Against his will: The omega he never chose

A sense of desperation hit Travis. “Look, why don’t you forget this trip? We can find an elder tonight and be married by tomorrow.”

“I told you, Travis. I refuse to live in that ramshackle barn you call a house. When you build a new one, we’ll talk about it.”

“I don’t have the kind of money it takes to build a house. Especially when there’s nothing wrong with the one I have.”

“It’s old.” Remi wrinkled her nose. “And ugly. And stinky. Why can’t you just do one thing for me? Is that too much to ask? I’m beginning to think you don’t really love me.”

 “That’s not true.” Travis kept his voice low.

 “Isn’t it? Nigel wants to build a house for me.”

Travis couldn’t control the anger that flashed through him while he studied Remi’s face.

 “For that matter,” she continued thoughtfully, “I bet that dog would love a little vacation.”

Remi yanked the diamond engagement ring off her finger and tossed it onto the table. “We’re through, Travis. And this time, it’s for good.” With a swirl of her sleekly styled blonde hair, the omega flounced out of the bar.

“She did it to you again, didn’t she?” Celeb  Flynn sat down in the chair Remi had just vacated and picked up the ring, turning it over and over in his hands. 

“How many times does this make? Ten? Twenty?”

Travis chugged the beer in one go. Celeb had been his best friend and guardian since he was five, but sometimes even friends could get on your nerves.

“What was it this time? She wanted you to go to another one of his b*llsh*t friend’s fancy parties?”

“No.” Travis’s gaze wandered to the back of the building, searching. “She wanted me to take her to Hawaii for two weeks.”

Celeb stared at him for a minute. “You’re joking. Does she think the estate was going to run itself? That’s pretty extreme, even for little Miss. Obnoxiou—”

His words cut off as Travis glared at him.

“It’s not her fault that Alpha Pierce is the richest man in town. You just don’t know her like I do. She’ll be back.” Travis only hoped Remi would be here for him, but he was beginning to doubt it.

“D*mn right, she will. Look, Travis, how long is it going to take before you start listening to me? I keep trying to tell you, she is not worth it. She is only stringing you along. Remi doesn’t care about anyone but herself. She never has and he never will. She’s been seeing so many other men. You know it. I know it. Everyone in town knows it. Face facts. She is never going to marry you.”

Travis stared at the ring in Celeb’s hand, then pulled it away from him and stuck it in his pocket.

Celeb was right about one thing. He knew about Nigel. It had caused their last big fight six weeks ago. 

That night, Travis had been the one who called the engagement off for a change.

Then he’d gone out and gotten dead drunk. It was what had gotten him into all this mess to start with.

Again, his gaze wandered uneasily to the bar, searching for and finding Alyssa. The girl was loading a tray with drinks, her skin pasty white under the bar lights.

The omega looked horrible, like she might fall over face-first any minute. Strands of her long auburn hair strung loose and clung to her sweat-dampened neck.

Travis might not remember much else about that night, but he remembered what Alyssa‘a lips had tasted like on his tongue, the heat that had roared through him when he touched her.

The soft curve of her supple body under him. Remembered how it felt to sink himself into her warm, welcoming depths.

Goddess Luna help him, he’d sported a raging erection for a solid week afterwards, every time he thought about it. 

And then the fear had set in.

He was betraying his bride to be. That little fact had sobered him up real fast, but not fast enough to keep him from taking Alyssa. Not fast enough for his brain to realize he didn’t use protection.

 Had Alyssa told him the truth tonight?

 Was it just a virus or was she pregnant?

Travis had been holding his breath ever since that night, waiting for the axe to fall, waiting for the words that would forever end his relationship with Remi.

“So, what are you going to do about it?”

Travis’s head whipped around in shock before he realized that Caleb was still talking about Remi.

Remi and Nigel. “Nothing.”

“Nothing?” His friend sounded disgusted. 

“You’re just going to let her get away with it.” Caleb waved and caught Alyssa’s  attention, holding up two fingers  to signify he wanted two drinks when she looked at him.

Alyssa nodded and turned back to the bar.

“What do you expect me to do? Lock her up? Make her submit to me?”

Travis watched Alyssa head toward their table, two more beers in hand.

They both fell silent as Alyssa put the bottles in front of them.

 Travis tried to catch her eye, but Alyssa refused to even look at him or his general direction.

Caleb watched her walk away, a thoughtful expression on his face. 

“I think if I were you, Vis, I’d at least want to get even. Maybe you should take a shot at some of that.” He tilted his head at Alyssa. “I’ve heard she’s pretty hot in bed.”

 The rage that hit Travis was uncontrollable. Before he even knew he was going to, he had grabbed the front of his friend’s shirt and hauled him halfway across the table.

“I think you better learn to keep your mouth shut until you know what you’re talking about.” Travis forced the words out through tightly gritted teeth.

“Easy, there. D*mn. Easy.” Caleb held both hands up in a gesture of peace . “I didn’t mean anything.” He sank back into his chair as Travis released him.

 “I just don’t understand how you can keep taking Remi back time after time. No omega is worth what she puts you through.”

Travis reached for his wallet and slapped some money on the table. “It’s not your problem. It’s mine and I’ll handle it my way.” He pushed his chair back and stood. “See you later.”