Page 10 of Spark (Damselverse #2)

Chapter ten

Zara

I devour my dinner, slurping up my spaghetti and meatballs as if it will be the last meal I’ll ever have on earth.

The Alphas are stone-cold silent.

When I look up, I open my mouth in shock. A half meatball plops out onto my plate. “What is it?”

Nolan smiles at me sadly, twirling spaghetti around his fork, and how could I forget? That’s how normal people eat pasta.

I’m such a wild animal, but I can’t recall the last time I had a full meal that wasn’t rations.

The Wolf gave me enough to sustain me. Sometimes, when he was generous, he would give me a heel of bread.

Xavier never takes his eyes off me as he eats his food at the opposite end of the table. Dacre is quiet, and it appears he can’t stomach glancing my way.

I must be a sorry sight with sauce all over my face.

“I take it you like Dacre’s spaghetti and meatballs then?” Nolan quips, and that’s when I look Dacre’s way.

His cheeks redden, and he wears a sour expression now as he shoves spaghetti into his mouth.

“You hear that, D? She likes your meat balls …"

Dacre wipes his mouth, almost smashing his glass of water as he glares at Xavier. “Watch it, X. And her name is Ruby. Learn it.”

Xavier chuckles, chugging back his wine. “Oh, I have. I’ve also learned many other things about her, like the way she likes her back to be rubbed… haven’t I, love?”

The Alpha licks the wine from his lips, and I pretend to be distracted by my food again. I’m starved, after all.

Let’s go with that.

“Don’t push it, Xavier. The only reason we let you anywhere near her was because you seem to be an expert where her needs are concerned. How did you know she was in distress, anyway?” Nolan says.

Wait… Xavier somehow knew I was in trouble. How?

My gaze finds the Alpha in question, but he doesn’t glance my way this time.

He just shrugs. “Alpha instinct.”

My jaw hinges open again. Alpha instinct?

His eyes flick my way, but he pretends to fixate on something behind me instead. And bless me, I actually turn around to see what has him so riveted.

“For someone who claims that they don’t want an Omega, you seem to know what you’re doing when it comes to Ruby,” Dacre mutters, drinking his water with a smirk.

“Watch it, D," Xavier growls.

My heart sinks when the words register.

Xavier doesn’t want me here?

Why am I surprised? He is a prick, but why did he never want me here to begin with? The news upsets me, and I pretend to be lost in my food again.

My Omega weeps, and I wish I could find a sock so I can stuff it in her mouth. She needs to get a grip, but the rejection stings.

It doesn’t add up. The Wolf never wanted me, yet it never hurt like this. This is something new… and unprecedented.

Now I finish my food as fast as I can so I can excuse myself. I just want to cry alone in my room and forget about this whole encounter.

Perhaps coming back home with them was a mistake. I should have just stayed at the shelter. Goldie and I could have stuck together.

We could have even found ourselves a little place—an Alpha free zone. That would have been enough for me.

Once I’m done with my food, I push my chair out, getting to my feet. “May I be excused?”

Nolan blinks at me dumbly. “But don’t you want dessert?”

D-dessert? As in, something sweet and full of sugar? My mouth salivates, and Xavier snorts. “I think that would be a yes , Nolan.”

Dacre sniggers, “As the Omega expert would know.”

Xavier growls, slamming his fist on the table. “Stop calling me that.”

Nolan ignores them both, his smile widening when he spies the expression on my face. “Would you like a piece of cake, Ruby?”

My Omega responds for me, making some helpless moan, and all three Alphas still. Something feral sparks in Dacre’s eyes, but Xavier is harder to read.

He's stoic, face as hard as stone, yet his fingers twitch around the handle of his wine glass.

It appears that pathetic sound has woken something in them all. Even the charming Nolan's voice thickens as he whispers, “I’ll… get you a piece…”

He moves out of the room so fast, I have to blink. His chair even drops to the floor in his wake, and when the wood hits the floor, the other two Alphas jump.

Now Dacre returns to us as he shakes his head, stabbing his food as he stuffs it angrily into his mouth.

Xavier looks lost, and I almost feel sorry for the poor Alpha.

I’ve never seen anyone look so torn.

His gaze finds mine for a moment, and inside his gray eyes, I find pain. But it passes quickly as he, too, moves out of the room like a streak of lightning.

Before I can question the odd behavior, Nolan returns with chocolate cake, and my eyes grow bigger than my belly. “Gimme!”

Nolan laughs, and it appears he’s come back to himself. However, his hair is soaking, and did he splash himself with water?

“It’s okay, Ruby, you will get a piece on one condition… I get to be the one who feeds you?”

A fair compromise. One I can see no way out of. In the end, I concede as I let the Alpha cut me a slice.

“Bigger…” I say.

Nolan laughs. “Anything for you, pussycat, since you were so generous to let me feed you. Now, open up that cute mouth.”

Cute? My mouth is gross and still covered in sauce. I need to wash up, but I open up, letting him slip some fluffy chocolate cake onto my tongue.

I think I've just died and gone straight to heaven from the moment I taste that chocolate, and another groan of pleasure escapes me as I take my sweet time.

Dacre finishes his water, then exits the room. But all I can think about is the chocolate cake and the handsome Alpha who feeds it to me.

It's as delicious as I remember. Grandma and I always used to bake cake together, andI’m not sure how much time passes as the Alpha feeds me every last bite. He even lets me lick the plate.

A chuckle escapes him. “There, that wasn’t so bad, was it? I see Alphas doing it all the time with their Omegas in public. I always thought it looked fun.”

Alphas and Omegas do that in public? Why don’t they just strip off and have sex while they're at it, too, because that was one of the most sensual experiences of my life.

I won’t be able to eat chocolate without getting at least a little wet ever again.

“So, pussycat…” Nolan says as he wipes my mouth with a napkin. “I was wondering if you would allow me to take you nest shopping tomorrow. We can even get you some clothes, too. How does that sound?”

My heart pounds, and then I meet the violet of his eyes. They truly are breathtaking, and they remind me of twilight. The way the stars flicker, lighting up the sky.

“Well, you in?” he asks.

I come out of my trance, closing my eyes. “Yes. I’d love to.”

I wouldn’t mind some new clothes after all. And while Xavier did a fine job of my nest, a few more blankets couldn’t hurt either.

“Then it’s settled. Tomorrow, we take you out nest shopping. I look forward to getting to spoil you rotten, pussycat.”

He reaches across, palming my cheek with his massive hand. I melt beneath his touch, especially when he rubs his thumb along my chin.

It almost hovers over my bottom lip, but he holds back, giving me back my personal space.

He wants to take this slow, I get it. But if he wanted to fuck me on this dining table, I wouldn’t protest. No, I would merely welcome him as he pushes inside me, filling me with his big cock.

Of course he would be big. I bet they all are.

Still, as he smiles in anticipation of tomorrow, a heavy feeling settles in my stomach.

It's guilt.

I don’t deserve to be spoiled after all because I am lying to them.

For one, they don’t even know my real name. But it’s better that way.

At least then, I can sleep easier at night knowing they are safe from the Wolf's wrath.