Page 97 of Lilacs and Leather
Lucas: OMW. Keep him there. Rhett and Lex are inbound.
I’d forgotten that Lucas was that last person I texted, but it didn’t matter. He’d gotten my message to the pack, and they were coming to handle Seth.
All right. Have to keep him talking. Good thing that seems to be his favorite thing to do.
“Hate to burst your bubble, but I don’t have a bond mate. You can run back and tell my ex that his mark didn’t take,” I say with as much confidence as I can muster.
Seth looks genuinely surprised at the strength in my voice, and I press my advantage while I’ve caught him off guard.
“And I’d say that I’m sorry to inform you that Mateo’s not your alpha, but I’m really not,” I continue with an ironic chuckle.
“Is that what he’s told you? That he’s not spoken for?” Seth counters, uncrossing his legs.
“Oh, no. He’s told me all about how you raped him and his pack,” I spit back, my temper slipping through.
I glance up and down the street, looking for any sign of Lucas or the others. But the afternoon traffic has slowed to a trickle, and there’s no sign of their familiar vehicles.
“I didn’t—how dare you—”
“Really? So, you didn’t intentionally trigger their ruts, and then proceed to bond with them? Because I may have been born at night, but it wasn’t last night. And last I checked, there has to be sex for bonds to form. And if they didn’t consent, then that’s rape, buddy.”
Seth’s tan face goes red, and I have to swallow my grin of satisfaction. He wanted to meet me, and I’m sure he was expecting some meek little omega whom he could bully into submission. He’s fucked around and now he’s about to find out.
“Still doesn’t explain why you’re hiding from your alpha,” Seth blurts, almost too quickly.
Redirecting when he’s not winning. Moving goal posts.
“Again, Darren is not my fucking alpha. Though I can understand why y’all are getting on so well, considering you’re both rapists,” I push.
“He was going to marry you, give you the omega fantasy, but you ran. And now you’re poking your nose where it doesn’t belong,” he says, standing and advancing toward me.
I take a minute to collect myself, taking a deep breath. I regret it immediately as his scent finally hits me. I can smell some sort of cologne, but it only enhances the scent of grenadine, limes, and menthol cigarettes. The tobacco in the scent cloud makes my heart clench almost painfully, my skin going cold and starting to sweat. I hear my heartbeat in my ears, and I have to close my eyes and swallow against my suddenly dry mouth.
“You’re right about one thing. Your alpha—Darren, is it?—and me had a nice long talk, and he’s not happy about what you’ve been doing, little omega. Sleeping with not one but two alphas, both of whom have partners. Quite the little homewrecker you are,” Seth continues, words all the more sinister in his gravelly rasp.
All of my confidence has vanished, leaving nothing but churning anxiety. I struggle to hold my ground, even as my mind screams at me to run. I look around again, my heart sinking as I still don’t see any sign of Lucas or Rhett or Alexandra. That scent, not quite Darren’s but close enough that my instincts want me to put as much distance between us as I can. But I just need to wait him out.
“He told me that he wasn’t surprised you’re giving it out for free to anyone who can stomach you. He’s very excited to see you again, you know,” Seth goes on, taking another step closer.
I move around the cart so I have something between us, though I don’t dare show my back. I look at my phone, but there aren’t any new messages. Nothing from the people who promised to keep me safe. But just like I predicted, they gave this prick an inch and he took a mile. And now I’m here with their baggage, trying not to cry and scream as my memories crowd forward.
“Does he know where I am yet?” I manage to get out, thankful my voice isn’t shaking as much as my hands.
“Oh, no. Mostly because I wanted to talk to you first. You see, despite everything he told me, I think you’re smarter than you look. So I’m going to make you a deal. If you leave Pack St. Clair, preferably the city, but I’m willing to negotiate, I won’t tell Darren where he can find his little wayward omega,” Seth said, stalking forward with deliberate slowness.
I back away as he rounds the cart, and I keep eye contact with him. As he gets closer, his bulk towers over me, and I try to breathe through my mouth, but my chest heaves as I feel the panic rising fast. I can hear the shouting, the names, the abuse that I’d been through ringing in my ears as more of that menthol smell takes over my senses. I shake my head, trying to get my breathing under control, to get my heart rate to slow down for just one minute so I can think. But he steps into my space, so close I can feel his body heat even in the blazing afternoon air, and I snap.
“Back off, and if you call me ‘little omega’ one more fucking time, you’re going to be shitting out your teeth for a week,” I snarl.
I put my hands on his chest and push with all of my might, and I manage to get him to stumble backward several steps. I’ve gone from flight to fight, and my whole body shakes as I plant my feet and stand my ground.
Seth glares at me, mouth twisting in a savage snarl. “What did you just say to me?” he growls.
“You have a lot of fucking nerve to show up here and threaten me like this. Do you even care about what’ll happen if you tell Darren about me? What he’ll do to me if he finds me?” I snap, voice rising to nearly a shout.
My head pounds, and I can hear the blood rushing in my ears, a roar that blocks out all rational thought. Every nerve ending in my body feels like a live wire, my skin hot. My spine curls into a defensive position, my hands balling into fists at my sides. God, this scent is making me crazy.
“Hopefully, he’ll put a muzzle and leash on his bitch,” Seth retorts, mocking.