Chapter 4

Ariadne drives them back, hands steady, eyes focused. The Alpha is left wondering exactly what kind of person this Omega is. She’s not like her cast type at all. She’s different, special.

“You’re not at all like they say on TV,” Ariadne suddenly voices.

Victor's breathing hitches. It’s like they were thinking the same thing about one another at the same time.

“I’m exactly like that,” Victor clarifies, “Just not with you.”

Ariadne’s driving swerves slightly before she regains control of the car again. “Why not with me?”

Well, that is the million-dollar question.

“I need a reliable person like you,” Victor says. He’s not sure if that’s a lie or the truth.

“A reliable person like me?” Ariadne’s voice quicks upward.

“You’re smart.” Victor continues, “Albert Einstein smart.”

“Einstein can go f**k himself,” Ariadne frowns.

“Garry Kasparov smart,” Victor offers.

Ariadne smiles, eyes lighting up. She looks so playful. Is this what the Omega looks like when she’s flattered? Victor wants to bombard this Woman with compliments if that’s the case. She looks so fucking smug. Victor wants to d*ck her right then and there, right in the car.

“Don’t sweet talk me,” Ariadne complains through a half-smile, “It’s not going to work. I have something called self-respect.”

Victor scoffs, “IBM Watson smart.”

Ariadne laughs. The way she looks, joyful, makes Victor's chest warm. The Alpha shakes his head to erase the dangerous feelings and clears his throat.

That night, Victor lets Ariadne have his bed again. He’s secretly hoping that it’ll smell like the Omega by the time they switchback.

In the morning, before work, Ariadne joins him at the breakfast table. She looks much recovered from the previous day's events. She is still in her pajamas as she eats her meat over rice. Her hair is disheveled, and she smells absolutely divine, having yet to bath, still swimming in her natural scent.

Victor forces a cough as he tosses a cell at the Omega, who makes a worthy catch, dropping her spoon, “What the f*ck?”

“It’s a cellphone,” Victor explains, “Call me if anything happens.”

Ariadne looks at the thing in disbelief, “What if I just call the police?”

Victor tries to look as threatening as possible, “Well, that’d be a sure way to ruin your day off.”

Ariadne's eyes go back to calculating. Victor sure hopes that the Omega doesn’t call the police. It wouldn’t do her any good. And it’d ruin a lot of people's days, more than just her.

Victor heads off to the Head Quarters. Today is starting off as a mess. Arlo's pack is probably gunning for him. If anything, there will be a new Alpha, one that won his spot during the night by killing his pack brothers.

“His name is Dustin,” Calvin informs him as he walks through the door. “He’s taken over Arlo's pack.”

“I’ll be sure to make out the gravestone thusly,” Victor snarls.

“He’s not like Arlo,” Waylon says seriously, “The pack voted him in.”

Now that’s a surprise, “That pack was full of idiots and hired mercs. There’s no way.”

“This guy is smart, boss,” Calvin continues, “He’s organized. He wants to meet with you. White flag, all rules apply. ”

Victor hates this. He doesn’t like uncertainty. He’d much rather just hunt down everyone in that pack and kill them. Diplomacy, on the other hand, is complicated.

He meets with the Alpha anyway. Dustin Poirier is not what Victor expected. The Alpha is oddly beautiful, long silver hair, and bright green eyes. The specified place is a run-of-the-mill coffee shop, lacking the arrogance that Arlo would have put Victor through.

“Hello,” Dustin greets him with a bow.

“Tell me why I shouldn’t kill you right now?” Victor asks, red eyes bright with hunger.

“Witnesses,” Dustin pours the tea, “Besides, I’m not my predecessor. I hated the man. I only served him because of circumstance.”

“I could still kill you,” Victor laughs, “The police know exactly who I am. Why is it that I can dance about in broad daylight.”

Dustin considers Victor’s words for a long while, “What do you want from me, in exchange for peace? I know I can’t beat your pack. I won’t even try.”

This man is dangerously smart. Something about him has Victor’s hair standing on end.

“Twenty-five percent,” Victor says.

“Done,” Dustin answers quickly.

Victor had been willing to barter down to fifteen. The fact that Dustin agreed so quickly makes Victor even more uneasy.

It’s then that his cell phone rings. It reads, ‘Baby’ on the ID. It’s Ariadne. Victor imagines the Omega lying on the kitchen floor after accidentally cutting her toe off. The Alpha is in a panic as he answers.

“What’s wrong,” Victor shouts.

“Hey,” Ariadne’s voice is even, “I can’t figure out the coffee machine.”

Victor is both angry and relieved. He’s angry at how fucking relieved he is. Ariadne is fine.

“Don’t call me for that shit,” Victor hisses, “This is for emergencies only.”

Dustin shoots the Alpha a bewildered look but otherwise remains impassive as he drinks his tea.

“This. Is. An. Emergency,” Ariadne articulates every word.

Victor palms his face with a heavy sigh, “Just press the blue button. It’s auto after that.”

“Okay,” Ariadne answers, a moment later, “Ah fuck, I didn’t put a cup under it. There’s coffee everywhere.”

The call suddenly ends. Victor sighs again.

“The Omega?” Dustin asks.

Alpha Victor admittedly overreacts. There’s a butterknife to Dustin’s throat in an eyeblink, “What about the Omega?”

The coffee shop is full of people. No one does a damn thing. They all ignore it.

“She has got worse things than guys like Arlo after her,” Dustin says. “That Omega is dangerous.”

“Tell me what you know?” Victor says, pressing the knife to Dustin’s throat.

“Arlo stole her from someone. I don’t know who,” Dustin says quickly, “But that Omega belongs to someone, someone very dangerous.”

Victor scoffs, letting Dustin loose, “I’m not afraid. Besides, she doesn’t have a mark on her. She’s not mated. She belongs to herself.”

Dustin looks visibly frightened, not because of the knife, because of his warning, “I have to go. I’ll see you again. Twenty-five percent. Like Gentlemen.”

“It’s been a pleasure, Alpha Dustin” Victor salutes the Alpha.

“Be safe,” Dustin answers, “Alpha Victor.”

* * * * * * * * * *

When Victor arrives home, Ariadne is all curled up with a blanket on the couch, and a mug of coffee. She’s reading a comic book that shouldn’t be out of the plastic. Victor can’t even be angry. Ariadne looks so nice, all cozy like that. She’s so cute.

Victor sits down on the opposite sofa.

“Did you kill anyone today?” the Omega asks, not looking up.

“Close call,” Victor answers, “But no. How about you, you kill anyone?”

Ariadne sets the comic book down, placing the coffee on top of it. That comic is a first edition. Its value has plummeted down to nothing. Victor doesn’t even give a f*ck.

“Come here,” Victor calls softly

Ariadne tenses. Her eyes go wide with fear. “Y-You said you wouldn’t. You said I didn’t have to.”

“Cuddling isn’t f*cking,” Victor says, “Come here.”

Ariadne calculates for a long bit before she crawls over. She timidly presses herself into Victor’s embrace. She’s tense. It’s f*cking uncomfortable.

Fifteen minutes in. No one has said anything. It’s still uncomfortable.

“You Alphas have no idea what it’s like when you touch us,” Ariadne grumbles, “What you smell like, what it does to us.”

Victor’s curiosity is peaked, “What do I smell like to you?”

Ariadne flushes but she doesn’t answer. She is thoroughly flustered by the question. Victor takes the opportunity to pull her in a little more snuggly.

“I’m not here to play house. I know exactly what this is,” the Omega says, fighting herself. The moment she starts relaxing into Victor’s embrace, she tenses up again.

“What exactly is this?” Victor asks.

“I’m new and pretty, I get it,” Ariadne says, “The second you’re done with me, you’ll toss me out.”

Victor’s breathing stills. The last thing on his mind is getting rid of the Omega. If possible, he wants Ariadne to stay forever.

“When you called me today,” Victor huffs, “I thought you were hurt. I’m sorry I yelled at you.”

Ariadne flushes bright pink at that, “A-Aren’t you mad at me? Look what I did to your comic book! I called you for some stupid s*it and-”

“I don’t f*cking care about that,” Victor sighs, rubbing circles into Ariadne’s arms. “You’re just trying to adjust. I get it.”

Ariadne starts relaxing again, but this time she doesn’t catch herself. Her eyes flutter shut as she presses into Victor's embrace. She smells so good. Her scent grows sweeter by the second. This must be the Omega’s contented scent, what she gives off when she’s happy.

It smells like vanilla. Vanilla and Mint. Victor wants to eat this Omega all up. He’s so thirsty all of the sudden, and nothing seems so quenching as eating this woman out, coating his mouth in that slick. But it’ll have to wait.

Ariadne is nearly asleep now.

The Omega mumbles something that Victor doesn’t quite catch. The Alpha picks her up and carries her to bed. Ariadne whispers again, this time more clearly.

“Coffee…. You smell like coffee.”