Gray (The Boundarylands #10) - Callie Rhodes Page 0,15

of arousal as her body came to life again, her inner walls gripping him tightly.

It hadn't been a dream. Olivia's desperate attempts to believe she'd imagined the last hours or days shattered, leaving pure panic in its place. She jerked forward, trying to escape from the alpha's embrace, but a sharp tearing pain stopped her.

"Stop!" the alpha commanded, tightening his grip and holding her fast. Olivia fought him, slapping at his arms and twisting her body despite the searing pain it caused.

He grabbed her wrists and held them behind her back, effectively immobilizing her. But Olivia couldn't stop. Fear had taken over her will, urging her to fight with every ounce of strength she had.

After all, what was the alternative?

The best-case scenario was that everything she'd ever believed about herself was a lie. That she wasn't a strong beta woman who worked ridiculously hard to prove that she was as talented and capable as her male colleagues. That her years of studying and improving her craft, her walls covered in awards and honors, could not change the fact that she was nothing more than a cock-starved omega.

To admit that would be a fate worse than death, and Olivia felt tears streaking her face as she fought despite the white-hot pain between her legs. The only thing that mattered was her need to escape.

Even if she managed to free herself, Olivia knew that the alpha might kill her…but if she stayed, he was sure to do something far worse.

Goddamn, the omega squirmed and fought as fiercely as a cornered cat in Gray's arms. She had to know she had no chance of overpowering him and escaping, but that didn't stop her. She bucked and fought and even tried to bite him at one point.

Gray had no idea what had brought about this violent fit. But the sudden shift in her scent communicated her terror loud and clear, every bit as pure and strong as her lust had been.

His knot was still locked tightly inside her, and there was no way to hasten its retreat. If he didn't figure out how to keep her still, he was afraid she would injure herself badly.

Her pussy barely accommodated him as it was, and fighting to free herself before his knot eased would rip apart the entrance of her cunt. Even now, the sharp iron tang of blood rose up from beneath the water. It wasn't much, just a few drops—but it was about to get a hell of a lot worse if she kept fighting.

Bracing himself against the smooth stone bottom of the basin, Gray carefully shifted their bodies so that the omega was firmly pinned against the mossy bank. He gripped both her wrists in one hand while he wrapped the other in her damp hair and used it to pull her head back so that she was looking him directly in the eye.

"I said, stop," he repeated harshly.

But she already had. She had no choice, given his weight against hers, but there was no small measure of defiance in her gaze. The fight in her was almost as strong as her fear.

Almost.

In any other situation, Gray would have been impressed by her sheer courage. It took guts to stare into the eyes of an alpha who outmatched you in every possible way, who held your life in his hands.

Ordinarily, he wouldn't think twice about a beta's welfare. Shit, he'd left more than a few beta traders with painful souvenirs when they'd been dumb enough to challenge him. But in every other case, it had been stupidity, not courage, that had prompted their behavior.

But the thought of hurting this woman made his blood run cold. Because she was not, in fact, a beta, but the furthest thing from it.

This clearly wasn't something either of them had wanted—but that didn't erase the fact that it was happening. Fuck, it had already happened. The proof was still locked tight inside her.

With effort, Gray spoke as quietly and reassuringly as he could. "I'm not going to hurt you."

Her lips pulled back in a snarl. "You already are."

"No, you're hurting yourself," Gray said, his patience evaporating instantly. "If you'd just calm the fuck down, maybe you wouldn't rip yourself in half."

The omega's fiery hazel eyes widened incredulously. "Are you really telling me to just—just—shut up and take it?"

"Just stay the fuck where you are," Gray spat. "You didn't seem to mind my cock inside you five minutes ago."

She started at him in apparent shock, and then the