"I really hope you two figure out your shit before Claire goes into heat. Which if you haven't noticed is probably any day now."
"I noticed," I grumble. "I've known Claire for a long time, she's not completely herself right now."
"Obviously we noticed too," Forrest combatively adds.
I take a step away from him, trying to keep my cool.
Think of Claire, I remind myself. I'm here for Claire.
"My money is on Megan. I can't believe I got her to not only sign us up for her heat but approve bonding during heat," a man next to me says and I glance at him.
He looks back at me and I click my tongue. "My money is on Claire, if you want to make it interesting."
"Me too," Wells adds next to me.
"You're on. If you want we could make it even more interesting and discuss an agreement with our Omegas," the Alpha says wiggling his eyebrows.
"You want to die today?" Forrest says behind me and the other Alpha raises his hands in surrender.
"God, everyone is so fucking boring on this ship," the other Alpha complains, our bet completely forfeit as both Forrest and I stare him down.
At least we have one thing in common. When it comes to Claire, we're ready to do whatever it takes to keep her safe and protect her honor.
"Prick," Forrest spits out, taking his spot a good five feet away from me.
The sun is getting brutal as we wait for the games to start. Luckily, Claire is finally stepping out on the deck with the pickleball courts. She looks unreal. Her dark raven hair in a bouncy ponytail, a tight pink workout shirt that covers her chest like a second skin, but my favorite part is the white skirt that swishes around her thighs.
What I don't like is all the other Alphas currently quaking at my Omega right now. Especially that dickhead who suggested I should put her up as part of a bet.
I glare at every single one of them. There's a need for violence thundering under my skin that I don't know how to explain as the games start.
I cheer for my Omega and watch as she plays her heart out, but something doesn't feel right, something is off in the air.
When it happens, all chaos ensues.
Chapter 26
Claire
The Omega breakfastbefore the pickleball tournament is…something.
Long gone are the friendly conversations of the mixer. Everyone seems rather pissy, and it has hairs rising on the back of my neck.
Andie is fanning herself next to me, so are a few other Omegas. It is rather hot in this fucking room, now that I think of it.
“We want friendly games. Any unsportsmanlike misconduct will be an automatic disqualification,” the cruise director says in front of us all.
Is it unsportsmanlike to hit this ball as hard as I can right into Megan’s smug, Beta touching, jealous ass face?
She’s glaring at me across the room and it’s taking a massive effort to not lift my middle finger at her.
God, I’m really on edge today. It's probably because I had no one to cuddle with me last night and I can smell Megan’s too sweet banana scent; it’s like you left her on the counter for too long and she’s all rotten.
I snort to myself as I wipe the back of my neck.
“We’re going to kick ass, Andie,” I tell her.
Both of us want out of this meeting. This is too many Omega scents in one place, on top of all the Alpha scents clinging to everyone. It makes me feel nauseous.