Page 7 of Perfectly Yours
I frown as I turn around to sit on the window sill, the cold air now blowing against my back. It’s a revelation not many people know and the one reason I don’t sign up for parties all that often. The cacophony of scents, people, and chaos eventually becomes too much. I prefer the barrier of a stage or attending to one table at a time.
However, tonight, it’s not that at all.
Savin and Macon’s scents are taking over my rational mind but I don’t know why. Even an Omega in heat has never bothered me as much. "Leenie, there was an Omega in heat and-”
She scrunches up her face and shakes her head, laughing at my words. “Every single Alpha in a half-mile radius would have noticed. Ellie, I’m an Alpha and I would have noticed. What? I might not be attracted to the Omega but our biology would draw us to an Omega in need regardless of the circumstances.” Carleen takes a sniff of the air, confirming that I’m wrong.
“But he was…”
Carleen bites her lip, obviously trying to find the right words to say. I’m strung out, confused, and horny which are not the things I need to be to finish out this party. “Okay, answer me two questions. Strong scent? I’m talking all-consuming and does it make you wet between the thighs? Oh, you don’t get to be all shy on me, not with the positions you’ve painstakingly detailed when you come home from your nights out on the town.”
My cheeks heat. Sometimes I forget how close I am to my sister. “Yeah, to both of those.”
“I think you found your mate, Ellie. Not just a pack. But a mate.” A grin splits across her face but I don’t feel like smiling. How can I? I didn’t come here for that. I came for a paycheck. There’s also one little problem with my sister’s words.
“Betas don’t have mates.”
Carleen turns away from me and it takes me a moment to realize that she’s holding back a growl. Her scent sours and then sharpens as she takes a few breaths before looking at me again. I’ve never seen her so disappointed with me. “Ellie, who told you that? I know you have some self-hatred for your Beta status but everyone can have mates. Scent matches aren’t reserved for Alphas and Omegas. They’re just rare with Betas.”
That makes no sense. They don’t teach that in schools. No one shouts that from the rooftops. Not one of the girls I work with squeals about finding a possible scent match. They squeal about finding a pack with money, one that takes them in for more than one night. Not one Beta I know has ever longed for their perfect pack because of scent matches.
“I don’t believe you,” I spit out.
She shrugs, “Don’t discredit my words, Ellie. I wouldn’t lie to you but this is something I thought you knew. Explore it or don’t, but don’t leave this chance behind just because you’re a Beta.”
I hate where this conversation is going, the nasty voice in my head yelling at me to just steer it somewhere else. “But I am. Just a Beta, that is.”
Carleen’s lips turn up in a growl before she’s able to pull it back making me curl in on myself. She hardly ever gets this emotional with me. She’s always been the loving, understanding sister. Not tonight. Tonight, she’s pushing me past my limits. Limits that I would rather not bring up but that I know she’s going to address. “God, I wish I could slap some sense into you. Ellie, how Vinn broke your heart is not your fault.”
“I beg to differ,” I whisper. An Alpha friend and classmate turned boyfriend left as soon as he found his Omega. I didn’t fault him for it, not in the slightest. Instead, I turned that hatred in on myself, telling myself that I was just a Beta. I haven’t found anyone that will refute it. I also haven’t tried to believe anything different. Steeling my emotions, I push off from the wall, ready to rejoin the party for however long there is left.
Carleen catches my wrist for one last piece of wisdom. I have no idea how she can be so optimistic. “Ellie, you are worth so much and I hope someone can show you that one day. Show that you are needed and loved. That they would do anything for you regardless of your baseless protests. For now, go outside. Take a walk. I’ll cover for you.”
I open my mouth to argue and find that I don’t want to fight. The silence is something I’m more than happy to embrace so I make a quick exit for the elevator, Tati frowning when she catches my disappearing act. I wave her off, letting her know that I’m fine before the metal doors close and take me down a level. They open, refusing to close again and I growl in frustration when I realize I’ll have to take the stairs.
This is the opposite of finding a moment to relax as I stomp out into the hallway, determined to make it outside.
Until I hear a low whine that tears my attention away from my mission. The whine comes again and I find myself following the sound until I’m standing in front of a door with the golden number, 1432, written delicately across a plaque. This is Macon’s room.
I don’t even have a chance to knock before the door swings open, a very sweaty Alpha filling the frame. His suit pants cling to every thick muscle in his lower half but I’m distracted by the muscles along his chest and stomach almost pulsating. His whiskey scent is bold and fierce as he tumbles out into the hall, his expression hardened. “Ellie,” he rasps, my entire body responding to his voice. “I… it’s not a good time.”
Another whine meets my ears and I realize that it’s one of distress. It’s filled with pain. “Is that Savin?” I cry, clutching at my chest. The sound pricks at my skin, discomfort exploding through me. My Beta wants to nurture him, pull him into me so that I can comfort him. I feel it down to my soul–something that shouldn’t be possible for anyone other than mates–and I meet Macon’s eyes, feeling my own glaze over with tears.
These powerful emotions are foreign to me and I hate them.
“Let her in,” a ragged voice calls from behind Macon. He’s gently pushed out of the way as Savin stumbles toward me, dragging me into the room. The door closes behind us as Savin presses himself against me, not even moving from the foyer.
The Omega stuffs his face into the crook of my neck, lapping up my scent in little licks. His trembling slows when I strum my arms around his back, my Beta sighing with relief now that I have him in my arms. The position is a little awkward since he’s taller than me, Savin’s back bowed over as he clings to me. It’s only then that I realize I’m holding Macon’s Omega naked. Even so, I can’t find the energy to let Savin go.
“What’s wrong with him?” I mouth.
Macon sighs, sagging against the wall. He seems tired and stressed out, yet hopeful at the same time. The fact that he isn’t pulling his Omega away from me is a testament to how much he wants me here. Or maybe it’s just this mate bond that I refuse to believe in. Macon drags a hand down his face before speaking. “A few things. We’re not entirely sure and the specialists haven’t been able to put a name to it. It’s not a secret but we don’t advertise it. Had I known it was this bad, we wouldn’t have-”
“Yes we would,” Savin murmurs against my neck. He kisses the sensitive skin there before twisting around to face his Alpha. “It’s part of the damn contract.”
Macon’s gaze dips to my hold on his Omega and I immediately release him. “Savin-”
Savin tsks at his Alpha and I feel like I’m intruding but the Omega tugs me closer. “No. Her scent is helping. Ellie, I’m not sorry.” It’s said so matter of factly as those sea-glass eyes are turned back on me. The color is returning to his pale cheeks, his scent calm and bubbly again. His hands move to my cheeks as he searches my expression and I’m not sure what to do.