Omega’s Choice, page 1
part #1 of Alpha Security Company Series
Omega’s Choice
Alpha Security Company
Mina Carter
New York Times & USA TODAY Bestselling Author
Copyright © 2023 by Mina Carter
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Epilogue
About the Author
Prologue
THALE
Bane and Willow’s wedding was held a week after her heat had broken. Just long enough for her scent to have normalized again. Thankfully.
She wasn’t my omega, but the scent of an omega just out of her heat was enough to send us poor unmated alphas into a frenzy. Fuck’s sake, the week after Mason and Dante’s omega, Neve, was in heat was always the worst. I about fucking rubbed myself raw in the shower with my own hands those weeks. And that was before I knew about Penny.
Standing in the church, listening to Willow and Bane take their vows, I slid a sideways glance at the other alpha. At least, I’d thought she was an alpha. Now, with the way she’d kissed me the other day when she’d been posing as my omega pet... I wasn’t so sure. Either she was the best fucking actress out there, or her sweet submission as I’d had her pinned up against that wall in the club had been real.
My side twinged, and my lips quirked. Of course, just after that, she’d shot me. Full on fucking shot me. She was a feisty one. That was for sure. Whatever she was, I spent the rest of the ceremony lost in my own musings. Mostly memories of her bent over the weight bench in the gym at work. Fuck, she had a cracking ass, especially in workout pants.
Then we were filing out, Bane and Willow at the door of the church as we moved past. I offered my congratulations to the happy couple, but my attention was already on the congregation outside. As soon as I was clear, I made my way to where Penny stood, her vivid fuchsia dress standing out in the crowd.
Said crowd parted before me and I stopped, realizing Penny wasn’t alone. Bane’s brother, the beta detective, was with her.
And he had his arm around Penny’s waist.
I snarled, seeing red. “Get the fuck away from my woman.”
Chapter One
PENNY
Earlier that morning...
* * *
My name is Penny Masterton and I am an alpha.
I sighed and looked at myself in the mirror. The woman who looked back didn’t look at all like an alpha. Nature had cursed me with a petite, delicate omega-like build, something I constantly had to work against with endless weightlifting and strength-building workouts.
My lips compressed into a flat line as I leaned forward, readjusting the neckline of my gown. I was proud of my physique. I wasn’t as big as a male alpha, but I was all sleek, hard muscle and conditioning. And all that work was completely concealed by this damn bridesmaid’s gown.
I couldn’t even say I hated it or that it was badly made. Willow, the bride, had excellent taste and her dressmaker... fuck, she should be in Paris working for a top designer or fashion house. Hell, she should be running a fashion house. I’d certainly never thought such perfection could come out of Denning Heights of all places.
The gowns were all custom made, and mine fit perfectly. Draped like a Greco-Roman gown, it wrapped around my figure, highlighting my slender curves while baring my collarbones. The sleeves even covered my arms and my unit tattoos. That I understood. It was Willow’s day and she had a very specific idea of how she wanted her wedding to look. But dammit all to hell... I looked like the bloody omega I was trying so hard not to.
It didn’t help that my hair was caught up in an elegant updo, delicate rhinestones woven through the dark brown strands to hold it in place. I closed my eyes for a second, trying to ignore the fact that the pale length of my throat was on display. Why did fashion follow omega fashion so closely? Everything about it was designed to appeal to an alpha. Exposing the throat, exactly where an alpha placed their bite.
I much preferred high necklines, turtlenecks even, and usually wore them when on duty. I wasn’t looking to attract an alpha’s bite. Not a chance, and if any tried it, they would quickly find out that they’d bitten off more than they could chew. I was an alpha. Alpha through and through.
I closed my eyes as memories of the past assaulted me. The last time I’d been all gussied up like this had been for one of my many cousins’ weddings. I’d been eight or nine and it was something like my twentieth wedding. Tiny and delicate as a child, my entire family had assumed I would eventually present as an omega like my older sister.
All I remembered were the pretty dresses, and all the grandmothers cooing over me, telling me it would be my turn soon. When I became a woman — became an omega — I would have a pretty bonding dress for the day I became my alpha’s property.
My eyes snapped open and I speared my reflection with a hard look. Not happening. I am an alpha. Through and through. No fancy gown is going to take that away from me.
The door opened behind me and the rest of the bridal party spilled through. Willow, the bride, was a delight in a confection of tulle, the fairytale gown rendering her ethereal in her beauty.
“You look gorgeous, Willow.” I smiled, offering the compliment sincerely. Yeah, I might be a rough-edged ex-army alpha, but I could still tell a sister she looked good. “You’ll knock Bane’s socks off and then some!”
She smiled, her laugh high and melodic as she clasped my hands back.
“Thank you and wow, right back atcha! Give us a twirl!” she ordered, stepping back and motioning with a French-manicured finger.
“Seriously? I’m a big, mean alpha and you want me to show myself off?”
I rolled my eyes but did as she ordered anyway, feeling the soft material of my skirts slide over my legs in a way that could only be described as sensual.
This—not the cut of the dress itself, but well-made, expensive clothes—were something I was missing out on as the rough and ready grunt I’d transformed myself into. I bought strictly off the peg, fast fashion that I could throw away when I couldn’t bear to look at them anymore.
“Big mean alpha or not,” Willow said. “You look wonderful. Doesn’t she, Chloe?”
The other member of the bridal party turned to me and smiled. Willow’s sister was like a younger version of the bride, dressed in the same fuchsia as I was and with a bouquet in her hands. Mine was laid on a console table nearby, ready for me to pick up as we made our way from this small side room out into the gardens to walk to the church.
“She does. I wouldn’t have guessed you were an alpha to be honest,” she said.
I stiffened. I knew she meant no harm, but I’d spent a long time making sure people knew I was an alpha and never doubted my story. Giving a small nod, I let it wash over me and away. It was understandable that she wanted to view me as something other than an alpha.
She was an unbonded omega we’d rescued from now-dead crime lord Jaeg’s trafficking network. The complex mission had involved both Willow and me going undercover... I yanked my thoughts away quickly. No need to go there or think about what had happened on that mission in a back corridor.
By all rights, Chloe should be a quivering mess who needed months of care and therapy. But she wasn’t as broken as I would have expected her to be. Most omegas were spineless creatures with no thoughts of their own other than what the alpha or alpha pack who claimed her would be like. And after they were bonded, all their thoughts and opinions were simply parroted from their alphas. It was like the alpha-omega bond ensured they didn’t have a single thought of their own in their heads.
Not Chloe, though... or Willow. Even though she and Bane were bonded, I’d seen her go toe to toe with him, telling him he was an asshole and that he was wrong. It was totally un-omega-like behavior. It must be the suppressants she’d been on for years. Either that or she was unique among omegas.
Chloe turned to her sister, a frown between her brows. “Willow, are you sure you want to go through with this? You don’t have to. We can leave now. Can’t we, Penny?”
She shot me a hard glare, and in that moment, I knew she really believed that. That we could just walk out of here without any repercussions. It was as much a fairy tale as the wedding itself. As a bonded alpha and omega, Willow and Bane were already committed to each other. They didn’t need a wedding, and to be honest, most omegas didn’t get that. They got a bonding ceremony if they were lucky or from a high-society family. But even they weren’t weddings.
Omegas had no legal status. They belonged solely to their alphas, so why go to the bother of a wedding and grant them a legal status they weren’t normally entitled to?
“Absolutely.” I nodded, playing into the ritual. I didn’t get it, but it was tradition. With Bane’s bite already on the side of her neck, there was no way she would ever be able to leave him anyway. She was bitten and bonded. The only way out for her was if Ban e died or rejected her.
Even though I was many years away from the conditioning of my youth, I still shuddered at the thought of rejection.
Forced bonding was not the only nightmare an omega could face. It was a specter used on omega-potentials when they were still in childhood. The warnings never to go anywhere alone in case they presented without protection and were taken by force. Then a lifetime of being with an alpha they didn’t want. But to be bitten and bonded but then rejected was a nightmare of a different class. Rejected omegas were forced to live out their lives on the edges of society, dependent on an alpha who didn’t want them for anything and forced to suffer heats alone... never able to bond again. No one deserved that hell on earth—a hell I’d been warned against years ago when a famous omega had been rejected by her mate. It had been all over the news at the time.
Willow smiled as she took her sister’s hand in her own, squeezing it reassuringly. “I’m sure, love. Very sure.”
She looked at me, the smile still in place, and I was struck by her confidence and serenity... her happiness. It made her glow from within.
“Now!” she announced brightly. “Let’s get out there. Who knows, maybe one of you will catch the bouquet and we’ll be celebrating another wedding very soon!”
“Not likely.”
“I’m off men for good.”
Both Chloe and I both mumbled at the same time. We caught each other’s eye and grinned. Perhaps we had more in common than I’d thought...
* * *
It was a short walk to the church nestled in the grounds, and even a grunt like me could appreciate the beauty of the setting. I could certainly see why this place had been voted the city’s most romantic place to get married.
We walked through landscaped gardens, no doubt designed by someone with half an alphabet of letters after their name. A sense of calm and tranquility surrounded us. You’d never have guessed that we were still in the city.
Floral arches covered the path, the fragrant flowers scenting the air as the afternoon sun bathed us in warmth. I breathed in deeply, tilting my face up to bask in the sun.
The moment didn’t last long. I didn’t let it. It would be easy to fall into the romance of the day but the slight pull of the holster on my thigh under the skirts of my dress reminded me that I wasn’t just here as a bridesmaid. I was on the clock. Looking around, I caught the eye of one of the guards stationed in the grounds.
We had unbonded omegas in the wedding party, and ASC had provided security for the event. That meant I had a 9mm in a thigh holster and zero respect for this beautiful dress if I needed to get to it.
It didn’t take long for the three of us to reach the church. A small stone building, it was set a small way away from the hotel. My shoes crunched on the gravel surrounding it in a wide semi-circle, the small stones testing my balance in the slender heels. I wasn’t used to wearing them anymore. When working, I wore combat boots or flats—apart from that recent undercover job, but we weren’t even going to think about that. Not today.
The heavy scent of the lilies in our bouquets filled the air as the three of us stood in the tiny entrance foyer. Chloe and Willow stood together, and I turned away to give the sisters a moment as I approached the hotel’s wedding organizer hovering by the half-closed door.
“Are we go or no-go?” I asked, nodding toward the door.
“We’re all ready.” She nodded with a smile. “The guests have already taken their seats but we have one very jumpy groom. He’s worried his bride isn’t going to show.”
My lips quirked in amusement. I thought I knew Bane through and through. He was the asshole lawyer, a growly alpha who had a stronger moral compass than a regiment of nuns. Like Dante and Mason, he was one of the mainstays of the ASC.
Somehow, though, Willow had turned him into a giant teddy bear. He still growled, but she could calm him down with a look. And she was just as strong as he was. The idea that she wouldn’t turn up...
“She’s more likely to hunt him down if he didn’t show.”
“Good. Sometimes these alphas need to know who’s boss.” She chuckled. “Okay, ladies, are we all ready? Is our gorgeous bride ready?”
Willow smiled from under her veil. “Absolutely. Let’s do this.”
Chloe took her place beside me as the organizer pushed the door open. I took a breath as the music started, swelling to fill the vaulted ceiling of the traditional little church as we started the walk down the aisle.
I squashed the urge to bolt as hundreds of eyes turned our way. I hated people looking at me and always had ever since I was a kid. I hated the eyes and the whispers when I hadn’t presented as an omega as expected. All those old insecurities hit me like a freight train, and my steps faltered.
Chloe shot me a look, hard as steel, and I read the “if you fuck my sister’s day up, I will cut you” plain as day. Lifting my chin, I shoved the feelings away. This was not the time or the place. I would deal with my shit on my own time, not during Willow and Bane’s day.
My skirts rustled around my legs and I altered the death grip I had on my bouquet. It was a bunch of flowers, not a live grenade.
I kept my eyes firmly fixed on a point on the wall above the altar, looking neither right nor left. The tried and tested tactic had gotten me through many parades and bollockings in the army.
I managed to block out everyone in the congregation most of the way down the aisle. They weren’t looking at me now, not since Willow had entered the church. Their attention was all on the bride, as it should be, and I could breathe a sigh of relief.
A prickle of awareness lifted the fine hairs on the back of my neck before I could reach the safety of the front rows of seats. Someone was looking at me still. More than looking... their attention was fixed on me. Intent.
I made the mistake of glancing to the side. Straight into Thale Barnes’ dark eyes. Thale was the fly in the perfect ointment of my job at ASC. I couldn’t exactly call him my nemesis. That was too harsh and antagonistic a term for it. He was... would be a weakness. If I let him. I didn’t intend to let him.
Tall and broad-shouldered, he filled his suit out in a way that left me weak at the knees. His short, dark hair was clipped close to his scalp with just enough length on top that you could see it would be curly if he let it grow. He wasn’t a handsome man, not exactly, but a raw dynamism around his powerful, stocky form took my breath away every time I saw him and brought long buried instincts and feelings to the fore.
Not happening, I told myself firmly as I yanked my gaze away. Not today. Not ever. Especially not after our last undercover mission where he’d kissed me—well, more than kissed me. Things between us could never go anywhere. Even if I’d wanted them to. He would discover… No, things between us just wouldn’t work. I was hoping he’d gotten the hint on that. Shooting a guy tended to be a pretty big clue.
But no, he continued to watch me, making the skin between my shoulder blades itch all the way up the aisle until I reached my position to one side of the altar. Without calling attention to myself, I took a slight step back, putting one of the huge floral displays between me and Thale. Only then did I breathe a sigh of relief.
The ceremony was short but beautiful. Even I had to dab a tear from the corner of my eyes as Willow and Bane made their vows to each other. It was easy to see the love between them, and I was still smiling as I moved to follow them down the aisle.
The best man, Logan Shaw, moved at the same time and I froze slightly, waiting for Chloe to walk past me to take his arm.
“Oh no,” she murmured, a hint of mischief in her smile as she hung back. “He’s all yours, alpha.”
Logan Shaw was Bane’s brother. Until recently none of us at ASC had known Bane’s original name, never mind the fact that he had a family.
