Forbidden: Part One (Luna & Sol Omegaverse Book 1)
Forbidden: Part One – Chapter 34

Theo was waiting for me after class, his SUV parked right by the gym’s back exit. As soon as he saw me, he rounded the car to open the passenger side door. My stomach filled with little butterflies as I bounded towards him and threw myself into his arms. He automatically picked me up and squeezed me in for a crushingly tight hug. He’d clearly showered after his workout, and his hair was damp and falling across his forehead.

“Hi,” I said, my face pressed against his chest and breathing in his scent.

“I missed you,” he said quietly, pressing his face against my hair.

“It was only an hour,” I responded, pulling away from him as he set me back on the ground. “But I missed you, too.”

Theo’s lips quirked up in a smile as he kissed me on the forehead and helped me get in my seat. The heat was blasting in the car and my seat warmer was on. I knew it wasn’t because Theo needed it—he never seemed to get cold—but because he knew I got chilled easily. I wiggled happily at his attentiveness.

“I thought we might stop and get some ice cream,” he said, resting his hand on my leg as he drove through the downtown traffic. Heat pooled in my core as I imagined his hand inching further and further up my thigh.

“I would love that,” I responded, resting my hand on his.

“How was class?”

“It was so good,” I said. “Luc used his bark on us and we practiced resisting it.”

It had been a challenging class and different than usual. We usually practiced physically defending ourselves and fighting off opponents, but today was all about psychological resistance. Omegas were hard-wired to respond to an alpha’s bark, making us vulnerable no matter how physically strong or capable we were.

When Luc first suggested it, I had panicked, taken back to all my horrific memories with… the device. The scar on my arm had burned, and I’d almost refused to try. But with my friends encouraging me, I’d given it a shot. Being able to resist him, even just a little, had given me back the confidence they had stolen. And it felt fucking amazing.

Theo fell silent, and his grip on my leg grew painfully hard. I whimpered and he immediately snatched his hand away, throwing me a horrified look.

“I’m so sorry, love. Did I hurt you?”

“I’m fine,” I said, waving a hand. “Why are you upset?”

“Upset?” he responded, his voice getting louder. “I’m fucking livid! Using an alpha bark on an omega you’re not bonded with is illegal. I’m going to kill him.” Theo whipped around in a U-turn, causing angry drivers to honk as he cut them off.

I wasn’t sure what to feel at his over-protectiveness—grateful? Annoyed? A little nervous? Theo was kind and gentle at his core, and for some reason, I found myself giggling at his over-the-top reaction.

“Love, what could you possibly be replaceing funny right now?” he asked in a deadly, measured voice that would have made me shrink back a week ago. But I knew this alpha now and couldn’t stop more laughter from bursting out. Theo’s face, which had been contorted in anger, turned towards me in confusion.

“What’s the plan?” I asked in between peals of laughter. “You’re going to roll up and kill Luc?”

“You think I won’t?” Theo growled. “You don’t think I’ll do anything to protect you?”

“No, of course, I know you would,” I said, my voice softening. I brushed my hand across his cheek and he leaned into my touch. “But then, what will you do with the body?” I asked, my laughter kicking up again.

It had been so long since I caught the giggles like this and it felt so good to laugh with abandon as the streetlights flickered, my pissed-off alpha next to me. I love this man so much. The thought caught me off guard, taking my breath away before spreading warmth across my body. Something about this whole situation made me feel safe and secure. I grabbed Theo’s wrist, gently pulling his right hand off the wheel so I could hold it in both of mine.

I turned my body to face him, taking in the profile of his strong jaw and the pieces of his dark hair falling down around his face.

“You haven’t answered me,” I said, keeping my voice serious as I reached one of my hands out to brush his hair from his face. “What will you do with Luc’s body after you kill him?”

The corner of Theo’s mouth twitched. “I have a tarp and rope in the boot. I’ll wrap it around his body to transport it, throw him in the car, and then take him out to our cabin property to burn,” he said, his voice still serious but lacking the anger from before.

“We’ll have to circle back to why you have a tarp and rope in your car. But it sounds like I’ll have to help you? Be in the car with a dead body on the way to the property? Not very thoughtful, making me an accessory to the murder. Also, you promised me ice cream.”

“I’ll make sure you get extra sprinkles for your help,” he said, squeezing my hand before putting his back on the wheel to turn the car around. “Or I suppose we can skip the murder for tonight. Don’t want the ice cream shop to close on us.”

“Mmm, good thinking. I would be really mad if I didn’t get my ice cream tonight.”

Theo took a deep breath. “I’m sorry I got a little upset, love.”

“A little upset?” I asked incredulously.

“Just a touch,” he responded, finally breaking into a real smile. It transformed his face, making him even more breathtakingly handsome than usual. Theo’s smiles were rare, and each one felt like winning a prize.

“Just a tiny murderous rage,” I teased.

Theo grunted, pulling up outside the ice cream shop and parking. He turned to me, cupping my face and pulling me in for a kiss. He rested his forehead against mine and breathed deeply, scenting me.

“You’re really okay?” he asked.

“I’m really okay.”

He took a shuddering breath. “I want to hear more about the class. I promise I’ll listen.”

“Thank you,” I whispered.

“How about we get ice cream to go—there’s a spot we can drive to near here with a great view of the city.”

“Do I still get extra sprinkles? Even though I didn’t help with body disposal?”

“You get as many sprinkles as you want. You get anything you want, my love.”

His voice sounded so sincere it made tears come to my eyes. I blinked them away and kissed him again, his lips gentle against mine. Theo kissed my forehead, holding my gaze for a moment before getting out of the car. He quickly opened my door, took my hand, and hugged me tightly.

“Thank you for caring about my safety. And for wanting to listen to me,” I murmured into his chest.

“You’re the most precious thing to me, Josie. The most important, sweetest part of my life.”

I felt like my heart would explode with love and happiness as we went in to get ice cream. Theo glared at the beta teenager preparing my order to make sure they put enough sprinkles on it. I ate my ice cream as Theo drove us to the lookout spot. I may have stolen a few bites from his cone when he was distracted. He growled at me playfully, but the smile on his face told me he didn’t mind. The dirt road we turned onto ended abruptly, and I saw we were on top of a hill with trees framing us on either side and the lit-up city below us. We finished up our cones, using copious napkins to clean up the mess we made.

“Will you tell me about the class, love?” Theo asked, gently running his thumb across my bottom lip. I shivered, but not from the cold. I felt myself heating under his gentle touch, wanting more. I nodded, my eyes locked on his warm brown ones.