Forbidden by Cathy Clamp Page B

replacement.
    Omega . The leaden weight of the word made Claire want to vomit. The realization of what had just happened was sinking home. She hadn’t just lost a challenge. She’d become the lowest member of the pack. She’d almost rather lose some of her skin.
    The mayor pushed his way through the crowd, pulling Alek by the literal scruff of his neck. “Is what Miss Sanchez says true, Alek? Did you leave her in the woods so long she missed her check-in time?”
    Alek looked in agony. Embarrassed, angry, humiliated, worried, afraid—a melting pot of negative scents. Even the crowd noticed the smells and some of the jubilant chanting and cheering faded away. “I…” He seemed to be ready to say a thousand things. But all that came out was, “Yes.” He turned and looked straight into her eyes. “I’m sorry, Claire. I messed up.”
    Part of her wanted to scream at him, “Yeah, you did, you idiot!” Another part wanted to hug him and tell him it was okay. A tiny bit of her just wanted to slap him.
    But she didn’t get a chance to do anything, because the mayor just tsked. “Sorry about that, Ms. Sanchez. Not your fault, but the rules are very clear.” He raised his voice to the crowd. “Looks like we’ve got us two Omegas this month, folks! We won’t need to have a meeting tonight after all to introduce our new resident. Get your list of chores written up, folks. You’ll all get to meet her as she and Alek both stop by each and every house in town until the next Ascension!” The crowd cheered and started laughing and celebrating again.
    At Alek’s sudden startled look, the police chief leaned in and whispered with the oily scent of dark glee leaking from his pores. “Look at section fourteen, paragraph ten. ‘A mentor who shall knowingly or intentionally allow a challenger to violate a rule of the games shall share the result of said violation.’” The police chief put a tight arm around Alek’s shoulders and the other around hers, appearing to be jovial and friendly. But the pressure as he dug his fingers into Claire’s shoulder wasn’t friendly and the words he whispered under his breath as the crowd cheered chilled her blood. “Oh, I’m going to enjoy making you both crawl.”

 
    CHAPTER 9
    The scents drifting out from the kitchen the next day should have made Alek’s stomach growl. Roast turkey, venison stew, and baking bread, seasoned and cooked to perfection. But his gut was rumbling and queasy and a band of pain enveloped his head like a vise.
    Omega.
    He’d never been the Omega; had no idea what it entailed. Worse, he’d inflicted it on Claire, who didn’t even know how things worked in town. He’d tossed and turned all night, reliving the scene. He’d failed her, plain and simple. There was no excuse. When they’d gotten home, Claire had locked herself in her room without a word to anyone. Mom had suggested Alek not try to talk to her until the weekly dinner today.
    Maybe it would help if he knew more about what being the Omega meant. He’d been alpha since he could remember—since his first change—so he’d never had to serve in that role. But his bro, Scott Clayton, had been the Omega on and off for several years before Rachel lost her first challenge.
    Alek wound his way through the crowd of people who’d arrived for dinner, heading for Scott, whose blond ponytail, with its distinctive streak of white, he’d spotted from across the room. As he passed the staircase, a flood of scent froze him in midstep. Sweet, thick, warm. Chocolate in front of the fire, it filled his nose, his head; it fluttered in his chest. He tried to inhale again without exhaling, to capture more of it. He turned his head and saw those perfect features and those eyes … those angry eyes. Claire glowered down at him, fingers clutching the handrail