The only alpha

MARVEL’S POV

"My place or yours?" The words were a low murmur against my lips.

I still didn't know his name. Didn't care. He was just the stranger who smelled like coffee and made me forget why I hated alphas.

Pinned between the cold restroom wall and the heat of his body, I felt his hard length pressing against mine. His breath carried whiskey and something dangerously intoxicating.

I should have stopped this. I'd spent years hating alphas, avoiding their touch, their scents, their control. Yes, I fucked with them every once in a while but his felt different. Or maybe I was just that drunk.

"Hotel," I managed.

He chuckled against my skin, his hand already inside my trousers, kneading my ass. "Why? Think I'll kidnap you?"

The word hung in the air longer than it should have. I felt a prickle at the back of my neck, then ignored it. He was joking. Obviously.

"Hotel," I repeated. A hotel meant safety, meant this wouldn't happen again. The last thing I needed was getting tangled up with an alpha.

"Royal Gold," he murmured, squeezing harder.

The name almost snapped me out of my haze. That hotel belonged to the royal family, but it was also the safest place in the city. Why was I worrying about royals anyway? The crown prince could watch me get fucked for all I cared right now.

"Fine." I bit my lower lip, meeting his dark eyes, slanted just enough to hint at something Eastern European beneath the sharp angles of his face.

"Fuck," he cursed, eyes dropping to my mouth before crushing his lips to mine again.

Every nerve ending sparked under his touch. He was gentler than his rough exterior suggested, yet his caresses set my blood boiling.

He bit the sensitive skin of my neck, making me cry out just as two omegas entered. Instead of stopping, he shifted to shield me from their view while they chuckled and went about their business. He moved like he'd done this before. Like hiding in plain sight was second nature. I filed that away and forgot about it the second his teeth found my neck again.

"Look at me," that deep voice commanded. I never took orders, but right now I'd have barked if he told me to.

My hand slipped into his pants, but he caught my wrist before I could go deeper. "If you do that," his eyes burned into mine, "we'll get arrested for public indecency. Because I won't stop until the entire bar comes looking."

Instead of being scared, I grinned, stealing a quick kiss. "Are you threatening me with a good time?"

He pulled back just enough to meet my eyes. "Dmitri."

I blinked. "What?"

"My name. In case you want to scream it later."

He smiled, and I caught the silver glint on his side tooth. "Come on." He peeled himself away, fixed his belt, then helped me with mine.

His palm was rough against mine as he led me outside. A black car waited, breaking Beauty's Beast's strict no-vehicle rule. For a second, I felt like I was being kidnapped, but in a good way.

He opened my door first. "Royal Gold," he told the men upfront, who I only just noticed despite my drunken state. They gave off an eerie vibe, both alphas in suits, their scent irritating my nose. I pinched it shut. Unlike Dmitri, these men stank.

That's when I realized I'd peeled off my scent patch without replacing it. But those dark eyes didn't miss my discomfort. He reached into the car, pulled out an omega-grade scent patch.

I blinked. "You just carry those around?"

"I know people." He didn't elaborate.

I should have asked more questions. I didn't. I was too busy watching his hands.

Part of me wanted to thank him; part of me wanted to be annoyed that he had one ready. Most alphas didn't carry omega-grade patches. They didn't think about omegas at all unless they wanted something. He had one in his car like it was standard equipment.

But one smirk from the handsome devil melted me completely.

He leaned in, kissed my cheek, then bit down. I widened my eyes, pointing at his men, but he didn't seem to care.

"Dmitri!" I tried pushing him away, but his slick kisses made me forget why.

"Why worry about other men when I'm right here?" he asked possessively, making me laugh.

"Fine, you win." I climbed onto his lap, ignoring the world and devouring the lips of the hottest alpha I'd ever met.

Somewhere in the back of my mind, a voice whispered that this was reckless. That I was ignoring too many things. I told it to shut up.

We reached Royal Gold too soon. One more minute and his mouth would have been on me. I was already halfway there, his hand down my pants, my hips bucking against his grip, when the car stopped, and he pulled back with a smirk.

"Later."

I groaned and let him tuck me back in before we exited into the lobby.

"The penthouse," he told the receptionist.

"I'm sorry, sir, but the top floor is under diplomatic lockdown."

She was trembling. The receptionist, a beta, by the look of her, was actually shaking as she spoke to him.

For the first time, I saw what Dmitri looked like to someone who didn't want him. Cold. Dangerous. The kind of man who didn't ask twice.

But to me? I bit my lip. And he caught it.

His expression softened briefly. "Then the second best." However, he was still irritated like he was a regular here.

Diplomatic lockdown. I should have asked who was staying there. I should have wondered why it bothered him so much.

Then his hand found the small of my back, and I stopped thinking entirely.

Ten minutes later, he was carrying me, legs wrapped around his waist, as we kissed fiercely seconds after slamming the hotel door shut.

He unbuttoned his shirt slowly, each reveal making me harder. More tattoos covered his torso, and there was a scar on his lower abdomen. Above all, he was sexy as hell.

Then he took off his pants, and my mouth fell open.

He laid me on the bed, his mouth found mine, hungry and demanding, like he was trying to memorize the shape of my lips. His hands roamed lower, stripping me quickly until I was naked beneath him.

The cool air hit my skin. Then his heat replaced it.

"You're so responsive," he murmured against my skin, his teeth nipping at my collarbone. "I can't wait to be inside you."

The words sent a shiver down my spine. Not fear. Want. I'd never wanted anyone like this, never let myself want anyone like this. He made me forget why I'd spent years saying no.

I arched against him, my dick rubbing against his thigh. "Then what are you waiting for?"