Page 11

Chapter Eleven

A nother day, another Alpha to break.

My eyes are laser-focused on the hand situated at the small of Posie’s back as she disappears into a tiny white brick building. The stress ball I brought pops under my powerful grip, spewing the little green balls inside it all over the interior of my car. Not sure why I thought it might help, now I’m just going to need to get my car cleaned.

Fortunately, she comes back out seconds later, following an older male beta toward a black car. My phone buzzes with an incoming text, and I glance down for a second, not taking a chance at losing Posie.

Coach

Where the hell are you?

Posie’s as pale as a ghost, and I hate it. She’s one of the most vibrant people I know, always quick with a smile big enough to brighten even the darkest days. Fun, sweet, and perfect, just like her scent—a little cotton candy puff of goodness. My girl and the beta talk for a moment in the front seat, and then he takes the wheel, driving slowly out onto the open road. Fucker better know what he’s doing. He has the most precious damn cargo.

Following them slowly, I make sure to stay a few cars back. I wish I could get closer, but if she sees me, it’s going to cause all kinds of questions. A lot can be written off as coincidence, but there’s no reason for me to be on these roads right now.

The phone rings, but I let it go to voicemail. Nothing is as important as this, but when my coach calls through two more times, I hit the button on my steering wheel to answer.

“What?” I snap, not in the mood for this. Posie’s car makes a right ahead, turning onto a residential street, and I clench my jaw.

Why isn’t he taking her to an empty parking lot?

“That’s not the way to greet your coach.” A surly voice comes through my speakers, and it takes everything in me to stay on the line. Only one push would end the call.

“Sorry, Coach. How can I help you?” I ask, knowing full-well that I blew off practice today. Posie’s car glides to a stop, and I follow suit, parking further down the street to observe her without being seen .

“You can tell me the truth about why you weren’t here today. The text about taking your tarantula to the vet wasn’t even decent bullshit.” The car remains parked and my jaw clenches, wondering what’s going on there.

“After all the fighting and jumping into the stands, I expected better of you. Yeah, you’re one of Willie’s golden boys, but the team is my domain. My house,” Coach yells, falling into a tirade about benching or suspending me. Whatever. His threats pale in the face of my reality, though. My concern for the omega who’s just feet away.

If that beta lays a hand on my Puff…

Her vehicle begins to roll forward slowly, the wheels turning, and my gut clenches. She’s doing it. She’s really doing it. I’m still miffed she wouldn’t let me teach her, but that doesn’t take away my pride in her perseverance.

“Miller, are you there?” Coach keeps up his squawking, but I don’t have a good reason for skipping practice. Perhaps I should have tried harder to come up with something believable… but who the hell cares?

“Sorry, Coach. Something personal came up.” That’s all I can give him. The league is great about things like heat leave and whatnot, but Posie and I aren’t even courting… yet. No one knows about my feelings for her or how they’ve morphed over the past two years from protective concern to a full-blown infatuation.

Suddenly, Posie’s car lunges forward, jumps onto the curb, then comes bouncing down before the brake lights glow red with a hard stop. Before I have a chance to think, I’m out of my SUV, my legs pumping as I push myself faster to get to her .

The driver’s side door flings open, and a gasping cry cracks through the air.

My Alpha drives me forward, and I’m glad for all the training I’ve had. Flying toward the car, my legs eat up the distance with ease. Just like the first time I scented her, the only thing in the world that matters is getting to my Puff.

Damn the consequences.

Something wet trickles down my face, the scent of smoke heavy in the air as my eyes pop open. Raising my hand, I touch my forehead, startled when it comes away sticky.

What the hell?

The cabin of the limo is black. All the lights are out, and I can’t tell which way is up.

“Mom? Dad?” I croak, sliding onto my hands and knees. Broken glass slices my palms, and more shards dig into my knees, shredding my suit pants. “Owen?”

The space gets warmer, causing sweat to join the blood dampening my pants as I search for the door, or my parents, or really anything. Where is everyone? What’s going on?

Suddenly, a delicate cough to my left catches my ear, and I surge forward. My hands grasp tiny arms, and I know instantly that it’s Owen’s little sister, Posie. She moans painfully, and in the next instant, a strange perfume floods the space, overpowering the harsh smell of burning rubber. It hits me in the face, scrambling my brain.

The sweetest puff of cotton candy. My favorite treat, my guilty pleasure. The ultimate cheat I can’t avoid, even when I’m training hard. It bowls me over, and my Alpha takes control. Bending, I run my nose over her neck, brushing her cheek against mine, scent marking her.

MUST PROTECT.

This is all wrong. She’s just a child; she can’t be my omega. It bowls me over, but there’s no sexual desire, no urge to bite or mate. Just this overwhelming need to keep Posie safe at all costs. She whines but doesn’t come to, and I wish I could see her, could tell if she’s broken anything or has a concussion. Fear grips me—should I move her? Should I wait for help?

The limo gives a violent shudder, creaking as the metal twists. Behind me, a door flings open, fresh air flooding in, and I pull my omega to my chest, carrying her tiny, broken body with as much gentleness as I can muster, before crawling forward.

“Owen! Posie! Miller!” The urgency in Willie Moore’s loud bark forces me to push harder, crawl faster. I battle through the car with Posie cradled against me, her arms flopping, barely conscious. The sound of rushing sirens breaks through my haze, and the light from the open door turns red and blue and pulses in and out as the others evacuate the limo. I’m not sure who’s where; it’s just a jumble of bodies escaping.

My world has narrowed to the precious being in my arms.

Fire crackles behind me, and I surge forward, standing as much as possible, hunching my body over hers as flames lick at my spine. It’s mere seconds, but it seems like an eternity before I leap out of the car into the crisp night.

Sirens crack through the night, and the lights blind me—the bright reds and blues searing my eyes, causing me to grip Posie tighter. Her sweet cotton candy scent becomes muted with pain, yet the slow rise and fall of her chest is enough to keep me sane.

“Sir. Are you okay?”

“Sir. Is she okay?”

EMTs swarm forward, pushing gurneys and other medical paraphernalia. One is bold enough to attempt to take Posie from my arms. I growl, warning him away with barely leashed violence. I’m nearly feral in my need to guard her. There’s very little of Miller in control right now.

His eyes widen when he notices the primal glint in my eyes, and he steps back, raising his hands placatingly. He drops his gaze in submission and my Alpha accepts the gesture, calming enough to let me push forward.

“Alpha, you both look injured. Can we treat you?” Another EMT arrives with a second gurney. She gestures toward it. Although it feels like carving a piece of my heart out, I slowly bend and place Posie on the white sheet, watching as it instantly darkens with blood.

The world swims.

“It’s not her blood. It’s yours,” the female says, helping me onto a separate gurney. Dizziness surges in me, but through it all, I don’t let go of her frail hand. They roll us toward the ambulances, and when they tug her fingers out of my grasp, I lose it. Throwing my body forward, there’s shouting and hollering. Something lashes across my chest to hold me down while a sharp needle plunges into my neck.

My muscles seize, stopping all movement, and the fight drains from my body. A devastating thought niggles in my brain…

“Where are my parents?” I mumble before the lights go out completely.

Posie fights with her seatbelt, her motions panicked and ineffectual. The belt presses between her breasts as she writhes against it, leaving a dark red mark on the skin near her neck.

The forming bruise causes anger to rush through me. I reach inside, snapping the buckle out of the lock and releasing her into my waiting arms.

She falls forward, and I catch her, pulling her out of the car as though she’s as light as a feather. Her shallow breaths gust against my throat, each one harsher than the next; a sign that she’s still deep in the throes of a panic attack.

“Puff, look at me,” I demand, walking toward my waiting vehicle. She’s cradled in my arms, and the eerie familiarity sends a shudder down my spine. Only this time, she’s not a child, making my protective instincts to go wild, devoid of attraction. No, now she’s all woman, and the need to possess her, keep her, make her mine is unbearable. I haven’t held her like this since that night…

But I force the memories away. My girl needs me .

The spluttering beta in the front seat follows us out, screaming about giving her back, but he can fuck right off. With a glare at the man, I release a growl that startles even me—more animal than man and the beta pales to an alarming shade of undead.

“I’m not going to hurt my omega,” I snap. “Drive away.”

Whether he’s smart or just a coward is completely debatable because he jumps back into his car like his ass is on fire and peels away from the curb in search of water to put it out.

Good riddance.

Posie trembles in my arms, and tears streak down her flushed cheeks as I snuggle her closer and bolt the few feet back to my SUV. Her scent unfurls around me, muted by the annoying scent blockers, but I take deep breaths of it, nevertheless.

“Talk to me, Puff,” I beg. Her teeth chatter, and nothing but a low whine escapes her throat. The sound pierces me to my core, making the need to comfort her overwhelming, so I slide her onto the hood of my car and bring my hands up to cup her face.

The scent of burned sugar overpowers the metallic one from the de-scenting lotion she loves so much. It dissipates, leaving nothing but a deepness to her cotton candy that wasn’t there before. I try to figure out why, but her stress hits me from all directions. Posie claws at her throat like she wants to rip it open. She gasps for air, unable to pull in a full breath, and I’m willing to do anything to calm her down.

Stepping between her legs, I pull her tight against me and bring my mouth down on hers.

Our lips press together, and I groan at the electricity that pulses between us. The simple touch is enough to make my world spin on its axis. Everything goes taut until it shatters, then reforms with her at the center—a beacon of hope amid the trauma.

I thought finding out she was my scent match was life-changing, but this is so much more…

Everything around us stops, and a sense of rightness descends.

It’s time to stop fighting my instincts and claim the perfection right in front of me.