The words, though polite, are said from reflex rather than my caring either way if the worker has a good or shit day. All I want is to get back to my omega. He said he was going to walk Bella and Floyd before opening the record store. I know he’s concerned his heat medication failed and he was away for so long, but I’ve seen his customers.
They’re ride or die, through grumpy moods and Tav’s scowls. His customers are only concerned with the music he sells, and the worlds the albums promise. I can understand that sincemusic is such an important part of my life too. It can affect mood, pull you out of the darkness, and give you a way to purge emotions.
In a way, Tav provides a safe space few can offer. There’s no disdain for whatever music a person chooses to listen to. It’s enough that they have a favorite.
Smiling at the thought of this being Tav’s only non prejudiced space because my omega is full of opinions, I hurry through the streets to get back to him. The first thing I notice as I approach his building is that he’s opened up the shop for the day. The steel shutters I was so surprised about are up, but most of the lights aren’t on.
Concerned he may have a migraine that came on suddenly, I wish I’d grabbed him a coke to go with our fries. Pushing open the door to the shop, all thoughts fall away until the only emotion I have left is blinding anger.
Two punks are snarling at my omega at the counter, and one of them just licked the side of his face. God, Tav is never going to feel clean enough after that. My fingers go nerveless as I drop the bag of food, and my long strides allow me to get to him in what feels like a matter of seconds.
The smell of pickles and sour milk hits me in the face as my fingers tangle in the woman’s messy, greasy hair and yank her head away from my omega.
“I know for a goddamned fact that you must have a death wish,” I growl. “Are you the little cunt who can’t keep her hands off my man? You and your creepy brother. There have got to be laws against this.”
I have to rip the woman’s hand out of Tav’s pants. She can’t seem to keep her hands off my omega. It takes me a second to get her fingers out of Tav’s hair without hurting him, but I manage.
“You… How dare you!” she screams, attempting to scratch me with her long, broken claws.
My mama taught me never to hit a woman, but I think she’ll look down from heaven while smiling, and tell me to slap a hoe.
“Keep your goddamned tongue away from my omega. How many times have you fucking licked him, you creep?”
Backhanding the cunt, I shake my head grimly.
“The daring lies with you,” I rasp. “Do you really need a bite as your neon sign to keep your hands and tongue to yourself? Nope, bad boy. Stay.”
My free hand grips the male alpha molesting Tav around the throat, effortlessly holding him in place.
“Fucking coward. You were going to leave her here to fend for herself, huh? Sounds about right, unfortunately. Tav, honey. Talk to me. Take a breath,” I say insistently.
Octavian rolls off the counter to get away from his attackers, his knees giving out on him as he looks up. There’s bruises on his face that weren’t there when I left, and there will be hell to pay for this.
Before I can think about it, I adjust my hand to grip the back of the male alpha’s neck, slamming his panicked, stupid face into my jeans clad knee. Once, twice, three times.
I don’t think it’ll ever be enough honestly.
“My scent is all over Tav. He is mine, and has been since before we met. Any hold you have on him is null and void by fucking fate, assholes,” I snarl into the woman’s face.
“No!” she screams. “This isn’t fair!”
“Kassie,” the man groans. “Give it up. We’ll come back. Just keep your mouth fucking shut.”
Blinding fear hits me so hard, I almost weave on my feet.
“Bentley, look at me,” Tav says, his eyes pinching with worry from the ground.
God only knows what he sees when he’s the one in trouble. I can smell their arousal. They fully planned to rape him while the store was opening for the day. How fucked up is that?
“Yeah,” I grunt, still grinding the man’s face into the rough material of my jeans. They’re not as broken in as my others, and the asshole’s blood is leaking into the material.
Tav is going to make me throw them out. I can already tell by the way his eyes wander in disgust to my knee. Fuck me, I think the alpha is drooling on the material, too.
“Let them go. They aren’t worth you going to jail for, especially for me. I need you more than you need your pound of flesh,” he says. “Don’t throw away your life for me.”
I fucking hate that he’s worried about me. How can I tell him I’ve killed and gotten away with it before for the people I love? I know for a fact the only thing staying my hand is my omega.
So I swallow back my words, and adjust my hands so I can lift both the alphas up by their throats and shake them hard to make sure I have their attention. Kassie’s nose is bleeding as I walk across the store to toss out the trash, and I squeeze my hand so whatever bullshit she wants to say is cut off.