"Go away."
"I can smell you from my seat.. Every Alpha on this plane can smell you."
My hands gripped the tiny sink. He was right. Without effective suppressants, my pheromones would be flooding thecabin. A plane full of hockey players, testosterone already running high, and me about to go into heat.
This was a disaster.
"I'm fine," I lied.
"You're about to go into heat at thirty thousand feet." His voice dropped lower. "Open the door before someone else decides to check on you."
I cracked the door open, and he immediately pressed inside, forcing me back against the wall. The bathroom wasn't meant for one person, let alone two, and definitely not when one of them was Knox's size. We were pressed together from chest to thigh, his body caging mine completely.
"Your patches are failing," he said, nostrils flaring. "Why?"
"I don't know." My voice came out breathless. This close, his scent was overwhelming pine and smoke and pure Alpha musk that made my core clench with need. "My body just started to reject them, probably due to stress or something."
The plane lurched violently. The lights flickered. We both froze as the pilot's voice crackled over the intercom.
"Folks, we're encountering severe turbulence. Everyone return to your seats immediately."
Knox didn't move. If anything, he pressed closer, one hand bracing against the wall by my head.
"You need to get back to your seat," I said.
"You need suppressants that actually work."
"I have emergency pills in my bag."
Another violent shake. This time, I would have fallen if Knox hadn't caught me, his arm wrapping around my waist. The full contact made us both groan.
"Fuck," he breathed against my neck. "You smell so good. Like heaven."
"Don't." But my hands were fisting in his shirt, pulling him closer instead of pushing him away. "We can't."
"I know." His forehead dropped to mine. "But if your heat hits fully on this plane, with all these Alphas..."
He didn't need to finish. It would be chaos. Dangerous chaos.
"The pills will help," I said, trying to sound confident.
"For how long?" His thumb stroked along my jaw, and I shivered. "We're still two hours from Denver, and that's if this storm doesn't force us to circle."
As if on cue, the pilot's voice returned: "Ladies and gentlemen, Denver is currently experiencing blizzard conditions. We're being diverted to hold pattern until we receive clearance to land. Could be a few hours."
A few hours. Trapped on a plane full of Alphas with my heat threatening to break through.
Knox's eyes had gone completely black. "You're not going to make it that long."
"I have to."
"Let me help." His voice was rough, desperate. "I ca…
"No." I pushed at his chest, and surprisingly, he stepped back. "I'll take the pills, stay in the back, keep distance between me and everyone else."
"Harper…"
I sucked in a hard breath. "Go back to your seat, Knox. Please."
