Chapter 35

It was hard for the omega to concentrate on the task at hand. Her cheeks were red and flushed, staring at Nates retreating body. Her lips shone against the moonlight, and the sounds of loud music blaring against her ears didn't help at all. Allie couldn't focus on anything but those words by her Alpha.

Not yours. She reminded herself, although it did nothing to calm those nerves. Her head hung between her shoulders as she went back to her seat. After Nates deadly promise, there was no way of her finding Jake.

She tightened her hands against the edge of the wooden bar, her knuckles turning white from the grip. The omega had to find some way because Sam was all alone, searching for that hound. It could be very dangerous.

With a shaky breath, she stood up and turned her attention to the dance floor. Nate cannot get mad if she danced, right? She thought to herself. After gulping down another half of her orange drink and blinking dizzily as the familiar rush of energy coursing through her, she decided its a good time to dance.

Pushing past the sweaty bodies and couples, she managed to reach the floor. The omega swayed her body, relaxing all of her muscles and moving gracefully while her eyes still searched for their target. She danced for a few songs, completely comfortable dancing alone, but just then, a strong hand gripped at her wrist.

"Sam?"

Her brother looked red, gasping for breath. "We need to leave."

"What?!"

"We have been compromised! They are onto us."

"They?"

"Yes, there's too many of them. Let's go" He tugged her away from the dance floor, rushing towards the nearest exit. Allie wanted to protest, her eyes searching for Nate just in case he returned for her. Where was he?

"Hurry up, Allie!" Sam barked in her ear as they pushed past the dancing bodies.

***

For the rest of the night, it was quiet, and so was they plopped down onto the sand. Her knees hit the ground first, and the bottom fell back onto her heels. They decided to take a hideout so that those hounds don't track them. Even with suppressants, Sam could be chased because of their sharp nose.

Her eyes followed the slow motions of the small boat, and she stayed on the shore. She managed to find a small space between two large rocks and wedged herself in, having to fit into awkward positions before finding a comfortable one, and looked up into the starry night. Her brother let out a sigh next to her.

"What happened out there, Sam?"

"I found him", His voice echoed.

"Jake?"

Her brother nodded his head. "Yes. He was all alone, so I thought I'd finish the job, but then his friends came out of nowhere."

"Are you crazy?! Why didn't you call?"

Sam had the gall to look embarrassed. Those hounds could have easily killed him. Why can't he ask for help once in a while? The omega truly hated when he pulled such stunts.

"I'm sorry. I thought I had it under control."

She sighed. "Did they see you?"

"No. Jake did. Before his friends could get there, I managed to escape."

The omega closed her eyes and took in what felt like her first breath, different from any other. It burned her throat in a good way. Rubbing her face, she blinked at him. "No more risks, please, Sam. You could have been seriously hurt."

"I promise. It was a bad judgment call."

"Fine"

***

The following day Allie awoke with a startle, her eyes flinging open as the cold air nipped at her skin. Her hand swatted at the buzzing sound around as the omega tried to sit up as fast as her body could manage. Who convinced her that sleeping on a beach was a good idea? Her limbs ached from being in one position, drool escaping her mouth and throat dry.

Fortunately for her, it wasn't a hangover, at least. Just then, she looked to her side and spotted him. Allie furrowed her eyebrows at her brother; his head lolled back against the sharp rock, and his eyes clenched shut. How was he still sleeping?

Shaking her head, she pulled out her phone and widened her eyes at the blinking notifications. And several voicemails from Nate. What did he want now? The omega was still irked at him for standing her up the night before. Like a fool, she thought he would be back for her.

She held the phone up to her ear and played it.

Allie! I am sorry, but something came up—a life or death situation sort of. I'll explain in detail when we meet. Call me once you reach home.

Before the message was even finished, dread began to settle in the pit of her stomach. It was unexpected that something like this would happen to Nate. As she scrolled further, there were even more messages from his side. Palming at her forehead, she looked at her brother and nudged him.

"Sam?" No response.

Allie tried again. "Sam, it's eight in the morning! Get up."

"Mmh"

She groaned before lifting herself off the ground. The sand in between her toes and on her arms made her lips twist. "I'm leaving. Go back to the hotel, and we will talk about it in the evening."

That caught his attention. Her brother blinked blearily and nodded his head. "Okay"

***

Not more than five minutes later, Allie was bundled up in her sweater and coat; hands shoved into mittens and scarf wound around her neck before walking to the frat house. It's risky, which was why her hood was up, covering her face.

Instead of walking through the door, she practically skipped out to the balcony, sliding the door shut behind her. Nates room was easy to locate, having been there already. Once inside, she called out his name in the customary greeting. "Hi, Nate!"

"Allie?"

"Is everything okay?" She asked, whisper drifting with the wind.

"Yeah... don't feel like talking. I texted you not to bother coming here today," The Alpha explained. "I'm going to bed. See you tomorrow."

Frown growing, Allie opened her mouth to ask what's wrong, then shut it. The omega was unsettled by the bleakness in his voice, the tone that bordered on hopeless.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" Allie asked timidly. "You don't have to if you don't want to, but... I'm here if you do."

Nate didn't say anything at first, and it's so silent that Allie almost thought she's completely alone out here.

"My friend was attacked" He broke the silence.

"What?!"

"Jake. He's my childhood friend from the other pack. Some wolf tried to kill him last night, which is why I didn't come back to you."

The words come out all jagged and sharp, a stark contrast from his usual gentle, calm timbre. It sounded like he was pulling the words from deep in his throat as it pained him to speak.

Colour drained her face, and the breath knocked out of her lungs at that. Jake was his friend. No wonder he looked familiar. Nate was pictured alongside him. How could she not remember that detail? So they were going to kill Nates friend?

"Oh," She breathed. "Oh, Nate. I'm sorry."

The Alpha tugged at his strands. "It's alright. He's safe now. But we are all very shaken by the incident."

"Yeah, must be difficult."

He hummed. The silence stretched between both of them. Goosebumps prickled at her skin, and she wanted to leave, hide her face and never meet his eyes. Not after knowing that they were the ones trying to kill his friend. Someone so dear to him.

"Uhh...there's something else I wanted to ask you..."

Allie narrowed her eyes at the change in his voice. That was so unlike him. The Alpha exhaled loudly before meeting her eyes. She could see the tension in his shoulders, his jaw set tight and hands wrung together awkwardly.

"I have a rut coming next week."

Her breath constricted in her throat as those words echoed in her ears. Rut. Hellhounds Rut. If rumours were true, they lasted for a week, and unlike werewolves, they tend to get aggressive—a lot. A shiver ran down her spine as she thought about his body wrapped around hers, taking him several times until he's satiated. She blew a breath at that.

"O-Okay"

"I would appreciate some assistance." He croaked, hooded eyes flicking up to meet hers.

"Assistance?"

Nate cleared his throat. "I have never spent rut alone. We are not supposed to because they are painful, especially for the Alphas. So I was hoping you could help me."

She couldn't even reply, heart-pounding too loud to process any potential answer in her brain. Her sex-crazed brain was all on board with the thought of "assisting" him. It didn't take her long to consider it. The sex was really good- that much she knew. Plus, it would mean another distraction.

Nate was assessing her unabashedly. Allie stared right back, matching his blatant staring with an appraisal of her own.

"Sure", She dumbly nodded her head.

The moment he beamed back at her, she realised her mistake. Allie agreed to spend his rut with him. That meant a lot to a Hellhound and especially the one she's expecting a baby. At this rate, the omega felt like she's digging her own grave.

***