The Rogue Omega

Chapter 15

By the time we returned to the Range Rover, Orion had already gotten dressed.

He was wearing a pair of jeans and a fitted white shirt while leaning casually against the side of the Bugatti.

The way Kael had reacted earlier when he noticed the car suddenly made complete sense.

Of course, the other people in Shadow Crest who loved expensive cars were my scent-matched pack.

Who else would have enough money to enjoy a hobby like that?

I walked around the Range Rover, shifted back into my human form, and quickly pulled on my shorts and shirt.

I ran my fingers over my braids to make sure they had survived the shift.

Other than a few loose strands of hair, they were still perfectly in place.

There was no avoiding this conversation, so I straightened my back, forced my wolf's feelings deeper inside, and walked toward the Bugatti.

Orion hadn't moved.

He continued giving me enough space while waiting beside his incredibly expensive supercar.

Looking toward the beautiful car, I asked, “Do you ever get the chance to really drive her fast?”

He pushed himself away from the car with smooth, graceful movements that reminded me of a predator.

Back at the creek I hadn't really noticed how tall he was, but now I could see he stood at least five inches taller than me.

He wasn't built as heavily as Ryker, but his athletic body was still large and powerful.

I had never been surrounded by so many men who made me feel so small.

“We have a racing track behind Shadow Crest,” he replied in his smooth, deep voice. “Even Alpha Kael has taken his car there a few times.”

A rough laugh came from behind us.

“If by that you mean you've beaten me and your brothers every single time, then yes,” Kael said. “I've driven there.”

Orion never took his eyes off me, not even to respond to Kael.

“Do you race too, pretty girl?”

Goddess...

Ryker's controlling nature only made me angry.

But I had no defense against Orion's warm sincerity.

“I race motorcycles,” I answered, my throat suddenly dry. “I had to leave my bike behind. Honestly, I prefer two wheels over four.”

A small smile touched his lips.

“You sound just like Silas. You should race against him someday.”

I didn't know who Silas was, but I had a feeling he was another member of my scent-matched pack.

“I'm not sure that's a good idea.”

It felt wrong to disappoint someone as kind as Orion, but I had to tell him the truth.

“I don't know exactly what Ryker told you, but I don't want to join a pack. There are a lot of personal reasons. I...”

The rest of my words got stuck in my throat.

I wished Orion would stop looking at me.

I was completely lost in his blue eyes.

This time there was no mistaking the hurt on his face when I rejected him.

Why did this hurt so much?

I had never planned to meet my pack and discover they were real people with real feelings.

The overwhelming emotions I felt after knowing Orion for less than two minutes were impossible to explain.

Was this powerful pull toward their mates the same thing that had gotten Mom killed?

This constant need to run into your pack's arms and completely lose yourself?

Orion's expression softened as he stepped a little closer.

I could almost feel our scents mixing together as though they had been waiting for each other forever.

“I know Ryker can be stubborn and likes being in control,” he said gently. “I'll admit that. But I promise the rest of us...” He paused for a moment before giving a small smile. “Okay... maybe not Silas. But Fin and I won't let anyone do whatever it is you're afraid of. None of us would ever hurt you, Aria. We couldn't, even if we wanted to. You're our scent match.”

That sounded true in theory.

But I was an omega.

And they clearly didn't understand what that truly meant.

“Just come home with me and meet everyone else,” he continued softly, as though he could tell I was barely holding myself together. “Spend some time getting to know us before you make a decision that will change all of our lives.”

He slowly held out his hand.

There was no pressure behind the gesture.

My fingers twitched.

I had to physically stop myself from reaching out to him.

If I touched him, I knew I would lose a part of myself that I had fought so hard to protect.

Every relationship always seemed wonderful in the beginning.

Otherwise, nobody would ever enter one.

The real truth only appeared afterward.

And I could never allow myself to reach that point.

“No,” I whispered painfully. “I can't. I'm sorry, Orion. I'm so f*****g sorry.”

I turned around and hurried toward Kael and Cora, who had kindly given us a few moments alone.

My vision blurred as I pulled open the back door of the Range Rover and climbed inside.

“Aria, are you okay?” Kael asked as he looked back at me.

“Please... just drive,” I replied, hiding my shaking hands beneath my legs. “Please.”

Sympathy filled Cora's face, but she quietly stayed silent while Kael started the vehicle and drove away.

Orion never moved from where he stood.

His expression became much harder as he watched us leave.

“They aren't simply going to let you walk away,” Kael warned while we drove back toward the city. “You need to decide what you're going to do because that pack never gives up when they want something.”

I had only met two of them.

That was already enough for me to understand exactly how powerful they were.

The hardest part was how badly I wanted everything they were offering.

A pack.

Safety.

And four incredibly attractive alpha males who would probably change everything I thought I knew about satisfying s*x.

Even more dangerous than all of that was the love I had seen shining inside Orion's eyes.

As a lonely orphan who had grown up with nothing, even a tiny piece of the devotion I saw in those blue-violet eyes would have meant everything to me.

But as an omega, that kind of love could easily become a dangerous obsession that would take everything from me and leave me wishing for death.

Or something even worse.

The drive back to the Ravencrest Pack house was completely silent.

Even though I knew the uncomfortable atmosphere was my fault, I couldn't force myself to speak.

Because I honestly felt that if I opened my mouth, I would start screaming and never be able to stop.