First Street Heat (Beastverse #1)

6. Lilah

6

Lilah

I need to get away from Scott before I make a fool of myself again. He's being kind to me because he still feels responsible for my safety. He said as much when he told me he was taking me home because I picked him. He's doing it because it's his job, nothing more.

I was dreaming about my mate—well, Scott and Fenrir, if they'd mated me—right before I woke up because I could smell him. All of the memories of me getting rejected flooded my mind, and I wanted to curl up into my mind again.

I wish I could go back to sleep. Instead, I'm being led out of the room, away from the nest I spent so much time on, which was wasted because the alpha sensed I was scent matching him without him feeling the same.

I rub the tears out of my eyes again and try to erase the horrible memory from my mind. I hate crying when I'm wearing my glasses. I probably have at least a hundred smudges and fingerprints all over the lenses from how often I've accidentally touched them.

" No one will look at you, and you will not speak a word to anyone ," Fenrir growls in front of me but doesn't turn around. " Does my little omega understand? "

"Got it," I huff. "I'll pretend I don't exist. Helps that I already wish I didn't."

Fenrir growls louder like I've upset him. I don't even realize he's stopped purring until his growl fades. Looks like only Scott was trying to make me feel better about the whole awkward encounter. Fenrir couldn't care less if I'm upset about him rejecting me.

Honestly, that's probably what's worse is that a beast rejected me. They fuck anything that will let them, and this one rejected me. I glare at his back as we walk down the long hallway.

His pheromones blanket the air when we get close to the other clinic rooms. The nurse said he's territorial, so I don't know why he's walking around right now other than to be pissed off.

I keep my eyes on his back as we walk through the rest of the hallway. We come to a checkout area where everyone is eerily quiet. I push my hair behind my ears and take a peek around without drawing too much attention to myself.

It wouldn't matter if I did because not a single soul is looking in my general direction. You'd think they were all trying to be as dramatic as possible about not looking at me, given that some are very pointedly looking at bare walls.

"How?" I ask the beast in front of me. He stops walking, his body stiffens, and his growl reverberates throughout the clinic.

" What did I say, little omega? " Fenrir snaps as he turns to face me. His body towering over mine in an attempt to frighten me. Too bad he's already rejected me in my most vulnerable position, so I kind of don't care about dying at the moment.

"How was I supposed to know that applied to you?" I stand with my hands on my hips.

" I said, anyone. "

"And then had me speak words to you."

His eyes snap up to someone behind me. " Come any closer, and I will rip your arms from their sockets. " When he finishes his threat, he returns his eyes to mine. They're glowing deep and golden, a hint of amusement in them, but more than that, a threat and a promise of all the things he could make me do if he wanted to. Which he doesn't. " Watch your tone with me, little omega. It's taking everything in me not to fuck you right here in front of everyone. "

My face flushes, and I perfume again like the pathetic omega I am. I close my eyes, willing myself not to cry, not in front of all these people. Especially not when I know the clinic's neutralizers aren't doing enough to keep my scent down.

" So responsive. " Fenrir brings his face close to mine, his hot breath tickling my skin. " If I told you to present for me right now in front of all these people, you'd do it, wouldn't you? " He takes a deep inhale of my scent, and it reminds me that the neutralizers definitely aren't doing anything if he can smell me so strongly.

" Now my little omega doesn't want to speak? " he taunts me, which has me closing my eyes tightly and begging for this journey through the clinic to be over soon. " Come, little omega, " he says the words so sensually I'm pretty sure I could come just from his words, but he's tugging on my arm, meaning we're leaving. He's done teasing and tormenting me for the time being.

We walk to a different clinic exit than the entrance I used when I first came here. Fenrir looks out the door back and forth like he's trying to make sure the coast is clear, and then he turns to face me again. " I'm carrying you ."

"No." Fuck no, if this beast thinks he's going to throw me over his shoulder caveman style after making me feel even more pathetic—

" It wasn't a question. " He wraps his arm around my backside and hauls me over his shoulder. " Be good, or I'm pulling your pants down to get a real good look at how slick my omega is for me. "

I whimper and cease all of my fighting as he opens the door. It's clear why he wants to carry me as soon as we're out here. It's the middle of the day, and people are walking along the street to and from work during their lunch breaks. Everyone at the clinic might understand how Fenrir works, but that doesn't mean everyone else needs to bow to him. He's carrying me because it'll make him feel more in control and hopefully keep him from hurting some innocent bystander.

I might think it means he likes me if I wasn't acutely aware of just how little of an impact I've had on him. My mind is still trying to provide me with so many reasons why things can still work out, even though the alpha has shown me no indication of wanting to be with me other than his beast wanting to tease me.

I can't think straight right now because Fenrir's groping my thigh so close to my pussy that I'm pretty sure I'm going to soak through my sweats like I'm still in heat. As if he can read my mind, he jostles me slightly with a stomp, and his fingers nudge their way against my lips, eliciting a moan from me.

" My little omega is so responsive to her alpha ," Fenrir growls as we walk into a parking garage.

"You're touching my pussy," I hiss at him.

" Should I stop? "

No!

"Yes," I snap. "It's highly unprofessional of you to be groping me after making it abundantly clear that you don't want anything to do with me. If you wanted to touch me anywhere, you should've done it during my heat. That's over with now, so get your hands off me."

Fenrir moves his hand down my leg and doesn't even grumble about it. I thought he'd at least tease me more since I'm still perfuming like crazy, and there's no way he's not smelling it.

Either way, he doesn't speak another word until he's opening the passenger door to his car and helping me inside. He buckles me in before pinning me with his golden eyes. His hand snaps to my collar, pressing softly to hold me in place.

" I wanted you. " He stares into my eyes for long moments. I think he's going to say something else, but he releases me and stomps over to the driver's side.

Wanted. Not wants.

He wanted me in my heat because I was an easy lay, and I had to ruin that by scent matching him. I feel so pathetic.

I can feel his attention shift over to me every once in a while on our drive back to my apartment. He doesn't say anything, and I don't look away from picking at my fingers. When he pulls up to my apartment complex and tries to get out, I stop him. One, I don't want him trying to mess with me even more, and two, alphas aren't allowed.

"You need to stay in the car," I say quickly. "It's an alpha-free complex. You're technically not even supposed to pick me up or drop me off this close."

" Do I seem like the type of man to care about those rules? " Fenrir snaps at me, a growl vibrating the car.

"Of course not." I roll my eyes, knowing if he had any interest in me, he'd want to make me submit.

Maybe I'm trying to push him. No, scratch that. I'm definitely trying to push him into snapping because I want this alpha and his beast to want me. It's pretty pathetic of me to resort to brattiness to get under his skin, though.

I take a deep breath to calm myself down and apologize for everything that happened at the clinic. He hasn't taken my bratty bait, didn't want me when I was in heat. So, it's best to apologize and try to force the memories out of my mind for the rest of my life.

"Look, I'm sorry for scent matching with you at the clinic. I didn't know that was going to happen. I'm sure that wasn't how you wanted to assist me, but whatever. I can handle rejection. I know scent matches aren't a guarantee, and I'm just as surprised as you. I won't bother you or anything. I'm not desperate for a mate, so let me go home, and we can both forget this happened."

Fenrir's growl reverberates through the car, shaking me to my bones before his eyes shift to a dark brown. The growl is immediately silenced by a purr trying to sound just as loud.

"Wait," Scott's voice comes out ragged, like he's been fighting for control against his beast.

I don't give him a chance to try to say something that will only make me feel even worse. He seems like a nice guy, but every time he was nice to me earlier, it made me feel worse for him rejecting me. So, I swing the door open and hurry up to the locked iron gate.

"Lilah, please just wait a second."

I get the code in on my second try and swing the gate open before slamming it closed behind me.

"The gate's electric," I tell him as he walks closer to it, hands about to wrap around the fence that will shock him. It won't kill him, but it won't feel good. He grabs it anyway, his eyes flashing golden again as the pain subsides.

" You should've told me earlier, little omega. " Fenrir growls so loud he's going to get me in trouble with the landlord. " You're mine now. All mine. I won't stop until I've claimed what belongs to me. "

I run away from the gate, not wanting to be there when the neighbors all look out to see who the dumbass is that has an alpha growling for them at the front gate. It isn't the first time it's happened at the complex, but it's still always a gossip train as soon as someone is caught with one. I make it up to my apartment, run straight to my room, where I have a window that faces the front gate, and look outside.

I'm not expecting Fenrir or Scott to be out there still. Fenrir's excited because I'll be easy now that he knows I respond to his pheromones.

I thought that was why they rejected me during my heat, but if they didn't know about it, they rejected me for another reason, and I just told a beast I scent matched him.

I peek out the window and see gold eyes staring right at me. He's tracked me through the building, and now he knows where I live. He smiles to himself and then jogs back to his car. I don't know who's in charge of their body when they leave, but my stomach twists, wondering when I'll see them again.