by Penny Bloom
The last few years have made me less of an Alpha.
This was going to be my chance to reclaim myself. This opportunity might even lead me back to becoming the lead Alpha of my pack again.
We stopped outside Club Halo, a three story building with a white iridescent exterior and no windows. Palm trees lined the front and Alphas with deep wallets were being swept inside.
Drew got out of his car, stretched, and inhaled the air.
“Damn, they must have a fine line of Omegas for this evening,” he said, approaching the entrance.
“Do you do this often?” I asked, hearing some sort of familiarity with this place in his voice.
“I’m un-mated, so I come here every blue moon. It’s nice to have an Omega by your side every often.”
“Are you still looking for your fated mate?”
We got to the entrance, and the guards sniffed over us and asked us for our identification.
After examining our I.D cards, he returned them to us and shot us a crooked smile.
“Welcome to Club Halo.” He opened the double black doors and stood to the side. A cool air brushed us from overhead and the hallways were dark. A swirling mix of scents drifted by my nose. They belonged to Omegas, waiting to find their Alpha to spend their heat with.
The scents made my inner wolf growl with delight.
**What’s that?!**
*I smell it too!*
My heart beat sped up and my senses were heightened. My Omega, my fated mate was in this club, and I wanted him now, damn it!
“When does it begin?!” I asked Drake.
“Woah, someone’s a bit too gung ho all of a sudden.”
“I smell him, my mate!”
Drew’s eyes popped. “Wait, really?! Cool. You’ll see him in a few if you keep following me.”
We had a VIP spot courtesy of Drew. We had a balcony type seating arrangement with wine and appetizers waiting for us. The stage below us was black along with black satin curtains and small glittering lights.
A man waltzed out onto the stage and looked over the audience. There were many types of Alphas here. Wolf shifters, dragons, foxes, tigers, and even non shifters.
“Hello, gentlemen. Today we have a wonderful selection of ten Omegas for the choosing. But we also have a rarity among that ten. A virgin!” the man announced, wiggling his eyebrows.
The crowd of Alphas grunted and growled.
“Bidding will start at six hundred thousand for the virgin and at fifty grand for the others. So make sure your wallet is ready. Let’s start!”
The lights on the stage brightened up and an Omega with a black cat mask and knee high stiletto waltzed up onto the stage. The scent hit me full on. He was my mate!
He stumbled a little with his heels. It looked cute and added to his innocence.
“Let’s welcome our virgin Omega! Oh, Six hundred to the gentleman over there.”
“Eight fifty!” cried another Alpha.
**Let them bleed their money to the end, then hop on.**
“Two million,” yelled another.
Five minutes later, the bid was up to ten million.
“Alright! Ten million dollars! Wow, going once!”
The Omega’s mask fell off by accident. He gasped and reached down to get it. That face, those eyes!
No.
It couldn’t be!
“Twice—”
“Twenty million,” I thundered, jumping out of my seat.
“Nice, anybody want to top that? Going once, twice—”
He met my eyes, he knew. Loris, what the fuck were you doing?
“I decline,” he said, taking his mask off. “I’ll take the prior offer.”
The auctioneer looked puzzled. “Really?”
He looked back up at me. “Yes.”
“Okay then. The Omega Virgin goes to the gentleman Alpha over there! Congratulations!”
Why did he want to decline me?
No.
**He’s ours! Claim your mate!**
I jumped over the banister and landed on the ground.
“Gideon! Dude, what the hell? Get back here!” Drew called.
I charged up to the stage. Loris tried to back up, but fell on his ass since stiletto heels weren’t his things.
After so many years… I wasn’t going to let him vanish again! The Alpha that won him first also raced up to the stage, ready to fight.
“He’s mine. You heard him.” The Alpha pointed his finger in my face.
**Bite it! Show him who the head Alpha here is!**
“He’s my fated mate—”
“Gideon, don’t!” Loris begged, tugging at my arm. “I’ll accept your offer, just please don’t hurt him.”
“He can’t hurt me,” the dragon Alpha scoffed, taking off his blazer for a fight. Though he was in his human form, he pushed out a few flames from his flared nostrils. Heh, how petty. All that demonstration only for him to get beat down.
“Don’t underestimate him,” Loris warned.
It was his scent all this time. I thought it smelled familiar, but I didn’t want my hopes to be sky high only to me hammered six feet below.
I hauled him over my shoulder, flung my steel black credit card at the auctioneer, and marched my way out of Club Halo.
“Gideon… um, long time no see. Can I walk on my own?” Loris asked.
“You’re not good at walking in those heels. Why’re you wearing them anyways?”
“Because they make me look sexy?”
Sexy? Loris didn’t need to do that. He was too pure for that.
The guards at the doors stopped me and asked for a receipt.
**Absolutely zero patience.**
I knocked them to the side with minimal effort and marched over to my Bentley. I sat him down and cupped his face with my hands.
“You’ve got a lot of explaining to do…”
Chapter Three
Loris
Gideon buckled me into his Bentley Continental tightly as if I were going to escape like a wild animal.
No lie, I wanted to run my ass off from him. But I hadn't seen Gideon in like… six years? So much had gone on in that time that I'm way too ashamed of sharing. He was my protection, friend, my hope that I'd have a normal life.
But then I had to get cocky.
Stupid.
Greedy.
And for his own protection I had to leave. Now in some twisted turn of events, he ended up buying my virgin heat for twenty million dollars. There was no escaping interogation now. Right?
The inside of his car smelled like him, manly. It was a hint of cotton with a piney scent. Simple and clean, just like him.
God, he changed a lot.
He was handsome before, but look at him now. Chiseled jaw with a sprinkling of stubble, a suit that looked like it was about to bust off his powerful arms, and eyebrows so thick and dark.
The breath left my lungs. Me? I still looked scrawny.
I had a few bumps of muscle. But not like that.
The weight of this had begun to crash down on me. He'd want the truth and I was a bad liar.
When he stopped at a light, I unclicked my seat belt and leapt out of his car. Thank goodness it was a convertible with the top down.
"Loris! Wait!" Gideon demanded.
I landed behind his car and stomped down the sidewalk. No, life wasn't going to bitch slap me like this. Gideon should've found a better Omega by now.
"I'm sorry, Gideon," I said, walking backwards, keeping the distance between us. "It's really nice to see you again. But we can't--I can't--"
"Can't what? Just come back to the car. I'm not going to hurt you."
"I know you'd never do that. I just--"
"Loris please," he begged, shaking his hands together. "I miss my friend. It's been six years. I'd really like to catch up..."
Damn it. Those eyes, glossed over with pain. When was the last time you saw an Alpha in the street beg for an Omega?
I sighed and raked my fingers
back through my hair.
"Fine."
Gideon, he always had this pull over me. I wondered why.
***
I knew the Jax family was rich.
But this was insane. Gideon was holed up in a three bedroom luxury condo nestled in the heart of Halo City.
Why wasn't he with his family?
"Gideon, what happened to the rest of your family. Are you really living alone?" I asked him while he took off his jacket and shoes.
"I'm not the head Alpha anymore. If you hadn't ran off so long ago, you'd know why..."
I was still perched at the door, nervous to make any steps further inside. Gideon noticed and came over to me. Approaching me slowly as if I'd run away again.
"Loris, come. Make yourself at home," he said in a low calm voice. He reached his hand out to me and I took it, my cheeks burning with heat and tickling like butterflies.
"This is a beautiful place you got here, Gideon. Do you own or rent?" I asked, tippy toeing across his plus carpet. It was like walking on memory foam clouds.
His condo had a lot of windows and a huge wrap around balcony that stopped before the bedrooms. The ceilings had to have been at least fifteen feet high.
"I own this. And before I tell you about why I'm here all alone, I'd like to know what happened to you." Gideon sat me down on a plush gray sofa of his. It had a high back and I sank down on it like a spoiled kid.
Whatever Gideon bought always held my attention. Whether it was clothes or cars or even watches, it made me excited too.
But now he wanted to know the truth.
And the truth wasn't good either.
I tried to say something, but the words got stuck in my throat.
"I want to tell you, Gideon. But it's really… um, kinda embarrassing. So if you don't mind I'll hold on to that--"
"I do mind. You vanished in the middle of the night. Both our families tried to find you. We were worried sick. Then you sent that letter to tell us not to look for you. Why?" Gideon leaned in and glared. He wanted answers. Omegas knew better than to hold secrets from Alphas.
He was intimidating and dangerously handsome. More butterflies fluttered around in my cheeks.
"Gideon, I can't tell--"
Gideon threw himself back and exhaled sharply, "Bullshit. You can't do that. You can't disappear for six years and keep the reason why a secret. I demand to know!" he thundered.
I hurt him. Poor Gideon was hurting bad.
But the truth wouldn't unlodge itself from my throat.
"I'm sorry." I placed my hands on his knees. "I really am. But it'll take a while for me to talk about it, okay? Plus, didn't you spend twenty million on a certain something?" I winked an eye.
Gideon's cheeks blushed red, and he looked over towards the window.
A shy Gideon, what a rare sight, especially for an Alpha.
"We're adults now. And there's nothing wrong about letting out your inner Alpha. So come on, let's finish our deal! I bet I could summon my heat right--"
"L-loris. I can't do that. I didn't buy you for sex."
God, I wish you did.
"Then how're you gonna get twenty million dollars worth of stuff out of me?" I asked, puzzled and disappointed.
"I need help. I'm making you my personal assistant. You've had a knack with organization and I could really use that right now. My business as a technology corporation is in rocky shape and it seems like no one knows what the fuck organization means these days."
He got up and pulled at his slacks. Damn, he knew how to wear them well.
Gideon didn't want a wham bam and done. He wanted to keep me around for a long time. Not that I didn't mind.
I just had a debt due… and rent. Which reminded me, I needed to call Mauve to see when I got my cut of that wonderful twenty million.
I watched Gideon's butt as he walked over to his bar. Holy smokes on a hot wolf, why didn't he screw me already.
*Stop, Loris. Stop looking. The inner cat in you will get too frisky!*
"So how long do you need me to be your assistant?" I popped off the couch and trotted behind him.
"For a while. Maybe a few months. I can pay you well. Provided you don't run off on me." He chuckled and took a shot of whiskey.
My lips trembled at the sight of his adams apple moving.
*No, no, bad Loris! Stop purring at his throat and body!*
I cleared my throat. "Um, a few months?"
"Not busy, are you?" he asked, looking me up and down.
Why couldn't we just mate and get this done with? Gideon always was the conservative one.
*Speaking of purring, I need to get back to Milly! She's probably worried… or just hungry. lol.*
"Um, no not too busy."
"What would you be busy with?"
Goddamnit, he knew how to dig for questions, didn't he?
*Yeah, sure, go tell him you're busy stealing cars so you can pay some dangerous loan shark back and keep your apartment. I'm sure he'll be okay with that! Peachy keen!*
"Stuff," I blurted out. "Um, I have to get back home, my cat might be getting hungry. So um..."
Gideon moved around me with his massive body and grabbed his keys.
"Let me take you home."
"No, I can walk, I'm not too far from here--"
"I insist."
"But--"
"No buts."
I hung my head down in defeat.
*Loris, you can't go down like this. If you wanna go home alone, then do so! He does have a balcony!*
"I'll be back tomorrow! I remember where you live now!" I darted out through the balcony and jumped over the rail. Hmm, a five story fall. Nice. I scaled down using the rails of other people's balconies and found myself safely on the sidewalk in less than five minutes.
I looked up to see if Gideon was looking, but he wasn't there.
*Better get going. He's a wolf with a keen sense of smell after all.*
I dashed down the street, keeping my strides wide and fluid.
Gideon, it was nice to see you again. But this wasn't a good time in life to reconnect.
In ten minutes I made it back to my apartment and slammed myself inside. Milly came running out of the room and pounced on me for details.
"Tell me, tell me! How'd it go?"
Knock, knock, knock.
I held Milly and got up to look at the peephole.
“Loris, I know you’re in there,” Gideon said with a wide grin on his face. “Stop running like a scared kitten. Can we start over again? Less awkward and no running.”
“Oh my god, is that him?” Milly gasped. “Holy shit he sounds like sex on two legs!” she purred.
A bead of sweat dripped down my forehead. Milly had a point though.
“Yeah. Just a second.”
Damn him and his wolf senses. His scent lingered through the door and tickled my nose. Good god almighty help me.
I opened the door and Gideon scooped me up into a hug.
“I just missed my friend. That’s all.”
I felt his heart beat and the warmth rise from his chest. Gideon was like junk food; addictive.
“I missed you too.”
“So, tomorrow at ten? My place. I’ll tell you what you need to do.”
“Sure.” Milly rubbed up against my leg.
“Damn, I’d hit that,” Milly meowed. Good thing Gideon didn’t speak cat.
“Oh, and don’t think about selling off your heat again. Do you hear me? You’re too good for that.”
Good, funny. Why do people think I’m so innocent all the time?
Gideon ruffled my hair and stroked Milly’s back.
“I better see you tomorrow.”
I chuckled, “Yes, sir!”
Gideon trodded down the hallway and took the steps. I would’ve loved to have given him my heat.
I closed my door and picked up Milly.
“On the bright side I’ll be a virgin for a tad longer and keep some dignity.”
“Dignity?
Who’s thinking about dignity with an Alpha looking like that. Holy shit.”
“Bad Milly.”
I dropped down on my couch and dialed Mauve’s number. He was probably gonna ask about all that action back at the club.
Why did I always carry drama everywhere like the plague?
“Loris? God, what the hell? You created a ruckus!” Mauve laughed, “Shit, you nearly caused a brawl.”
“I’m so sorry. I know him and we have some… history together.” I picked at my nails. Milly jumped off the couch and tackled one of her toys.
“Ohh! An ex?”
“No, just an old friend. Long story. I just wanted to ask you about the money. When do I get my cut?”
I folded my legs up onto the couch and bit my nail.
“Ah! Well the payment went through and when he gets your heat, you’ll be paid.”
“He doesn’t want it though. He just wants me to be his assistant for… a few months.”
“Oh! Damn.”
The chance in Mauve’s voice wasn’t good.
“Dude, we’ll have to refund him some of that money. We’re not allowed to take funds for other transactions. We retain a thirty percent. You’ll get about five percent.
You have a week to make him take your heat or else I’ll have to process this refund. You can always resell—”
“No, I’m good. Thanks, Mauve.”
Milly throws her chew toy to the side and hops onto her cat house.
“So, when are you going to become a multimillionaire?” she asked, scratching the carpeted post.
“Either in a week or a few months!”
“Uh oh. Don’t think Mr. Loan Shark is gonna like that…”
“No, I don’t think so either…”
Chapter Four
Gideon