Chapter 7

Seven

TIANA

" O h my, what just happened?" asked Lori with a wink.

"Nothing," I said quickly, sinking into my bed and wondering that myself. Did it really happen? Did Grant just finger me?! A complete and total stranger.

I buried my face in the pillow, mortified as hell. Then I turned to face her.

"You are so lying. Tell me," Lori asked eagerly, plopping on her bed cross-legged. I could see cookie crumbs on the knees of her purple leggings. "Tiana, if you don't tell me…I swear to God."

I was tongue-tied. I didn't know what to tell her exactly. I couldn't tell her the truth without revealing what I was. That I was some kind of mysterious omega werewolf.

She would run screaming.

"I…we kissed," I lied.

"Oh my," she said, staring at me in fascination. "I'm so happy for you! And he's hot as fuck on top of that."

"Um, thanks," I laughed softly. I still couldn't process what had happened. Why did I allow that to happen? How did I let my body take control like that? To open myself to him so easily shocked me senseless. But I felt so relaxed for the first time in days after my first orgasm.

"Now you have a date for tomorrow's wedding ceremony," said Lori. "I talked with the hot captain while I ate lunch upstairs."

"That's good," I said, lost in my hazy thoughts.

"Look at us finally getting out of our shells," she said. "So what's your man like?"

"He's not my man," I protested. "But I agree he's hot. I don't know if he thinks this is serious or just a little fling."

"Just have fun on the trip," said Lori. "No expectations. Flirt and have fun. That's what I'm doing."

"What are you wearing for the wedding tomorrow?"

"I don't know," said Lori, and I chuckled.

We laughed and talked about her cousin. The wedding. And her cousin again, and how much Lori disliked her. I munched on potato chips since I was starting to feel a little sick from the ship rocking on the waters.

"I think I should call my mom," I said, throwing the empty bag of chips into the bin. I looked out the little window above us, seeing the twinkling stars. I felt like I missed my parents a little, and they were probably freaking out since I had never spent the night away from home.

"Maybe you should," said Lori. "I cut my mom off years ago, but I don't want that to happen to you."

"Alright then," I said, grabbing my phone.

I dialed my mom's number, my heart pounding.

"Please leave a message after the tone," greeted the voicemail.

"Hey, Mom," I said. "I'm on the cruise now, and I just wanted to say that I'm safe. Okay, bye."

I hung up. I had never defied my parents like this—well, not to this extreme. I wondered for a second if my mom ignored the call on purpose, but I dismissed the negative thoughts. I didn't want to feel down right now after my high with Grant.

"At least you called," said Lori. "No need for you to feel guilty anymore, knowing you."

"Haha, very funny," I said, grabbing a towel and heading to the bathroom.

I needed to shower and get clean. I felt guilty in other ways. Letting a man touch me for the first time was one of those.

I scrubbed my body with the white loofah, covering my body with bubbly soap. I was aching again between my legs as the loofah brushed over my skin. My skin was warm down there and sensitive to any touch. I was a horny mess right now. Grant had relieved some of it, but I could feel an emptiness that needed to be filled.

Like a hollow feeling in my belly.

I quickly rinsed all the soap off, trying to think of other things instead. He said he was an alpha and that I was naturally inclined to him. It seemed a little weird, but it had me once again turned on at the thought. It felt nice to have someone understand me, and I didn't feel so alone in my struggle to figure out what I was. I was determined to find out more about what I was and where our people truly came from.

After my shower, I decided to stroll above deck and enjoy this vacation a little bit. I wasn't prepared for the crisp breeze outside as I only wore a pink tank top and shorts. Probably not the wisest choice of clothes.

I had left Lori asleep in the cabin. The stars littered the night sky, and the dark waves of the ocean sparkled. Exploring the deck of the ship, I admired wedding decorations and the grand pillars erected in every corner. There were still quite a few people out at night having a good time. I held onto the railing as I looked out at the peaceful waters. I gazed into the oblivion of the water, imagining sharks swimming underneath us.

"Enjoying the view?" asked a voice from my left.

Startled, I turned my head and saw Grant. He was also leaning against the railing, but his eyes were on me.

"You scared me," I said softly.

"Are you feeling alright?" he asked, his attention completely zeroed in on me. Every time I was in his presence, the energy was super intense. It was never light.

"I'm fine," I said. "Are you enjoying the trip?"

"Apart from breaking up fights and dealing with crazy people- everything's dandy," he joked, and I smiled. "How are you enjoying your trip so far?"

"Well, it just started," I said, turning my attention back to the water. The ship suddenly rocked, and I stumbled. His arm snaked around my waist, holding me snugly against his warm body."You're warm."

"Alphas have a higher body temperature," he explained against my ear as he held me. Feeling his hard planes of muscles behind me caused warmth to spiral through my belly again. I clenched my thighs at the sudden onset of arousal again.

"Oh."

"I shouldn't be this close to you," he said, releasing me. "You should go to your room."

Confused, I scrunched my eyebrows. Why was he saying this? He was acting like he wanted me a minute ago.

"Why are you telling me what to do?"

"I'm sorry," he sighed, letting out a long breath. "It's just best for the both of us."

"Uhh, I guess I'll see you tomorrow then?"

"Have a good night, Tiana," he said, his nostrils flared and his body tense.

"You too."

As I lay in bed that night, memories of Grant's large fingers strumming my clit had me wriggling and turning several times. The room was dark, and Lori was snoring full throttle, her arms hanging off the edge of her bed.

My breathing quickened, and my finger slipped underneath my panties.

I closed my eyes, trying to replicate what Grant did to me. I moved my finger in circles between my legs, teasing myself. The arousal in my abdomen grew worse, and then I quickly stopped. I didn't want to struggle with masturbation while my friend was in the room.

I closed my eyes, frustrated and aroused.

The next day was dark and gloomy for the wedding ceremony.

I sat in the back row with Lori and an empty seat to my right. We were out on the deck, rows of chairs lined up for the guests and a beautiful arch in front of us. Everything was decorated in blush pink and white. Little flamingos decorated the arch with white flowers. The chairs had large white silk bows tied in the back. Everyone was chattering and talking loudly as we waited for the ceremony to start.

Everything was beautiful except for the dark clouds above us. It looked like it was going to rain.

I noticed Grant standing on the corner of the deck in uniform, his eyes trained on me. And there was something else in his look. Like he was thinking of yesterday's events in the bathroom.

My breathing quickened as I looked away, my face hot.

"Look, this guy messaged me," said Lori excitedly, shoving her phone in my face. She was messaging someone all day, and I wondered who it was but knew she'd eventually tell me.

"He's cute," I said. His face was youthful and round, with an innocent expression on his face. "How old is he?"

"You don't want to know."

"Go on," I said.

"Fine, he's nineteen."

"He's kind of young for you," I said.

"Come on. I'm twenty-five," she said. "But he turns me on."

"I'm excited for you," I said. "But how about your poor captain?"

I looked over at the captain steering the wheel. He kept glancing over at Lori.

"He'll survive," she said, laughing and looking at the captain. When she saw him staring at her, I could see her cheeks visibly turning pink.

"Someone's blushing," I teased.

"May I sit here?" said a male voice next to me. I looked to my right and saw a tall man with long black hair tied into a ponytail. He had dark eyes and wore black clothes with chains on his shirt.

He was medium-height and built of muscle.

"Sure," I said, already starting to warm down there. My body was going haywire without the pills.

Oh, my goodness.

Was I doomed to get horny every time a dude looked my way now? I straightened my emerald green dress over my knees. It was a low-cut dress that showed off my shoulders and cleavage. I even put on quite a bit of makeup while Grant was in my mind.

Finally, the people quieted down, and the music started.

I watched as the groom and his groomsmen walked to the front, standing next to the officiant in blue. I was hyper-aware of the nicely built man sitting quietly next to me. I looked back at Grant and saw him talking with another security officer with lake-blue eyes and caramel-colored hair. His face was clean-shaven, and he looked serious as he spoke with Grant. I wondered what they were talking about.

"Makes you wish you were getting married, huh?" commented the guy next to me.

"Oh?" I said, tearing my gaze away from Grant and his friend. I looked back at the ceremony. The bride and the groom were kissing now. "Sort of."

"What do you mean by ‘sort of?" asked the stranger next to me. I could hear the curiosity in his voice.

Wait, why the heck was he talking to me? I looked up at him, noticing his brown eyes had flecks of silver. I couldn't look away from his gaze. Something deep inside me stirred, wanting to claw at him. To bring him to me and inside of me.

He was a werewolf. I instinctively just knew from one glance. His alpha gaze seemed to pull me in and mesmerize my senses. How was I meeting these guys all of a sudden?

A spark shot between us, igniting my wonder and lust.

"The thought of marriage scares me. To be stuck with only one man for the rest of my life," I said.

His mouth turned up in a knowing smile.

"You have a point there," he said, sticking out his hand. "My name's Antonio, but you can call me Tony."

I couldn't ask him if he was a werewolf. Lori was right next to me. I wanted to ask to confirm I wasn't crazy, even though I knew one hundred percent that he was one.

"I'm Tiana," I said, shaking his hand.

"You're hot as fuck," he said right out.

"Oh, stop," I giggled. Inside, I grew shocked at myself for my behavior. Why the fuck was I acting like a teen with a crush?

"For real, though," he said insistently, pulling my hand in his. His hand was warm and large over mine, encasing it. We locked gazes, and I immediately thought of kissing him.

"It's time to dance now," said Lori loudly, breaking up my instant connection with this man. Annoyed, I gave her the side eye, and she smiled evilly.

"Dance with me?" asked Tony as we stood up from our chairs.

"Sure," I said.

We walked to the main dance area inside the glass doors. The music was blasting, and people were already drinking and getting down on the floor. I wanted to stand next to the railing to look at the beautiful ocean, but I wanted to get close to Tony. To feel his masculine body against mine.

He took my hand in his and gently led me to the dance floor.

When he pulled me towards him, I gasped. I wasn't prepared to feel the hardness of his chest against mine. I twirled and danced with this complete stranger. He was a pretty good dancer as he spun me around.

"Oh, I'm dizzy," I gasped, holding onto his strong forearm.

"You need more vitamins. Omegas need them," he whispered in my ear. My heart leaped in my chest, and I stopped breathing for a moment. He was admitting he knew what I was.

"How do you know?" I asked, surprised.

"I'm in Grant's pack. You've met him," he nodded towards Grant, who was overseeing the dance with his hawkish eyes. "We're the Frostcrown Pack."

"Oh," I said. "I'm sorry. I'm so new to this…werewolf stuff."

"Don't worry about it," he said.

"Why are you guys here on this ship?" I asked. "Or was it all coincidence?"

"Not a coincidence," he said. "When Grant met you, he wanted to find out everything about you, so naturally, we're here. Alphas are attracted to omegas. And we need an omega in our pack."

He looked unsure of himself as if he had said too much.

"I'm not going to say anything to Grant," I tried to reassure him, but my mind was racing with what he said. Was Grant going to try and bring me into the pack? What was he going to do?

He pulled me close when a slow song began, and I leaned against his chest. I could feel the heat emanating from his chest.

"Tiana," he began, and I lifted my head off his chest to look at him. I felt super comfortable with him.

"Yes?"

"Don't," he said.

Alarm bells rang in my head. "Don't what?"

"Don't get too attached or anything…we might not be for you."

Well, excuse me.

"I'm not getting attached. What the hell are you talking about?" I said defiantly, pulling my hands out of his grasp. "I just met you."

"What's going on here?" Grant demanded.