“Not really, no. He’s a favorite cousin who I knew as an Uncle growing up. It stuck.” She took the bag of pepperoni rolls, grabbing one out and shoving it in her mouth.
Lukas watched her eyes close in pleasure. She had accepted food from him, and it made him happy. “Dinner?” he asked, leaning into the door in hopes that she would open it.
“I just ordered hot wings,” Eve said. “And beer,” she added for some reason.
“From where?” he asked, trying to see past her into the room.
“M and J’s.” She closed the door a little bit further, not wanting him in her space. It was hers, and even though it wasn’t much, she was possessive over it. Then she thought about dessert and the fact that she had forgotten to order it, plus he held her favorite moonshine in his hands. She opened the door and invited him in.
Her room was tiny. There was a small chair that she went to before he could reach it, forcing him to sit on the corner of the bed.
“EJ,” he started.
“Stop. Only my friends call me that,” she said, rounding on him from her seat.
“And we aren’t friends?” he asked, rising to get two plastic cups from her dresser.
“No. I don’t think we could have ever been friends,” she said, accepting the shot of moonshine he offered. She tossed it back and went to pour another, grabbing the bottle and bringing it with her. Snatching the bag of pepperoni rolls from him, she dug into them.
“Thanks,” she said around a mouth full of bread and meat.
“Eve, let me start over,” he said, turning to face her.
“It’s too late, Alpha. You’ve been to the Seventh. You know I was honest with you. Maybe you even understand what is happening there. Maybe you don’t. It’s done. My destiny lies down a different path.” Eve sighed, feeling tired. Sparring with four Alphas has that effect.
A light knock at the door sounded, and Eve rose to answer it. The little Beta housekeeper, whose name she learned was Letracia, rolled in a cart covered with boxes of wings and a six-pack of beer.
“Thanks, Trae,” Eve said, watching from the corner of her eye as the Alpha reared back in surprise.
“Not a problem, EJ,” she said, giving The Alpha a wicked case of side-eye; she closed the door behind her as the Alpha seethed over the fact the maid could call her EJ, and he could not. He didn’t even know the maid’s name. Maybe therein lie the problem.
“I ordered extra when you started pounding on my door,” she said, taking a carton of wings and handing them to him.
She took a shot of moonshine and closed her eyes at the joy of it. The deep, sweet sense of home invaded her soul as it slid down her throat, warming her belly. Opening a beer, she handed it to him before taking one for herself.
“How’s Rand?” she asked, her mouth full of delicious hot wings.
“He’s good. Old and keeping secrets, but good.” Lukas finished his first carton of wings and went for a second, opening another beer.
“It’s complicated. I had hoped to have time to explain it to you so that maybe you could see our side,” she said with a shrug, chucking her carton in the trash and grabbing another.
Our side, she said. Not their side. Not her side. Our side. He felt her leaving him. He imagined that he could see her gaining weight, and he hated it. If he didn’t believe that Rand was right, he would lock her up and never let her see the light of day again.
“There’s still time, Eve. Make me understand.” He took the shot of moonshine she offered and marveled at the fact she could pound it back like nothing. For being so little, she had a hell of a tolerance. Maybe they fed that stuff to the babies in their bottles. She acted like it was water, whereas he couldn’t feel the toes on either of his feet.
“That’s the thing, Lukas, there isn’t time,” she said, not catching her slip, but he did, and it warmed him. She’d used his name for the first time since that night. “I’ve got one hundred Omegas in the woods that need a leader. They are fighters each. I brought them here for incentive, hoping your men would fight for them in order to earn their favor. These Omegas want a choice, and if they can’t have that, they’ll choose death, but we have the fight to win first,” she said calmly and without recrimination, just a faint shrug of her shoulders.
“This is a fight you can’t win,” he said. Grabbing another batch of wings and wishing he could make her see that he was right.
“If you and the New South stay out of it, I think we can. We still can. It benefits you to continue to turn a blind eye to what’s going on up there. Just don’t look too hard, Alpha. You couldn’t do what I asked you to before, so can you at least look away from the Seventh until we sort this out?” She tossed away another carton of bones and went for a fresh one. Her favorite was the Carolina Gold, especially since she felt rebellious saying the word Carolina. She laughed to herself and caught him watching her, so she stopped, evening out her expression.
“I don’t think I can do that anymore, Eve. Now that I know what is going on, I can’t let it stand,” he said, sipping his moonshine and chasing it with a beer. He couldn’t do like she did and sip it steadily.
“So, you’ll go up there and tear the whole place apart because now you know what you know? What’s the difference between today and a month ago? Gas and oil still stream down pipelines, and the lights are lit all over the New South. Let it go, Alpha. If we fail, you can raze the place, but if we don’t, it will all go back to business as usual. My people are not your enemy. Don’t make them believe otherwise,” she said, leaning back with a sigh and placing her hand on her rounded belly. She had blown through her half of the wings and was eyeing the remnants of his. Grabbing a carton from his stack, she scuttled back to her chair before he could stop her.
“I didn’t say that, either. The Loyalists break the rules by wearing inflammatory tee shirts and waving banned flags, but I’m not inclined to do anything about that. Not yet. Maybe not ever. Rand was once my closest friend and adviser. He’s telling me this is a civil matter and to let it go too, but I think he’s too close to the situation, and I’m not sure that I can do that. I need to think about it. Honor your contract, and I’ll do my best,” he finished, sipping his beer and watching her eat. He’d lost his appetite anyway.
She ate the rest of the wings, chasing them with a pepperoni roll. He’d never heard of such a thing until today, and he had to admit they were pretty darn good. Sighing with content, she leaned back in her chair, sipped moonshine, and took his measure. “I didn’t dishonor the contract, and your best isn’t good enough. Not that I’ve seen.”
“I can’t let you go, Eve. I can’t. There’s something about you. I could have the pick of Omegas, but none of them compare. I can’t let you go knowing what you are going to do. It’s insane.” He held her stare, dropping the bottle from his lips. They pursed in a fat bow as he looked at her, and his green eyes darkened.
He was dangerous, and she knew it. He was everything she would have picked for herself had she been given a choice, but he was dangerous all the same. Too bad she liked playing with fire. “You can’t keep me, Alpha. I’ve said it from the beginning. And the thing you like about me today is the thing you want to take away from me the most tomorrow. I can’t do it.”
“I can try to keep you. Would you blame me for that? You’re mine.”
“I suppose you can try, but I belong to an entire population, and they are counting on me.”
“I’m counting on you too.”
“And I already blame you. This could have gone in a different direction.”
“And we’re back to that. I apologize, Eve. I mean it. I could say that I was driven mad by the scent of your estrous. I could say I was forced into the rut by the nature of my dynamic and yours, but I’m not going to. I take responsibility, and I apologize. Let me help you and let me help the other Omegas.” He leaned back on the old headboard, and it creaked behind him.
“So, you’ll give them a choice?” she asked, narrowing her eyes at him.<
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His answer came too slow and too late.
“I don’t want to argue anyway, Alpha. It’s done. Even if the contract was still valid, things wouldn’t be the way you think they would. When this is over, the Omegas can find their own way. There was always a contingency plan. None of us believed this would work. Not really,” she said with a deep sigh. “I think I knew that you wouldn’t be able to see the gray between the black and white of this situation. You’re right. I asked too much. Maybe if there had been more time,” she said, her belly still aching with hunger.
She was full, but she needed more. She needed to use him to get stronger. He hadn’t thought twice about using her to slake his need, so she wouldn’t worry about doing the same. She rose from her chair, popping the top on another beer and chugging it to get rid of the remaining heat in her mouth.
“Put your hands over your head, Alpha,” she said, walking to where he was stretched out on her bed.
“Eve,” he said, his eyes half closing as he watched her approach.
“Do it.” She stood just out of his reach, waiting.
When he did as he was told, Eve moved faster than he could see and cuffed his wrists to the headboard, ignoring the foul language that came from his mouth as she did so. He looked good trussed up, and she applauded her decision to buy the handcuffs at the naughty store she stumbled across earlier.
He was beautiful, and she felt her resolve weaken just a bit. She trailed her fingers down his hard, chiseled chest and rested them on the belt around his waist. She liked the way her pale skin contrasted against the dark of his.
“Yes or no?” she asked, giving him a choice he had not given her.
“Eve.”
“Yes or no.” She pulled the handcuff key out of her pocket and waited with arms crossed.
“Yes,” he hissed, closing his eyes.
She tucked the key away and undid his belt with one hand while tracing his muscles through his shirt with the other. When the belt was gone, she patted his hips, urging them up and jerking his pants down when he complied, glorying at the sight of his cock springing free. It was glorious, big, veined, and impressive. She hummed at it, delighted with her prize.
She nestled between his legs and ran her hands up and down the length of it, enjoying how he looked from her vantage point. He was stunning. All of him. Soft skin slid over the hardness of the muscle below as she trailed her fingers along his shaft.
Alpha cock lived up to the hype, she thought, looking at him from every angle. The veins stood out, and she could see the spot where his knot would form begin to twitch as his balls drew up, the skin there darker than on the rest of his body.
He groaned when she took him into her mouth, running her tongue along the veins and ridges. She had planned on making this quick so she could get her dessert and be done with him, but she never had the opportunity to look at an Alpha’s cock this closely. The first time she had sucked it, she had been starved and hurried, only able to think about what he could give to her.
Now she had him restrained and, even though he could break the headboard easily, she knew he wouldn’t, and it made her bold. She leaned up and took his shaft into her throat, humming her approval when he bucked into her deeper. She pulled back again and ran her tongue across his glistening slit. Already pre-cum pearled out, and she went after it, not wanting to waste any he gave her. He growled low, causing her slick to start pouring.
“Stop, Alpha, or I will. Just stop,” she said, pulling her mouth away from him.
He stopped with a quiet whine, laying his head back and closing his eyes. His breathing came harder, but he remained silent. Leaning over him again, she gripped his base, pulling hard and placing her mouth onto his crown. She flicked her tongue and let her saliva flow to simulate Omega wetness. Then she took him as deep into her throat as he could go, bobbing her head until his grunts echoed off the walls of her tiny room.
She grabbed his balls with her free hand and pulled them roughly, feeling them grow even tighter. She moved her head over him, humming and purring praise at his male perfection while he fought not to break his bonds and rip her clothes off. His knot bulged, and she gripped it hard, squeezing until it ballooned and hot cum shot into her belly. She shoved him even deeper into her throat and took it all.
His sugar, sweet cum filled her like no meal ever could, and she felt high the minute it hit her belly. No amount of moonshine ever made her feel this good. She squeezed and pumped his knot like a mad thing until she had every drop he held.
With a sigh, she pulled back. Flopping over onto the bottom of the bed while her face spread into a smile so big, her ears hurt from it.
“Eve,” he started.
“Shhhhhh. Just give me a sec,” she slurred her words and wiped the drool from her mouth. Rising, she pulled his pants up, released his hands, and stumbled into the bathroom, locking the door behind her.
Water ran, and he heard her brushing her teeth.
“Thanks, Alpha,” she mumbled. “Have a good night,” she said, dismissing him.
He stood, stunned. What the fuck had just happened? Now he was dismissed? He rubbed his face with his hands, feeling the day’s growth of his beard on them. His limbs refused to move, and even standing was a struggle. Fuck. He sighed, watching the door and her bed with alternating longing.
But he’d been dismissed, and he was beginning to understand what she would and wouldn’t tolerate. If he refused to leave, she’d just find another hidey-hole causing him more work to chase after her.
He locked her door, shutting it behind him, before stumbling down the hall and up to his suite.
He watched on the camera he’d placed as she climbed into bed and under the covers. Her body had filled out, and her skin glowed with health. He couldn’t see any bones except the ones at the base of her neck; she had filled out so well. He was out of time, and he knew it.
What to do?
What to do about Eve?
Chapter 13
“Alpha, your mother is in town and causing quite a stir shouting something about an Omega’s right to buy a sidearm. She’s at the Outdoor Warehouse. Do you want me to arrest her again?”
“For God’s sake,” he said, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Yes. Don’t take her to jail this time. Bring her to my office.” He punched the off button on his Comlink. Eve was going to get herself killed running around Greenville, screaming about Omega rights. He poured himself a finger of whiskey and waited.
He watched the cameras as one of his beta guards gently dragged Eve kicking and flailing across the lobby and onto the elevator. She had filled out. Her gray scarves and robes billowed around her shapely figure, and he worried about her leaving anew.
“Luke Alexander Jennings! You did not just have your mother arrested? Arrested? You had better start explaining, Son. You may be the all-powerful Alpha of the New South, but I trump you any day. You’re still my boy, and I’ll bend you over my knee.” Eve had a light southern accent, not a heavy one like the woman screaming at him from the door, hands on her hips as she was pulled through.
“Mom?” The Alpha’s voice shook.
Before him stood his very irate mother. All four foot nine of her. Her bright green eyes narrowed on him with laser focus, and if looks could be an ass whoppin’, he’d be in trouble right about now.
“Of course, it’s your mother. Who else would it be? Why do you smell like broken Omega and desperation? Answer me, Luke.” His mother glared at him. With him sitting and her standing, he still had to look down at her.
“My guard thought you were someone else,” he tried weakly.
“Actually, I told you it was your mom. You still wanted her arrested,” the smaller man said, thinking he would be better off with The Alpha mad at him and not The Alpha’s mother.
“Dismissed!” he yelled, watching as the other man scurried out.
“Explain yourself, young man,” his mother said, her eyebrows pinching together so tightly they became one thing.
“Don’t mom me.” She took a step closer to his desk, and he knew he was in for it.
“Ma’am.”
“That’s better. Now I’m waiting for an explanation. You’d best get to giving it,” she said, refusing to sit because it put her that much below his eyesight.
“There’s an Omega…”
“Your Omega?”
“Yes…uh...no…. I don’t know?”
“What’d you do to her. She smells wrong.”
“Uuuuuugh…. mom…” he drew his words out and felt nine again. She could always break him in seconds.
She had him whining and sniveling an explanation. He showed her Eve’s contract and ranted and raved about the unfairness of all of it. He stopped short of stomping his foot and crossing his arms and demanding his mother make Eve listen. If anyone else had seen the fit, he’d have had to kill them. But this was his mom. She was used to Alpha tantrums.
“So, you broke the contract, how?” She asked when he was calm. “Did you lock her up?” she asked, her eyes narrowing to slits.
“Yes, but she always gets out. I can’t actually keep her locked up,” he said, gaining a little composure.
“So, you impeded her freedom,” his mother asked, sitting now, trying to soothe her giant of a son and set him up in a trap at the same time.
“Yes, Ma’am.”
“Did you rape her?” she asked calmly, her hands folded in her lap and her eyes downward.
“She thinks of it that way,” he answered.
“And you don’t?” she asked a bit too quickly.
“No, I don’t. Not exactly. She’s my Omega!” he shouted quietly.
“She’s not yours yet. What if she was your sister? Or your mother? Would that be acceptable behavior toward either of us? Huh? What if that was your Omega daughter?” Before he could get any more excuses out, she was beating him with a rolled-up newspaper like an errant puppy. “Lukas Alexander Jennings. I raised you better than that. I oughta strip the skin off your back and feed it to you with a fork. How dare you sully the name of your father with that kind of behavior.”
The Omega Rule (Omegas of the New South Book 1) Page 9