No footsteps, no creaking boards, no closing doors. Just silence. She was alone in the house.
Which meant if she was going to make a run for it, it was now or never.
Mia winced as she swung her feet over the side of the mattress. Her knee was still red and swollen, and now stiff from several hours of rest. She hissed in a breath as she tested her weight on it.
Damn, it hurt, but at least she could stand. That meant it wasn't broken. Just bruised to all hell. She would have to have a doctor look at it if she got back to civilization.
When, not if, she corrected herself.
Throwing her dress over her head, Mia limped to the door. Just for good measure, she pressed her ear against the heavy wood slab. She heard nothing but quiet on the other side, so she whispered a little prayer and threw the door open.
The main room was every bit as rustic as the bedroom. The floors were sanded hardwood. The walls were bare and unpainted. The only decorations she saw in the whole place were the finely carved details etched into the simple furniture. There might have been more, but Mia wasn't about to stop and look around.
She was only interested in one thing—the front door.
Running was out of the question, so she hobbled as fast as she could across the main room and breathed a sigh of relief as her hand wrapped around the knob.
Maybe she was going to make it out of here after all.
Her sigh turned to a gasp the moment she opened the door. No, she wasn't going to make it after all.
Standing just outside, filling up every bit of space in the door frame, was the alpha. His hands rested on either side of the opening as if he had been waiting for her the whole time. His dark eyes stared intensely into hers. His expression was hard but not cruel. Mia struggled to read it.
Like a rabbit in a wolf's gaze, she didn't know whether to run or freeze in place. Instead, she stumbled back a step.
The alpha didn't move. His arms stayed braced. His broad chest stayed still. Everything about his body language screamed that she was trapped. There was no escape.
"I-I just wanted to get some air," she said.
His eyes narrowed. It was clear he didn't believe her.
"Is that right?"
Mia swallowed down around the thick lump that was quickly forming in her throat. "I wasn't going to run."
He lifted his chin up a fraction of an inch. "I didn't say you were."
Shit.
After a long, tense silence, his arms fell away from the frame, and he stepped inside the house, closing the door behind him. The click of the latch sliding sounded like the bolt on a prison door. As if to drive the point home, the alpha leaned his back up against it.
There was no way she was getting out now.
"I'm glad you're awake and out of bed," he said, crossing his arms. "I have some questions."
Mia's heart hammered against her breastbone. She wasn't sure she had answers. Not ones she wanted to give, anyway.
"Who are you?" he asked.
She didn't want to tell him her name, even though she didn't think he'd recognize it. The alpha didn't strike her as the kind that followed the news, but she didn't want to take the risk. This was already a goddamn nightmare. The last thing she needed was for this to turn into a hostage situation.
So, she told him what she was instead. "I'm a student at UC Berkeley."
"Were," he said.
Mia blinked. "Excuse me?"
"Were," he repeated. "You were a student there. Not anymore."
A shiver ran up her spine. No. He couldn't be saying what she thought he was.
"But midterms start on Monday, and if I'm not back—"
"You won't be back." His voice was firm, commanding. More confident than Josh's. More powerful than her father's.
Mia retreated back another step. "But why?"
The hardness in his eyes intensified. "I think you already know the answer to that."
Of course she did. No matter how badly she wanted to deny it, she knew. She'd taken enough intro science classes to know about the alpha/omega connection. She knew about heats and ruts, their all-consuming animal drive to mate, and the brutality of their uncivilized union.
Mia just refused to believe it could possibly apply to her.
"I'm not an omega," she whispered.
"Yes, you are." There was no apology in his voice. No softness at all. Just cruel truth.
Mia shook her head violently, hoping that if she tried hard enough, she might shake off reality. "No, I can't be."
A low rumble emanated from his lips. In a single stride, the alpha closed the distance between them. Before Mia could slide away, he cupped his hand around the nape of her neck and pulled her into a kiss.
In an instant, burning desire caught fire in her veins. The sensation expanded into her blood, spreading through her body and setting every part of her ablaze. Every swipe of his tongue stoked the flames higher and higher. Every touch added more fuel.
When he pulled back, his eyes were as hard as granite. "Yes, you are."
New shame, sharper than ever before, cut through Mia like a razor. She raised a hand to her lips, cursing her traitorous body.
But the alpha didn't ease up. Not even for a second. While one hand cupped her head, the other wound around her waist.
"I don't care what your life was before. You're my omega now." He drove the point home by fixing his stare pointedly on the spot between her legs—at the place where Mia felt an embarrassing rush of slick pooling in reaction to his kiss. "And there are things I want to know."
"Like what?"
"Who hurt you?"
Oh God. She pressed her lips together tightly. She couldn't tell him that. Sure, she was pissed off at Dustin and Josh—especially Josh—and she wanted justice.
Justice, not vengeance.
Her ex and his best friend were spoiled brats. They were assholes. Maybe even criminals. And they deserved a few weeks in jail for what they'd done to her. With her father's influence, she might be able to get them kicked out of school. That was the kind of payback she'd been hoping for.
Not murder.
But that's what she saw shining in the alpha's eyes—pure animal rage. He hadn't raised a hand against her—not yet, at least—but somehow she knew Dustin and Josh wouldn't be so lucky.
"No one." Mia shook her head, glancing down at her feet as she lied. "I was in an accident."
"An accident?" A second later, his fingers pinched her chin, drawing it up and to the side, exposing her cheek to the light. "Someone accidentally hit you."
Mia bit into her lip, as much to swallow down the feelings of warmth that blossomed in her core as to keep from telling the truth.
"You don't have to worry about that," she said.
His deep, terrifying growl filled the whole room. "Of course, I do," he said. "You are my—"
Before he could finish the sentence, Mia smacked his hand away from her face. She was sick of people telling her what she was.
"I'm not your anything."
Spinning out of his grasp, she ran like hell back toward the bedroom. She was surprised to make it all the way inside and slam the door behind her. The alpha was so much faster. He could have easily caught her if he wanted to.
Caught her, and pulled her into his arms, and propped her up against the wall, and…
Memories of the night before swarmed through her head. She …hadn't been herself. She hadn't been in control. When he touched her, something else took over. Made her give in to the dark and sensual impulses buried deep inside her.
She couldn't let that happen again.
Mia searched for something to bar the door. Unfortunately, there wasn't much to choose from. From what she could tell, the alpha lived a spartan life.
Even though she knew it wouldn't be enough, she grabbed the only chair in the room. It turned out to be a whole lot heavier than it appeared though, and Mia struggled to drag it across the floor and prop it underneath the knob.
It was a good start. It wa
s probably large enough to keep the alpha out for a few minutes, but not a whole day. She needed something else. Something bigger. Something stronger.
But there wasn't anything. The room was empty except for a closet full of clothes and an unmade bed.
The bed.
That could work. Running over to the far side, Mia pushed with all her strength. The massive solid wood frame didn't budge an inch. It had been stupid to think it would.
Mia's heart leapt into her throat at the sound of heavy footsteps headed toward the bedroom.
The alpha was coming.
And he was taking his time. Why not? It wasn't like there was anywhere for her to go.
Still, Mia couldn't face him right now. She was too scared. To hurt. Too raw. She might not be able to keep him out forever, but she had to at least try to fight back. She had to prove to herself and him that she wasn't about to roll over and submit to fate.
Drawing in a deep breath, Mia tried one more time to push the bed across the floor. The thick wood posts didn't give, but the mattress did.
Okay, then.
Sliding her hands underneath the thick pad, she lifted and shoved with all her strength. It was heavy and unwieldy, but at least it moved…a whole four inches.
That's as far as she got before the door was flung open. The chair she'd struggled to move flew across the room, splintering into pieces as it smashed against the far wall.
Mia froze as the alpha captured her in his gaze. There was no more patience left in his eyes. No restraint in his expression. He was annoyed and angry…and hungry.
"What are you doing?" His roar filled the room, shaking the walls.
Mia's knees shook at its intensity. Her guilty gaze fell on the mattress, which was now awkwardly draped over the side of the bed frame.
"Trying to keep you out." There was no point in lying.
The alpha pulled his shoulders back. His chest pushed out. Shit, he was big. So massive that Mia understood why he needed to keep his rooms so open and spacious. There was hardly enough room for him as it was.
"Why?"
Really? Did he honestly not know, or did he just want to hear her say it out loud? Maybe he got off on her fear—just like Josh had.
If that was the case, Mia was sick of it. If she was about to die out here, then she would go to her grave with at least a shred of dignity intact.
"Because I don't know what the hell is going on," she shouted at him. "I don't know you. I don't know where I am. I don't even know who I am anymore."
"You are my—"
"I swear to God, I'm going to scream if you say that word one more time."
The alpha's jaw hardened.
"Then scream," he said. "It won't change anything. It won't dry the slick that's running down your legs."
Mia gasped as she glanced down at her feet. Sure enough, streams of shiny moisture were coursing down to the floor. She hadn't noticed it before. She'd been too focused on trying to get away.
But now that the alpha had spoken of her slick, it was all she could feel—the wet heat, pooling and dripping, the tight coil in her belly that wound even tighter every time she looked at the alpha, the need that was like no other.
"This can't be happening," she said aloud, more to herself than to the alpha.
"But it is," he said, stepping closer and rounding the corner of the bed. "You're going into heat, and you can't fight it."
The hell she couldn't.
Raising her chin, Mia grabbed the first thing her hand fell on and lifted it up like a shield. Turned out to be a pillow.
Shit.
"Stay back," she said.
The alpha shook his head. "You don't really want me to." The certainty in his voice made Mia's hands shake. "Just like you don't really want to lock yourself away or run back to the beta world."
Mia shook her head, but there was no conviction in the gesture. "You don't know what I want."
The alpha's eyes were steady as he closed the gap between them. Without effort, he plucked the pillow from her fingers and tossed it over his shoulder.
Mia moved back a step until her ass was pressed against the wall. She was trapped. Now there really was no escape.
"Yes. I do." His gaze flickered down to her lips. "Right now, there's a painful tension inside you. It's like nothing you've ever felt before, so strong…so intense. Up to now, you've been able to control your desire. But not anymore."
Mia bit into her lower lip. Why was her mouth suddenly so dry?
"You're worried that if you give in to the lust that's running through you, you'll never be the same again," he kept going. "And you're right. You won't be. But you still want it."
"I don't," she said, trying to shake her head but finding that she couldn't look away from the alpha's eyes.
Her whole body trembled. She tried to suck in a breath, but the air was too hot. Too heavy. The weight of the alpha's presence pressed down on her like a storm.
"Don't lie to me." His words weren't angry, just firm. Concrete. Reaching down, he pulled his shirt off.
All the air left Mia's lungs at the sight of his bare chest, wide and hard and perfect. Before she knew what she was doing, her hand was reaching out toward him. She caught herself at the last moment and pulled her fingers back.
"No," the alpha said, grasping her wrist. Red hot need surged through her at his touch. The coil in her belly tightened even more. "Take what you want."
He pulled her hand forward, pressing it against his breastbone. Mia's fingers splayed across his chest muscles. Her palm flattened.
"Yes," she whispered as electric tingles ran down up her arms.
His skin was so warm, so alive. She raised her other hand and spread it across the sculpted muscles of his belly. Up and down, she ran her fingers over his body. With every caress, her desire grew, and her slick flowed.
He was right. She couldn't help it. She couldn't stop it. She didn't want to.
What she wanted was to feel every part of him, to accept all of his strength and vitality inside her and feed off it. To let his body take her to heights of pleasure she'd never known existed.
And all she had to do was give in.
Give in to her alpha.
He knew what she needed. He knew how to ease this fear inside her. How to take away the pain.
His muscles flexed and tensed beneath her fingertips. A soft rumble vibrated in his chest.
Yes.
She wasn't alone in these feelings. The realization pulled her even deeper into the haze of need. His body reacted to hers just as strongly. She traced her fingers down even farther…down below the waist of his jeans and felt the proof of his need.
The outline of his erection pressed against her hand. So hard. So big.
Too big.
"I don't think I can—"
"You can." He didn't let her finish. Instead, he slid his hand between her legs, and she sucked in a breath between clenched teeth as his fingers swept between the lips of her vulva. He leaned down and whispered against her ear. "You're so wet. So ready to become what you were born to be."
Mia let out a moan as the last of her hesitation fell away. When his thumb grazed against her clit, she couldn't even remember why she'd been fighting.
She was thinking with a new brain now. Feeling with a new body. Leaving the old Mia behind and becoming someone—something—new.
She dropped down to her knees as she pulled his cock free—licking and stroking, and rubbing the giant member against her lips. A moment later, the alpha grasped her by the elbows and lifted her back up to her feet. Twisting her around, he guided her body down onto the mattress.
Yes. This was what she wanted. The alpha rumbled low in his chest as his hands clamped around her hips. He pulled her against him, nestling his body between her legs. His cock pressed against her, and she couldn't help rubbing herself against its rigid length.
God, it felt good.
But the alpha was wrong. She didn't want his cock. She needed it.
Even so, Mia couldn't have imagined the sensation of the alpha pressing against her opening. Her pussy strained to stretch around the head of his cock. In response to the exquisite pressure, more slick poured out of her, coating his shaft.
"Open for me." Another command spoken through gritted teeth.
Mia did her best to relax as the alpha slid her down the long rod, but it was just so big, so thick, so hard.
For a second, Mia worried that she'd been right. That there was no way he would fit.
But he had to.
Instinct took over, shutting down her conscious mind. Suddenly, Mia's body moved with a wisdom all its own. Her muscles relaxed. Her womb expanded. Her lips cried out as her inner walls clung to him. Her fingers wrapped around blankets and bedding as her hips began to rock.
Soon she was taking all of him. Each stroke bringing her farther and farther away from her old self, filling in the empty space with pleasure and passion, until those were the only things that mattered.
Behind her, the alpha quickened his pace. His flesh ground against hers as he took her hard and fast. His breath washed over her skin. His hand held her tight. All the while, Mia cried out for more.
And that's precisely what he gave her. More and more of himself. More of his cock. More ecstasy than she could take.
Her body spasmed, bursting apart, and at the same time clenching around him tighter than ever before. The walls of her pussy pulsed against the alpha's shaft as he roared. Hot, sticky come mixed with her slick, filling her to overflowing. But instead of bursting out, it was trapped inside, held tight by a thick knot locking them together.
A few moments later, his body collapsed over hers, but Mia didn't complain. Somehow having him both on her and inside her felt right. It felt safe. It felt perfect.
For the first time since arriving in the Boundarylands, she wasn't thinking about getting away. She was right where she needed to be.
The only thing she wanted was more.
Chapter Four
Four days.
Ty rubbed his right shoulder and rolled his neck. The muscles that ran along the length of his back tightened in protest as he raised his arms to stretch. Every inch of his body felt used up and spent.
Ty (The Boundarylands Omegaverse Book 2) Page 3
