The Arrangement (Omegas of Hunter's Point Book 1)

Chapter 21

He sipped from the steaming mug gingerly. "How long have you lived in such a...colorful neighborhood?"

The smash of glass sounded outside followed by an almost maniacal laugh.

Von snorted. "Since I started teaching. I was low on money after I finished college, and Fancy got this place for a song. The pay for female teachers is pretty atrocious, so when she asked if I wanted to move in..."

"Then why do you teach if the pay is so bad?" Damian asked, as she wiped the drying blood from his face.

"I love it," she said, simply. "I can't imagine doing anything else. Thank you for standing up for me."

He hissed as she applied the antiseptic wipe. "Does that happen often?" he asked. "The thing downstairs?"

She averted her gaze. "More often than it probably should," Von admitted, hoarsely, clearing her bruised throat. "I am usually able to handle it myself."

"I bet you are," Damian speculated. His smile became a wince as she pressed a little too hard. "When I first saw you at the school...the black eye. Is that how you got it?"

Her hand stalled, and she swallowed hard.

Eager to calm her discomfort, he said, "My mom used to cover hers the same way, lots of makeup." He gestured to his own eyes. "The swelling kind of gave it away, though."

She worried at a spot on her lip, rolling it between her teeth. "The night before, I'd bumped into a guy downstairs, and he decided he wanted to have some fun with me. He let me go with nothing worse than a couple of bruises. I try to be home before it gets dark to avoid that kind of thing."

He had a fervent desire to find that alpha fucker and make him regret even considering putting his hands on Von.

She'd volunteered another of her rules, he thought. A disturbing epiphany struck. That night at the club really had been an act of bravery for her. That's why she'd been so standoffish, why she'd seemed so averse to his attention. Once she figured out that he was an alpha, she probably thought he'd attack her, too. He felt suddenly guilty about allowing Von's attackers to get away relatively unscathed. Perhaps if he'd done them more damage, they'd think twice before putting their hands on any other woman, let alone Von.

"You haven't considered a mate? A mate could protect you, keep that kind of thing from being such a regular occurrence."

The corners of her mouth turned down. "A mate is not something I've thought about in a long time." Von examined the now-clean cut. "It's not that deep. I don't think it'll need stitches."

"Would you, though," he questioned, vaguely, "consider a mate, I mean, if the right one came along?"

"My mate, if he ever existed, has had a lot of time to 'come along'. I have to assume at this point he's gotten lost and been consumed by the urban wilderness." He guessed she'd been going for humorous, but Damian wasn't laughing.

His eyes were transfixed on her face, not in the same way they'd been when he challenged the other alphas outside the bar. She was like a text in some dead ancient language and the translation eluded him. She wanted him. Of that, he was almost positive. That night in the dining room, he'd gotten a tantalizing whiff of her arousal, decadent and rich, but she'd pulled away, like her reaction to him had shamed her.

"Damian..."

Would she refuse him, again? Only one way to know for sure. His free hand moved to the back of her neck, drawing her face down, closer to his. He took in a deep breath through his nose as she dipped closer, trying to detect that change in her scent that would tell him he had a green light.