Hired to Protect (Book 2 of The Hired Series)

1. Penelope

***Please remember these are mostly unedited and liable to change before publication. Feel free to point out any typos or issues and enjoy!***

Heart racing, Penny ran as fast as she could through the alley, fleetingly wishing she had opted for flats today instead of the kitten heels. Skidding around a corner, she narrowly missed slamming into a dumpster before careening off the brick wall opposite it. Turning her head to look over her shoulder for the man chasing her, she didn't notice that the side alley she had turned into came to a dead end until her body jerked to a painful stop.

Stumbling back from the impact, her ankle twisted, and her butt hit the pavement, lungs struggling to pull in enough air for her to cry out at the pain. She would have been grateful for the forced silence if she had been far enough ahead for it to matter, but Adrian was already striding around the dumpster she had passed, ugly smirk spread across his face.

Chuckling, he stopped a few feet away, arms crossed over his chest as he looked down at her. Still imitating a fish gasping for air, Penny attempted to scoot away but whimpered at the pain radiating from her ankle. Stilettos had definitely been the wrong choice today.

"Why are you running from me, Sweetheart? I went through all the trouble of tracking you down so we could talk, and you didn't even let me say a word before you bolted. Makes me think you don't love me anymore."

Eyes narrowing, Adrian's arms dropped to his sides as he took a step forward. Pressing her hands to the rough brick behind her, Penny used it to leverage herself up to her feet, trying not to show how she couldn't put weight on her foot. He would go for any weakness he found.

"You know I don't love you Adrian. I've told you to stay away from me, just like the Force did. You need to leave me alone," she finally managed to say once she had gotten her breath back.

Lips pulling back in a snarl, he came closer, pinning her to the wall with an arm on each side of her body.

"You were supposed to be my girl, Penelope. My little omega slut."

He tried to growl the words at her as one hand moved to her cheek, thumb pulling her bottom lip down before she jerked her head away. Nothing more than a beta, his attempted growl was pitiful compared to what an Alpha's would be and only grated on her nerves. He had always tried to act like an Alpha, growling, ordering her around, and getting angry when she didn't produce slick for him. She had dealt with him for over a year before finally growing tired enough of his crap to call it quits, but unfortunately, he wasn't ready for it to end.

"You know what I think? I think you've fucked up your body. Those pills you take to stop your heat make it to where you might as well not even be an omega anymore. I always told you that you needed to stop taking them. Maybe then you would behave right."

Pressing his body to hers, she felt his pitiful erection dig into her hip as the bricks bit into her back and his hot breath washed over her face and neck.

"Maybe I just needed to be rougher with you, you seem excited now. From now on, you're not going to take those suppressants anymore. You're going to come back home with me and be a good little omega bitch."

"I am not coming back to you. Ever, Adrian. Get it through your thick head!"

Snarling, he wrapped a hand around her throat, cutting off her air before she even had a chance to yell. Wrapping both hands around his wrist, Penny did everything she could to try to get his grip to loosen. Lungs burning, she wasn't prepared for his hand to be ripped away, dropping her to her knees on the pavement with a sob.

Tears streaking down her cheeks, she lifted her eyes to see a large man tossing Adrian into the wall beside the dumpster before reaching down to wrap an arm around her waist, helping her up. The scent of Alpha aggression surrounded her as he easily held her weight while turning back to where he had tossed the bag of trash that was her ex.

Unable to see clearly through the tears, she scrubbed her cheeks with her hand. It took her a moment to realize he was gone, running while the Alpha was distracted helping her.

"Are you okay, Miss?"

The deep voice rumbled from above her and she had to tip her head back to be able to meet the faded blue eyes of the Alpha looking down at her.

"Y-yes, I think so," she managed to whisper, trying to pull away but falling back onto his arm when her ankle sent a spike of pain up her calf.

"Come 'ere," he said, swooping down to put his other arm behind her knees and lifting her into his arms. "Let me get you into the café."

Hands gripping tightly to his shirt, Penny was carried through an open doorway she hadn't noticed before into a brightly lit kitchen. Passing through it in a few strides, the Alpha turned to the side, bumping open a swinging door.

"Clara!" he called out, setting Penny gently onto a tabletop just outside the kitchen door.

Glancing over her shoulder into the rest of the room, she noticed a grey-haired woman about her height look up from clearing dishes off a table.

"Wha- oh my gosh, honey, are you okay?"

Figuring she probably looked as bad as she felt at this point, Penny still tried to give the woman a smile as she came bustling over.

"What happened?" the woman cried, cupping her cheeks in her warm hands.

"I was taking out the trash and someone was in the alley. Had her by the throat," the Alpha rumbled, aggression still rolling off his big body. "He ran off before I could catch him."

Clucking, the woman tipped Penny's head to the side to look at her throat, giving Penny a clear view of the claiming mark on her own neck. She knew the Alpha had to be bonded to be outside of an Alpha-camp, but it was still rare to see a bonded pair, and she felt her eyes widening as they darted between the two.

"Well, don't just stand here, go call the girl an ambulance."

"No!" Penny blurted, startling the older woman. "Really, I'm okay. It's just a few scrapes. No need for an ambulance."

"But Sweety, your neck is already bruising. There could be damage we can't see."

The woman frowned, stepping back from Penny and clasping her hands together.

"He only had me for a moment, my neck feels fine. I don't want all the fuss," Penny pleaded, wide eyes begging the woman to listen.

Heaving a sigh, the woman turned and looked up at her mate who gave her a shrug.

"Oh, fine, but I really think you should be looked at. Let me get you something," she said before passing through the kitchen door, leaving her mate standing awkwardly beside the table.

"Thank you," she said looking up at him with a weak smile.

Returning it, he gave another little shrug before rubbing the back of his neck.

"I don't really want any fuss, but you should report that fellow. He could do it to someone else. And you be more careful! Young omega like you shouldn't be out alone."

"Oh, hush," his mate said, returning with a glass of water she passed to Penny before handing her two orange pills. "For the swelling, dear. Things aren't like they were when we were young, an omega can go where she pleases now."

Grumbling, the Alpha turned and stomped back into the kitchen, his mate chuckling as she watched him go.

"They get grumpy sometimes, but they generally mean well."

"Who?" Penny asked, brows drawing together in confusion.

"Alphas. I've never met one who didn't want what was best for an omega, though it wasn't always what she wanted."

Giving Penny a knowing look, she turned and grabbed a phone from a small cubby on the wall.

"Let me call you a cab dear, you don't need to be walking anywhere."