A group of alphas, hovering over one of the servers—a young female omega, pinned between them and the wall. She looked uncomfortable, trapped, her tray clutched tightly in her hands. And these assholes? They were all smirks and easy laughter, pretending like this was just a fun little game.
Fucking disgusting.
I could ignore them. I could walk away, pretend I didn't see shit.
But I don't do that.
Harassment doesn't sit well with me. Never has, never will.
And these rich brat alphas? They reminded me too much of my cousin Dorian. Entitled. Untouchable. Always thinking they could take whatever the fuck they wanted without consequences.
Well.
They were about to learn otherwise.
"Any problem?" My voice was sharp, cutting through their laughter like a knife.
The three alphas turned to look at me, amusement flickering across their smug faces.
Typical.
One of them, the tallest, tilted his head, looking me up and down with a slow smirk. "What's this? An omega playing hero?"
His friend chuckled, stepping forward. "Mind your business, sweetheart. We're just talking."
I scoffed, crossing my arms. "Yeah? Because it sure as hell doesn't look like talking."
The female omega took the chance to slip away, practically running toward the back entrance. Good. At least she wasn't stuck here with these bastards anymore.
Unfortunately, I was.
But hey—I wasn't the one in trouble here. They were.
The third alpha stepped forward, his amusement fading into something colder. "You should walk away, omega. This doesn't concern you."
"See, that's the thing," I said, stepping closer, my tone mocking. "You assholes seem to think you can do whatever the fuck you want just because you're alphas."
The tall one's smirk twitched. "And you seem to think we won't put you in your place."
I smiled. "You can try."
That did it.
A blur of movement. Pain exploded across my shoulder, sharp and sudden. I staggered back, teeth clenching. Fuck. My muscles tensed, my adrenaline spiked, and then I was moving.
I wasn't stupid—I couldn't take three alphas in a fair fight. But I didn't fight fair.
I slammed my elbow into the closest one's ribs, using his momentary surprise to duck beneath the second alpha's swing. My fist connected with his jaw, sending a sharp crack through the air.
"Fucking little—"
A hand yanked me back before I could react, and the next thing I knew, I was on the ground. My vision spun as pain flared across my ribs.
Fuck.
I tried to push myself up, but a shadow loomed over me.
Shit.
I braced myself for the hit.
It never came.
Instead, there was a shift in the air—a thick, suffocating presence, pressing down on everyone like a warning.
I blinked up.
A back.
A broad, expensive-suit-wearing, alpha back.
And then—the scent.
No fucking way.
That scent. That cold, sharp dominance. The same one from the club. The alpha who had stepped in that night, stopping those two bastards before I had to break their bones myself.
Him. Again.
The three alphas froze, their cocky postures stiffening as realization hit them.
"Shit," one of them muttered. "That's—"
"Leave."
One word. Calm. Steady. Absolute.
And they did.
They fucking ran.
I exhaled sharply, my hands still clenched into fists as I pushed myself up. My ribs ached, my jaw was tight, but all I could focus on was the alpha standing in front of me.
Slowly, he turned, and our eyes met.
Fuck.
"Nice to meet you again," he said, his voice edged with amusement.
Like hell it was.
I glared. Ignored him. Brushed off my suit like I wasn't just on the ground about to get my ass kicked.
But my chest was tight.
Because—fuck.
This was probably the first time someone had stepped in for me. Since my mom.
And it was an alpha.
An alpha saving me from alphas.
It doesn't sit right.
It doesn't fucking sit right.
I didn't need this. I didn't need him.
I don't want to be associated with an alpha. Not personally. Never.
"Thanks." The word felt foreign on my tongue, stiff and forced. I didn't want to fucking say it, but leaving without a word would've made me look like an ungrateful idiot.
The alpha just grinned, hands tucked in his pockets like he had all the time in the world. "That's all I get?"
I rolled my eyes. "What, you expecting a fucking medal?"
He chuckled, the sound low and annoyingly amused. "Wouldn't say no."
I scoffed, turning away. "Well, don't hold your breath."
"Shame," he murmured. "Guess I'll settle for the satisfaction of saving your ass. Again."
I stopped mid-step, my hands clenching into fists. "I had it handled."
"Oh yeah? Looked more like you were about to be handled."
I gritted my teeth. "I didn't fucking ask for your help."
"And yet, you got it." His voice was smooth, confident, like he found this whole thing entertaining.
I turned my head just enough to glare at him. "Don't fucking do it again."
He smirked, eyes glinting. "No promises, sweetheart."
I didn't waste another second. I walked away before my patience snapped.
The moment I stepped back into the party, I spotted Cale—of course, he was flirting. Or networking. Same fucking thing. Betas and alphas hovered around him like moths to a flame, hanging onto every word, every smile.
I moved straight toward him, grabbed his wrist, and pulled him aside.
"Kael—?"
"I'm leaving," I muttered. "Headache."
Cale's expression shifted, his sharp confidence cracking into pure concern. "Headache?" His grip tightened on my wrist. "Do you need to sit? Water? I'll—"
"I said I'm fine," I cut in. "Just tired."
Cale didn't look convinced. His brows pinched together, eyes scanning my face like he knew I was lying.
I ignored it. I couldn't deal with that right now.
By the time I reached my penthouse, exhaustion hit me like a truck.
I sank onto the couch, rubbing a hand over my face.
But no matter how much I tried to push it away, that alpha's scent still clung to my thoughts.
Twice now.
Twice, he'd stepped in.
I don't believe in fucking fate.
And the worst part? A part of me almost didn't hate it.