Forbidden: Part One (Luna & Sol Omegaverse Book 1)
Forbidden: Part One – Chapter 3

A middle-aged beta in a BMW honked at me, throwing up his hands as I slipped into one of the few free parking spots. You snooze, you lose, I thought as I shifted the car into park. I hated going to Trader Joe’s. The fucking car park was always a mess. Why don’t they plan this shit out ahead of time so it’s not such a disaster?

Cam was being insufferable about getting his candy, claiming I owed him after he’d snagged a signed copy of one of my favorite books last month.

I sat numbly, staring out of the windshield, my eyes unfocused. I couldn’t seem to get my shit together lately.

My phone vibrated, forcing me back to the present.

CAM

You coming back soon? Have some things we need to discuss with this new job.

THEO

Just stopped at Trader Joe’s to get you Scandinavian Swimmers. What makes them any different from other candy?

I shot off the text, irritated that I had to go across town instead of the perfectly fine supermarket just down the street.

CAM

They are the far superior gummy candy. You owe me.

I sighed, tapping my fingers on the steering wheel. I loved Cam, but he was being even more of a prick than usual. In the early years of being a pack, Cam, Ben, and I leaned on each other for support and comfort. We met as teens after my parents had moved our family to North Woods. I still felt sick when thinking about our old community. The suffering my packmates and I experienced there had brought us even closer, until Cam and Ben were more brothers to me than my own siblings. After we left our community, the trauma of what we went through cemented our bond. But now I felt like I was losing them.

We had all been on edge for the past year. Cam was surlier than usual, Ben was moping around the house, and I felt myself withdrawing from them and hiding out in my office. Lately, all we talked about was work. I missed my best friends and felt useless as fuck that I didn’t know what to do to fix us.

CAM

Make sure to get the sour ones.

I forced myself out of the car. As I headed towards the entrance, I saw a woman in black leggings and a baggy sweatshirt walk in ahead of me. I glanced over at her as I maneuvered into the store. I had planned to track down the candy as quickly as possible, but instead, I found myself following the woman down the produce aisle as if pulled by a magnet. She was short for a beta, and her wavy brown hair cascaded down her back as she wove her way through the narrow aisles, leaning heavily on her cart. I hadn’t seen her face yet, and I longed to close the distance between us, spin her around, and grip her chin with my hand. I would tilt her face until our eyes met—I was sure she would have the prettiest eyes I’d ever seen—and then I would memorize every inch of her before gripping her round, plump ass and pulling her in even closer, pressing her body into mine.

I stopped abruptly as I realized what a fucking creep I was being. A beta woman behind me swore as she accidentally bumped into me with her cart. I turned to apologize for blocking the aisle and saw her expression transform from one of irritation to apprehension.

“Sorry!” she squeaked. “Didn’t mean to hit you.”

“It was my fault. No worries,” I mumbled, moving out of the way. I would never get used to the anxious and sometimes even terrified glances people gave me just because I was an alpha.

I had lost sight of her. I ran my hand through my hair, trying to get a grip. I couldn’t remember the last time I had checked someone out or felt even the slightest hint of attraction, yet here I was, practically stalking a woman through the store. My heart pounded, and my inner alpha urged me to go after her. Am I having a stroke? What’s wrong with me?

I tried to shake myself out of my weird mood and headed in the other direction. I was having trouble focusing as I wandered aimlessly up and down the aisles, trying to ignore the gnawing feeling in my chest as I searched for the candy. Turning the corner to the freezer aisle, I saw her again. I was about to force myself to walk in the other direction when I noticed her eyes were closed, and she was barely remaining upright. I walked towards her with measured steps, inhaling sharply as I got my first glimpse of her face. She was fucking beautiful. Her hair perfectly framed her round face, and I saw she had the cutest smattering of freckles. I wished I could see her eyes, but they were closed as she slumped over the cart. I frowned at how pale she was.

“Are you okay?” I asked hesitantly, a jolt of panic shooting through me at the thought that something was wrong.

Her eyes fluttered open. They were bright green, and I was instantly mesmerized. An explosion couldn’t convince me to look away from her.

“Dizzy,” she whispered, not lifting her head.

“What do you need? Can I ring someone for you, a friend or partner?” I realized I was clenching my jaw as a burst of inexplicable jealousy ran through me at the thought of her dating someone. I noticed with satisfaction that she wasn’t wearing a ring.

“No,” she said, her voice carrying a hint of a whine that my inner alpha instinctually responded to.

I froze. Was she an omega?

“I’m fine,” she mumbled, taking a few steps forward until her knees gave out.

I stepped in without thinking, catching her before she fell. I cradled her in my arms until we were both seated on the floor. I tried to ignore how perfect her soft curves felt against my body.

“What’s wrong, love?” I asked, concerned at how warm her skin was under mine. Love? Where the fuck did that come from? 

I leaned in to see if I could scent her. The chemical smell of de-scenter stung my nose. This little angel was, in fact, an omega trying to cover up her scent.

Her eyes fluttered open, glassy and unfocused. “What’s happening?” she asked, her voice so vulnerable it broke my heart.

Before I could answer, an employee interrupted us—a teenage beta from the look of him. I swallowed an instinctual growl as he crouched down near her. I had no idea why I was feeling so possessive.

“Everything alright here?” he asked. His sniveling little voice grated on me. He was too bloody close to her.

“This woman passed out, and it feels like she has a fever,” I said, trying to subtly shift her so my body was between her and the beta.

“Umm, do you know her? Should I call an ambulance or something?” he responded, rubbing the back of his neck. Clearly, the Trader Joe’s employees didn’t have crisis management training.

I wanted to tuck her close and bring her home so I could care for her or at least drive her to the hospital to ensure she was safe. But there were strict laws against alphas being around unbonded omegas. It would be seen as kidnapping… or, more likely, she would be blamed for seducing me or some shit. Fucking ridiculous.

“Better call for an ambulance,” I said, my voice resigned. “Make sure they know she’s an omega,” I added softly.

“Really? Her?” the beta asked incredulously.

This time I couldn’t hold in my growl. Was this pimply-ass pathetic beta daring to insult the angel in my arms?

His eyes widened in terror, and he scampered away to make the call.

“Can you stay awake, love?” I asked gently, brushing the omega’s damp curls away from her face. She let out a little whimper but didn’t open her eyes. Her cheeks were flushed, and I could feel her warmth seeping through my clothes. Fuck, was she going into heat? Where were her alphas? Because if she doesn’t have any, I will volunteer as tribute. 

“What’s your name?” I asked softly. “I’m Theo.”

The other shoppers, almost all betas, gave us a wide berth. It was rare for alphas to do their own shopping and even more so for unbonded omegas… if that’s what she was. I couldn’t see any bond marks, but she was mostly covered up.

She curled towards me, resting her face on my chest and breathing deeply. My heart jumped in pleasure that she was seeking comfort from me. She was too out of it to respond to my questions, so I contented myself with holding her close and murmuring what I hoped were comforting words.

“Um, they’re almost here,” the beta worker said, now joined by a manager. I heard the faint noise of sirens in the distance. I gave them a curt nod without looking away from her. I didn’t understand the attraction I was feeling. All I knew was I didn’t want to let her go.

Too quickly, the medics stormed into the store and pulled her out of my grasp. My arms hung like useless weights by my side, useless because they were no longer holding her. The other shoppers gawked, and I wanted to roar at them to turn away and give her some privacy.

I followed the medics to the parking lot and stood by as they loaded her into the ambulance. I was tempted to lie when they asked me if I was the omega’s bonded alpha, but I gritted my teeth and told the truth. Alarm filled their faces, and they started placing frantic calls to the Designation Center and the hospital to let them know they had an unbonded omega who had collapsed.

A medic bumped the stretcher she was on, causing the omega to whimper.

“Be fucking careful with her!” I growled, shoving myself into the medics’ faces. I was being unreasonable—my reactions far out of the norm from my usually reserved demeanor. But the thought of anything happening to the unnamed omega enraged me.

“Sir, you have to step back,” the medic said weakly.

I clenched my fists and didn’t take my eyes off the omega as they took her vitals. I was still standing, frozen in my spot in the parking lot, when they closed the ambulance doors and rushed her away.

Away from me.

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