What The Alpha Broke

Past

KAIA

I adjust the strap of my worn canvas bag and glance around the bonfire, clearing one last time. The flames cast dancing shadows across the faces of my packmates, but I'm not really seeing them anymore. All I can think about is Vincent's hand in mine earlier, the way his thumb traced circles on my palm while we walked through the woods.

"You're glowing," my friend Talia whispers, bumping my shoulder. "Vincent Lopez has that effect, doesn't he?"

Heat floods my cheeks. An omega like me isn't supposed to catch the attention of the Alpha's heir. When Vincent first approached me three weeks ago at the pack meeting, I thought it was a mistake. Alphas don't notice omegas unless they need something lifted or cleaned.

But Vincent kept coming back. Walking me home from school. Sitting with me during lunch when his usual crowd of future Betas and high-ranking wolves shot confused looks our way. Last night, he kissed me under the old oak tree behind my house, and my wolf practically purred.

"I still can't believe it," I murmur, watching him across the fire. He's laughing with Trent, his Beta, their heads bent close over something. The firelight catches the sharp angles of his jaw, and my stomach flutters. At seventeen, Vincent already carries himself like the Alpha he'll become-broad shoulders, commanding presence, eyes that seem to see everything.

"Believe it," Talia says. "You're his mate, Kaia. Anyone with eyes can see the way he looks at you."

Mate. The word makes my heart race. I've dreamed of having a mate since I was old enough to understand the bond, but I never imagined it would be someone like Vincent. Someone so far above my rank it feels like reaching for the moon.

"I should go," I say, standing and brushing dirt from my jeans. "Mom expects me home before midnight."

Talia nods, but her attention is already drifting to a group of younger wolves playing some drinking game near the edge of the clearing. I make my way around the fire, intending to say goodbye to Vincent, but he's deep in conversation with Trent. I don't want to interrupt.

Instead, I head toward the tree line where I parked my beat-up Honda. The woods are quieter here, away from the laughter and music. 

I'm almost to my car when I hear voices. Low, male, coming from just ahead. I freeze, recognizing Vincent's distinctive laugh.

"-told you she'd be easy," Trent is saying, and something cold settles in my stomach. "An omega will give herself to anyone if the Alpha heir crooks his finger."

I step behind a thick pine tree, my heart hammering against my ribs. They can't be talking about me. They can't.

"Here." There's a rustling sound, like paper changing hands. "Your hundred bucks. Though I still think you should've aimed higher than some nobody omega."

"The dare was to seduce the most pathetic wolf in the pack," Vincent's voice cuts through the night air like ice. "Kaia Dawson definitely qualifies."

The words hit me like a physical blow. I press my back against the rough bark of the tree, struggling to breathe. A dare. It was all a dare.

"Still," Trent continues, "taking her virginity seems like overkill. You proved your point weeks ago."

"I wanted to be thorough." Vincent's tone is casual, bored. Like we're discussing the weather instead of the complete destruction of my heart. "Besides, she's actually not terrible in bed. For an omega."