I nod, and she smiles.
“Well, don’t just stand there, Emmett. Open the door.”
I roll my eyes, biting my tongue. The desire to tell her to fuck right off strikes, but I ignore it.
This omega shouldn’t bait me the way she does, but fuck, I want to take it. I want to take the carrot that she dangles, and I don’t even fuckinglikecarrots.
“Is that an order, Auryn?” I say her name, letting it lay on my tongue for a second longer than I should.
I’ve seen alphas preen in victory. Hell, I’ve done it myself, after trying cases, so I know the sight well enough to know that’s exactly what Auryn is doing when I push open the door.
But omegas don’tpreen.They bask in adoration and attention. They’re needy little things that desire touch and soft nests and warm arms.
Auryn, I take it, would throw all of that shit out the window in favor of looking at me like I’m the dirt on the bottom of her fucking shoe.
Or socks, since we clearly don’t have shoes small enough to fit her tiny feet. Maybe I should head out tomorrow and see if I can actually find her some clothes and things that would fit her.
Granted, the oversized sweats and Gage’s boxy shirts don’t look bad on her, but I’m sure she wouldn’t mind a pair of pants that actually fit and a bra.
Though the thought lands, and I look at her, standing in the doorway and it’s fairly obvious the chill has gotten to the both of us, judging by the stiff peaks that are demanding my attention through her gray shirt.
“Your carriage awaits,princess,” I say with a grin.
You can do this, Em. It’s just showing her to her room. It’s not an invitation.
Auryn takes two steps towards me, the both of us standing in her doorway. Due to my size, I take up a good bit of the space, and though there is more than enough room for her to slide through, she doesn’t take it. Instead, she pushes past me, giving me that fierce gaze that is nothing but a challenge. She scoffs, flashing those big brown eyes at me, and a low growl emanates from me again.
My body tenses because it’s a gaze that almost feels threatening, and I get the heaviest whiff of peppercorn.
What the fuck?
“Thanks,” she says apathetically, as if she doesn’t care for anything. Especially me.
I nod. “Welcome.”
She pushes past me and saunters into the room. I watch as she steps towards the center, as her tiny ass jiggles from the motion, and try my hardest to ignore the thick scent filling my lungs. Sometimes I wonder if she even realizes when she’s perfuming, or if it’s just some response to our presence that she can’t control.
Most omegas can control their desire. They don’t perfume unless they feel they are safe and in the presence of a viable mate because they don’t want to signal the wrong person. But I’ve seen the rare occasion where omegas can’t control the signal. Usually in cases of abuse.
The thought lands like a heavy thud in my head.
Is…is that why she is so combative? It’s not something I’d thought about, but if she really doesn’t know what she’s doing, it could be an indicator, so I decide to break the silence and do what I should not fucking do.
“Do you know you’re perfuming right now?” I ask carefully. I don’t move from my spot at the door.
She turns to me, those big dark eyes finding my gaze as her brows furrow.
“Huh?”
I shift my position, if only to quell my cock which loves the smell of peppercorn as much as it does the smell of lemongrass, apparently.
Though there isn’t any lemon for miles in this thick, heated space.
Is it hot in here, or am I having some sort of panic attack? I haven’t had one since I came to this damn pack, but it feels oddly similar.
I clear my throat. “Perfuming. You know, when you release all those sweet-smelling scents that say, ‘Hey, baby, check me out, I’m an omega’?”
She scoffs at me. “I think I’d know if I was perfuming,” she bites.
