Eli looks at Anders like he’s committed treason, and I realize that this is my moment to strike. To get his pheromones out to the surface and get the full force of what this Alpha is made of. But what can I trade to get close enough to him, turn him on, and get the wheat that I need to make a fucking settlement?
“How about I trade you two ore for two wheat, and I’ll sit on your lap for the next two rounds?”
Anders swallows, and Eli blinks. “Wait, that was on the table?” Eli asks, irritated he didn’t get the same deal. That pleases me.
“Unless it’s against the rules?”
“No, it’s not. Deal,” Anders says.
I gather every ounce of confidence that I’ve ever felt in my life as I stand up from my seat and walk over to Anders. He moves his chair, so he is facing the side of the table, not under it anymore. His muscular thighs spread wide. I wish he were wearing sweat pants instead of khakis, but I’ll take what I can get. I can tell he’s tense, but his eyes read complete seriousness as he puts his cards down, one hand flat on the table, the other on his thigh. Stepping between his legs, I sit on his left thigh, so I can face the table. His hand automatically touches my lower back for support. I can’t help the gasp that escapes me, or the perfume, or the slick.
Anders shuffles slightly, jostling me.
That’s when it hits me. The full epic force of his scent. It’s not just hazelnut, it’s just like a hazelnut latte, my go-to drink, something that comforts me every time I’m down. His scent sends shivers down my spine and makes my heart beat a million miles per minute.
He’s my fucking scent match. Fuck.
I’ve just randomly stumbled across my perfect match. I meet his eyes. He looks at me like I might shatter or crumble.I just fucking might. Part of me wants to straddle him and kiss his face till neither of us can breathe and this cabin smells like a perfect mix of our scents. But the bigger part of me is terrified. That part wins as I pop off his lap, embarrassingly.
I’m a runner. It’s not something I’m proud of, but it’s my coping mechanism for anything that happens that I’m not comfortable with. I run. It’s easier than facing whatever this is.
“I’m just going to run to the bathroom.”
“Charlotte,” Anders pleads.
“Be right back.” I’m already walking away. I hear him groan, and Eli asks what’s going on. This is too much. This was supposed to be simple, a way to finally let myself get to know people without fear of abandonment.
What am I going to do?
I’m already so bent out of shape, I think I’ve missed the door to the bathroom. Maybe this one is it? I turn the door handle, and what I smell hits me before my eyes can make sense of what’s in front of me.
Campfires.
The scent is so overwhelming my mouth waters. Mikael had to have recently touched himself in this bedroom for it to be this potent. I blink rapidly, and a whine escapes my throat. My carnal urges tell me that these two are my Alphas and that we need to act on it. My baser instincts tell me to run now before I get hurt.
I’m momentarily paralyzed by all the possibilities and thoughts running through my head. I don’t know what to do. I know we should all probably talk, but the part of me that’s terrified of letting someone in is telling me to run as far away as possible.
A door creaks, and Mikael walks into the room with a towel wrapped around his waist. Rivulets of water drip down his olive-toned skin, trickling between each toned muscle. His dark hair is wet and slightly curled around his face. His face looks so fucking furious that it makes me cower.
He approaches me, and it’s then I recognize his full height. He’s easily a foot and a half taller than me. I’m fucking weak, too afraid to look him in the eye. What will I see?
A warm finger lifts my chin and tilts my face, so I have to look up. Two deep pools bore into me. His face is blank. I can’t tell if he wants me or if he despises me.
“You don’t belong up here,” he says. His voice is deep, and it makes my knees weak. My perfume surrounds us, and he groans. “Go downstairs. I don’t want you up here,” he says with authority, but he doesn’t use his Alpha bark.
“You’re… you’re my scent match,” I stumble.
“It doesn’t matter. Go back downstairs.”
It doesn’t matter? I blink a few times, staring at him indignantly.
“What do you mean, it doesn’t matter? It’s so rare. How can it not matter?” I’m sure my voice sounds pathetic. Mikael’s hand still hasn’t left my face.
“Please go downstairs.”
His voice is deep and demanding as he says it. It’s clear that he means all business as he glares at me. How can he just dismiss me completely like this? He’s acting like this means nothing to him, like I’m simply an inconvenience. Not like he’s overwhelmed that we’re scent matches, but that he’s disappointed. Like I’m not a good enough Omega to be his scent match.
I know I was feeling overwhelmed and needed to get my head clear, but I wouldn’t turn away from my scent matches. I, at least, wouldn’t talk to them like they are undeserving of me like Mikael is right now. Even though Mikael is turning me away, his scent says something else as it assaults me with its full force. It’s like campfires are now bored into my soul, and he doesn’t seem to give a shit.
