Our gazes met. My cheeks and neck felt hot, probably from all the beer I was consuming. I don’t drink a lot in general but now was a good occasion as any.
Marco and I argued for a little while in the car. After we arrived at the bar, my Alpha turned dead silent. The glare he directed at me spoke volumes.
I knew deep down that by going out with my friends, I was exposing myself to danger. I also made his job harder but I couldn’t live the rest of my life like a frightened chicken.
“Yeah, pretty much,” I told Everett.
I noticed a few missing faces in our group. Apart from Everett and Aaron, my cousin Nestor had tagged along.
“Where’s Denver and Gideon?” I asked.
“Both of them were busy,” Nestor said. “Denver couldn’t find a babysitter and Gideon flat out told me he just wanted to spend the Friday night cuddled up on the sofa with his mate and baby.”
I rolled my eyes.
“Boring.” Was I slurring? I couldn’t tell. “And Clark?”
“Aunt Marissa’s babysitting the triplets. Clark says he’s taking this precious opportunity to watch a movie at the theater with Dusty,” Aaron informed me.
“Yawn,” I said.
I always made fun of my mated cousins but honestly?
I was downright jealous. Before Marco entered my life, I was completely fine with the way things were.
I didn’t understand why Gideon, Denver, and Clark would want to settle down.
I pictured the late nights I had with Marco. I looked forward to that time of the day the most. With Marco, I didn’t need to put on a mask. I wasn’t Todd the Actor. I could be myself around him.
I loved having conversations with him. Serious ones and ones that didn’t make any sense.
Drinking myself to a coma didn’t make me feel any better.
Hell, this was what?
The third bar we’ve been to and I couldn’t stand the crowd or the music. I noticed an Omega, a smug-looking red-haired and brown-eyed guy in his early twenties sliding his way up to Marco.
I gritted my teeth. This again. I knew Marco was dark, tall, and handsome. He was a good catch. Marco was great Alpha any Omega would want as his mate but he was my dark, tall and handsome. No one else’s.
“Another beer,” I told a passing waitress.
“Whoa, slow down, bro. What’s gotten into you?” Aaron demanded, grabbing my arm.
Aaron furrowed his brows as he looked from me to Marco.
“Oh my God. You have the hots for him, don’t you? I’ve never seen you moon over a guy like this before,” Aaron commented.
“Wait, what was that?” Everett, who sat next to me, asked. Everett looked like a cat who just found himself a mouse. “Since when? Does Clark know you’re interested in his best friend?”
I wasn’t in the mood to answer anyone’s questions because I didn’t have the answers. I kept referring to Marco as my Alpha, but we’ve done nothing more than kiss.
Kisses weren’t enough. I wanted Marco to touch me all over, to finally assert his dominance, his ownership over my body.
There was no one else for me but him.
I knew it was crazy thinking that way, but it was like finding that missing puzzle piece I’ve been searching for my entire life.
“Todd and Marco sitting on a tree,” Nestor sang out. He froze when I gave him a glacial stare.
“I caught him flirting with an Omega, this suave make-up artist at the studio,” I told my twin. “He’s doing it again. Attracting other Omegas.”
Aaron blinked. “Surely you can’t be that blind, Todd.”
“What?” I demanded, still a little huffy and angry.
What was I doing?
Punishing Marco and myself like this wasn’t going to help either of us.
I didn’t want to be in this bar which stank of sweat, beer, and other things I refused to think about. I wanted to be back home, watching Marco make pasta from scratch.
I’d always offer to help out, but I usually ended up messing everything. I was a terror in the kitchen, my dad often said so.
“He really is deft,” Everett said unhelpfully.
I loved my brother and cousins to death but sometimes, I just have the urge to punch them.
“Todd, he’s been unable to tear his gaze from you,” Aaron finally said.
My brother was right. The Omega who was hanging out with him, departed, looking a little hurt. Marco’s sharp gaze remained fixed on mine.
Aaron always possessed the uncanny ability to see right through me. We were twins after all. My brother could read me like an open book.
There was no use hiding what I felt for Marco. My annoyance went up another notch. We were all grown adults for crying out loud.
Why were Marco and I tiptoeing around each other like inexperienced teenagers?
It suddenly felt like someone yanked the temperature in the room a couple of degrees higher.
“Is it my imagination or is it getting hot in here?” I asked, tugging at the collar of my shirt.
Sweat beaded on my back. Aaron was right. I had enough drinks.
Nestor snorted. “Real cute, Todd.”
“I can’t believe my eyes. Is that you, Dave Hill?”
I cringed at that excited voice.
A stranger I didn’t know, had waltzed right to our table. He was huge, maybe six-foot-seven, an Alpha with dark gold hair and black eyes.
Unexplainable terror constricted my throat. I couldn’t get any words out.
This Alpha called me Dave, not Todd, just like my stalker.
“Please, man. I need your autograph. Sign my chest.”
The Alpha peeled off his shirt. My cousins gave me worried looks. I had trouble breathing. My skin felt feverish.
Was this what it felt like, having a panic attack?
8
Marco
In seconds, I tore myself from the corner I was sulking in. I crossed the distance between me and Todd’s table.
The Alpha hitting on Todd was taking off his shirt when I shoved him violently backward. He nearly crashed into the nearby table but managed to right himself at the last second.
The Alpha narrowed his eyes at me. I risked a look at my Omega.
“Todd, are you hurt?” I had to ask.
For a second there, I was thrust into panic mode. What if the Alpha was hiding some kind of weapon, firearm, or knife under his shirt?
I would never be able to forgive myself if Todd was injured under my watch. Some professional I was. I shouldn’t have taken my eyes off Todd, even for a few seconds.
“Who the fuck are you?” The Alpha demanded, storming his way back to Todd’s table.
I placed myself in front of Todd, using my body as a shield. I narrowed my eyes at the other Alpha.
He didn’t look like he had any concealed weapons on him. There was no bulge in his shirt or pants.
Todd must’ve gotten up because I could feel him standing right behind me. Todd clutched at the back of my shirt.
All my protective instincts roared to the surface. It had been a long time since I genuinely wanted to kill another Alpha.
I didn’t give a damn the entire bar turned quiet. Everyone was looking at us. A flash even went off from one corner.
A photographer?
Whatever. Protecting Todd from potential harm was my number one priority. It didn’t matter if some members of the press managed to take a photo of us.