Chapter 3 DENNYJAY

DENNY:

Jaden Jason Corato?!

My legs buckled beneath me. My mouth dropped open. I couldn't breathe, not because I was afraid of him, but because I had just laid hands on the one person I wasn't supposed to provoke. Not yet. Not this way.

I struggled in his grip, but it was like wrestling steel. He held me with the effortlessness of someone swatting away a fly...Like I weighed no more than a feather.

"Easy, now," he murmured against my ear, sending shivers down my spine. "You're strong for an Omega, but you are no match for me."

My entire body stiffened.

"Come on, don't be too embarrassed. It is okay to be a bîtch."

What did he just say?

With a surge of adrenaline, I twisted free, slammed him against the wall, and spun to face him. He didn't resist. He just stared, amused. A smug smile curled on his lips like I was a pet throwing a tantrum.

And that face, that mockery, erupted a storm within me, and before he could smirk again, I punched him and afresh, his nose burst open.

"Bîtch?" I hissed. "You think I'm a bîtch?"

He chuckled, even while bleeding. "Why are you so pîssêd, princess? You are very palpable, I can smell your heat."

I kicked his balls, not sure if I burst them up, because Max rushed in just as his face turned frantic, indicating either pain from the kick or anger of bursting his balls.

"Denny, we need to go. Now."

"I am not done here."

"Yes, you are."

Max yanked me away. I didn't resist. But when I glanced back at Jaden freaking Jason...he was hunched over, groaning.

"Denny," he growled, straightening upright. "I didn't like that kick. You sure will pay for that."

"Go fvck yourself!"

As Max dragged me away, we passed three men in the corridor...tall, scarred, radiating menace. One look, and I knew who they were.

"They're with him," Max said under his breath.

"Thanks."

I might have learned to punch and beat up asses, but I am not sure how long I would stand up to those creeps we just passed. Maximum? A couple of minutes, and I would be knocked out. I could barely stand up to the Corato heir, let alone when they are multiplied.

And Jay, how...how did he see through me? Smell me? Sure, I didn't forget to use my suppressants, so how was it possible?

Did he know since the parking lot? So ruining my car, the restroom, the punches, and the entire encounter was a trap. Jay had let me hit him. He wanted to see what I would do. To confirm. And now, I was exposed.

Worse, I was turned on.

Night came. I couldn't sleep. I tried to drown the memory of his voice, his smirk, the way he said "bîtch" like a twisted compliment...but nothing worked.

So, I drove to the bar, the only place where I could breathe.

Disguised beneath my wig, heels, and layered perfume, I stepped onto the stage. Becky. A goddess in a glitter dress. Ready to be my true self.

No one in the bar knew the real me. Not a single customer, not even the owner. And Thomas cared little for my identity. Great deal, I wasn't on his payroll. I didn't need the money. I only perform for freedom. For sanity.

But tonight, I was hoping for something more. I was aiming to tend to my needs, not to suppress them, but to satisfy them. To quench the fire Jay had ignited in me.

And I knew just the person, the mystery man from last week.

He had saved me from a drunk jerk. Broke bottles over skulls and shattered bones just to make sure I got out safely.

I hadn't seen his face, but I remembered his moves. The alpha energy still clung to me like my perfume.

I was singing for him tonight. And if he wanted me, I would go with him.

To hell with pretending. To hell with hiding my heat.

***************

POV: JAY

This town turns me off.

Small. Cramped. No action. No thrill.

But there is little I could do. It is a punishment. One I deserved, sure.

If I hadn't killed the Hawks heir, Williams, started a war too risky to contain, I wouldn't be confined in this shady town, on the terms to lay low.

Lying low isn't my style. I love disasters. Tornado. Earthquake sounds better. Well, I'd appreciate a volcano.

But no, I can't pull stunts anymore. I must behave. I swore to my father to be at my best until he decided otherwise.

I don't listen to anyone. I don't have to. But my father has been in a dilemma since the mess I made in the South. So I owe him my compliance here in the West.

I returned to the West with my men. Killing Williams brought more than I was expecting. The Union and all members of the Hawks Clan are out for me. And the West, inside my father's old mansion, is the best place to hide.

For the record, I didn't regret beating the fool to his death. He had it coming. All he would have done was find himself another blonde. He shouldn't have marked my woman; he should have known I detest sharing my property the most. But what? He thinks he fvcks better than me?

He's lucky I didn't burn the entire Hawks Clan.

But now I am stuck here. Power outage, of all things. In a dusty mansion with Luo babysitting me like I'm some fragile flower.

"I need air," I told him. "Prepare the car."

Luo wasn't happy, but he drove me out. He chose the quietest bar in town. One that wouldn't trigger whispers.

Fine. Whatever.

Until I saw her. The singer.

She took the stage, and I forgot everything. Her voice wasn't only beautiful, it was haunting. She owned that mic. Every note, every sway of her hip lit a fire in me I hadn't felt in weeks...Since I killed Liz and her lover, Williams Husks.

I grew hard in seconds, watching her sing like she was escaping her reality.

Then, some drunk touched her. Said she sang an abominable classic. His wife had eloped with the original artiste.

Luo warned me not to make a scene.

I didn't. I swear it.

Until that pig swaggered back to his seat, smirking like he'd won something for obstructing the music.

My table caught him mid-step. Okay, okay, my leg caught him. He fell. But dâmn it, I apologised.

He didn't accept. He fought back. I just dodged, but he bled.

The singer left the stage for safety. But I'd remembered her. And the next time I saw her? She wouldn't get away. She owes me a good fvcking thank you.