“I’m alright,” he mouthed, before turning his attention back to the intruders.
Enraged, the third man threw back his arm and launched an almighty haymaker straight towards Oliver’s face. He dodged it, unfurling his fist as he prepared to slap the man across the back of the head. Before he had chance, Lucas grabbed the man’s arm, wrenched it back, and flung him into one of the cubicles. He landed against the toilet with an almost comical ‘slap.’ Lucas growled and scooped Oliver up under his arm.
“H-Hey!” he cried, kicking his legs as he was carried out of the bathroom.
“We’re leaving,” Lucas growled, dropping him onto his feet and directing them both towards the exit. Oliver was about to protest, but as they marched towards the double doors, he clocked the three alphas barrelling out of the bathroom.
Now, contrary to public belief, bar brawls were not commonplace in West Newton, and as such, the local police station was ill-equipped to deal with them. Oliver wasnotin the mood to test cross-force response times that evening, so chose the sensible option of flinging himself into a nearby taxi. Lucas slipped into the seat next to him, eyebrows raised as he waited for him to give the driver his address.
“P-Pendle Cross,” he said, stuttering slightly from both the adrenaline let-down and the thought of revealing his address to the alpha.
Lucas’ brows pinched together. “Pendle Cross? Isn’t that near?—”
“Rhys’ club. Yeah.”
“Okie dokie,” the driver said, turning off the ‘vacant’ sign on the roof.
For most of the twenty-five minute car ride back to Oliver’s apartment, the only sound came from the car radio, the driver’s humming and Lucas’ heavy breathing.
“You okay?” Oliver said, tapping the back of the alpha’s hand.
“Yes,” Lucas replied without tearing his gaze away from the window.
Oliver studied the side of his face, before turning his own gaze back to the road. Whilst his sigma hormones had certainly reacted to the omega’s heat, it was nowhere near as potent to him as it was to a true alpha. He’d seen the madness it could cause, how that scent alone could turn an alpha’s brain inside out—especially the males. He’d locked up many an alpha who failed to contain their urges.
As much as he hated his sigma body at times, it must have been truly terrifying to be an omega losing control of their heat, or an alpha waking up to the consequences of their actions.
Lucas let out a long sigh, eyes half closed as he stared down at his clasped hands.
“Hey,” Oliver said, wiggling a finger into the space between the alpha’s palms. “Thanks for getting me out of there. Those guys were arseholes.”
Lucas finally looked at him, his expression melancholy. He sighed. “I thought it was you. I thought they’d done something to you. Thought they’d…” his words trailed off as he brought a hand to his face.
“Nah,” Oliver said, resting his tipsy head on Lucas’ shoulder. The alcohol and lingering adrenaline was making him bold. “You’re joking, right? I don’t think they could have thrown one decent punch between them.”
“But there were three of them, and one of you.”
He nodded against the alpha’s shoulder. “Exactly. You should have seen the way they were pacing outside the toilets. The poor omega wouldn’t have stood a chance. Jesus, I thought our society was past all that.”
“So you dove in, head first, without a care for your own safety?”
“W-Well, I mean…”
Lucas just shook his head. “Of course you did, Reed.”
The taxi came to a gentle stop outside his apartment block. Lucas paid the fare and slipped out alongside him. “I’ll walk the rest of the way,” he said, running a hand through his hair. “I need to clear my head.”
Oliver nodded, pointing towards the high rise silhouette of The Cherry Tree Hotel. “Just walk towards that building. The pavement’s well lit, so you should find your way.”
Lucas nodded. “Thanks,” he said, turning to leave.
Oliver watched him go, sighing as the alpha flipped up the collar of his jacket to protect his neck from the chill. His broad shoulders were slumped, his posture downcast as he walked under the blinking street lamps of Pendle Cross.
Just then, a clap of thunder rolled across the sky. Oliver blinked as a few droplets of rain fell into his eyelashes, then onto his cheek and in his hair. He glanced up to see the dark clouds rolling, lightning flashing deep purple behind them. Then, the heavens opened and a torrent of water blanketed the entire street.
He glanced back at Lucas, who was still walking with his head bent despite the downpour. Oliver felt two paths opening before him. One, be a total dick and let the alpha make the miserable journey back to the hotel. Two, invite him in until the rain calmed down. His legs were already propelling him down the street before he’d made up his mind, his body casting shadows under the artificial lights. He grabbed Lucas’ arm, pulling him around with a sharp tug.
“Come inside!” He had to shout over the roar of the thunder. “At least until the rain subsides!” Lucas looked momentarily conflicted, but nodded as he threw a hand up to protect Oliver’s head from the rain—for all the good it did.
