It was impossible for anyone to smell this good, but there he was in front of me.

Chase.

There was no question about it – this omega was my fated mate. It was undeniable. He smelled minty, with a hint of pine behind it that made me think of canoe trips or hiking in the woods. I couldn’t help it, and reached out and ran my hand through the mound of gorgeous golden curls on his head, staring into the baby blue eyes that had me hypnotized.

“It’s great to m-meet you, too,” he replied. My dick was tingling, and it was taking everything in me to keep my erection down. How fitting would it be for the pack leader to get all boned up at a time like this? It wasn’t like I could just take him right here in front of everyone, even though that’s all I wanted to do. I wasn’t shy, and would have no issues fucking his brains out in full view of an audience, but that wasn’t boss behavior.

My eyes moved to his lips and I felt myself start to salivate as I thought about sucking his bottom lip and pressing my tongue into his mouth. He was like a delicious three star meal that only the rich could afford, and he was right here laid out in front of me – for me.

He was lying on his side, but sort of half leaned back on his elbows with his entire body bare and exposed for me, including…

A sweet cock I couldn’t help but want to get my mouth around. Everything about Chase was perfect. He was like a beautifully prepared meal made especially for me, and I couldn’t wait to taste him.

“That musta taken the breath out of ya!” Charles laughed, his voice shattering the moment. I heard another splash, then another, and turned to see the three alphas Chase had come with swimming to shore.

My wolf was fierce within me. Could one of them be his alpha? His mate? The thought alone cut through my heart like a dagger.

“It hurt,” Chase said softly. I saw him shift, moving his legs to cover his midsection. Like me, his dick was responding to our attraction, and he was embarrassed.

“Jesus, Chase!” A voice came from behind me, and I turned to see the other three alphas emerging from the water. Quickly, I eyed Dwayne, who was already on the beach, readying himself in case there was trouble. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”

“I – I slipped,” Chase stammered, bringing his knees to his chest.

“Dumb ass,” one of them scoffed. He was shorter than the rest, slightly chubby with dark hair.

“Matias, this is Buck, Tyler and Will,” Chase said, almost hesitantly, still not getting to his feet.

“Pleased to meet you,” I said, getting to my feet as they reached us. They looked like a group of spoiled trust fund babies who had never seen a day’s work in their lives. I hated them instantly, especially Buck, who stretched a hand out to me.

“Buck,” he said with a smile like that meant something to me – like he was a celebrity or something. “Thanks for the hand with my omega here. He’s a little clumsy sometimes.”

My omega…

The words chattered through my brain like a rusty band saw, chipping away with a pain that bled into my soul. My fists clenched. My body tightened and I took a step to the side, blocking Chase from Buck’s view.

“That’s no way to talk,” I said slowly. “He could have died just now.”

Buck eyed me oddly, like he was trying to get a read on me. But my face was giving nothing away. This wasn’t a tactic – I was trying to keep myself calm, from letting my wolf take over and my anger driving me to do something I’d regret.

“I made it just fine,” Tyler said in a clueless tone. He was obviously a jokester, without a care in the world.

Brat.

“Where you fellas from?” Charles asked. “Got a place around here?”

“No, we don’t live together,” the chubby one named Will replied.

“But didn’t you just say you were his alpha?” I said, my eyes on Buck.

“That’s right,” he shrugged.

“But you don’t live together?” I continued. “Shouldn’t an alpha, a pack leader, have a place for his family?”

Buck’s eyes narrowed, and I felt Dwayne looking at me. Patrick and Noah had come out of the water with the rest of the omegas, who were clustered to my right. The tension in the air was thick, like a room filled with half air and half cappuccino foam.

“Come on, Chase,” he finally said, snapping his fingers like he was some sort of crime boss. “Time to go.”

My heart leapt at his words.

No!

I heard Chase get to his feet behind me and fought the urge to snatch him by the rest and bear my fangs at these three fuckers who wanted to take him away from me.

“Where’d you saw you were from?” Dwayne chimed in. Tyler turned to him as if he’d just noticed his existence.

“Portsmouth,” he replied. “Just outside of town.”

That confirmed it – these were a group of rich, spoiled dick heads and Buck thought he owned Chase. Living out in the woods of Maine, we didn’t run into guys like this too often, and I’d almost forgotten that not all shifters were rugged men living off the land like us. It was hard to imagine Tate behaving like Buck and getting any respect from the rest of the pack.

Chase’s sweet minty pine smell wafted over me as he stepped around me, and I felt the warmth of his body as the skin of his chest pressed against my left shoulder.

Fuck!

“Come on, boy,” Buck said, his eyes on mine with a sly smile on his face, almost as though he knew what I was thinking. Was it written on my face? Was it obvious?

Suddenly, I was self conscious. My heart was pounding and I felt flush. Had I given it away? Buck was a dick, but he didn’t seem stupid. He knew how I felt about Chase, and he was rubbing it in.

His arm slid around Chase’s shoulders, and with a wink in my direction, he pulled him away.

“See ya, fellas,” he said lazily over his shoulder. “Nice to meet ya.”

My mouth opened and I ran my tongue over my fangs. One bite. That’s all it would take. One bite – just pierce the skin on his neck with my teeth and it would be all over. Chase would be mine.

It took everything in me to make the right decision and hold back. I watched them go, my eyes fixed on them until they vanished into the trees. None of my pack moved, but after a moment, Dwayne came to my side.

“Track them,” I told him quietly. “I need to know where they’re taking him.”

“I saw the way you were looking at him…Is he--?”

“Yes,” I said, turning to him. “He’s my fated mate. And I need him back.”