Because I like his scent. I like it a lot.
The surrounding bars rattle as Jett slams his big, meaty hand on top of the cage, the noise cracking through my trembling body like a whip.
He sneers down at me as he reaches and unlocks the door, making it swing open.
“Fine then. Looks like you got lucky,omega,” Jett huffs, saying my designation as if it’s a slur. “You’ve got a nicer master you’ve gotta please. Go ahead and show him what a good girl you are. Crawlto him.”
There’s an edge of commanding dominance laced in his words, but it’s not a bark. He wants me to do this all on my own.
Rowan makes a quiet noise at the back of his throat that he quickly silences when Jett’s gaze cuts towards him.
Lips pressed tight to stop their trembling, I sink onto my hands and knees. Cool air teases across my bare skin as the position leaves every inch of me exposed as I crawl closer to Rowan.
“Isn’t she a good girl?” Jett sneers mockingly as I sit back on my heels in front of Rowan.
It’s only then that I build up the courage to glance up at the beta. And the moment I do, I can’t look away.
Dilated pupils. Parted lips. Shaky breaths.
He’s turned on. He likes what he sees.
His beta scent isn’t nearly as intense as the others in the room, but it’s impossible to miss the way it twists in the air. It grows more fragrant, like freshly picked basil.
Delicious.
Oh wow, where in the world did that thought come from?
Something about the change in my expression jolts Rowan from the trance he seemed locked in.
“C—come on,” he grunts, spinning on his heel. “You can stand now.”
I stumble to my feet, almost chasing after him. He seems almost desperate to make it out of the room. I don’t blame him. The suffocating scents of the alphas behind me and their sticky gazes on my naked body make me want to get away as fast as possible, too.
Rowan glances over his shoulder, knuckles whitening on the doorknob.
“Let’s go,” he says, nodding down at me after I catch up.
The office door shuts, leaving the two of us in the dark, silent hallway. There’s a crash from behind the door as Jett lets out a frustrated roar. He must’ve kicked the cage across the room or something.
I flinch at the noise, jumping closer to Rowan, who swallows hard as he glances down at me.
“We should get out of here,” he says, his voice low.
At the door, Rowan stops short, a blush rising on his cheeks as he glances down at me.
It catches me off guard. That softness is the last thing I would’ve expected in a place like this.
It’s surprisingly human compared to the monsters he’s related to.
The air between us seems to hum with tension before it’s cut by him yanking off his hoodie with a hand over his shoulder.
“Here,” he says, holding it out to me. “Put this on.”
He flinches back when our fingertips brush, as if the touch burns. My brows draw down at the sudden motion, and I bite my lip, glancing up at him through my lashes while I tug the hoodie closer to my chest, trying to figure out what I did wrong.
The hoodie hits me at mid-thigh, and the sleeves are long enough to cover my hands completely. I love the feel of the soft, worn fabric against my skin. Surrounded by his soothing basil scent, I let out a soft hum of contentment.
After the terrible, stressful day I’ve had so far, this small comfort feels like a blessing.
