Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2: Reckless

Ilyana's POV

I woke up to an annoying and loud 'beep-beep-beep' that made me want to punch a hole through a damn wall. The harsh scent of bleach and hand sanitizer immediately assaulted my pathetic omega nose and then like a fucking the memory of it all washed over me.

I bolted upright with my breath hitching in a panicked gasp as I ripped the IV line straight out of the back of my hand.

“My baby!” I croaked with my sounding voice raw. “Where the hell is my kid?”

A nurse immediately rushed in looking stressed. “Whoa, take it easy, Miss! Your baby is perfectly fine. She’s in the nursery getting fed.”

I sagged back into the stiff and uncomfortable pillows with a shaky and rattling breath escaping my chest. “I need to leave. Unhook me. Now.”

“You can’t just leave,” the nurse sighed, grabbing a clipboard. “You took a hard fall and your blood pressure is a disaster. The man who brought you in? He carried you in here looking like he was ready to murder half the hospital staff if we didn’t treat you immediately so no way we'll let you leave in this state.”

I paused, rubbing my temple.

The stranger..? the massive guy who had grabbed me before I could hit the ground?

“Well, tell him thanks but I can’t afford this place,” I muttered, swinging my legs over the bed. “I don’t have medical insurance. I barely have grocery money.”

The nurse gave me a soft pitying look as she reached into her pocket and pulled out a white envelope, setting it on my lap.

“You don’t need it. He paid your medical bill in full at the front desk and he told me to give you this when you woke up.”

I frowned, tearing the envelope open. A thick stack of hundred-dollar bills stared back at me.

My jaw practically hit the floor.

Who just drops so much money on a stranger? A wave of discomfort settled over me. We barely knew each other. My pride made me hesitant and embarrassed to accept it... it felt like too much and I wasn’t used to taking help like this from someone I’d only just met.

I carefully folded the envelope and slipped it into my pocket, already deciding I needed to return it.

By the time Natasha, my only actual friend in this shithole pack rushed into the hospital, I was already dressed.

I told her everything that happened with Boyce amidst ugly and angry tears. She sympathized, cursing Boyce to hell and back but my mind was already fixated on the envelope of cash in my pocket.

***

We walked out into the cool dark night and Natasha unlocked her beat-up sedan.

“Get in,” she ordered gently, holding my baby in her car seat.

I stopped abruptly with my eyes locked onto a familiar broad-shouldered figure in a long black leather coat walking down the opposite side of the street. He paused, turning to push open the door of 'The Rusty Anchor', a dimly lit dive bar.

“Take her home for me, Nat,” I said, pointing at the baby. “Just for tonight.”

“What? Ilyana, no. You just got out of the hospital!”

“I need to return this,” I said quietly, patting my pocket. “I’ll be fine. Just go.”

I didn’t give her a chance to argue. I jogged across the street with my boots splashing in cold puddles and pushed my way into the bar.

I scanned the crowded room and spotted him immediately. He was sitting alone in a dark corner booth with a glass of amber liquid in his hand.

I started weaving through the tables but before I could reach him, a sweaty hand grabbed my waist.

“Well hello there, sweet thing,” a drunk and burly man slurred, pulling me against his beer-gut. “Where’s the fire? Come sit on my lap.”

“Get your fucking hands off me,” I snarled, shoving at his chest but my weak omega strength did absolutely nothing.

Suddenly, the air in the bar went ice cold and at the same time a terrifying aura rolled over the room, making my knees actually tremble. The drunk guy froze with his eyes widening in terror.

The stranger in the leather coat was suddenly right behind him, just leaned in with his tone dangerously soft.

“Take your hands off her, or I’m going to snap your spine in three different places.”

The drunk let me go like I was on fire, stumbling backward and practically running out the front door.

I stood there, catching my breath and staring up at the man who had just saved my life twice in one day and gods.. he was handsome.

He had a sharp jawline, messy dark hair and piercing, intense eyes that seemed to see right through my bullshit.

“You shouldn’t be here,” he muttered, turning back to his booth. “You should be resting.”

I followed him and carefully set the envelope of cash onto his table. “I’m really grateful for the hospital trip, but… I can’t accept this. We barely know each other. Please, take your money back.”

He glanced at the envelope then up at me, clearly irritated. “Keep it. Consider it compensation for a shitty day.”

“I don’t want it!”

“Then throw it in the trash,” he snapped, taking a long pull of his drink. He was in a remarkably foul mood. “Buy a drink. Sit down.. or go away. Just stop yelling at me.”

I hesitated but my legs were shaking so I slid into the booth opposite him. “Fine. I'll get a whiskey.”

I was surprised at the words that had left my mouth. It didn't make any sense but the train had already left the station so the hell with caution.

He signaled the bartender and for the next hour we just drank. I learned his name was Braun but I didn’t tell him about Boyce.

As soon as the whiskey began to hit my bloodstream, something else started to flare up.. attraction...!

Every time Braun looked at me, I felt a magnetic tension crackled between us. My omega wolf which was usually half-dead and uselesswas suddenly hyper-aware of every single breath he took.

I was staring at his lips and I was smelling that intoxicating and dominant scent of his. Maybe it was rebound psychology.. maybe I was just desperately trying to prove to myself that I was still desirable after Boyce threw me away.

But I wanted him.. badly.

Our drinks were cut short when a group of loudmouths at the bar started running their mouths and trashing the newly ascended Alpha King.

“..hiding in the palace since he was a kid,” one guy slurred loudly. “Probably got some rotting disease. The King’s a weak little bitch.”

I watched Braun’s entire demeanor violently shift and the glass in his hand actually cracked under his grip. The anger radiating off him was so intense it made my skin prickle. He threw a bill on the table and stood up.

“We’re leaving,” he ordered, grabbing my arm.

He practically dragged me out into the cold night air and we walked in tense silence for a block with his jaw locked tight. I couldn’t take the tension anymore. The wild rebellious fire in my belly was boiling over.

I stopped walking and yanked my arm free and he turned around with his dark eyes flashing with irritation.

“What?” he growled.

I didn’t answer. I stepped into his space, grabbed the leather lapels of his coat and smashed my lips against his.

Braun completely froze as the air left his lungs in a sharp hiss. For one agonizing second, I thought he was going to push me away but then with a low and feral groan, his massive hands came up, gripping my hips and pulling me against his hard body as he kissed me back desperately.

When we finally broke apart, we were both panting and his eyes were entirely black.

“Not here,” he rumbled with his voice heavy with lust. “You’re coming with me.”

I thought he was going to drag me to some cheap motel but instead, he led me straight to the 'Grand Eclipse', the most ridiculously expensive towering luxury hotel in the center of the pack territory!

I barely had time to process how a guy in a dive bar could afford a penthouse suite before we were riding the private elevator to the top floor.

The second we stepped inside the massive suite, the door clicked shut behind us and I kicked my boots off with the plush carpet sinking between my toes.

Braun turned to lock the door and the reckless, horny demon inside me took over completely.

I reached down, grabbed the hem of my shirt and yanked it straight over my head exposing my perky boobs...!