8. Lachlan

Chapter eight

Lachlan

D amn.

Our new Beta smells really pretty. It's faint and masked by a shitload of desensitizer, but it's still strong enough for me to get a faint whiff.

Even from all the way up on stage.

Gingerbread. Nice.

She's the first woman that has caught my interest since I started courting Oliver. Before I met my Omega, pussy was all I could think about.

I was a horny Alpha back then, seeking out female company in any way I could.

I slept with a lot of Beta girls in those days. They were the only females I had access to. Omegas are too precious in our society, and it's rare to just find an unmated one these days…

And female Alphas scare me.

But Mila is something else. She is a Beta with all the allure of an Omega, but with the strength of an Alpha.

Everything about her is small but strong. Her nose, her mouth, and even her hands and feet. But she knows how to fight. Knows how to protect herself and others.

The only thing large about her are those big green eyes, and are we sure she isn't an Omega?

I glance around the room, peering at the shady Beta Governor, Frederick. Surely, they are mistaken, right?

Mila isn't Beta…

But they all seem to think so. Not one person questions her designation. Even when she is the first to be called up to meet her new pack, no one utters a sound.

They just accept that she is Beta.

I am not so convinced.

Oliver isn't happy. It's obvious he deems her a threat.

Who wouldn't in his case? She's perfect in every way. Long, blonde hair with caramel undertones, and a small, freckled nose.

Gryphon senses his discomfort, placing a hand on his shoulder, and then he looks at Mila, baring his teeth again.

That's a threat. He knows how she makes his Omega feel, being as ridiculously perfect as she is, and it almost seems unfair.

After all, I doubt she asked to be on that stage. This is all Governor Frederick.

Mila is just his pretty little puppet.

"Well, Mila Stone… step forward and bow to your new Alphas…" Frederick sneers and I resist the urge to jump on stage, turning him into a lump of Swiss cheese with one of my knives.

I managed to hide one in my special place…

Mila glances up with those bright jade eyes, and my heart thumps in my chest.

I have never seen a pair so green. They remind me of moss, and it's hard to get mad at a woman with eyes that beautiful. They make me feel calm, zen, and they are taming my mania.

Mila does the smart thing. She goes straight to Gryphon and shows her respect. She kneels, submitting to him and acknowledging him as her new Alpha. She also keeps a safe distance from Oliver, and again, she is showing respect by keeping a few feet away from his Omega.

No one in the room speaks. We just watch as the beautiful woman kneels for her new Alpha.

Gryphon looks a little put out. But he does seem to approve of her submission.

"Rise, Beta, and show the same respect to the others of your new pack," Lily intones viciously, and I shiver.

She makes me want to pee in my pants.

Mila rises, and now she proceeds to bow for me and Barret.

I have no idea what is going on in Barret's mind. His face is hard, a furrow between his dark eyes as he seems to be concentrating on not breathing.

Does she smell good to him too? I try to tug on him through the bond we share with Oliver, but he pushes me out.

Fine.

I have no idea what to make of her. My mind is conflicted. I should hate this little creature, but my every instinct is telling me to claim her as mine .

I have a vision of me bathing her in my scent, rubbing my cheek over every surface of her flawless, porcelain skin, but I don't want to upset Oliver.

I can feel his anxiety through the bond. He does not like any of this.

And he also hates that she is beautiful. He can't stand it.

But… I also sense something else, too. Buried deep beneath his insecurity.

It almost smells like… desire… but I must be mistaken.

Oliver has never had any interest in a female. That Omega likes cock and cock only. I've seen the way he sucks and licks mine when it weeps.

Mila keeps her head bowed, and my eyes trail toward her tits.

That tight-fitting black uniform leaves little to the imagination, and why did they have to make that material so thin?

I can almost see her bra.

Looks like lace.

Fuuuck.

I hope my erection isn't showing.

Oliver tugs on the bond, and he is telling me that it is fine that I find her attractive, and now the guilt cuts me like a knife.

I don't want her. Not like that. I only want him. I send a reassuring tendril his way, letting him know that he is the only one for me.

Mila is still kneeling before me, and it's obvious she isn't going to move unless we tell her to. She is like a trained dog, and she will literally do anything we ask of her.

It almost sounds sinister, and I can only imagine the kind of shitty Alphas that will take advantage of someone like that.

These Beta soldiers have been trained by their government to concede.

"Um… you… you m-may rise again… B-Beta…"

At the sound of my stuttering voice, Mila rises, and now she stands like a beautiful statue before us.

I stare, transfixed.

How is she real? I swear, I am looking at a little doll.

None of us speak. We all wait on Gryphon. He only has eyes for Governor Frederick.

The Beta governor has a slimy smile on his devil's beard of a face, and I resist the urge to storm the stage and turn him into a chunk of dairy again.

I don't like the way he is looking at Oliver, and neither does Gryphon.

"So, Alpha Gryphon of the Hart Pack. Do you accept your new Beta?" he says.

"Yes," Gryphon hisses through clenched teeth, having no choice but to accept her.

Governor Frederick really does have us whipped.

We're all just his little puppets in the end.

Governor Lily does not look happy. I don't miss how she glares at Frederick from the corner of her eye. She, too, has no choice but to go along with this whole charade.

She lost to the other governors, a board that is mostly made up of Betas, and I am starting to wonder who the superior designation is here.

The Betas far outnumber us.

Frederick continues. "And you promise to treat her as you would any member of your pack, at least until the time the trials have come to pass?"

They never gave us a timeline. For all we know, the trials could go on for years.

Again, Gryphon stands his ground, but he never takes his eyes off Frederick. The Beta male smiles that evil smile, and we're really in over our heads.

The guy has us right where he wants us on his chessboard, and there is nothing we can do to protest.

It fucking sucks, and poor Oliver has to pay the price.

I can feel his happiness wilting away, and he is going to be one unhappy Omega. His heat is due in a few weeks, and he hasn't stopped spiking.

I hope he doesn't spike in the middle of the ceremony.

If he does, then I will need more knives…

Oliver's sadness turns his honey scent sour. My poor Omega.

This is going to be the hardest on him of all.

Mila is clearly a bigger threat than we previously feared. I'm just glad she is Beta.

If she were an Omega, then she could easily steer us away.

I'll admit… my Alpha likes the idea of her giving him a baby, and I curse myself and him.

No. I don't care for all that family nonsense. Babies are not my end goal.

Just sex and more sex with my hot Omega.

I will not hurt Oliver. I don't care about Mila at all. Only my dick wants her.

My mind and heart belong to Oliver.

"Of course," Gryphon finally replies, and that settles it.

We are taking Mila home with us.

It's time to get used to having a Beta around.

Even if she does look suspiciously like an Omega.