Business was slow at the D'Arcy Bar & Grill that night, affording Elijah ample opportunity to think, much to his displeasure. The last thing he wanted to do was spend time alone with his thoughts, replaying scenes from those final few moments before Mila left him in the clearing to return home.

He was still cursing himself for rejecting her advances this morning. He couldn’t rid his mind of her intoxicating scent, her soft skin and the way her lips curled into a slow smile as she straddled him. The way her sweet pussy slid like velvet against him as she teased him, practically begging for another round.

His cock couldn’t help responding to the stimuli provided by his brain, leaving him in a constant state of arousal, which only added to his frustration.

The last customer was long gone, and he had already counted the till, locked up the money in the office safe, and turned down the lights. But the stillness around him only exacerbated his angst and encouraged his illicit thoughts.

He should have fucked her again.

And again.

And again.

He wiped the bar with excessive force, hoping physical exertion would clear his thoughts of Mila and allow his erection to subside.

And then he should have taken her far, far away — away from her parents, away from Jared and away from the entire Sundown Pack. Somewhere safe, where they could live in peace and raise a family of their own.

A pack of their own.

The mahogany bar shone under his assault, but he took no satisfaction in a job well done. Wiping down the bar was only a reinforcement of his position in the pack as a lowly bartender whose only purpose was to see to the needs of those above him.

It hadn’t bothered him in the past. But now? He was furious. Mila had changed everything.

Elijah came from a long line of Alphas. Despite the unfortunate turn of events that led him to take a place amongst the lowest ranks of the pack’s heirarchy, he had always realized his own self-worth, had never felt inferior to any of the Sundown Pack who ranked higher than he did.

And in the past, he had never even concerned himself with the rank of any of the female pack members he had taken to bed.

Then again, none of his lovers had been the Beta’s daughter and future Lupina. Knowing where he stood in comparison to Mila, at least among those in control of the pack, was enough to make him cringe.

He could just imagine the look of derision Niall would give him when he found out—right before either he or Jared tried to rip him to pieces for his insolence.

It wouldn’t matter to them that Elijah should have been the Alpha of his own pack, or that his father’s weakness — not his — was the cause of his former pack’s demise. That alone would be cause for rejection. Many pack members believed, strength, or lack thereof, flowed from father to son naturally, which was why sons automatically inherited the position of Alpha, unless challenged.

How could he not feel inferior to Jared?

How could he avoid contrasting what he could offer Mila with what the soon to be Alpha could give her?

As an Omega, he had nothing that was truly his own to put forward. His father had been defeated and died in the challenge before Elijah’s birth. The Alpha replacing him had spared no pity for Elijah’s mother, forcing her to leave her home, though she had been eight months pregnant with twins.

By the time he was born, his status as the son of a former Alpha of the Rodesia Pack meant nothing.

And if Mila had been anyone else, his lack of status wouldn’t have even mattered. Most members of the Sundown Pack it was permissible to have sex with whomever they liked. The majority could even choose their own mate without permission of the Alpha.

Only a select few, like Mila, had no control over who their partner would be.

He tossed the cloth into the bar sink with a sigh. One night of anonymous sex, and suddenly he was mated for life and in mortal danger due to his blatant violation of pack law.

And now that he had claimed her as his own, her very essence pulsed through his veins like a drug. Every cell in his body yearned for Mila’s touch, with every breath his desperation to be inside her just one more time grew. He needed her. And she needed him.

Consequences be damned.

And that was exactly was why he should put all thoughts of her from his mind. Why would she give up the security of her station in the Sundown Pack to face an unknown future with him?

He thought back to that fateful afternoon last summer, the first time he looked into Mila’s eyes and tumbled head-over-heels into love.

She had just returned to the island after finishing university, and had stopped by the D’Arcy Bar & Grill to see her friends.

She ordered a drink, and her gaze rendered him speechless. When she passed the money over the bar and her fingertips grazed his, her touch struck him like a lightning bolt. And his reaction — his overwhelming, primal desire to grab her by the waist, lay her on the bar and fuck her into the next full moon as his wolf urged him to bite her, to claim her — stunned him senseless.

That was the day he fell in love with Mila. But he knew he could never have her.

He wrote his feelings off as an intense infatuation, some sort of ridiculous puppy love made stronger by the forbidden nature of his desire.

But now that fate had brought them together again, now that he had committed the ultimate sin of claiming the Alpha’s betrothed, now that his very life was at stake? His desire for her hadn’t just intensified.

Now, it was all consuming.

Was that why he had been so caught up in the moment last night? Had his subconscious recognized her scent and encouraged him to mate with her, without his conscious mind knowing who she was?

In the eyes of the Pack, Mila belonged to Jared. A future with Mila was an impossible dream. If he was smart, he would just accept it.

He took a deep breath, steeling his resolve. He would go to her tonight and explain the danger of their situation. He would give her the choice between her and Jared, knowing that if she chose Jared, he would have to leave the island forever.

But if she chose him, would she be willing to leave her family, her friends, and everything she had ever known? All for an Omega lover?

Mila deserved more. Mila needed more.

All I need is you. Mila’s melodic voice pushed into his thoughts without warning, causing his loins to stir with desire all over again.

His cock sprung to life as he imagined her pouty lips parting to take him into her mouth, her tongue pressing against his shaft as she bobbed up and down, coaxing him to climax.

He adjusted himself, trying to create room for his aching cock as it strained against his jeans, but as he cupped his erection in his hand, he imagined Mila touching him, felt himself sinking into her sweet, plump sex as it tightened around him.

Mila, he thought. I’m coming for you.

He moaned, his body shuddering violently as his unexpected climax shot forth, soaking the front of his jeans. He gripped the edge of the bar, bracing himself as his knees buckled with the shockwaves that followed.

He let out a curse, grateful he was alone in the bar. He swallowed hard as he realized the truth.

There was no choice to be made.

Mila was already his.

He had claimed her.

And he would defend his claim, would protect his mate, at all costs. Even if it meant challenging the Alpha.

Even if he lost his life in the process.