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S weat beads on my neck, rolling down my spine to further wet my already drenched shirt. We’ve been here over a week now, but I don’t think I’ll ever get used to this heat. The heat, or the dull sense of dread that’s stayed with me ever since Bear found that weapon outside Cora’s tent.

I may not want an omega of my own, but I don’t want anyone to get hurt. Bear’s team did as I asked and moved her tent so it butts up to mine, which was some small relief. But not enough. There’s no way Cora Whitlock could defend herself if something were to really happen to her.

I smirk at the memory of that little sweep move she did. It may have taken down an average beta, but she’s no match for an alpha of my size. Seeing some of that fire from her had my cock perking up. Feisty women turn me on, and Dr. Whitlock is fierce, beautiful, and smart—if a little awkward at times, which I find irritatingly adorable. The whole package really. If I were looking for an omega… but I’m not.

In my youth, I, of course, dreamed of finding my pack and an omega to center it, but those dreams evaporated when I learned how risky it can be to fall for an omega. The loss of an omega isn’t like a normal break up for an alpha. It’s much, much worse. I’ve seen firsthand the damage it can do, and I have no intention to put myself in that position like my brother did.

Looking at Cora now, though, some of those feelings of longing try to bust out of the cage I shoved them into years ago. I’m not old, but I’m certainly not young anymore. And, let's face it, it's in my biology to want an omega and a pack, even if it isn’t in the cards for me. I won’t settle for anything less than a scent match, and I have no desire for that either. People lose all sense when they’re scent-matched. They drop all their priorities, change their values, act like unhinged animals. No, that’s not for me.

“Ho! Over here!” I’m whipped back to the present by the excited shout coming from the far edge of the excavation area. Curious, I make my way toward the gathering crowd to see what they’ve found.

Dr. Whitlock is already there by the time I arrive. She's on her hands and knees, bent over a section of sand with an excavation brush, carefully but urgently uncovering something.

An audible groan nearly escapes me. I may not want a bonded omega, but I’m still an alpha. Hell, I’m still a man. And seeing her on all fours with that plump ass in the air is nearly more than I can handle. Some of her long hair has escaped its ponytail and is blowing in the wind. I could hold it for her. Wrap it around my hand nice and taut. Preferably while I’m slamming into her from behind, making that luscious ass jiggle on each stroke.

Fuck. What is wrong with me?

Surreptitiously adjusting my semi-hard cock, I move next to Cora and crouch down beside her. She doesn’t acknowledge me, simply continues to reveal whatever this artifact is. She’s good at this. Meticulous and careful. I can’t really see what she’s uncovering from here, but soon enough she has it free, sitting back on her heels, marveling at the prize clutched in her small hands.

“Oh my goddess.” She breathes. “Oh my goddess!”

“What? What is it?” My eagerness shows in my voice. This is the first time we’ve found anything new in days.

Cora carefully holds up a metal item. It’s clearly a box, albeit an oddly shaped one. It has six sides, and there don’t seem to be any hinges that would indicate that it opens. There are circles engraved on the top, filling the entire surface and laid out in a fish scale pattern. Each circle is made up of a mosaic of different metals, seemingly in no discernable order. I’ve seen similar items before. In fact, I think it's?—

“A puzzle box.” Both Cora and I say at the same time. She looks up at me with excitement glinting in her eyes. The whole world narrows to her smile, and it’s like it’s just the two of us, sharing a secret, a connection that no one else shares.

No. No . Cora and I don’t share anything other than professional interest. The same as with the rest of the team. That’s it .

Scrambling up, Cora nearly skips like a schoolgirl in her enthusiasm to take the artifact to Archer to examine. I break into a sweat watching her ass jiggle in those short shorts.

The puzzle box. That’s what we’re focusing on. Not the omega’s ass.

Unfortunately, both of us are rule followers, and protocol says the item must be documented extremely well before we do anything with it.

Excitement is buzzing through my veins, my muscles clenching in anticipation, even though I won’t be able to examine the little box until tomorrow. It’ll take Archer a while to catalog the artifact, and it’s already late. Not that I’ll be sleeping much. Between Cora’s tent next to mine and the adrenaline that comes with a new find, it’ll be a miracle if I don’t spend the whole night tossing and turning.