stay away from me’ vibe

Claimed by the Arrogant Alpha

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Chapter 2: stay away from me’ vibe

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Jessica gulped, for some reason an odd, twisting, churning sensation in her stomach. “Alphas from the city? Really?”

Tasha gasped, exaggeratedly. “Jessica, you magical Omega, what if one chooses you? Oh, gosh, I can see it: the angry Jessica wooed by a hot Alpha who melts her into a puddle of googly eyes.”

“Oh, please.” She mumbled but her wolf sat up, excited by the prospect. Jessica pushed her down.

Saint ignored their arguing and rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s strange though, right? We rarely get Alphas. Especially from the city.”

Jessica nodded, pushing Tasha’s annoying voice out of her mind.

Alphas didn’t come to their town that much because they were all generally high status and wealthy because they were often in positions of societal power. They liked finding mates in the city, not in small, country-side towns.

Betas were the most common types of wolves and Jessica couldn’t say she didn’t occasionally wish to be a Beta. They could be dominant or submissive and were well-respected.

Beta-Beta relationships were often harmonious and nice (her parents were both Betas and their affection for each other to this day astounded her), laid-back and sweet.

Jessica wanted that sort of respectful love.

However, Alphas usually opted for an Omega over a Beta because an Alpha and Omega were the only pairing who could give birth to an Alpha offspring. Any other pairing could only produce a Beta or an Omega, whilst an Alpha-Omega couple could produce any of the three.

Many years ago, Alphas wanted to have Alpha offspring so much they would take multiple Omega mates to increase their chances.

Jessica always shivered in disgust when she heard about that – Betas and Omegas become very attached to their mates (and could barely think of getting a second), but Alphas were able to break their bond and take other mates.

It was heartbreaking and horrible and another reason Jessica did not want to be mated to one. She didn’t want to be left broken with empty, soulless eyes and a gaping hole where her heart had been ripped to pieces by a mate whose promise of forever had a limit.

“Jessi, Jessi,” Tasha latched onto her arm, still hyped, breaking her from unpleasant thoughts. “You could whip your Alpha into shape, make him spoil you – if they’re from the city they’re bound to be rich!”

Jessica smiled because Tasha seemed more excited for her than she did for herself. “I don’t know… Money is not important as long as…” She trailed off as the scents of the new Betas and Alphas, which was already hanging in the air, became stronger.

They were coming to the clearing.

Jessica’s stomach coiled and she felt sick.

Her wolf whined and pawed the ground in anticipation.

The town mayor held up a hand, all other wolves becoming silent immediately. He was an Alpha wolf in his fifties who had been mayor for as long as Jessica could remember. He was a good leader and looked after them well.

All the Betas and Omegas turned to the right, scouring the thick trees for movement. Tasha rested her chin on Jessica’s shoulder, one hand grasping hers. Jessica bit on her lip, distracting her unsteady stomach by trying to pick apart the different scents – sandalwood and lemongrass, calendula, soap…

A whisper rippled through the tension of the clearing as they saw numerous figures walking through the trees.

Jessica slunk back, suddenly feeling uneasy.

What if I still don’t find a kind mate? What if I never do?

She gripped Tasha’s hand, the Beta briefly shooting her a concerned look before facing back towards the approaching newcomers.

The mayor began to speak, saying words of greeting and gesturing to the crowd of Betas and Omegas, expressing rehearsed words of thanks. The first few to step into clear view were Betas. Some smiled and showed their clear enthusiasm whilst others look bored and indifferent and Jessica assumed they’d probably visited a few other towns already and were probably tired of traveling.

Among the twenty or so who were in this pack, Jessica could easily pick the Alphas.

There were two – they gave different impressions, but something about them unquestionably screamed ‘Alpha.’

The taller one had blondish brown hair cut shorter at the sides. His face was quite impassive but he flashed a quick, lipped smile (looking a bit uncomfortable with the attention he was most certainly getting) and Jessica saw dimples that softened his appearance. He was dressed in a loose shirt that complimented his body.

The other Alpha, however, sent shivers down Jessica’s spine – good or bad, she wasn’t too sure.

His auburn brown hair was slightly parted as it fell into eyes the shade of dark chocolate with flecks of cinnamon, attractive and inviting. His expression was blank but unlike the other Alpha, he didn’t smile or try look friendly – he seemed downright cold.

Jessica felt like there were dangerous promises lingering behind that nonchalant gaze.

His hands were tucked in the pockets of long pants and he was wearing a black t-shirt with half sleeves, accentuating his broad figure. He gave a ‘stay away from me’ vibe which Jessica almost rolled her eyes at because the whole purpose of this event was to meet lots of other wolves.

Almost as if he could sense Jessica’s judgement, said Alpha’s stare locked onto Jessica whose wolf rose with happiness.

Jessica intended to hold the eye contact because she wasn’t going to let any Alpha intimidate her, but she found that easier said than done as she realised just how striking this wolf was.

He fit the description ‘tall, dark and handsome’ to the letter.

Surprisingly, the Alpha dropped his gaze first but the moment of triumph was instantly squashed when Jessica realized he did it so he could rake his eyes down Jessica’s body instead, not trying to be subtle in the slightest.

His scrutinising gaze left a hot trail in its wake and when his eyes flickered back up, Jessica ducked her head and stared at the ground. She felt a squeeze on her hand and turned to Tasha, forgetting they were still holding hands.

“You alright?” Tasha mumbled, not wanting to disturb the mayor as she explained what was going to happen for the newly presented Omegas and Betas.

Jessica nodded. Her skin prickled and she fought the urge to glance back at the Alpha, wondering if he was still staring.

Her free hand clutched the hem of her shirt and her feet shuffled. Not able to fight her curiosity, her eyes darted quickly.

Her heart sank for some reason when the Alpha no longer was. Instead, he was leaning to the side, saying something to the Beta beside him who had fair, porcelain white skin, mint green hair and a scowl that could kill.

“Do you see anyone you like?” Tasha asked, eyes dancing across the Betas and Alphas.

Jessica just hummed with a shrug.

Her wolf, on the other hand, pulled her ears back and bared her teeth, ‘Liar.’

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TBC