Page 23

Everything should have changed after Scott and I slept together...multiple times in one night...but it really didn't. I could stop avoiding him, but otherwise my heat settled down enough that we were able to go about our lives as if that night at the cafe never happened.

Except...part of me didn't want to forget.

Hell, I couldn't forget. He was always on my mind, and Scott clearly didn't want to forget either.

He looked at me with those dark eyes, like I was the only thing that mattered.

He touched me like I was precious and always ensured I was comfortable and cared for.

He was at the shop less now that we were fully staffed, and I'd taken on somewhat of a leadership position, which made it even more inappropriate that I'd let Scott fuck me on the counter, but it was too late to go back now.

For the current shift, he was in the back doing inventory while I worked up front, and my heat was starting to ramp up again. I wasn't going to push him away like before, not when the relief he'd given me had been so amazing, but I still needed to keep my cool at work.

The memory of his touch, how his hands moved over me, how his breath felt against my skin—it haunted me.

It was hard to escape and harder still to convince myself that everything was purely physical and that he hadn't made my stomach fill with butterflies when he worshipped my body like it was something spiritual.

It was just because of the heat, a minor, but necessary lapse in judgment. We were both just caught up in the moment. Nothing had changed. He was still Scott, the smooth and effective Alpha, and I was still Nayeli, the odd, sometimes awkward Omega. We weren't a good fit.

Even if it really felt like we were sometimes.

I kept my focus on work, steaming milk, and taking orders with a smile on my face.

I wasn't going to let him get to me. My heat would be back full force soon, but until then, I was going to work on my spells more.

With Scott's blessing, I'd moved a lot of my magic gear into the guest room I'd been using.

The space was slowly but surely becoming more my own, and I hated to admit that it felt like home more often than not.

My mind was still full of Scott when I heard raised voices and looked up from the espresso machine, scanning the room.

I spotted the source quickly enough. I still hadn't spent much time with the Shadowbay pack, but Scott was constantly introducing me to people and reminding me of names wherever we went. I recognized these two well enough.

The male wolf was Mike, a tall, bald wolf who always seemed standoffish.

The woman was Rhie Watson, a fellow Omega, who Scott informed me was a new addition to the pack.

There was some dark history with her family, which made her a bit of an outcast, but she'd kept her head down and been unproblematic so far.

Right now, she was standing against the wall with her hands clasped in front of her and her head lowered. Mike had her cornered, his arms crossed as he leaned towards her. From what I could tell, he was yelling at her, but their voices were too low to make out over the background noise of the cafe.

Rhie looked like she'd drawn in on herself, her eyes on the ground, and it sparked something inside of me. I'd stood like that before when I wanted to go unnoticed. I knew exactly what being an outcast in a pack felt like.

I'd never approached anyone in the pack normally, my social anxiety making it feel like a nightmare, but all of that burned away when I saw Mike pointing his finger at Rhie, and how scared she looked.

"Hey!" I yelled. I slammed my palms down on the counter, making the espresso machine jolt. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Heads turned, people looking over at the commotion. My face flushed, but I wasn't going to let Mike get away with whatever he was doing.

Mike shot me a glare, then looked back at Rhie. "None of your business, Omega. Run along."

I stomped around the counter. "Actually, it is my business. You're harassing one of our packmates, and I'm not going to stand by while you bully her."

Rhie stared at me in awe.

Mike crossed his arms and glared at me. "What are you going to do about it?"

Confronting someone was uncomfortable enough for me, but the idea of pulling rank made my hands feel numb. As an Omega, I was usually at the bottom of the pack, but as the Alpha's wife? I had a little more pull, and Mike knew it. He was testing me.

I straightened my back and met his eyes head-on. "I'm going to tell you to get the hell out of my shop."

"Your shop?" he sneered.

"My husband, your Alpha, owns it, doesn't he?" I got closer, until I was between him and Rhie. "So that makes it mine."

"Everyone knows Scott just married you as a favor to Samson," he laughed, but my words had made him take a step back at least.

That stung, but I didn't let it show. "That doesn't make it any less valid. Get. Out."

His lip curled, and he snarled, "Fine."

With that, he stormed out. He didn't have the guts to put up a real fight, and I was glad. If I'd had to fight him, I would have needed my magic to win, and Scott would have been pissed. I'd already made a scene in his store, but at least it ended peacefully.

I sighed and turned around, seeing Rhie still pressed against the wall, her mouth hanging open. She clearly hadn't expected anyone to stand up for her, especially not another Omega.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

She nodded, staring at me. "How did you do that?"

"Do what?"

"He listens to you. Why?"

"Well, it's probably more accurate to say he listened to Scott. If I weren't the Alpha's wife, he wouldn't have backed down, but I guess my marriage does have some perks." I held out a hand to her. "I'm Nayeli."

"Rhie," she said, her voice soft. She shook my hand, and I gave her a reassuring smile.

"Nice to meet you, Rhie. Sorry, that's our introduction. That guy is such a dick.” I was going to offer her a drink on the house, just to settle her nerves, when a strong familiar voice rang out from behind the register.

"Nayeli. Can I see you in the back for a minute?"

I whipped around to see Scott and felt the blood drain out of my face. "H-how long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough."

His expression was unreadable, and his voice gave nothing away.

Fuck, what if he didn't approve? I'd gotten so wrapped up in the moment and my desire to help Rhie that I didn't stop to consider what Scott might think.

I was a member of his pack, and I'd just gone and publicly confronted another wolf.

It was disrespectful and could have started a fight.

I kept a straight face, told Rhie goodbye, and promised her she wouldn't see any trouble in my coffee shop again. Then I went through the employee door behind the counter, heading back towards the office, but I didn't make it far.

The instant we were out of sight of the customers, Scott's hand closed around my wrist. I expected him to be angry, and his grip was tight, but he didn't yank or try to force me anywhere. He just stood there, his eyes burning as they searched my face.

"That was very reckless," he said, his tone low.

I bristled, trying not to snap. "He was harassing her. What else was I supposed to do? Just stand there and watch?"

"No, but you should have called me." His thumb stroked over the skin of my inner wrist. "But I have to say...you did well, mate. Protecting the weaker pack members is one of the most important parts of my job, and seeing you do the same is... nice."

I blinked. "Huh?"

"I like seeing you assert your dominance," he said, stepping into my space.

"My...dominance?" I echoed, feeling dumb.

"You're an Omega, but you still stood up to Mike. You put him in his place. You showed him that he isn't at the top of the pack. I find it... sexy."

"O-oh." I didn't know what else to say. Was that a compliment? I felt my cheeks warm and cleared my throat. "Thanks."

"You're welcome." He leaned down, pressing his lips to my forehead. My skin tingled where he touched, and my heartbeat sped up. "But if you're ever going to stand up to an Alpha like that, call me. Okay? Mike is just a punk, but I wouldn't want you going up against someone stronger."

I should have pushed back on the way he was talking, as if I was always going to be around, always going to be his Omega, but it just felt too nice at the moment.

I was glowing from his approval, and still full of adrenaline from the encounter.

I hated anything in public, but I'd impressed even myself when someone else needed help.

"Okay," I agreed. "What was his problem, anyway?"

Scott's face darkened. "It's not my place to tell anyone why Rhie was sent away from her former pack, but now that she's here, a lot of lower-ranking male wolves seem to think they can stake a claim on her. They think since she's disgraced, she should accept whoever offers to mate her first."

"That's horrible!"

Scott nodded once. "It is...although some Alphas would say I should just let it happen so she stops causing strife among the ranks. But she's told me she doesn't want a mate, she just wants to live her life in peace, and it just feels wrong to force her."

I grabbed both his hands in mine and searched his face, taking in the chocolate brown of his eyes and the dark stubble on his jaw. "You're absolutely right. See? Your heart is telling you that the old, misogynistic pack ways are wrong."

"Thank you," he murmured, his eyes lowering to my lips. "For trusting me. I know I haven't come as far as Samson, but I'm willing to listen, at least."

"Well, I..." I had no words. Instead, I did something stupid.

Something crazy.

I kissed him, just quickly on the corner of the mouth, but it changed his entire expression.

He went from looking unhappy about the Rhie situation to lighting up like the sun.

He didn't try to kiss me again, or get any closer, but I knew that if I moved in again, we'd end up locked in his office ripping each other's clothes off.

For now, though, I just wanted him to know how much I appreciated what he'd just said.

"Nayeli," he murmured, grinning, showing all his white, straight teeth, his canines just a bit longer than normal. "When's the last time you went somewhere that wasn't the house or the cafe?"

I shrugged, leaning against the door. "I don't know. I guess the grand opening party doesn't count since it was here too."

"I'm taking you out tonight, Omega." His tone left no room for argument.

"A date." He held up his hand when I opened my mouth to say it was too short notice, and that all my going-out clothes were still at my old apartment.

"Nothing fancy, just someplace different where we can unwind.

We've both had a hell of a few weeks, haven't we? "

"We have," I agreed, surprised. I knew, deep inside, that our relationship was changing, but knowing that Scott wanted to take me out and show me off was still something totally new. "Are you sure you don't want to...I don't know...take some time and plan something out?"

"No. Relax. You'll have a good time," he promised, and it made my heart jump. I hated being forced into social situations, but a date with Scott? That could be fun. And besides, I could use a night away from the house and the coffee shop.

"Alright, fine," I relented. "When should I be ready?"

"Six," he said, pulling his phone out. "I'm going to call Gwen in to close since she's already off work from the other shop. Head home now so you have time to do whatever you need to do. I'll watch the store."

"Okay." I didn't argue. I wasn't going to complain about getting out of the last hour of my shift. I waved goodbye and headed for the door.

I waited until I was outside to clutch my hands to my chest and grinned, feeling giddy. I was doing it again—ignoring the fact that we'd agreed this all would be temporary—maybe it was my heat, or the spell bond, but it all felt so real.

This thing with Scott...it felt like forever.