"I'm mated to Ty," Mia said. "The bartender."
Hope pasted on the smile she used back at the sporting goods store when she just wasn't feeling it, but it felt even more strained than usual.
"It's nice to meet you both," she said.
"I'm glad to see you've recovered from your injuries," Cassidy said. "Gail has been worried about you for the past couple of weeks. She wasn't sure you were going to pull through, and no one knew when Maddox would finally show his face here in neutral territory."
There was so much of that Hope didn't understand, so she focused on the first part. "I'm sorry. Who's Gail?"
The women glanced at each other.
"She's the omega who took care of you after you were shot," Mia said. "She's the closest thing we have to a nurse around here."
Ah. Hope had no idea that anyone other than Maddox had been caring for her. She was going to have to figure out a way to thank the woman.
"I'm sorry, I actually don't remember much," she confessed. "This has all been…"
Hope couldn't come up with any words to describe what she was feeling.
Almost as if reading her mind, Cassidy said, "How is it going between you and Maddox?"
"Fine," Hope rushed to say but then paused. "I think."
"You think?" Cassidy asked.
"He is treating you well, right?" Mia asked plainly.
Hope nodded. "Yeah. Sure. I mean, he doesn't beat me or anything," she said. "It's just…"
The women both arched their brows expectantly. "Just what?" Cassidy asked.
Hope let out a long sigh. There was no point in hiding it. With all the emotions that alphas could sniff out, her dirty laundry would be all over the Boundarylands in no time flat anyway.
"It's just that I don't think Maddox likes me very much."
The women looked at each other. Sly grins pulled at their mouths. Their devilish smiles turned to laughter.
"Oh, honey," Mia said. "You really don't have to worry about that."
Hope's brows pulled together. "Why do you say that?"
"Not once in my research have I come across an alpha who failed to fall for his mate," Cassidy said.
"Research?" Hope echoed.
"I earned my doctorate researching the Boundarylands," Cassidy said. "Now, I'm helping the university develop its new Omega Studies program."
"She's about to publish a book about us," Mia said proudly. "She's the world's leading expert."
"That's amazing," Hope said. "I didn't realize that omegas pursued their own interests after they found their alphas."
"Oh, I'm not an omega," she said. "Samson and I are mated, but I'm a beta."
Hope's eyes widened. "I'm sorry. I just assumed. I—um, didn't even know that kind of bonding was possible."
"Don't feel bad. No one knew until Samson and I came along," Cassidy said with a wave of her hand. "The important thing is that if an alpha can fall for a beta, there's no way he could keep himself from falling for his omega."
"It's true," Mia agreed.
It was a sweet sentiment, but Hope wasn't convinced. "You obviously don't know Maddox."
"True," Mia admitted. "But I know what he did for you after you were shot. He took you to Gail's uninvited. He trespassed on Randall's property to save you. In alpha culture, that's an unimaginable insult, punishable by death."
Hope remembered the look of fury in Maddox's eyes when he first saw her, his rage at someone trespassing on his land.
"But he told me he didn't even want to find his omega," she said. "If I had died that day, he'd still be free. So why would he risk his life to save mine before we'd even bonded?"
"Why, indeed?" Mia said, grinning.
"We always get together at Gail's house on Tuesdays," Cassidy said. "You should join us."
"Yes," Mia agreed. "You have to come. Paige still needs to meet you."
"Paige?"
"Another omega," Mia explained. "Our little community is growing fast."
The other women laughed, and Hope gathered her courage.
"Thank you," she said. "You both been so kind already, but I have a favor to ask."
"Of course," Mia said. "Do you need to order some things? I can arrange to have your clothes and belongings shipped in."
"That would be amazing," she admitted. "But what I really need is a phone."
Hope took a deep breath and explained her desire to get word to Dave and Sandra's families about what had happened to them so that their bodies could be retrieved and given a proper burial.
Cassidy took Hope's hand. "Of course."
"And don't worry about getting in touch with the authorities," Mia said. "Ty's on good terms with a beta FBI agent who has helped us before. Though he may want to question you about their deaths."
Hope nodded. She expected nothing less. "I will tell him anything he wants to know. Dave and Sandra deserve justice."
And so did she.
Chapter Thirteen
Maddox needed to get home.
He'd spent more time in Evander's Bar today than in the entire last year. All this conversation was making his brain buzz and skin itch.
Though it hadn't been all bad. He had expected that convincing his alpha brothers to help him get rid of the betas would be an uphill battle. After all, the drug runners weren't their problem. No one had breached their land or threatening their omegas.
But bizarrely, everyone who Samson had talked to wanted to help. All in all, six of his brothers had agreed to come over at nightfall tonight to stand guard until the betas returned.
Honestly, it was five alphas too many. Maddox didn't need six men. One would have been plenty.
He'd figured Kian was the only one who would have agreed, and only because the other alpha owed him after Maddox had helped Kian kill the betas who'd come after his omega.
Kian's involvement made sense. He was paying back a debt.
But the other five alphas?
The best Maddox could figure was that they were gathering debts of their own, stockpiling them for the day they needed help of their own. Then they'd call in the debt and Maddox would have to pay them back. It was the only thing that made sense.
There was a reason Maddox kept to himself. He didn't like thinking about other people. Didn't like wondering why they did the weird shit they did.
Of course, he didn't like having to hunt down intruders either. He didn't like having to constantly test the wind for traces of chemicals, or listen for the faintest of footfalls.
And he sure as hell wasn't in the mood for it now, when he had way better things to do with his time. Like hunting for winter, or spending the night buried between Hope's legs.
Maddox tried to be patient as Zeke and Troy argued over the specifics of the plan. But eventually, he couldn't take it anymore. He had to get the hell out of there.
He swallowed down a growl of annoyance as he pushed away from the bar. "I'm going to take Hope home," he said without any other explanation. "I'll see you all tonight."
They didn't stop chattering as he strode away. Maddox shook his head. He would never understand people. Not even his brothers.
Fortunately, he knew where to find Hope. The sweet timbre of her voice carried through the wall, practically pulling him outside. Once out the door, her scent practically enveloped him, soothing the annoyance in his blood instantly.
"Thank you so much for bringing me here," Hope said, when she saw him, looking up from her conversation with Mia and Cassidy. A smile brightened her whole face. He'd never seen her so happy. So alive. So beautiful.
He could only grunt in reply. "It's time to go."
It was just his luck that his omega was one of those people who blossomed in the company of others. The kind who thrived on the sort of human connection that made him miserable.
But he could endure another minute or two, so Hope could say goodbye to her new friends. He watched as the women smiled and hugged each other like they were sisters and not strangers who had only met half a
n hour ago.
By the time Hope finally broke away and followed him back to the truck, the change in her mood was astonishing. Her scent, her expression, her voice—everything about her had lightened. It was as if a heavy weight had been lifted from her shoulders.
This time when she settled into the passenger seat, she sighed with contentment rather than worry.
"I'm glad to see you got along so well with Mia and Cassidy," Maddox said, surprising himself with the sentiment.
Maddox knew the more friendships Hope made, the more he'd have to drive her around, and the more he'd have to socialize himself. The local omegas had a standing Tuesday afternoon tea party or some such shit. He knew without being told that Hope would want to go.
That meant driving out to Randall's every week. Enduring the older alpha's death stares, and the other alphas' inane chatter.
But it would all be worth it if Hope smiled and smelled like this when she returned to him.
He'd thought she was pretty before. Hell, she was beautiful by any measure. But this happy glow she wore now made her downright irresistible.
Maddox didn't know if he would be able to make it all the way home before he succumbed to the urge to reach out and touch her. Fuck, he was just hoping he could make it to his property line.
It didn't help that about a mile down the Central Road, Hope shifted toward him in her seat and turned the full force of that brilliant smile on him.
"Can I ask you a question?" she said. "It's kind of personal."
"I'm your alpha. You can ask me anything."
She reached over and rested her hand on his arm. "Why did you risk your life to save me?"
Maddox frowned. "I didn't. I thought you'd realize by now that those betas who shot you were no threat to me."
Hope shook her head. "I'm not talking about them. I'm asking why you risked your life to bring me to Gail."
Shit. Maddox should have known better than to let his omega gossip with other women.
"It wasn't a big deal," he said dismissively.
Hope wasn't buying it. The corners of her mouth pulled down as she scooted even closer to him on the seat.
"Mia said Randall could have killed you for trespassing on his land."
Would have. Not could have.
If it wasn't for Gail's intercession, Maddox would be nothing but a pile of bones right now…but he wasn't about to tell her that.
"Mia can be overly dramatic," he said. "The simple fact is you're an omega. I'm an alpha. I did what my instincts told me, and we both survived. That's all the answer either of us needs."
Apparently, Hope thought differently. Her grip tightened on his bicep, and she pressed even closer, molding herself against his side.
Damn, but the heat of her body made it hard to think.
"But I wasn't an omega when I was first shot," she said. "At least, I hadn't become one yet. But you still came back, letting an intruder go free so you could save the life of a trespassing beta."
Yeah, that.
Maddox had been doing his best not to dwell on that little problem. He tried to pretend there was some unknown instinct that had kicked in. One that had alerted him to Hope's true nature before his touch had awakened her.
But no matter how hard he tried, Maddox couldn't make himself believe it. Deep down, he knew it wasn't true.
When Hope had come crashing down that hill, begging for her life in the seconds before she was shot, all Maddox had sensed was her fear.
That's what had enraged him. That someone would dare try to snuff out such a bright and vibrant life. And on his land.
But even greater than his rage was the inexplicable need to save her. That was what Hope was talking about, and Maddox had no answer.
Hope had him in a corner. That wasn't a place he ever wanted to be.
"Mia really needs to learn to mind her own business," he ground out.
"Mia's not the one asking you for answers right now," Hope reminded him gently. "I am. And I'd really like to know why you were willing to trade your life for mine that day."
Maddox could feel the truth inside him, pushing up to the surface. No matter how hard to fought to keep it down, it fought back. His fingers tightened around the steering wheel as the pressure inside him grew unbearable.
He tried to turn the uncomfortable sensation into something familiar—anger, rage, even simple irritation. But it didn't work.
This was something else. It felt like a lifetime ago—before his alpha nature had revealed itself—when he'd first found the courage to stand up to his stepfather and brothers. When he told them to go to hell, not knowing how badly they'd beat him for his insolence.
That time, the satisfaction of taking a stand had been worth his injuries.
All he do now was pray was that the relief of finally telling the truth would be worth the risk.
Though he already knew that Hope was worth any risk.
"I may not have known you were an omega yet," he said, grinding out the words. "But I knew you were telling the truth. You hadn't trespassed on purpose. You didn't know where you were. You were innocent. And innocents don't deserve to die."
He swallowed past the fear in his throat and kept going.
"You didn't deserve to die, Hope. You were beautiful and brave, fighting to stay alive. Me, I'm just a hunter. A killer. I'm only alive because I deal in death. I didn't have to know your true nature. I knew in an instant that if I weighed my life against yours, it was no contest."
The inside of the truck went quiet. Hope didn't move, barely even breathed.
Maddox desperately wanted to glance over at her, just to get some idea of her reaction—shock, disappointment, disgust, whatever it might be—but for the first time since he was a child, he didn't have the guts.
If he'd shown Hope his vulnerability only to have her reject him, he didn't think he could take it.
Fortunately, Hope didn't make him wait long to know how she felt. Rising up her knees on the seat next to him, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek.
And not some chaste kiss of gratitude, either. Her mouth was hot and hungry against his skin, her touch demanding.
Maddox's cock hardened in an instant.
Screw waiting to get to his land.
He pulled the steering wheel hard to the right, the truck veering across the shoulder into the brush. He cut the engine and pulled the brake the second the wheels left the pavement.
Maddox didn't give a shit who might drive by, who might catch a glimpse of their bodies locked together.
This was natural. This was right. This was how things were supposed to be.
Maddox reached for Hope and pulled his omega on top of him.
* * *
He felt like hot brimstone and sweet heaven all at the same time.
Maddox's huge, rigid cock grinding against the soft place between Hope's legs filled her blood with fire even as it swept all the fear and tension from her body.
Hope didn't know how she'd ever lived without his touch. Being with him was so all-consuming that she couldn't imagine a world without him in it. He was everything she needed.
She swept her tongue over his lower lip, teasing his mouth. Maddox reacted by cupping the back of her head and crushing her against him. His kiss was fiery and brutal—a claim on her very soul.
His kiss made it clear that she was his. Not his property or possession, but a living, breathing part of him, just as he was part of her.
This alpha who didn't care about creature comforts or the warmth of human connection had risked his own life to save hers. He'd chained himself to a tree, denying his instincts and enduring unimaginable pain, just to keep her alive.
He'd bathed her. Fed her. Pleasured her body beyond all imagining because they were bound together, not just physically but spiritually.
Their worlds were expanding because of each other. Hope had seen and felt more in the weeks at Maddox's side than in all the years that had come before. And he was pushing him
self far past his comfort zone, all because of her.
Hope knew his life would be a lot less complicated without her—and yet that hadn't stopped him from bringing her closer. From taking her in.
Maddox's soul wasn't like any other Hope had come across. He was honest—sometimes painfully so. He was true. Sure, he was a bit of an outcast even among other alphas, but Hope understood what that was like.
She'd been that black sheep in her parent's church. The one everyone shook their head at. The one they walked away from.
Hope would never walk away from Maddox.
She twisted her fingers in the fabric of his shirt, desperate to pull it from his chest. Desperate to feel the heat of his bare skin on hers.
He pushed her hand away, tore off his shirt, and tossed it out the window, then did the same with hers. It was just as well. She never wanted to see the stained and ruined clothes again.
Her pants followed shortly after.
For a brief second, Hope regretted losing the only real clothes she'd had here in the Boundarylands. She hoped Mia could get that shipment in sooner rather than later.
But in the next second, all reason was swept away by Maddox's kiss. Hope's thighs tightened around Maddox as her slick poured from her onto his cock.
The cock she needed more than life itself.
But he didn't give it to her. Instead, he teased her with his fingers, plunging one thick finger and then another deep inside her pussy.
She cried out in pleasure as he found the tender spot deep in her inner walls. Tension coiled tight inside her belly, but still, she longed for the shock of his huge shaft breeching her.
"Maddox," she pleaded. She didn't have the words to say what she wanted—what she needed. She could only call his name.
But she should have known that Maddox didn't need to hear her words to understand what she wanted.
"Oh, I'm going to take you," he growled against her ear. "Just as hard and just as fast as always. But this time, it's going to be different."
A thrill ran up Hope's spine at the word different. Electric tingles of anticipation spread all the way out to her fingers and toes.
He tilted her head up with his free hand, forcing Hope to meet his gaze.
Maddox (The Boundarylands Omegaverse Book 4) Page 10