Tessa

I stared down at the large dog, snarling and trying to hide in the corner. My brave boss had already abandoned me, fleeing from the room and the hundred-and-sixty-pound Newfoundland who bared his teeth as though he’d had more than enough of my bullshit for one day.

And really, who would blame him?

There was a gash on his hind leg from some asshole hitting him with something sharp. He’d limped around until some workers at a construction site had called it in, and animal control had picked him up like a rideshare.

Basically?

He was pissed, and I understood why.

Still, understanding it and allowing him to bite my face off were far different things.

“Come on, baby,” I said, lightening my voice, going for non-confrontational. It was hardly the first time I’d used that voice, and typically, it worked. “I just want to help.”

I crouched down, not holding my hands out, not making any move to come closer. I’d learned that just being there, just offering myself up tended to relax anything in a fight-or-flight mode. I just had to prove to them that they didn’t need to fight or flee.

The dog let out a huff, deep and full of frustration and anxiety and stress.

“I know,” I assured him, then brought my knees together and dropped them forward, onto the tile, allowing my body to settle into a kneel, releasing any tension in my body. “You can take it easy, now.” I patted the tops of my thighs.

The dog eyed me for another moment, then lumbered forward, limping as he refused to put weight on that back leg. He all but collapsed in front of me, his massive black head flopping onto my lap.

And it was one of those times I found myself thankful for my thick thighs. A smaller woman wouldn’t have had room for a dog this big, but here I was, basically a living, breathing body pillow all thanks to plenty of well-celebrated taco Tuesdays.

I petted him, scratching him behind the ears until his breathing evened out, until he seemed to let go of all that aggression. I reached behind me for the syringe I’d set there, flipping the cap off in a practiced motion. He had plenty of loose skin, so I had no trouble grasping some between his shoulder blades to inject the sedative.

He’d calmed down, but diagnosis and treatment wouldn’t be easy on him, and I didn’t want him in anymore pain than needed.

Plus, if he bit my boss’s face off, I was pretty sure I’d stop getting my paycheck.

The dog shuddered, but as the drugs took effect, his body went lax. I patted him once more, thankful I could do something to help.

The rest of the day went by as they always did. An endless parade of tiny dogs whose owners carried them in purses, shots for puppies, and huskies who had gotten out and into some sort of trouble.

Was it boring?

Sometimes.

Did I still love it?

Fuck yes.

“Have you called Baxter’s owner about the test results?” Dr. Brayden, my boss, asked as he appeared from the back like an unwelcome apparition.

“Yes. She said she’ll come back tomorrow for the antibiotics.”

He nodded, then leaned his shoulder against the corner of the doorway that separated the lobby space from the back. “You know, Lizzie wants you to come to dinner again.”

“You mean she wants to set me up with someone. Who is it this time?”

He let out a long, drawn-out sigh. “It’s someone nice.”

“That’s what you said last time.”

“He was nice last time.”

“He was on parole!”

“Yes, they let him out on parole because he was nice!”

I let my face fall forward, my forehead striking the desk with an audible thud that I wished had knocked me out. I didn’t bother lifting my head before answering, my voice muffled by the position. “I’m not going and you can’t make me.”

“You forget. I have sedatives.”

I turned my head so my cheek rested against the desk and I could stare up at him. “If you can keep me knocked out for the whole date, it’s a deal.”

“Normally, I’d say the sort of people who would date you if you were unconscious aren’t the type you’d want, but they might be the only chance you have.” He turned and walked out, his expression saying he honestly was considering that as an option.

What was he on about anyway?

I was twenty-six. It wasn’t like I was fifty and all alone.

And even if I was, what business of his was that? Why did he think he was the overseer of my love life?

The truth was that romance was just so not on my list of shit to deal with. I had enough problems in my life, and adding a man to that equation was only asking for more trouble—like a floundering couple who throw a baby into the mix.

No. Thank. You.

Dr. Brayden could boast all he wanted about his happy little life there with his darling wife and his cute, snot-nosed kids, but I didn’t need any of that. In my experience, people let each other down way too much to bank anything on anyone.

The worst thing that happened to anyone in this world was always caused by another person.

So I’d stay on my own, and relatively safe.

The bell that hung on a string from the door jingled.

I jerked my gaze up, surprised. At seven p.m., we were past our normal hours, just finishing up before heading home for the night.

Then I saw who had walked in and everything inside me tightened.

Jayden Larson.

The one client who never failed to make me want to turn tail and run. I could deal with the most vicious rottweiler anyone had ever seen without so much as flinching, but one look at this man and I cowered.

He didn’t remind me of a dog so much as a leopard, sleek and dark and lethal in this lazy way.

And worse?

He was an alpha. It was obvious in the way he moved, in the absolute perfection of his physique.

“Mr. Larson,” I said, my tone tight and controlled. “I didn’t know you would be coming in this evening.”

He held a leash in his right hand, and his dark brown eyes scanned the room for any sign of danger. He always seemed on edge. “I wasn’t scheduled to be back until tomorrow, but my plans changed. I wanted to pick up King early.”

I nodded, then grabbed the phone off the desk. I called back to the kennel to let them know. “It’ll be a few minutes for them to get him ready.”

Jayden nodded, then folded his hands behind his back, the action making him look even larger.

I breathed in, trying to calm the nerves inside me but struggling to do so, especially when the very action designed to relax me had the opposite effect.

Pheromones. That special smell that alphas gave off, that warned others of their moods.

Even to a beta like me, it was recognizable, like a language I couldn’t speak but could still understand. His weren’t threatening, at least not directly, but they sure seemed to say he didn’t mind threatening if needed.

And it reminded me why alphas stayed away from normal people—though not far enough, given this interaction.

“You still dislike me this much?” Jayden asked.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” I moved files around on the desk, but I doubted I actually organized anything. Instead, it was just an attempt to keep my hands busy. It gave me something to focus on besides the intimidating alpha in the room.

And he was an alpha—not a man.

Alphas stopped being men or women when they changed, when they turned into something that wasn’t entirely human, something more beastlike. They had a connection with animals, something primal. Of course, a power like that had dangers, and theirs could leak out and infect others.

My brain drifted dangerously close to what I couldn’t consider right then, to that painful wound that no amount of treatment could heal.

“I have been here picking up King almost weekly for six months. How can you still react this strongly?”

Damn him for asking things so abruptly. For daring to just come right out and poke at wounds that he had no right to address.

“Mr. Larson, I can assure you, you have zero effect on me,” I said, lying through my teeth, not giving a damn that he no doubt heard it, too.

He let out a snort, as though amused. “You need not worry so much. Alphas aren’t the monsters you seem to think we are. Such notions are hardly helpful in the long run.”

And just like that, his words let my temper slip its leash. “I’m not worried about you just losing your shit and attacking people.”

“Then why react this way?”

“You don’t get it, do you? You turned into this because you always would, because it’s who you are. You might not have shown until puberty, but you were always an alpha.”

“And?”

“And if it wasn’t for alphas, omegas wouldn’t exist. Exposure to you can literally tear someone’s life apart, change them at their DNA level. That wouldn’t happen if you didn’t interact with them.”

He didn’t move, didn’t seem all that shocked. Then again, as an alpha, he likely knew exactly what normal people thought of him. He didn’t seem insulted, and when he answered, his voice was just as calm as ever. “Aren’t you blaming me for something I can’t control? How is that fair?”

I gave up the pretense, staring straight at him this time. “If I have some deadly disease, I’m not going to go out and about and spread it around.”

“You won’t change based on this little interaction,” Jayden pressed, his tone harsh, as though I should recognize his point. “There is no reason to behave this way. It will only harm you in the long run.”

I slammed my hand on the top of the desk, standing up. It didn’t do much, since he still towered above me, but it helped me feel slightly better, as though we were on even footing. “You walk around as though none of this matters. Do you have any idea what happens to someone who suddenly wakes up an omega? How much their life is destroyed? Do you know how many end up killing themselves? Don’t you dare tell me how little a chance there is that it could happen.” My voice lifted, turned so sharp that I’d bet most dogs would have tucked their tails and run.

Not this mutt, though. He opened his mouth as though to argue back, but a snarl along with a flash of black knocked Jayden backward.

Funny that prior to that, nothing seemed capable of moving him. The only exception was his own pet.

King had planted his weight and placed himself between Jayden and me like some mighty protector, though his swooping in had knocked me back as well. Given the late hour and lack of customers, they had no doubt let him come from the final door of the boarding space to meet us.

“King,” Jayden snapped, the word breaking through the dog’s focus for a moment.

I could see the fight inside him.

He was a fan of me, and didn’t much care to see anyone speaking to me so intimidatingly, but he also felt drawn to obey his master.

And as much as I’d love to see him take a bite out of the arrogant alpha’s ass, I didn’t love to see King so conflicted.

“It’s okay, King,” I said, my voice gentle, trying to coax him to relax. “We’re not fighting. It’s fine.”

King shifted his weight back and forth, moving his gaze between us as though trying to decide if it was really over.

I offered one more glare Jayden’s way before crouching in front of King. “You see, I’m just fine.”

A white cloth obscured my vision. “You’re bleeding.”

I am?

I took the cloth, then patted my mouth to find drops of blood. Sure enough, it seemed I’d bitten my lip when King had separated us.

“Sorry,” Jayden said, his voice sullen. “I’ve dealt with people not liking me for a long time—I’m not great at simply accepting it anymore. I shouldn’t have yelled, however. I understand what you mean. It is probably a bit too late to say this now, but I already have found my mate. You should have no fear of changing because of me.”

I handed back the cloth back to Jayden as I stood, ready to be done for the night. A fight with an alpha was a fitting ending for an overly exhausting day, after all.

He brought the cloth up toward his face, then stared at it, his eyes narrowed.

“Mr. Larson?” I asked to regain his focus, unnerved by his sudden stillness.

He jerked his gaze back, blinked slowly, then nodded. “Thank you. I’ll take King home, then. Please, get home safely.” With that, he turned and walked out, King following at a perfect heel.

It left me watching them until they disappeared around the corner of the building, past the windows, out toward the parking lot.

Yeah, men and alphas are a bad fucking bet.