Della swallowed, her entire body buzzing like someone carbonated her blood. She floated in her body, unable to look away from the faint bonfire flickers that offered enticing glimpses of his face while withholding the complete picture. Unmoored, yet unable to ignore the sultry, hypnotizing gusts of his breath on her palm or the luscious strength in his muscled chest as her nipples hardened against it.
Nothing in her life resembled this dizzying acceleration. Maybe the vile alcohol had finally gone to her head? Who was she, again?
Outside of this moment, she wasn’t exactly sure.
“How what’sgonna go?” The words rasped through her throat, dry from the open-mouthed heavy breathing she hadn’t been aware of.
“You don’t run from me.” Even in shadow, his eyes simmered with an intensity that sent a warning shudder over her skin. “I take care of what’s mine, and from now on, that includes you.”
Alarm sounded from somewhere deep in Della’s brain. Some invisible line had been crossed. What had been intriguing the moment before turned threatening with the implication of claiming and possession.
“I’m… I’m not…yours.” Della removed her hand from his grip. He didn’t attempt to restrain her, only letting his long fingers trail over hers on the release.
The corner of his lip quivered like that Cheshire cat smile itched to come out and play. “No?” He stepped back, taking his solid heat and searing strength with him. Della glued her feet in place, fighting an urge to cross the space and hurl herself back against his powerful body, derailing the departure she’d initiated the moment before. She had no business rubbing herself against this unknown Alpha, this stranger. And he had no business making declarations about who belonged to whom based on nothing more than his highly suspect inclinations.
What waswrongwith her tonight?
“No,” she said, palm outstretched like a traffic cop. “I don’t know who you think you are cornering me like this.” She thrust a pointer finger toward the party. “But ask anyone here. Della lives alone and takes care of herself.” That finger swiveled to jab at her own chest as she hissed, “I don’t belong to anyone.”
“That your name? Della?” He backed up another step, shoving his hands in his pockets as that slow smile slid back into place. “All right. You go on home. I’m gonna head back to the party and ask the kind residents of Morris Hill to tell me everything they know about Miz Della, who takes care of herself.”
Della threw up her hands. “Do whatever the fuck you want. Just leave me out of it.”
Scooting around him, she took off at a pace somewhere between dignified rush and rattled scurry, trying to still the crashing waves of confusion pounding down around her head. Who the hell did he think he was?
And why did she desperately need to know?
CHAPTER TWO
Cal
Cal watched his Omega disappear into the darkness, her long hair flapping against her back like a retreating flag. He’d let her go, for now, thinking she had the upper hand; a strategic withdrawal, not a surrender.
Body drumming with the barely-leashed desire to chase her down and claim her right there and then, his thoughts centered on what he did have: a name and a face to match the scent. As soon as he’d come in range of this place, her aroma had invaded his senses and crippled him with lust. Rich and sweet, it sang to him of luscious black currants stewed with hints of sharp anise or juniper. All day, he’d caught whiffs here and there, stronger and then fading, like chasing a ghost in the corner of his vision.
A childlike giddiness lightened his steps, and, lungs filled with her, he ambled back toward the party in a strangely philosophical mood. Maybe some supernatural force had herded him to this place, where an Omega waited for him. His decision to come to Morris Hill, driven by instinct and impulse rather than any deep, thoughtful consideration, suddenly became much more interesting. Not since he’d come of age, when Pa began to hand over more of the Pack responsibilities, had he experienced such wide-open possibility. Back when he’d overflowed with duty and responsibility for his future as Alpha of Alphas.
Only none of that had come to pass. The memory of those early ambitions, what followed, and all his terrible regrets diluted his cheer. He’d strayed too close to the edge of things he tried hard to forget. His booted toe sent a rock sailing off the path, underwhelmed as it launched and spun off, swallowed by the night. How much easier would life be if regrets could be kicked into the abyss?
Predictable guilt followed that sentiment. Was he complaining about living with memories of what had happened? At least he had lived. Thanks to him, several members of his Pack could no longer make that claim.
“Cal!” Matteo’s voice jarred him from his morose reverie. Simon and Matteo, the two Alphas he’d joined the Morris Hill Pack with, lounged on the far side of the fire, chatting with another Alpha sprawled on the ground. Raising a hand, Cal headed toward them, trying to recall the other Alpha’s name. Was it Rodrick? Or Rennik? He’d met so many today, he couldn’t remember. Matteo handed Cal a battered metal cup half-full of strong-smelling liquor. “Where’d you go?”
Cal balked as the powerful smell evicted Della’s delicious fragrance from his nose. But he nodded his thanks with a lift of the cup, sinking down to take a seat on the log bench next to Matteo. “That poor pup, Heck, got too deep in the drink. Took him back to his bunk to sleep it off.”
Matteo snorted. “He’ll be hurting in the morning.” Not concerned for himself, his party-animal friend took another hearty glug from his cup. “Riddick here says Hunt’s gonna put us all to work at the ass crack of dawn.”
Riddick—Riddick was his name—a tall, lanky fellow with a shock of wild curly hair, chuckled bitterly and raised his glass. “Our fearless leader likes to make a point about not overdoing it.”
Matteo wiped his mouth on a tattered sleeve. “Nah, he took off with Kess a few minutes ago. He’s gonna be lost to the Rut, and we aren’t gonna see him again for a week at least.”
Riddick raised a brow. “You wanna wager on that, new guy? I’ll take that bet.”
“Maybe we should get a pool going,” Matteo said excitedly, eliciting a dramatic scoff from the quieter Simon seated on his other side. “How long everyone thinks they’ll stay shacked up before coming up for air.”
“Why’re you always inventing new ways to lose money?” Simon said into his cup, earning a dirty look from Matteo in turn.
“You underestimate the Alpha’s strictness about this place.” Riddick circled his chin to indicate all of Morris Hill. “He’s a right bastard when he wants to be.”