She was a beta, just like everyone else she knew. There was no way that she could be an omega...and not just because she didn't want to believe it.
Omegas were incredibly rare. Even more rare than alphas, or so she had been taught. But she also knew that no woman could know her true nature until she was in the presence of an alpha.
Until she touched one. Felt his skin, his hot gaze. Until his pheromones found their way into her bloodstream and set off the reaction that had been lying in wait her entire life.
Oh God, no.
Mia started running again, her heart pounding wildly, dragging her injured leg. She wasn't only running from the alpha now—she was running from something even worse: her own true nature.
The alpha caught her just as easily as he had before, taking only two strides for her dozen. Picking her up with one hand, he spun her around and pressed her chest against his. Intense dark eyes stared into hers.
"Yes, you are." His voice was deep and strong, vibrating through her.
The warmth Mia had felt when he first touched her ignited into raging flames. Her heart started to hammer, but this time it had nothing to do with fear. An entirely different emotion kindled in her now, a different kind of fire.
Her hand moved independently of her mind, and Mia found herself reaching up and running her fingers through the alpha's thick, dark brown hair. She couldn't stop herself.
Oh God, why couldn't she stop herself?
She didn't want to lace her fingers around his massive neck. She didn't want to pull his lips down to hers. But she had to.
His mouth crashed against hers. Mia swept her tongue hungrily over his lower lip, over the ridge of his teeth, wanting to taste him, drink him in.
But just a taste wasn't enough. She wanted more. She needed more.
Cradled tight in his arms, Mia drew her legs up and wrapped them around his waist. Unfamiliar wetness dampened the inside of her thighs. The night air chilled the skin, making her shiver in delicious contrast to the heat where their bodies met.
The alpha growled his approval into her mouth before pulling back.
"You are an omega," he roared. "My omega!"
The last shred of rational thought that Mia still possessed rebelled at his words. This couldn't be real. It had to be a nightmare. She would rather be dead than an omega. At least then, her torture would be over.
Now it was just beginning.
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* * *Samson: Book 3 (excerpt)
No matter how many times Cassidy found herself in the presence of alphas, she couldn't help but feel like an outsider.
A small, weak, fragile outsider.
Maybe all betas felt that way. Perhaps they couldn't help it. It was probably a hormonal reaction. A survival response. A reminder to keep her head down and her movements and reactions submissive.
The sound of Ian's footsteps behind her was all the motivation she needed to keep going and push past the unease. She shoved as hard as she could against the heavy door and slipped inside.
Wow.
Cassidy was greeted by the sound of music, conversation, and laughter. The bar was busier than she'd ever seen it. She supposed that she shouldn't have been surprised, considering what was on the menu.
But this wasn't just an ordinary bar filled with people enthusiastically greeting the weekend.
These were Alphas.
When she had visited with Dr. Cheung, there had never been more than six or seven of them, but tonight there was at least twice that.
The unease in Cassidy doubled as well.
"Hey, little lady," a deep voice rumbled at her right. "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 shoulders that were wider than two of her pushed together.
She swallowed the lump in her throat and opened her mouth, but nothing came out.
"Her name is Dr. Carr," an even deeper voice answered for her—a voice that Cassidy knew well. The rich sound resonated through her. "She's not one of Nicky’s girls."
"My mistake," the first alpha said, raising his hands in a gesture of peace. "No offense meant."
"None taken," Cassidy said, even though she knew that the apology was 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 gazing into his eyes would only distract her more, and she wasn't quite ready for that yet.
So she just said his name instead.
"Samson."
After seven visits in sixteen months, Samson was the only alpha who made her feel this way. Wary and cautious, sure, but also…fluttery. Cassidy winced at the thought. ‘Fluttery’ wasn't exactly a scientific description, but she couldn't think of a more accurate word for the changes in her heart rate, the temperature of her skin, the increased sensitivity in her fingertips, and…other places.
Maybe it was the alpha's appearance—his thick brown hair, his deep brown eyes, his strong jawline, and chiseled cheekbones. There was no denying that Samson was more conventionally attractive than most alphas.
But the differences didn't stop there: Samson was also taller, more massive, more muscular, more…everything than all the other alphas she'd met.
"Dr. Carr," he said again.
And on top of all that, he had a sense of humor too—a rare trait among alphas.
"You shouldn't call me that," Cassidy chided as she turned around, unable to put off facing him any longer. "You know I haven't earned the title yet."
Cassidy thought she was ready to greet him, but she had been wrong. Just as with every other visit, her first glimpse of Samson took her breath away.
Literally.
The air caught in her throat. Her belly contracted, but no air filled her lungs. Cassidy mentally cursed the attraction she felt toward Samson. The one she couldn't control.
And the one she absolutely could not act on.
"What are you doing here?" he asked.
She cast her gaze toward the floor, a show of submission she would
