Instinctively, Mia drew back, trying to maintain a buffer between them. She winced as her knee buckled under her weight, and the alpha's gaze went to her injury.
Even from where she stood, she could see his expression harden.
"You're hurt." His voice had taken on an edge, as if the sight of her blood made him angry. "Did someone do that to you? Is that why you were late getting back?"
With each question he took another step closer. At this rate, he'd be on top of her in a heartbeat.
Mia threw her hands out in front of her. "Please, stay back." Her voice squeaked with terror, but at least she could talk again.
Not that it did any good.
The alpha closed the distance between them. Mia stumbled back, wincing in pain.
Up close, she could see that his eyes were unusual, dark but somehow still luminous in the moonlight.
"Did someone do this to you?" he demanded. "Who were you with tonight? Tell me his name."
Mia didn't know what he was talking about. She didn't know any Nicky, and she sure as hell wasn't going to tell him about Dustin and Josh.
"Please," she tried again. But even as the word tumbled out of her mouth, she knew it wouldn't do any good.
Begging and pleading had never gotten Mia anywhere. Not with Dustin. Not with her father. Not with anyone. No one ever listened.
The only thing she could do was run.
She spun on her heel and ignored the searing pain that shot up her leg with every step. Her knee was swollen and tight, but it wasn't broken. Even though it hurt like hell, she forced herself to move.
But she didn't make it far.
The alpha closed in on her almost instantly. That's when she realized she never had a chance.
It wouldn't have mattered if Mia had been in perfect condition. She could have been an Olympic sprinter, and it still wouldn't have done any good. The alpha was too damn fast.
Mia didn't even have time to scream as massive arms snaked around her waist and lifted her off the ground. Her spine pressed against his hard chest, and she felt...warm.
So warm.
Mia's pulse slowed as she drew in the first steady breath of the night. Then another. Without thinking, her head lolled back, resting against his huge, hard shoulder. She took in a deep breath, filling her lungs with the scent of him.
Sawdust and wood smoke and whiskey.
Without thinking, Mia lifted her hands and ran her fingertips down the exposed skin of his muscular forearms. It was almost as if she could feel the power and vitality running through his body, drawing her touch.
Why had she been running, again? Why in the world would she want to get away from this man…this alpha…when it was obvious that she was meant to be with him?
Mia's eyes flew open wide at the shocking thought, and she tried to wrench herself free.
Slowly, he let her down and turned her around in his arms. Strong features stood out in relief in the pale light, his dark eyes filled with a powerful emotion she couldn't name.
"Who…are…you?" he demanded, biting off each syllable. "You're not a whore, are you?"
"What? No!"
Why would he think that? Sure, Mia had worn a tight-fitting dress to the festival today, but it wasn't that revealing.
His words came back to her. Was that what he'd meant by 'Nicky and her girls '? Prostitutes?
"You're an omega," he said, almost to himself, releasing her abruptly.
For a split second, Mia felt a crushing sense of loss as his touch fell away, but it didn't last long.
Only until the last word sunk in. Omega.
No.
No. No. No.
That was impossible. She wasn't. She couldn't be.
She was a beta, just like everyone else she knew. There was no way that she could be an omega...and not just because she didn't want to believe it.
Omegas were incredibly rare. Even more rare than alphas, or so she had been taught. But she also knew that no woman could know her true nature until she was in the presence of an alpha.
Until she touched one. Felt his skin, his hot gaze. Until his pheromones found their way into her bloodstream and set off the reaction that had been lying in wait her entire life.
Oh God, no.
Mia started running again, her heart pounding wildly, dragging her injured leg. She wasn't only running from the alpha now—she was running from something even worse: her own true nature.
The alpha caught her just as easily as he had before, taking only two strides for her dozen. Picking her up with one hand, he spun her around and pressed her chest against his. Intense dark eyes stared into hers.
"Yes, you are." His voice was deep and strong, vibrating through her.
The warmth Mia had felt when he first touched her ignited into raging flames. Her heart started to hammer, but this time it had nothing to do with fear. An entirely different emotion kindled in her now, a different kind of fire.
Her hand moved independently of her mind, and Mia found herself reaching up and running her fingers through the alpha's thick, dark brown hair. She couldn't stop herself.
Oh God, why couldn't she stop herself?
She didn't want to lace her fingers around his massive neck. She didn't want to pull his lips down to hers. But she had to.
His mouth crashed against hers. Mia swept her tongue hungrily over his lower lip, over the ridge of his teeth, wanting to taste him, drink him in.
But just a taste wasn't enough. She wanted more. She needed more.
Cradled tight in his arms, Mia drew her legs up and wrapped them around his waist. Unfamiliar wetness dampened the inside of her thighs. The night air chilled the skin, making her shiver in delicious contrast to the heat where their bodies met.
The alpha growled his approval into her mouth before pulling back.
"You are an omega," he roared. "My omega!"
The last shred of rational thought that Mia still possessed rebelled at his words. This couldn't be real. It had to be a nightmare. She would rather be dead than an omega. At least then, her torture would be over.
Now it was just beginning.
* * *
She felt like fire in his hands. Her mouth tasted like honey.
A thick haze of lust and need filled Ty's head as he carried the omega up the stairs and around the side of Evander's Bar. It didn't matter that he'd already spent a few hours and a good bit of cash with Nicky tonight. Shit, it wouldn't have mattered if he'd screwed his way through her whole crew. This wasn't anywhere near as simple as just fucking.
This woman was an omega.
His omega.
This was the moment Ty had lived his whole life for. And now she was in his arms. So hot and ready for him, despite trying to deny her true nature.
He had no idea who she was or why she was here, walking down the Central Road at two o'clock in the morning. Those questions would have to wait until later.
Until after he'd extinguished the fire in his blood.
Leaning back against the weathered wood wall of the building, Ty drew her against him and slid a hand down her leg. She winced as he touched her knee. Sticky blood coated his fingertips, her swollen flesh warm against his hand.
Someone had hurt his omega...and not just her leg. Now that they were in the light, Ty could see the angry red mark on her cheek, the jagged scrapes on her palms.
Rage filled him at the sight. He had no idea who did this to her or why, but he would find out. And when he did, they would pay.
Dearly.
Ty gently caressed the unmarked side of her face with a single fingertip. She leaned into the touch, her soft purr thrumming against his chest. Ty's cock surged at the sound, growing even harder.
She was pretty, fair-skinned with dark blond hair and intelligent navy blue eyes. Young too, maybe just on the other side of twenty.
Whoever she was, she hadn't wanted to be out here. He'd caught the scent of her fear while he was locking up the bar, but hadn't thought too much of it at
first. It was rare for one of Nicky's girls to get left behind, but it happened.
When it did, Ty let them spend the night in the bar. Sometimes, if he was feeling up to another round, he'd stay with them. Either way, he ended up driving he woman back out to the boundary line at daybreak to make sure she got out safely.
But he should have known at first sniff the omega wasn't one of the girls. Her fear was shaded with desperation, with real terror. This woman wasn't afraid she was going to lose her job—she was afraid she was going to lose her life.
But she didn't have to be afraid anymore. No one was ever going to hurt her again. No one was going to touch her.
No one but him.
He bent down and claimed her mouth with his. Capturing her lower lip between his teeth, Ty pulled gently, teasing her flesh. Her body reacted instantly to the sensation as she ground her hips against him, her wetness drenching the outline of his cock. Her slick soaked all the way through the thick denim of his jeans, reaching his shaft.
Yes. It was obvious how much she wanted him. Her blood had awakened to her true nature, even as her mind wasn't willing to give in so easily. She pulled back from his kiss, confusion swirling in her eyes. A soft moan escaped her lips even as she shook her head.
"I don't—" she started, but he cut her off by rubbing the length of his erection along the juncture of her legs. Her eyelids fluttered as her head fell back in pleasure.
"I don't want..." she tried again, her voice softer this time. Less certain. More subservient.
Ty's blood surged in reaction.
"Yes, you do." He kissed her again. And again. Battering back the last of her defenses with his tongue.
He could feel the proof of just how badly she wanted him dripping down her legs. The sweet scent of her slick enveloped him. He breathed it in deep and felt it seep into his veins. Like a drug, the knowledge of her took over his body, until she was all he could see. All he could think of. All he needed.
Reality only returned when he felt her fingers fumbling at the front of his jeans.
"I'm not going to fuck you. I won't," she muttered, even as her fingers pulled at the fly. She finally managed to twist the button free and yank the zipper down, rushing to free his cock. "I'm not a slut."
Ty almost laughed. Of course she wasn't.
She was an omega. One who had just found her alpha, her destiny. Didn't she know how rare this was? How perfect? They were made for each other.
But Ty had heard the fragility behind her words. His omega was hurt and afraid. She needed him badly, but that didn't mean their first mating had to be against the wall of a battered roadhouse.
There were other ways to take her. To tame the fire that had engulfed both of their bodies.
At this point, Ty had to do something—and so did she. Despite her protests, he'd already seized her fingers and wrapped them around the base of his cock. The omega's eyes went wide as she felt its girth and weight, and distress showed in their blue depths.
"I can't…" she stammered. "There's no way."
"You can," Ty growled, the hunger inside him growing even sharper as he imagined the sweet tightness of her pussy as he pressed inside her for the first time. "And you will…but not tonight."
Her expression flickered so quickly between relief and disappointment that he almost missed it. Her need for him was powerful…but so was her fear.
It was time for him to answer both.
In one smooth motion, he swung her upside down in his arms. The omega gasped as his head came even with her legs. He hooked one arm under her knees and pressed her flush against him. With his other hand, he tore away her delicate red lace panties.
A primal growl rumbled from Ty's chest at the sight of her soft, pink pussy lips glistening with fragrant slick. He pulled her closer and covered her with his mouth.
The omega cried out in shocked pleasure as his tongue swept over her vulva. The taste of her slick filled his mouth, and Ty craved more. He sucked, and flicked, and drank her in until the omega's moans echoed through the trees. Until her legs trembled against his cheeks.
This was what he had so desperately wanted. This was what he'd been missing.
But there was more.
Ty stiffened as she hungrily tongued him while still hanging upside down from his arm. Wet heat washed over the head of his cock. Swirls of pleasure radiated through him as she laved the sides of his shaft. He could feel her—hear her—trying to take him inside her mouth, but she couldn't make him fit.
Instead, she worked him with her hands. Her palms urgently stroking him, long and hard, trying to keep up with his merciless tempo.
Yes.
She needed him. Just as much as he needed her. They needed to make each other explode. Needed to make each other come over and over again.
The omega's breath grew faster as her entire body writhed against him. Ty could feel the tension building inside her, the tight bounds of ecstasy about to break.
She pumped him harder, faster, wordlessly begging him to come with her. Closing his lips around her clit, he sucked the sensitive nub of flesh into his mouth, rubbing it roughly with his tongue.
The omega's whole body shook. Her mouth and hands worked his cock frantically until she shattered in his arms, crying out in pure release. A fresh wave of slick ran down Ty's chin and chest. The taste alone was enough to take him over the edge with her.
His balls tightened and pulsed. Thick jets of come sprayed out, as the most intense pleasure Ty had ever felt ripped through his body. His legs trembled. His head fell back as he roared in triumph.
Moments later, feeling more thoroughly spent than ever in his life, Ty let his full weight fall back against the wall. He cradled the omega's languid body in his arms and gently righted her.
This time she didn't fight him. All the tension had been wrung from her muscles. The last vestiges of fear had drained away. Her eyelids drifted down.
The force of her orgasm had exhausted her.
She sleepily wrapped her hands around his neck, her cheek against his chest. There was no more talk about what was or wasn't possible.
There was only them now.
Together.
Chapter Three
Even on the best days, Mia hated mornings.
She groaned as painful shards of daylight stabbed through her eyelids, thinking that her roommate must have opened the blinds again.
Eyes squeezed shut, she felt around the top of the bed, looking for something to pull over her head to block out the light. Her hand landed against something plush and soft. A pillow. Perfect. She grabbed it and pressed it over her face.
In an instant, glorious darkness returned.
Letting out a sigh of relief, Mia tucked her arms back under her blanket and curled up on her side. She just needed five more minutes of sleep before math class.
Okay, maybe ten.
If she skipped the cafe on her way through campus, she could still make it with plenty of time.
Mia shifted her shoulders and hips against the mattress. It felt different this morning. Cozy, and soft, and actually comfortable—words no one ever used to describe a dorm room twin bed. But there was more to it than that.
She kicked out her leg and was shocked when her foot slid over the vast expanse of the mattress instead of jutting out into the cold morning air.
Imagining she her bed had somehow become more comfortable during the night was one thing, but believing that it had actually grown…
An uncomfortable feeling took root in Mia's stomach. Visions of the terrible nightmares she'd had last night flashed in her mind. Nasty dreams.
And so vivid. Dreams of Dustin prying her from the car, of Josh speeding away down the road, of a giant alpha chasing after her and…
And catching her.
Oh shit.
Mia squeezed her eyes shut as hard as she could. It had to be a dream. It had to. Not that she was about to open her eyes and find out for sure. Hell, no. As long as she kept her eyes closed, s
he could keep pretending she was still asleep. That she was safe in her bed, and this was all a dream.
But with each passing second, she was growing more awake and aware. Mia tucked herself into a little ball, trying to keep reality at bay, but when she pulled in her legs, a shot of pain ran through her body.
Her knee.
The injury brought her back to reality in an instant.
Hot tears pricked at Mia's eyes as she pulled the pillow away from her head and opened her eyes.
Bright sunlight poured in through a window on the far wall. Through the pane of glass, she could see the tips of towering pine trees swaying in the wind against the clear blue sky.
There was only one place the trees grew that tall.
The Boundarylands.
Mia wrapped her fingers around the edge of the blanket and gripped it to her chest. Her naked chest.
Her mouth fell open as all those memories came flooding back—the alpha's body so hard against her skin, his tongue lapping at her, his come shooting into her mouth.
Then Josh's words replayed in her mind: You'll just fuck him like the little slut you are.
Red, hot shame lit up her cheeks. The terrible feeling spread through her whole body. Dear God, Josh was right—every horrible thing he'd said about her was true.
She hadn't lasted a full hour in the Boundarylands before she'd ended up with a cock in her mouth.
Mia tried to suck in a breath, but a sob came out instead. Tears stung her eyes and rolled down her cheeks.
What was she going to do?
She was going to get the hell out of here, that's what.
Fresh resolve filled her chest at the thought. Looking frantically around the room, Mia spotted her dress draped over the back of a chair. It looked like it had been through hell, dirty and torn.
Just like her.
Slowly pushing the covers off her body, she closed her eyes and focused on listening to the sounds around her. Just outside the window, she could make out a songbird chirping, and the rustle of the wind. All she could hear inside the house was the sound of her own breath.
Nothing else.
Ty (The Boundarylands Omegaverse Book 2) Page 2
