smart black suit. She is painfully thin but her face is artificially rounded and smooth and set in place.

Her steel-gray hair is coiffed into a perfectly formed bun at the nape of her neck. She reaches her hand out to me. "Jonah, we haven’t been properly introduced. I’m Diana, an old friend of Alexander’s mother. So pleased you could join us."

Her smile doesn't quite reach her eyes. She scans me and while she doesn’t raise an eyebrow at my clothing, I can see that she doesn’t quite approve.

"Mrs. Norris." Dad extends his hand, trying to smooth his wind-blown hair with the other. "Lovely to see you again. Thank you for the invitation."

She smiles at him, smooth as a shark. “It’s just Ms. Norris. I’m not married. But come, let’s all get to know each other properly. Alexander is already seated."

We follow her through the maze of empty tables and I’m hyperaware of how my best shoes sound too loud on the marble floor. Mom's fingers find mine, squeezing tight.

Then I smell him. Pine and whiskey alpha scent slams into me so hard I stumble. Mom catches my elbow, concern spiking her scent.

"You okay, sweetheart?"

I can't answer. Can't think. He's here, somewhere close, andevery cell in my body knows it. That first meeting was absolute hell and heaven at the same time. He smelled so good that I could barely speak or look at him. But he smelled like he’d been drinking for days and spoke to me like he thought I was a hick.

The man who is going to be my alpha lounges at a corner table like he owns the place. He probably does. According to Dad, half the city property has the name Colborne on its title deeds.

The charcoal suit makes his shoulders look broader, his storm-gray eyes darker. He glances up from his phone and our eyes meet—

Oh no.

Heat races down my spine. My knees go weak. His pupils dilate, just for a second, and his fingers tighten on his phone. Then he jerks his gaze away, jaw clenched, and goes back to scrolling.

Like I'm nothing.

"Please, sit." Diana says, gesturing to the chairs. They’re white like the rest of the restaurant, covered in linen covers that have a big bow on the back. All I can think is that I hope I don’t spill spaghetti sauce or something equally staining on top of them.

My parents exchange a look with me. I don’t want to sit right next to Alex so I start moving to the other side of the table, but Diana gets there first.

“Here, why don’t you take the seat next to Alexander?”

I don’t know how to refuse politely so I comply. I sit down to Alex’s right, and under the guise of moving my chair closer to the table, shift it away from him a couple of inches. As if that will help.

Alex shifts, adjusting his cuffs, and the movement wafts more of that whiskey-pine scent my way. My stomach clenches.

Mom sits to my other side, reaching over to squeeze my hand.

"I took the liberty of ordering for the table," Diana continuesas she takes the seat opposite me. "The chef's tasting menu is extraordinary."