It wasn’t the most eloquent prayer, but it had to be the most heartfelt. Not that it mattered, she thought ruefully. If God was real, he had to hear that prayer on daily basis from women all over world.
And at least some of the time, he didn’t answer it.
Paige never thought she’d have to test her true nature. Like the vast majority of the population, she’d never dreamed of leaving the steel and concrete safety of urban areas.
She’d never seen the forest. Not in person, at least. Just like everyone else, she’d only ever seen pictures of trees and mountains. She knew them as images in magazines or pictures on television screen. They weren’t real.
But the landscape she was driving through now was all too real. She had no idea that trees could grow so tall and dense that they blocked out the sky. That there were places that the brush was so thick you couldn’t see more than a couple of feet in front of you. That there were so many shades of green.
The beauty was overwhelming…and terrifying.
She’d give anything to be back home, in her unremarkable neighborhood, staring at the rows of houses that all looked the same. Sure, it was boring, but it was familiar. It was where she belonged. With all the other normal people.
All the other betas.
Paige had never thought much about life outside the city. Most people didn’t. That was where you lived your life. That was where you raised your kids. That was where you grew old and died.
She didn’t want to die in the damned woods.
Paige shook the thought from her head. She refused to think like that. She was going to be fine. She was going to outrun Craig. She was going to find this Kian. He was going to help her, and she was going to be totally and completely normal.
A plain-vanilla beta.
In a half mile, the destination is on your right.
The screen on her phone’s GPS counted down the distance, switching from miles to yards. Paige’s heart sped as she rounded the last curve in the road and spotted a weatherworn sign poking out from the cover of the forest—chipped red paint on whitewashed wood.
Evander’s Bar.
Shit. This was it.
Paige hit the brakes and turned the car into the dirt lot in front. Loose gravel kicked up, pinging loudly off the hollow wheel wells.
You have reached your destination.
Yeah, no shit.
Paige tightened her grip on the steering wheel and stared out the windshield at the building in front of her. The place was every bit as rustic and crude as she’d feared. Just a long rectangular building on the edge of the road. Rickety stairs led up to a heavy-looking, oversized door. The windows that dotted the walls were covered with blackout paper.
Someone didn’t want people on the outside looking in.
A shiver spread across Paige’s skin, leaving goosebumps in its wake. What kind of people wanted to spend their nights in a place like this?
Alphas.
Paige’s stomach twisted tight. What had she been thinking? Inside was a bar full of wild creatures who only came down from the solitude of their backwoods hovels to drink and brawl. Fuck and fight—wasn’t that all that alphas knew? The most primal urges? Everyone knew they were little better than animals.
She shuddered to think what would happen to her if she walked through that door.
If.
Suddenly, Paige wasn’t so sure that she’d made the right decision coming here after all. She couldn’t go in there. She’d be torn apart. Surely, she hadn’t exhausted all her options yet.
She could keep running. She could live her life in hiding. Start over somewhere new. With a different name and a new identity.
Craning her head around, Paige shifted the car into reverse and slowly pressed down on the accelerator. She only made it halfway across the parking lot before she spotted the harsh glow of approaching headlights round a bend in the highway. Icy fear gripped her heart.
Was it Craig? If it was, she was dead. No more running. No more hiding. Just a shallow grave on the side of the road in the Boundarylands, where no one would ever think to look for her.
The headlights grew brighter. Brighter and closer…before passing right by the gravel lot.
Paige let out the breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding.
It wasn’t Craig.
Not this time. But he was coming, and there was no use pretending that she would make it much farther. It was nothing short of a miracle that she’d made it here.
Shit.
Tears welled in her eyes as she shut off the engine. There was no other choice. This was the end of the line. She had to go into the bar.
Paige shook from head to toe as she opened her car door and walked across the parking lot. She gave a little prayer of thanks for her knees not giving out before she made it to the stairs. Her hand trembled on the door handle, but somehow she found the strength to pull.
Damn. The thing was every bit as heavy as it looked, but at least she had adrenaline on her side.
Paige froze the second she stepped inside. Every head in the place snapped toward her, and she found herself withering under the stare of nearly a dozen men.
No, not just men.
Alphas.
Paige’s chest tightened as she struggled to take a breath. Fear was literally suffocating her. She jumped as the metal door slammed shut behind her. A few chuckles spread through the crowd at her skittish reaction.
She didn’t mind the laughter. It was a hell of a lot better than snarls. Maybe that meant they weren’t going to pounce on her all at once. She started to breathe again when, after another couple of seconds, most of them turned their attention back to their conversations and beers. Those that were still giving her the side-eye seemed more amused than ravenous.
Well, that was good, right?
Maybe it meant that she’d blown this whole thing out of proportion. Maybe it meant that she was going to be okay after all.
Maybe.
These were still alphas, after all—the most dangerous creature in the whole world. Well, that wasn’t totally true. Most of the men here were alphas, but there were a handful of regular betas sprinkled among them playing pool and darts like this was any other bar in the world. Sure, they looked tough. Rugged and strong, like you would expect any man who was brave enough to live outside the safety of civilization to look, but there was no way they could be mistaken for alphas.
The alphas were different. Nearly a full foot taller than the betas, and so wide in the chest and shoulders that suddenly the massive door made sense. If it wasn’t so comically large, they would have had to turn sideways to get through.
Paige swallowed down hard. It wasn’t just the alphas’ immense size that gave her pause. It was also their presence. Even though she only counted eight of them in the building, they filled up the room to the point where it pushed all the air out. Paige pulled her shoulders in, collapsing down to shield herself from the feeling.
But she couldn’t hide. The sooner she overcame this paralyzing fear, the sooner she could get out of here.
And go where?
She pushed the question to the back of her mind. She could only solve one problem at time.
She forced herself forward. Her legs shook and her knees wobbled, but somehow she made it to the bar. She grasped the edge for support with one hand and pulled Officer Wilcox’s crumpled note out of her pocket with the other.
It fell from her hand the second the gigantic alpha bartender stopped in front of her.
“What do you want?” he demanded. His voice was deep and forceful enough to shake the glasses hanging on the racks.
Paige knew better than to risk looking up at him. She’d lose the last shreds of courage she had. So, she stared down at the brass rail instead.
“I—I’m looking for Kian.” Fear closed her throat and her voice came out a whimper.
“Why?” the alpha demanded. Paige wasn’t prepared for questions. Her anxiety shot through the roof. She tightened her gr
ip on the bar as the black fog of panic pushed in again.
“Because—” The word caught in her throat. Damn it. She needed to pull herself together. Her life depended on it. She glanced up at the bartender. “Because I was told he might be able to help me.”
The bartender’s brows pulled together. It was the most menacing glower Paige ever seen. “What kind of idiot comes here looking for help?”
Paige’s lips trembled. Hot tears pricked the corners of her eyes. She opened her mouth but nothing came out.
Not that it mattered. Even if she had been able to talk, she was too overwhelmed to think of anything to say.
Too much had happened. Murder, heartbreak, the wholesale destruction of her life, and now the prospect of being ripped apart by a goddamned monster. It was amazing she was standing upright.
“Leave her alone, Ty.”
The voice—little more than a growl—came from the far end of the bar. Deep in the shadows of the corner, a hulking silhouette shifted on his stool. Somehow Paige had missed that one.
“The woman isn’t a threat. The stench of her fear is thick.”
Paige swallowed down. “Y-You can smell me?”
Of course, she knew the answer was yes. Everyone knew that was one of the traits that made alphas special, but knowing something intellectually was different than experiencing it firsthand.
“Every alpha in this room can,” he answered without looking up at her. “You reek of panic and desperation.”
Paige was pretty sure you didn’t need a good nose to figure that out. Her shaking hands and trembling voice were dead giveaways.
The bartender let out a loud harrumph. Instinctively, Paige recoiled from the sound.
“You want Kian? You got him.” The bartender shook his head slowly before walking away.
Wait. That hulking shadow at the end of the bar was Kian? The one who said she reeked of desperation?
Paige drew in the deepest breath she could manage and slowly shuffled toward him. The closer she got, the more warning bells sounded in her head. She shouldn’t be doing this. This man—this beast—was too big. Too primal and unpredictable. If she had any sense left she’d turn tail and run.
Where? Straight into the barrel of Craig’s Glock?
This was it. Her only hope. There was nowhere else to run. All she could do now was pray.
Paige stopped two stools away from the giant. She knew the buffer zone was only an illusion. There wasn’t any distance that was safe when near an alpha. It wasn’t as if she’d be able to outrun or outfight him. Still, Paige couldn’t force herself to move any closer.
“Can I talk to you?” she asked.
He didn’t look up from his beer. The glass mug seemed comically small in his massive hand. She knew he could crush it into shards with a twitch. “What would you do if I said no?”
The truth slipped out before she could stop it. “I have no idea.”
“No, you don’t have a clue, do you?” He gave a short derisive laugh before lifting his drink and downing the whole thing in one swallow.
“I know that I can buy you another beer.” She pulled a bill out from her purse and laid it on the bar.
He paused for a second before slamming the empty glass down.
“That’s a good start.” He raised his hand, motioning the bartender back over. “You can keep talking until your money runs out.”
“I don’t want to bother you,” Paige said. “I really don’t want to be here.”
“That’s pretty obvious, lady,” he growled. “Get to the point.”
“My name is Paige Byrne,” she said. “Officer Wilcox in Sacramento gave me your name, and—”
“Denise sent you?” He gave another laugh, this one even darker than before. “You must be in trouble.”
“I am.” Paige blinked at his casual tone. She dropped her voice down to a whisper. “Someone is trying to kill me.”
“Figures,” Kian said. He shot the bartender a pointed look as he grabbed his next beer. “Denise has always had a soft spot for charity cases.”
“I’m not looking for charity,” Paige said, feeling strangely defensive. “I can pay if that’s what you want.”
“So, now my little sister’s pimping me out,” he muttered.
Little sister? Paige narrowed her eyes and leaned in closer trying to spot a family resemblance, but it didn’t do much good. She could barely see anything in the low light. “You’re Officer Wilcox’s brother?”
“Of course. How else would I know her?” he said. “Who else in Sacramento, of all places, would know where to find me on a Sunday night?”
It made sense. After all, nearly all alphas were born into regular families just like everyone else. But for some reason Paige was having a hard time trying to make a genetic link between the very normal cop who had saved her this morning and the beast sitting in front of her now.
Kian, though, didn’t seem to appreciate the extra attention. He gave a low growl of warning, and Paige immediately straightened up.
“Sorry,” she rushed to say.
The alpha lifted his beer and downed it as fast as the last. “Who wants you dead?”
“My fiancé,” she said, then caught herself. “I mean my ex-fiancé.”
“Why?”
“Because I witnessed him murder a man.”
“And you really think he’s going to follow you here?”
“You don’t know Craig.” Then again, it turned out neither did she. Not really. All she knew was that the stress of this back and forth was killing her. “He prides himself on always getting what he wants. If he’s set his mind on killing me and you don’t help me, then I’m as good as dead.”
Kian’s spine straightened. His shoulders pulled back. Paige’s breath caught in her throat, fearing that she’d pushed him too far with her upset tone. She held her hands out in front of her as she slid back a step.
“I’m sorry,” she rushed to say. “I don’t mean to offend you. I was just—”
Her words died as Kian rose from his stool and turned toward the door. For the first time, Paige got a good look at him as he stepped into the light. He was well over seven feet tall. The breadth of his shoulders were twice as wide as hers.
And then there was his face.
She couldn’t say he was beautiful. Not even handsome. At least, not traditionally so. His features were far too tough and hard to be described that way, but there was something so vital and animalistic about the cut of his brow, the dark brown beard dusting his jawline, and the depths of his deep-set eyes. A deep longing stirred in Paige’s chest.
Kian Wilcox might not be pretty, but was damn sexy.
Too bad he was about to kill her.
“Please don’t hurt me,” she begged.
Kian’s brows pulled together hard. “Get behind me,” he growled.
Paige blinked. “What?”
He didn’t repeat himself. Instead, he reached out, grabbed the sleeve of her jacket, and whipped her behind his wide back—all faster than she could react.
Too startled to protest, Paige peeked out from behind Kian’s side. She was surprised to find every other alpha in the bar standing at the ready, their attention focused, their muscles coiled and ready to fight.
So, he wasn’t about to rip her head off. But he was sure as hell ready to kill someone. Every alpha was.
A new wave of fear washed over Paige. “What’s going on?”
“I think that fiancé of yours just arrived,” Kian said.
Oh God.
“How do you know?” she asked.
“Heard the car pull up a minute ago,” he said. “I can smell the bloodlust pouring off him. Sound like your man?”
It did. Paige’s blood turned to ice. Her knees wobbled, and without thinking, she leaned forward into the wide expanse of Kian’s solid back. A shock of awareness shot through her at the contact. A powerful, almost electric charge rushed through her. It was like nothing Paige had ever felt before. The sensation only h
eightened as she instinctively curled her hands around Kian’s sides.
She leaned her face against him. The taut strength of his hard body flexed beneath his shirt. She felt his warmth. She caught his scent—deep, and warm, and spicy. Everything about Kian wrapped around her, comforting her and driving the worst of her paralyzing fear away. Even her pounding heartbeat slowed.
Everything was going to be okay. She knew it. It had to be, because Kian was there. He would protect her. He would keep her safe. The absolute certainty flowed through her.
Paige tightened her grip around his waist, wishing that she could melt into him. She felt the energy shift inside him. Away went the contempt and mockery. The sheer power of his body came alive under her fingertips, growing and swelling.
Staying firmly in front of her, Kian wrenched his head around far enough to catch her eye. She saw amazement shining bright in their depths. Amazement…and desire.
“Omega.” He said the word softly. Slowly.
The horror of its meaning moved through Paige like an icy ripple, growing as it spread.
Oh God, no.
She wasn’t an omega. She couldn’t be.
She was normal. A nobody. A plain-vanilla beta. There was nothing special about her. There couldn’t be.
Because if she was, then she’d just made a horrible mistake walking into this bar. She’d be better off running out into the parking lot and begging Craig to put her out of her misery right now.
So, why couldn’t she let go of Kian’s body?
Chapter Three
Three distinct sets of footsteps climbed the steps to Evander’s Bar. Kian’s sensitive ears could make out the differences in all of them. Just like he could with their scents, wafting in with the wind through the cracks in the wooden walls.
One was scared. He didn’t want to be here—not in the wilderness, not in the Boundarylands, and sure as hell not in this bar. As far as Kian was concerned, he was the only one out of the three with any brains.
The second man was hungry for violence. All he wanted was the fight. The sharp tang of his sadism stung Kian’s nostrils.
The last man was different. He radiated the scent of cold, calculated anger. There was a bitter note of betrayal in his sweat. That had to be the woman’s fiancé.
Kian: The Boundarylands Omegaverse: M/F Alpha Omega Romance Page 2