My Two Fated Alphas

My lips crashed against something warm. A startled grunt vibrated against my mouth.

I pushed back instantly, my palms smacking against a hard chest. My eyes snapped open.

The face inches from mine didn't belong to some random clumsy freshman.

Dark hair fell over a sharp brow. A silver ring pierced his left eyebrow. Eyes like cracked ice glared back at me.

Jax.

I scrambled backward, my sneakers squeaking against the polished linoleum. "I'm sorry!"

Jax remained on the floor. He swiped a thumb across his bottom lip, his gaze fixed on my face.

"Watch where you're going," he growled.

"I didn't mean to," I stammered, scrambling to my feet. "Someone shoved me. I swear."

He didn't blink. He just stared.

I had to get out of here. I spun around, ready to bolt toward the nearest stairwell.

A manicured hand slammed into my shoulder, shoving me backward.

"Not so fast, loser." Mia Thorne stepped into my path. Two of her friends flanked her, forming an impenetrable wall of designer clothes and judgment.

"Move, Mia," I pleaded, glancing nervously over my shoulder.

Mia ignored my request. She pivoted to face the gathering crowd of students. "Look everyone!" she shouted, her voice echoing sharply off the metal lockers. "The lowly Omega is coveting Alpha Jax! She actually threw herself at him and kissed him!"

Whispers erupted. Laughter bubbled up from the back of the crowd.

"That's a lie," I argued, my cheeks burning with humiliation. "I tripped. Someone pushed me from behind."

"Stop making excuses," Mia sneered. She crossed her arms, looking me up and down with pure disgust. "If you like Jax, just say it. We all saw you pucker up."

"I didn't!" I yelled, my voice cracking. "It was an accident."

"You really think a stunt like that will work?" Mia laughed, a harsh, grating sound. "You think an Alpha like him wants a pathetic, unshifted Omega? You're delusional."

"I don't want him!" I shot back. "I was just trying to get to my locker."

"Oh, sure. You just accidentally aimed for his mouth," a tall boy in a varsity jacket mocked from the sidelines. "Nice aim, loser."

"Who pushed you, then?" Mia challenged, stepping closer until she was completely in my space. "Name them. Point them out right now."

"I don't know! I didn't see!"

"Because no one pushed you." Mia turned back to her audience, gesturing wildly. "She's desperate. She knows no Alpha will ever claim her, so she's resorting to assault. It's pathetic."

"I didn't assault anyone!" I yelled.

"Keep your voice down," Mia snapped. "You're embarrassing yourself."

I scanned the sea of faces. No one stepped forward to help. Even Chloe stood frozen by the water fountain, her eyes wide with terror.

Everyone knew Jax. He wasn't just another Alpha in the pack. He was a menace. A rumor floated around that he broke a senior's jaw last month just for bumping his shoulder in the cafeteria. You don't cross Jax. You don't touch him. And you definitely don't kiss him. Messing with him meant a guaranteed trip to the hospital, or worse.

The hallway suddenly fell dead silent. The whispers died in the students' throats.

I turned my head.

Jax was on his feet.

He brushed a speck of dust off his dark leather jacket. His icy gaze locked onto mine.

The crowd parted instantly, giving him a wide berth.

"Jax, I'm so sorry," I babbled, my hands shaking violently. "I tripped. It was a complete mistake. I didn't mean to touch you."

He took a step forward.

I shrank back, my spine hitting the cold metal of a locker.

"I'll pay for dry cleaning if I got dirt on your jacket," I offered desperately. "Just release me."

He closed the distance between us in three long strides. His hand shot out. His fingers clamped around my upper arm like a steel vise.

I flinched, expecting a blow.

"You kiss me and plan to run away?" he demanded, his voice a gravelly rumble that sent a shiver down my spine.

"I wasn't running," I lied, my voice barely above a whisper. "I just need to go to class."

"Class can wait."

"What are you doing?" Mia asked, her arrogant mask slipping. "Jax, she's just a freak. Drop her."

Jax shot Mia a lethal glare. "Shut your mouth."

Mia snapped her jaw shut, stepping back quickly.

He yanked me forward.

"Wait! Where are you taking me?" I cried out, stumbling over my own feet.

He didn't answer. He just dragged me through the silent crowd. Students pressed themselves against the walls, avoiding his wrath.

My heart hammered against my ribs. I struggled to keep up with his aggressive pace.

"Jax, please, you're hurting my arm."

"Keep walking."

"Where are we going? My next class is chemistry. I refuse to be late."

"Quiet."

"I said I was sorry! I'll apologize in front of the whole school if you want. Just release my arm."

He ignored me, his grip tightening just enough to send a warning pulse of pain through my muscles.

We rounded the corner, leaving the crowded hallway behind. The air shifted.

That's when it hit me.

The scent.

It rolled off his leather jacket. It clung to his skin. It invaded my nose with every breath I took.

Pine and rain.

My stomach plummeted to my shoes.

No. No, that was impossible.

I inhaled again, discreetly, hoping my mind was playing tricks on me.

Yes. It was there. The exact same scent I smelled on Kane every single day. The unmistakable, grounding aroma of a mate.

How could Jax smell like my mate? How could I have two of them? Unshifted Omegas get confused, Chloe had said. But this wasn't confusion. This was clear as day.

Panic clawed at my throat, threatening to choke me.

If Kane was untouchable, Jax was a death sentence. He was a dangerous, volatile Alpha. If he realized an unshifted, weak Omega like me was his fated mate, he wouldn't just ignore me.

He would reject me.

A formal rejection from an Alpha would tear my dormant wolf to shreds. The pain would be absolute agony. It might even kill me.

He must never find out. I had to hide it. I had to play dumb.

He shoved me through a set of heavy fire doors, out into the empty back stairwell. The heavy metal slammed shut behind us, cutting off all sound from the school.

He backed me up against the concrete wall, pinning me in place with a hand on either side of my head.

"Explain," he ordered.

"I already told you," I said, keeping my voice as steady as possible. "Someone shoved me."

"Who?"

"I don't know. The hallway was crowded. People push all the time."

"They don't push people into my face," he stated coldly.

"Well, today they did!"

He leaned in closer. The scent of pine and rain wrapped around me, suffocating me. I forced myself not to react. I refused to let my eyes dilate. I masked my jumping pulse.

"You're lying," he accused, his eyes narrowing.

"I'm not."

"Why are you shaking, then?"

"Because you're terrifying!" I blurted out. "You drag me out here, you grab my arm. What do you expect me to do? Smile and thank you?"

He studied my face, searching for a crack in my defense.

"You didn't feel anything when our lips met?" he asked, his voice dropping an octave.

I forced a look of pure confusion onto my face. "Feel what? Fear? Yes. I felt terror."

"Nothing else?"

"Like what? Disgust?" I challenged, playing up the annoyance to hide my panic. "Because yes, a little bit of that too."

His jaw tightened. A dangerous spark flared in his icy eyes.

"You think you're funny," he stated.

"I think I'm late for chemistry," I shot back.

"You're not going anywhere until you tell me the truth."

"I already gave you the truth!"

"You gave me a convenient excuse." He shifted his weight, trapping me completely against the concrete. "Omegas don't just trip into Alphas. They plot. They scheme. They try to get noticed."

"I don't want to be noticed by you," I insisted.

"Then why did you kiss me back?"

My mouth fell open. "I did not kiss you back!"

"Your lips parted," he pointed out, his voice dropping to a low murmur.

"In shock! Because I was falling!"

He leaned closer, his nose grazing my cheek. He took a deep, slow breath, inhaling my scent directly from my neck.

I held mine.