Wow.
Friday night was busy. She shouldn't have been surprised, knowing what was on the menu, but she'd never seen so many people in the bar before.
Not just people.
Alphas.
During the visits she'd made with Dr. Cheung, there had never been more than six or seven alphas in Evander's, but tonight there was at least twice that.
The unease in Cassidy doubled as well.
"Hey, little lady," a deep, rumbly voice came from her right side. "Never seen you before. You must be new. What's your name?"
Cassidy looked up…and up…into the face of a seven-foot tall alpha with a shaved head and shoulders that were wider than two of her pushed together.
She swallowed down past the lump that was blocking her throat and opened her mouth, but nothing came out.
"Her name is Dr. Carr," an even deeper voice answered. One that Cassidy knew well. The rich sound rumbled right through her. "And she's not one of Nicky's girls."
"My mistake," the first alpha said. "No offense meant."
"None taken," Cassidy said, even though she knew that the apology was really directed at the alpha behind her.
The one with the voice that made her heart pump a little bit faster. She was reluctant to turn around and face him. She knew from experience that would only make her pulse race more, and she wasn't quite ready for that yet.
So, she just said his name instead.
"Samson."
After seven visits in sixteen months, he was the only alpha that made her feel this way. Not just wary and cautious, but fluttery and alive.
Maybe it was the way he looked—his thick brown hair, his deep brown eyes, his cut jawline, and chiseled cheekbones. He was more conventionally attractive than most alphas. There was no denying that.
But that didn't account for the fact that he was taller, more massive, more muscular, more…everything than all the other alpha she'd met.
"Dr. Carr," Samson said.
And on top of all that, he had a sense of humor too. Something almost unheard of in alpha communities.
"You shouldn't call me that," she said, finally turning toward him. "You know I haven't earned the title yet."
Cassidy thought she was ready to see him again, but she was wrong. Just like every visit, the first time she came face to face with Samson, he took her breath away.
Literally.
The air caught in her throat. Her belly contracted, but no air filled her lungs. In her head, she cursed the pull she felt toward him. The one she couldn't control.
And the one she absolutely could not act on.
"What are you doing here?" he said.
She forced her gaze toward the floor. It was a show of submission she would have done instinctually with any other alpha in the bar when faced with a direct question, but with Samson, she had to force it.
The truth was she didn't want to look away. She saw him so rarely—only a couple of days every two and months—that the moment he was in front of her, she never wanted to look away.
But she had to.
Not just so she could breathe and find her words, but so that she act in a somewhat professional manner. The kind of respectful and blameless behavior that Dr. Cheung demanded out of his students in the field. The kind that allowed them to have a good relationship with the Boundaryland community and continue to be welcomed back.
"Research for my dissertation," she answered him.
"Tonight? You know what happens on Friday nights, right?"
"Of course," she answered. "That's why I had to come. I'm researching relationships between the alpha and beta cultures, and this should give me some key insights into some of the more…intimate interactions."
Samson let out a low rumbling sound that spread through the whole bar. A few gazes shot their way at the sound.
"I don't like the idea of some of my brothers thinking you're a whore."
Cassidy felt a brief but sharp stab of disappointment at the reminder of why he was here tonight.
Samson had always been polite with her, even protective at times. Still, there always came a time during each visit when she needed to remind herself that the attraction she felt was one-sided.
She was a confirmed beta. She'd even felt Samson's touch on a few occasions. Other than a sizzle of heat that started deep in her belly and landed between her legs, there was no reaction.
Alphas were meant to be with omegas. It was the natural order of things. Sure, they could have flings with betas, sate a few carnal needs. Friday nights in Evander's Bar were proof of that. But that was it. There could never be anything more.
"I'll be fine," she said. "Mia personally invited me, so technically, I'm a guest under Ty's protection."
Cassidy glanced up and saw that Samson's mouth was still pressed in a long hard line. Obviously, that didn't reassure him as much, though she had no idea why.
Though Boundaryland laws were considered cruel and violent by most betas, they were sacred and unbreakable to an alpha. Being under the bar owner's protection all but guaranteed her physical safety.
"Who's the man you drove in with?"
A royal pain in her ass.
"Ian Wilkerson," she answered. "He's another of Dr. Cheung's students."
Samson crinkled his nose as he stared across the room at Ian. "You don't like him," he said.
That was the understatement of the year. Cassidy took in a deep breath and focused on calming her pulse. It was easy to forget how an alpha's sharp senses could pick up and interpret every emotional cue.
"He's my peer," she said. "We don't have to like each other. We just need to work together."
Samson ignored her diplomatic words.
"You don't trust him," he went on. He leaned in a little closer, drawing in the air around her. His expression changed in an instant, becoming hard and terrifying. "Why are you afraid of him? Has he hurt you?"
"What? No." Without thinking, Cassidy reached out and wrapped
