Page 51 of The Omega Exchange: Omnibus (The Exchange)

Chapter Six

Viktor

My heart thunders as I stare down at Anastasia. She's every bit as beautiful as I remember. Only, she was a whole lot more docile when I left.

My head shakes involuntarily as I think about it. I never intended to be gone a month, but shit went down.

I wasn't coming back until I was sure she'd be safe.

"As I said," Anastasia says in a sickly sweet tone. "I've got things I need to do. Mainly Chance. He had a couple of really good-looking friends. Maybe I'll try them out, too."

"Oh, princess, you're really working on my last nerve," I growl, slamming her back against the wall. Even in her sky-high heels she barely hits my shoulder.

"Too bad," Ana says, laughing. "Let me go. I'm done with this conversation."

A low, feral growl rattles out of my chest. Anastasia's perfume is heavy in the air, but I'm old enough to realize physical response doesn't equal consent.

"I get that you're upset." I brush my cheek against hers. "I never wanted to be away for so long."

Anastasia stiffens. I wish we had a bond so I could read her mind. I've got no idea what I said that set her off. I'm generally pretty fucking good at anticipating the needs of my sub, but Ana has always rattled my foundations.

"Move or I'll scream. We'll see what happens when you have every alpha in the place ready to tear you apart."

"I'd like to see them try," I growl, scraping my teeth over her neck. "You underestimate exactly how deadly I am, especially when something tries to stand in the way of me and what's mine."

Anastasia shivers, but she glares up at me with a look that makes my cock throb. I really fucking missed her, even her smart mouth and defiant attitude. I missed the entire package, but more than anything I miss the version of Ana that I got before I went to New York.

"That's the problem," she hisses, slamming her fists against my chest. "We disagree on that. I'm not yours."

"Sorry to break it to you, princess, but you're abso-fucking-lutely mine," I snarl.

My forearm knocks her arm back as my hand lands around her throat.

"I listened to your mewls of pleasure as I teased your tight little body all night and all day.

I fucked your sweet pussy full of my cum while you begged for more.

" My hand around her throat squeezes. She blinks up at me from under her lashes.

Her pupils are blown, fully dilated. "The problem is you forgot who I am while I was away.

Don't worry. I'm more than happy to remind you. "

Ana licks her lips. Her small hand shoves at my chest again. "Fuck off. We had heat sex, it was fine. Don't get clingy now, Viki. It's not a good look on any man."

A bark of laughter I'm not expecting escapes. "I should have been clearer before I left. I had things I needed to take care of."

"Visiting your wife? A girlfriend?" Ana snaps. "Kids? What else was so important that you abandoned me when I needed you most?"

My jaw clenches.

Fucking Wolfe. He might have been right. Castro, too, but Wolfe was the one who was smug about it.

"I'm sorry that I wasn't here when you needed me.

I can assure you what I was doing is important.

" I run my finger over her soft cheek. "Just because you're upset doesn't mean you get to go right back to treating me like I'm the garbage on your shoe.

I should fuck your ass right here with no prep for even suggesting that type of bullshit. "

“I’d love to see you try," Ana hisses. She begins to fight against my hold in earnest, and I realize I might have fucked up worse than I imagined.

I know I'm not a great communicator. The guys love to hassle me about grunting and pointing to get my meaning across, but fuck me, I thought she understood I wanted her. That I was coming back for her as soon as possible.

"Just listen to me," I growl. My thumb brushes over her cheek as my fingers dance over her neck.

"Is everything okay?" the dick in skinny jeans asks. He's leaning against the door frame and watching us carefully.

My hands fist at my sides as I hold myself back from pouncing.

Chad will die tonight before he ever puts his dick inside Ana.

Then again, Ana is so shut down to me now, murdering Brad probably wouldn't help.

And yes, I'm aware I've already called him two different hipster names.

I literally do not give a fuck what the dude-bro in skinny jean's name is.

"All good," Ana says, shooting him an inviting grin. "Vik was my security during my last heat. He just wanted to make sure I'm all right."

Lovely. I've been down-graded to her previous security. Those begging, gasping moans, and the times she pleaded for my bite are meaningless.

A snarl escapes my chest as Anastasia skips to his side.

"Thanks for checking in, Vik. But, as you can see, I'm just fine," she says, letting the little prick pull her to his chest with a hand on her ass.

They disappear out the door and, not for the first time, I consider the fact that I made a huge fucking mistake.

I stomp down the hallway as the princess has another tantrum. I'm halfway up the stairwell to the third floor when I realize she's sobbing as she fights me. I quickly pull her off my shoulder. Putting her back on her feet in the corner, I lean her against the wall as I run my hand over her cheek.

"Ana, what's wrong?" I ask. It's not a bark; that feels like it would be the wrong course of action to take at the moment.

Her eye makeup is messy, running down her cheeks as her eyes squeeze shut. My heart races. I thought me picking her up and removing her from situations where she's about to get herself into trouble was, I don't know… our thing.

A kind of humorous foreplay. She's the brat, and I have to be the asshole when I'm trying to keep her from making an even bigger mess of things.

What I didn't mean to do was scare her, and she sure looks like I fucked up majorly.

"Let me go," she hisses. Her hands land on my forearms and her nails dig in. "I need to leave. Now! They set me up to fail."

"If you need to leave then I'll take you myself," I say, pulling her into my chest. "Wherever you need to go. I'll take you, but talk to me. Tell me what's going on."

Anastasia struggles for a few seconds before she buries her face in my chest and just… sobs.

There's no other word to describe the soul-crushing sound that comes out of her mouth. She's crying so hard it's difficult to believe she's breathing.

"I'm going to pick you up," I say in a soothing tone. My forearm wraps under her ass and I lift her. She scrambles up my chest, wrapping her arms tight around my neck and sobbing into my throat. "Shh, I've got you."

I head for my suite. She seemed comfortable last night in the nest with Cas.

The fact she bailed this morning while I was in the shower wasn't necessarily surprising, but Castro was hurt.

It was clear enough when he searched the entire apartment before admitting she was gone.

I was annoyed when I found her.

Part of me considered it an extension of our playful banter.

The rest was frustrated on Cas's behalf. He's not like me and Wolfe. He's as sincere a person as you'll ever meet.

I didn't like that Ana walked out on him without a word.

Anastasia wraps her legs firmly around my ass as I unlock the door to my suite. I aim for the nest, tossing open the door, and kicking it closed with my booted foot.

I set her down on the top step long enough for me to unlace my boots and pull them off. I stretch out my arms, and Ana bolts right into them. It makes me feel like I'm a king, but something is still seriously fucked.

I need to figure out how to fix it immediately.

I get us inside the nest, pulling the curtain closed, and climb onto the mattress. I lie down with her on top of me to keep from crushing her leg, and gently move her to lie in front of me while she faces me.

"I-I n-need to leave," she whimpers, shoving her face in my neck.

"You're fucking killing me here, princess," I murmur, running my hand over the back of her head.

"I c-can't go back there," she sobs. "I w-won't. I don't know exactly w-what'll happen, but it w-won't be good."

My gut sinks. I don't like the sound of that, not one fucking bit.

"I have to leave," she whispers. "I don't know where I can go, but I have to get out of here."

"No," I say firmly. "That's the last thing you need to do. You're on the verge of your heat. I can't let you leave, knowing what could happen."

"Is that a threat?" Ana squeaks.

"No, sweet girl, it's the opposite. You're an unclaimed omega. It's too late to try to go back on suppressants. I can't let you walk out of here, knowing the kind of pain you'll be in for without alphas," I say, blowing out the breath I've apparently been holding.

Ana pushes against my chest and tries to sit up.

"What makes you think you get a say?" She finally succeeds in sitting up, and I face her. "I know I'm not a good person, but if I don't look out for myself then no one else will. I'll deal with what I have to."

"You think you deserve to suffer?" I ask. My head tilts as I study her face.

She shrugs. She pulls her hand to her mouth and chews at the edge of her thumbnail.

"Anastasia," I growl. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way. The choice is yours, but you might not like it if we go with the second choice."

"Again with the threats." She laughs derisively.

"No," I bark. "Not a threat. A promise. The other side of that agreement is my guarantee that I'll never use my strength or position against you."

She frowns, chewing away at her lower lip.

I grin. "Well, never in a way you won't enjoy.

I know something is eating at you. That's the thing about giving up control.

You're no longer responsible for your guilt.

If you give me your submission then you give me your shame, too.

Whatever is weighing on you becomes my problem to solve, not yours. "

The aching need to know all her secrets hits me square in the chest.