She gives him a beaming smile, her teeth straight and white as she thanks him and lies down on the lounge chair. The Alpha looks happy as a pig in shit as he sits next to her. Claire doesn’t fully engage in conversation, but isn’t rude either.
I nudge Wells with my elbow.
“That’s her,” I whisper.
He looks over at Claire, and then back at me, and then back at Claire.
“The Omega over there? The one using a Birkin as a pool bag?” he questions. “The one that literally every Alpha within viewing distance is staring at? That’s the Omega you spent all night cuddling?”
“Keep your voice down,” I say, and Wells just blinks at me before staring at Claire some more.
“Fuck, I mean I knew you had champagne taste, but this is going to be harder than I thought.”
I groan and dunk my head under the water, cooling myself off. It’s not like I was planning to find an Omega on night one. She was gorgeous even when she was puking off the side of the ship, but seeing her now? How confident she is? It’s a total one-eighty from the Omega who meekly held on to me last night.
Another Alpha comes to sit on the other side of her, both of them eagerly chatting her up, and it irrationally pisses me off.
I’m about to push myself up off the edge of the pool and I don’t know, stare at them both menacingly until they leave, when Wells grabs my arm.
“We gotta play this smart,” he says.
“How so?” I ask, not seeing why storming over there and marking her up with my scent isn’t the best option. “Wells, are you intimidated by her?” I ask, shocked.
“I didn’t know the Omega you saved would be a goddess among men.”
I can’t even deny the claim. It’s not that I thought she was out of our league. Wells and I are both attractive men, and extremely successful in our career fields. But we aren’t high society men by any means. We live in a small town, and I don’t know what Wells meant when he said she had a Birkin, but I wonder if I should know what that means.
We’re down to earth, not saying that Claire isn’t either, but maybe we aren’t what she’s looking for in a pack. A woman like that would want luxury, which I could give, in an opulent wilderness sort of way.
Fuck, I’m probably way out of my depths with this Omega.
A shadow casts over my face as I’m looking at Wells.
Imagine my surprise as the Omega I’m having an internal crisis over stands before me, pushing her sunglasses up over her head, and smiles down at me.
Suddenly, all the bullshit is swept away as I look up at her charming face.
Chapter 6
Claire
When I wake up,Forrest is gone.
His scent that clings to my sheets is the only sign that last night wasn’t a dream.
Shockingly, I’m not plagued by nausea.
I regretfully take a shower, washing away some of the comfort that Forrest’s scent brought me. As soon as I’m done, I replace the patches behind my ears and get dressed for the day.
Part of me wants to get more room service and sulk in my cabin all day. No, that’s not what I’m here for. I need someone to talk some sense into me. Hiding away in my room isn’t who I am. Look what happened the last time I left my room—a very hot, shirtless Alpha carried me around the ship and took care of me.
Yet, there’s still fear there. Fear that if I put myself out there, I’ll face rejection again.
I know just the person to talk me out of this funk. Shiloh, my oldest brother Jonah’s Omega, has become one of my closest friends. Plus, she’s been nothing but supportive of me coming on the ship. If anyone can talk me off the ledge, it’s her.
I FaceTime her and she picks up on the second ring. Her and I basically communicate through extremely long voice memos or video chats. I love her dearly for it.
“Claire! Oh my God, how’s the cruise? Show me your room,” she says.