Landon leans forward inhaling deeply, but his face stays neutral so I know he doesn’t smell his sister all over Mason likeI can. Maybe because he’s across the table. Maybe because I’m more attuned to their tantalizing perfumes.
A frantic feeling grips me at the thought of losing both of them to Mason. I down the last of my beer, setting the empty bottle on the table with a bit more force than necessary.
Mason’s chair scrapes back as he leans closer. “Dean, we need to talk,” he says, the gravity in his voice sending a shiver down my spine.
“Talk about what?” I challenge, my heart racing. If I go anywhere with him I might just try to murder him.
“About us,” he replies, his gaze steady and intense.
Before I can respond, Dee chimes in, a teasing lilt in her voice. “Wow, this sounds serious! Are you two getting all lovey-dovey or something?”
Mason rolls his eyes at his sister, before he turns without another word and stalks away.
CHAPTER 26
Mason
The fresh mountainair fills my lungs, traces of Lakelyn and Chad still clinging to me as I push out of the bar. I know Dean’s close behind. The jealousy rolling off him is thick enough to choke on, and I can’t let this explode in front of Landon. That would screw up everything.
I walk a little farther from the door before spinning around to face him. His face is hard, jaw clenched, eyes stormy and sharp. Pure possessive alpha. I get it. I had the same knee-jerk reaction when I caught a whiff of his scent all over Chad—his forest musk wrapped around the omega like a warning sign. Until it hit me.
This isn’t just some territorial bullshit. This is bigger.
“We need to talk,” I repeat, my voice low but firm.
Dean’s gaze flickers, his hands flexing into fists at his sides. I step closer, keeping my tone steady.
“I know you can smell them on me,” I tell him, watching for his reaction. “Same way I could smell you on Chad earlier.”
His jaw tightens even more, but he doesn’t speak, eyes narrowing as if that’ll hide the conflict I know is raging inside him.
“I get it, man. I really do,” I continue, stepping into his space, just enough to make my point. “You’re feeling possessive. I felt it too—earlier. But seriously, take a second. Really smell me. What are our pheromones telling you?”
For a moment, he stays rigid, refusing to look at me, but I don’t back down. He needs to hear this. Slowly, he breathes in, eyes flashing as his alpha instincts kick in. I see the recognition hit him like it hit me. That shift. The way our scents blend together with theirs, forming something new. Something that shouldn’t make sense, but it does.
Dean’s nostrils flare, and he finally meets my eyes. “What are you saying?”
I take another breath, feeling that strange clarity settle over me. “I’m saying this isn’t just some casual fling. You, me, them... we’re bound. Scent-bound. You know what that means.”
Dean’s throat works, but he doesn’t say anything at first. He’s battling it, just like I did. Trying to make sense of the fact that what we feel isn’t just possessiveness, it’s something deeper. The kind of pack that only exists in stories. Legends.
“They’re ours,” I say softly, leaning in. “And we’re theirs. This is bigger than just us.”
Dean’s fists unclench, his gaze flicking away for a second before snapping back to mine. “You really think that’s what this is?”
“I know it is.” I hold his gaze. “You feel it, too.”
For a moment, there’s only the sound of our breathing, the night air cool but buzzing with what we’re both realizing. Then, after what feels like forever, Dean curses under his breath.
“This is insane,” he mutters, but there’s no real bite behind his words.
“Maybe,” I agree with a small shrug. “But it’s real. And we need to figure this out before it gets messier.”
Dean huffs, scrubbing a hand over his face. “Fuck.”
I smirk, unable to resist. “Welcome to the club.”
Before he can say anything else, the door swings open, and Dee’s voice floats toward us. “Cheese on a cracker, you two look like you’re plotting a murder out here. Everything good?”
