to steady himself as he fought for control.
He won it back only by gritting his teeth, clenching his fists, and fighting like hell until he was able to line up his thoughts again with some semblance of reason.
Now he was more sure than ever—something was wrong here…very wrong.
There was no way that the beta authorities had forced some random woman onto his land who just happened to be an omega. The odds were infinitesimal. It was too much of a coincidence…especially once he started adding in all the other little details.
Gray could accept the possibility that she'd been lied to and coerced into coming here. There had been no deceit in her scent when she'd finally scrubbed off all the crap they'd made her wear.
But the location of her camp was what made it clear she'd been set up. Constructed a little over half a mile from his cabin, the tent was far away enough not to be obvious but still far too close for anyone inside to make it an entire week without being discovered.
And then there was that beep—too high for her ears, but perfectly audible to his—emitted from a locked case that seemingly served no other purpose than to serve as bait, to lure him closer.
Nothing about this situation felt right.
What was worse, none of it mattered.
Not when the heat in Gray's blood seemed to double with each breath. Soon he wouldn't be able to think at all. Desire would crowd out every last shred of reason until all that was left was the sinfully tempting omega.
The poor, unwitting woman was already too far gone, so deep into her transformation that after only a few seconds she couldn't keep her hands off his body.
Frustration arced weakly through Gray's lust. He knew he was fighting a losing battle. He couldn't turn away from her—it was pointless to try.
She might be the last thing Gray wanted, but she was the one thing he couldn't resist.
It didn't help that he'd found her physically attractive even before his touch had kicked off a chain reaction of hormones and pheromones that sent their libidos into overdrive.
She had a voice like a diva who'd chased a bring-down-the-house performance with a pack of cigarettes, all sinful promise of things to come—completely at odds with her elegant, cool beauty that commanded respect and kept the viewer at a distance.
She was no child; she'd lived enough to earn fine lines at the corners of her eyes that spoke of wisdom. Add to that her high cheekbones, patrician nose, and intelligent hazel eyes, and Gray could already tell that this spy was no ordinary beta.
There was fire running through this woman's veins. Strength, determination, and resolve too. All this Gray had been able to tell before the image of her down on her knees, her cool, slim fingers wrapped around his cock as lush, pink lips strained to encircle the head, had flashed through his head.
And fuck—Gray could feel in her touch that she was having similar fevered thoughts.
She dragged her nails across his back as she trailed her hands from his shoulders to his waist, only to press him against her greedily.
Damn, he could feel the passion in her touch. Real passion, not the manufactured, over-the-top act put on by the prostitutes down at the roadhouse every Friday night.
Those sex workers had their place. Gray had nothing against them. Hell, sometimes he was the first to get in line for a ride when the itch became too strong, and he always showed his appreciation for their professionalism by tipping generously.
But none of those girls ever touched him like this. Like they needed him. Like they'd shatter if they couldn't have him. Like he was the missing piece they'd been searching for their entire lives.
The omega's caresses were hard enough to resist. But when she started moaning, her eyelashes fluttering and her body trembling, that's when Gray really began to lose control.
Her voice, somewhere between a sigh and a pleading purr, was the sound of pure submission. Of an omega slipping past the point of return, saying goodbye to her beta life and plunging deep into her new nature.
The last of Gray's will left him. He was powerless to resist.
He wrapped his arms around the woman. He'd already forgotten the name printed on that damned badge, but it didn't matter. He knew more important things about her—the silky feel of her long hair, her deep, lush scent, the summer-sweet taste of her lips as he claimed them