Page 11

Well, I fucking quit, just like Samson wanted.

Scott was none too happy to hear it, but it just wasn't going to work out now that the cat was out of the bag regarding his true identity. Dammit, I wished I'd never known. Working at the coffee shop wasn't fun, but it made me feel productive and kept me out of Samson's house.

I didn't regret quitting, but I did regret leaving the job without a reference. That was my own fault, though, for getting all up in arms about what Samson thought was best for me.

The job hunt was the least of my problems, though. I hadn't told anyone, but I could feel the tell-tale signs of my heat coming on. I could have sworn it was supposed to be another month before I had to go through the whole process again, but my body was already reacting, the temperature of my skin rising, and my body craving things that I didn't want to think about.

I hadn't felt this way since the first time Samson touched me, the night my heat had hit unexpectedly. Of course, I'd had heats in the seven years we'd been apart, but having no Alphas around made it easier to bear. I stayed in bed most of the day, having Deidre keep Kit while I called off work and suffered through it. But those heats had been nothing like the first one that Samson had helped me through, and now that another one was coming on and my Alpha was sleeping under the same roof as me, it felt like it was happening all over again, and I was desperate for release.

It was my last day at Crescent Moon, and I was more than ready to go back home and hide away from the world. But of course, it was one of the rare jam-packed days, and I was swamped until the late afternoon lull. I was wiping down tables when Gwen approached me, her hands clasped behind her back as if she was nervous.

"Kiera, do you think you're gonna need to leave early today?" Gwen asked me, raising her eyebrows. "You don't look so good."

"I'm fine," I snapped, then immediately felt bad. I shook my head and sighed. "No, I'm sorry, Gwen. I shouldn't be taking this out on you."

"You're going to have to leave before too long," Gwen said gently. "You're looking really flushed, and I know what that means."

I quickly looked around, relieved to see that we were alone. "Gwen, please. I really don't need that to be common knowledge."

"Sorry," she cringed, looking embarrassed, "My aunt is an Omega, so I just know the signs, that's all. I'm sure it isn't obvious to anyone else. But just in case...why don't you head out early before Scott makes his random daily appearance? After all, it's your last day, so you won't have to worry about him after this."

"I can't go home early," I said, shaking my head. "It'll make Samson think he won."

"He doesn't even know that you left Crescent Moon?”

"He doesn't know because I didn't tell him.”

Gwen sighed. "You're both idiots."

"I'm not an idiot," I grumbled, wiping down the counter angrily.

"Yeah, Kiera, you kind of are." She grabbed me by the arm and pulled me around to the back side of the counter. "Listen, I get why you're angry with Samson, I do. And I'm not saying that what he did was right. But you're acting like an idiot about this."

"What else am I supposed to do?" I asked her, exasperated. "If I go home early, then he wins, and I don't want him to think he has that sort of control over me.”

Gwen sighed, rubbing a hand over her face. "Okay, I get it. This argument is going nowhere. Look, I know one of the pack kids got an internship out of state, and she just quit Emerald Blooms right down the street, which means there's an opening."

I paused, interested. "The garden shop?"

"Yes, the garden shop. They're hiring right now."

"How do you know about this?”

“I have my sources,” Gwen lowered her voice conspiratorily, “But Kiera—"

Just then, the door above the shop door rang, and I could immediately sense that it was Scott. I ducked behind the counter, not wanting to talk with him, especially if Gwen could tell my heat was on the horizon. "I'm leaving out the back door," I hissed up at her, "Distract him, please."

Gwen looked like she'd been thrown through a loop. "I will, but Kiera, about the garden shop—"

"Thanks. I owe you one." I didn't wait for her to finish, scurrying through the back door and into the kitchen. I felt bad for leaving Gwen to deal with Scott, but he would force me to speak to him if he caught me leaving.

I made my way out of the shop's back door and onto the street, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. There wasn't much foot traffic this time of day, so it was easy to get around without being noticed, especially with the way my mind was spinning.

I just wanted to go home and curl up in bed until my heat went away. But Samson would want to talk to me, and I wasn't ready for that either. He'd ask me why I'd quit, and I didn't want to give him the satisfaction of telling him he was right.

Even if he had been.

I sighed in relief once I was out of sight of the coffee shop, taking off my apron and folding it under my arm. I still had a few days until my heat was in full swing, and now that I was away from the stress of Crescent Moon, I felt a lot more in control.

Emerald Blooms, huh? I had figured I'd have to hunt for another part-time job that would work around Kit's school schedule, but if there was only one opening there, I'd better strike while the iron was hot. It was only one street over, less than a ten-minute walk, so I decided to try my luck.

A little bell rang over the door when I walked into the shop. An older woman at the counter looked up and smiled. "Welcome to Emerald Blooms! Can I help you find something?"

"Oh, no, thank you," I said, trying to be polite, "I actually heard from someone at the coffee shop down the street that you were hiring, and I wanted to see if I could apply."

The shop was adorable. It smelled of freshly tilled soil and humidity, and it felt like a miniature green oasis right in the middle of downtown Crystal Creek. Plants and flowers lined the shelves and counters, and the walls were painted a warm, inviting turquoise. The woman behind the counter wore a long dress and loosely braided hair, giving off hippie vibes.

"Oh, that's great," she said, "My name is Debbie, and I'm the manager of the shop. I'm sure I could use the help.”

"Kiera Langley," I said, holding out my hand. She took it and shook it, her grip warm and firm. "Thank you for being so kind. Is there a form I need to fill out?"

She laughed. "No, not unless you're looking for a permanent position. We'll just get to know each other for a bit, and then I can see about getting you a part-time schedule, if that works for you."

"That would be perfect," I said, "I have a son, so I don't have a lot of spare time."

"That's alright. We aren't open late anyway. Say, why don't you come in tomorrow when the owner is here after you fill out that application, and if he's satisfied with it, you can start right then?"

"Wow, really? That sounds amazing." I was overjoyed. Maybe quitting my job at Crescent Moon wasn't such a bad thing after all.

"Just so you know, Mr. Longwood is a bit of a flirt, but he's harmless," she said slyly.

I nodded, but groaned internally. Were all the men around here flirts? At least there was no way he could be worse than Scott. "I'll keep that in mind. Thank you so much for giving me a chance, Debbie."

She waved a hand, dismissing my thanks. "Not a problem. I'll see you tomorrow."

I left the store feeling hopeful. Maybe my luck was finally starting to turn around.

***

The next day came quickly, even if I spent most of the previous evening hiding from Samson and stuffing my face, hoping beyond hope that I might be able to briefly satisfy the heat with calories instead of sex.

Of course, it didn't work. I still felt miserable, hot, bothered, and cranky, but at least I had the interview today to keep me busy. I didn't want to tell Samson that I was going to work somewhere else, but I knew he'd be apoplectic if he went to find me at the coffee shop and I wasn't there. That went beyond keeping my personal life to myself, and teetered on the edge of lying to him just to be hurtful.

Still, there was no way in hell I was about to have a full-blown conversation about how he'd won, and I'd quit the coffee shop. So, instead, I sent him a text right before I walked into Emerald Blooms, letting him know that I'd hopefully secured employment elsewhere.

It would be easier to swallow his gloating over text messages, at least.

Debbie was there at the counter waiting on me, with a tall man beside her. He was older than Samson, but I was only able to guess that from the few streaks of silver in his short, rusty brown hair right at the temples. The man looked like he worked out every bit of his free time, with huge arms and deeply tanned skin. Despite how much I wanted to deny it, Samson was still the hottest man I'd ever met, but I could see why Debbie had warned me about this guy.

Then his scent drifted over to me, and I wanted to bash my head into the wall of the shop. I'd missed it with Scott because I hadn't been looking for it—as far as I'd known, Samson was the only local Alpha—but now that my guard was up, I immediately sensed that the man behind the counter wasn't just another big flirt.

He was another fucking Alpha.

Before I could commence with my head bashing, he came out from behind the counter and offered me his hand, "You must be Kiera. My name is Joe Longwood, and this is my store. Debbie said you were interested in working here."

Reluctantly, I took his hand, but kept the handshake as brief as possible. Samson might burn the entire city down if I came home smelling like another Alpha had touched me.

"I am," I said, hoping that my voice didn't sound as shaky as I felt. I glanced back at Debbie, who smiled encouragingly. "I think it would be a great fit."

"Wonderful," Joe said, smiling. His smile was bright and charismatic, but I wasn't about to let my guard down, not when he was an Alpha wolf, just like the others. "I'll just ask you a few questions, and then we'll see how we can work around your schedule."

I nodded, "Yes, but I understand my schedule is a little restrictive."

"So, you have a son?" Joe asked, taking my application from Debbie and looking it over. "Deb mentioned it, don't worry. I wasn't stalking your social media or anything. You're a single parent, huh?"

The question threw me off. "Uh...no."

When Joe looked up from the paper, he had that stupid, sharp Alpha smile on his face that made me want to run for the hills. "Who's the lucky man, then?"

I looked over at Debbie, who looked just as flummoxed as I felt. "What exactly does this have to do with working here?"

"Nothing at all. I just wanted to know why exactly Samson Jones' Omega was in my shop looking for work. Isn't he taking good care of you, darlin'?"

All sorts of warning bells were going off in my head, but before I could make an excuse to leave the shop and say to hell with the possible job, the door opened. I groaned, burying my face in my hands as soon as his scent and his power rolled over me—black pepper, cedar, and trouble.

"Why," I whined into my own palms. "Why in the hell does this keep happening to me? Was being kidnapped not enough? Am I cursed to be in the middle of Alpha pissing contest for the rest of my life?"

Joe and Debbie were both silent, but I wasn't looking at them. I didn't need to see their faces to know that Joe probably had that cocky Alpha smile still on his face while Debbie looked like she was trying to figure out a way to escape through the back door.

I could smell Samson coming up behind me, and I felt the heat of his body as he stepped in front of me, putting himself between me and Joe. "You quit the coffee shop."

It wasn't what I expected, so I lowered my hands and looked up at him. "I did. Look, I know this looks crazy, but I swear I didn't know another Alpha owned this place. I just figured plants don’t flirt, so it seemed like a safe bet. But why are you here?"

"I came to see what kind of mess you'd gotten yourself into this time."

I bristled, trying not to get lost in the ocean of his blue eyes. It was a constant effort to remind myself that I hated him when his presence and scent made every cell in my body sing. "I planned on working, not getting into trouble."

Joe snorted. "That's debatable."

After the confrontation with Scott, I fully expected Samson to shift on the spot and attack Joe, but the energy between them was...different.

"Is that right?"

"Yup. Your Omega here has an interesting habit of walking into other Alphas' stores. Aren't you keeping her occupied enough at home?"

The innuendo made me wrinkle my nose, but Samson didn't give me time to speak.

"That's debatable," Samson copied Joe from earlier, and my confusion only deepened until Joe laughed and strode forward.

The two Alphas shook hands like they knew each other, and everything suddenly made sense.

"You son of a bitch," Joe said with a grin, pulling Samson in for a brotherly hug. "I was gonna tell you that your lady here applied, but I wanted to see for myself the woman that had Samson Jones all tied up in knots first."

Samson huffed, but there was no animosity between them. I stared at the two men, trying to process the information, before I finally found my words. "You...you're allies?"

Joe grinned. "Sure am. My pack moved here when Zeke was still the boss with the understanding that we’d help hold the territory. We're buddies. Right, Samson?"

"Right," Samson agreed, though there was some hesitation in his voice. "So I would appreciate it if you didn't flirt with my wife, Joe."

"Oh, come on," Joe said, "it's not like I'm actually going to steal your Omega away. I know better than to fuck up a functional alliance."

Satisfied, at least for the moment, Samson turned back to me. "So, do you want to tell me why you quit Scott's place?"

I could tell he was going to be a smug asshole about it, but I just wished it wasn't in front of my potential new boss and coworker. "It didn't have anything to do with you, so don't start."

Samson was trying to keep his serious expression in place, but there was a grin tugging at the corner of his mouth. "You sure about that?"

He was driving me wild, and he wasn't doing a single thing except for standing there. I didn't know how much longer I could keep my heat in check. I was hyper-aware of how close he was, of the way his fingers tapped lazily on the counter next to us, of the steady rise and fall of his chest. The smile playing at his lips was what nearly pushed me over. The Alpha swagger had never done it for me before, but Samson was seriously getting under my skin.

"Kiera?" he asked again. "Why'd you quit the coffee shop?"

"I didn't like the uniform."

His laugh was quiet but genuine. "Try again."

I shrugged, feigning indifference, "I just didn't want to get caught up in pack politics. There. Is that what you wanted to hear?"

Samson made a noise, half irritation, and half amusement. "So you...took a job with another Alpha instead?"

"It's not my fault this town is crawling with them."

"I'm just saying," Samson had come even closer, reaching up to tuck a strand of my hair behind my ear before I could stop him. "If you want to avoid Alphas, maybe you should have picked a shop not run by one."

I swallowed once and then again when it didn't relieve the dryness of my mouth. "Not everything is about you, Samson."

"I never said it was," he was so close now that I swore I could feel the heat rolling off his body. Any awareness of the two people in the room had faded. "But something makes me think that this really is about me."

My eyes shot up to his, wondering how he had figured me out so easily, but the heat in them threatened to burn me alive. He hadn't raised his hand, but I was positive he was about to touch me, and I was so hungry for him to do so...

"I knew it," Joe scoffed loudly enough to ruin the moment. "You two are about to get handsy in my shop. Knock it off."

I nearly fell backward, my face heating. Crap. How am I supposed to hate Samson when the need I felt for him eclipsed everything else, including social awareness?

Samson exhaled sharply, his jaw tightening before he turned to glare at Joe. “We were not.”

Joe smirked. “Sure, sure. And I’m a celibate monk.” Debbie giggled from behind the counter while Joe waved a hand at me. “You’re hired, by the way.”

I blinked. “Just like that?”

He grinned. “Unless you’d rather go back to working for Scott. I'm sure he misses you terribly."

I frowned, “Ugh. No thanks. When do I start?"

Joe nodded. “Knew you’d see it my way. You can start today if you're able to keep your hands off your Alpha long enough to let him leave."

Samson straightened, rolling his shoulders like he was shaking something off. “Won't be a problem. I'll go. Appreciate it, Joe."

Joe raised a brow. “For what? Hiring your wife, or interrupting before you could ravish her on my counter?”

Samson ignored him and turned to me instead. “I’ll see you at home.”

My stomach flipped at the way he said it, full of dark promises that I had no intention of letting him fill until he managed to touch me again and make me lose all my senses, at least.

I nodded, forcing myself to be casual. “Yeah. See you.”

Then he left, and I hated the way I felt disappointed. Like I’d wanted him to do something. Like I was waiting for it. Joe had put the image of Samson ravaging me into my mind, and it was stuck like glue.

I swallowed hard, brushing my hands over my apron after tying it on, suddenly too warm. It’s nothing. Just lingering tension. Just hormones. Just—

Crap. My heat could really kill me this time, because every time I told myself that Samson wasn't ever going to touch me, I knew that it was a lie deep down. And I wasn't sure I'd survive being broken and abandoned by Samson Jones a second time, even if the sex was mind-blowing.

This time, I was terrified that my heart was involved, whether I wanted it to be or not.