The alpha obeyed and lowered himself to his knees for Rayne, hands raised in surrender. Yet not an ounce of fear glazed over his chiseled features. Rather, he looked upon Rayne like it was merely a joke to him.  Probably not used to taking orders from anyone, he imagined. Especially not an omega.

“What seems to be the problem, officer?” Kellan asked, his voice smooth like velvet. 

“Detective,” Rayne corrected him.  “Tell me why you sped off so suddenly at my crime scene earlier today.  This is your car, isn’t it?” He gestured to the sleek black sports car behind him.  

“Made a wrong turn.” Kellan shrugged.  “Surely that’s not a crime, detective. I’m not as familiar with those streets. I was visiting a friend in that area.”

“That friend of yours an omega?” Rayne asked.

Kellan quipped a brow, then his lips curved into a mischievous smirk.  “Maybe he was.  Did you come here because you were jealous of me with another omega, detective? I’m flattered, honestly.”

“Good grief.” Rayne rolled his eyes.  “No.  I was curious because of the omega medication in the backseat of your car.  Do you have a receipt for the prescription?”

“If you’d ever so kindly let me back up to go unlock the door, I can show you.” Kellan offered up a charming smile with dimples, like the cuteness of it all would make him less threatening.  

“Fine.” Rayne kept his gun trained on the alpha as he rose back to his feet.  “Any funny business and I won’t hesitate to shoot.  Got it?”

“Crystal clear, detective.” Kellan playfully saluted him before reaching into his pocket for the key.  One click and the locks unlocked.  “There you go.”

“Get the bag out of the backseat.” Rayne remained close behind the alpha, wondering if the man truly thought him foolish enough to climb into his backseat himself. Where he’d easily manage to overpower him, trap him in, and do devil’s knows what to him.  That thought alone made him shudder.

“Of course.” Kellan propped open his door and clambered in, giving Rayne a nice view of his ample behind. “Here you are, detective.” He handed him the bag.  “Prescriptions are under my family’s name.  I keep them on hand when I sleep with omegas because you never know when one might try baby-trapping you.  No offense.”

Was such a thing actually legal?  The prescription itself was indeed legit, but Rayne had never heard of a pharmacy handing out omega birth control to an alpha unless they were mated.  Perhaps with his family ties to pharmaceuticals, it gave him that power to do so?  It was something he’d need to look further into.

“I appreciate the cooperation.” Rayne handed him the paper sack back.  “You didn’t happen to be anywhere in that neighborhood last night, did you?  Maybe even visiting that friend of yours again?”

“Afraid not, detective.”

“That’s a shame.  Hoping we could find some witnesses who might’ve seen something in the area. Maybe even noticed our victim before he was killed.” Rayne released a heavy sigh.  “I suppose it was wishful thinking that it would be that simple.”

“We?” Kellan cocked his head as if searching for someone behind him.  “Frankly, I don’t see any other detectives but you poking around.  I wouldn’t think the police department would be so careless as to let an omega go around interrogating alphas on his own either.  That’s quite dangerous, you know.  They won’t be as understanding as I was.”

Rayne scoffed. “Thanks for the concern, but I can handle myself.”

“I’m not trying to be condescending.  What you’re digging into is dangerous.  Consider it a friendly warning.  Tell one of those alpha detectives to look into this murder if it truly matters so much.  No omega should be anywhere near a case like that.”

Rayne frowned, suspicion twisting painfully in his gut like a knife.  “You seem to know a lot about this case.  It wouldn’t be the first time an omega was killed on the streets by his alpha either.  What makes this so different, huh?”

“Your gun wouldn’t stand a chance against an alpha who didn’t take no for an answer.  One who certainly would not have willingly gotten down on his knees for you.  Those are the kind of alphas you’ll be dealing with if you keep digging.” The way those molten gray eyes bore into him, like pleading with his very soul to drop the case, made Rayne actually lower his gun.

“I’m well aware of the dangers.” He placed his gun back in its holster.  “You don’t need to worry about me.”

“I’m serious, detective.  You don’t know what you’re getting into with those kinds of alphas.  You seem like a sweet little omega, and I’d hate to read about your murder on the morning news.”  

It wasn’t like Rayne needed to prove himself to Kellan, but he couldn’t quite help himself.  He released far more potent pheromones to the air than needed, tinged with an essence that rendered any alpha defenseless.  While omegas could emit a scent to entice alphas to have their wicked way with them, they could also use the same powers to wield a scent that repelled them.  

Honeydew and lemon drifted all around them, enough that it had Kellan literally choking on the mist that engulfed him. Until it made him quite literally sink back down to his knees.  Only when the alpha was on the ground again did Rayne reel it back in, gently rubbing the side of his neck as his scent gland tingled from the excessive amount of pheromones he released. 

“Who are you, detective?” The amusement that flickered in Kellan’s eyes wicked away faster than a candle in the wind. 

“It’s detective Calloway to you, alpha.” Rayne rested one hand on his hip. “And my gun’s mostly for show.  If you had refused to get down on your knees for me, I would have compelled you to all on my own.”

Kellan worried his lip as a storm brewed beyond his eyes, finally saying, “You should look into the Sovereign Pack if you’re searching for an omega killer.  I’m sure you’ve heard about their organization and what they’re known for.”

Any omega knew of their leader, their so-called pureblooded alpha who believed in the old days. Before omegas had any rights of their own. Back when they were used as nothing but sex toys to get them off and pop out more unwanted babies than any orphanages could keep up with. 

That was far before Rayne’s time, however, but it sickened him to his stomach to think of what their world could look like if someone like that gained power.  Especially when their leader not only used their organization for criminal activity, but operated it under the guise of a political party. One that many older alphas supported. 

It made Rayne realize that perhaps the omega they’d found had his own ties to the political world, as it would definitely explain the fancy suit.

“Are you a member of that too?” Rayne asked, not bothering to mask the disgust in his tone. While Kellan had a different gang tattoo on his arm, Rayne knew it wasn’t too uncommon for gangsters to join up with alpha groups like the Sovereign Pack.


“Gods, no.” Kellan shook his head.  “Their organization works closely with my folks, unfortunately, because their views are quite a contrast to mine.  They used to host dinner parties at our mansion when I was a child.  I’ll never forget…  Never mind. Just trust me when I say they’re dangerous and ruthless alphas.” There was something haunting in the way he trailed off, and Rayne almost wanted to ask him more about it, but thought better than to pry.

“Interesting,” Rayne murmured.  “Thanks for the information.  If I have any follow up questions, I’ll know where to find you.”

“Be careful out there, detective Calloway.  I hope you catch your killer.”

The scent of black orchid and sandalwood drifted over to Rayne as he made his way back to his police issued cruiser.  Once at his car, he looked with a deepening frown at the alpha who innocently waved at him. As if releasing his own pheromones was some sort of common parting. 

Rayne wouldn’t admit how nice it smelled either.  

Most alphas had a strong musk to them, but Kellan’s was far more enticing.  Black Orchid had always been a favorite smell of Rayne’s too, one that he’d only ever read of alphas actually having. Even when he got back into his cruiser and turned back around to hit the main road, that alpha’s delightful scent lingered.

How annoying.