“Looks cool,” Beau says softly. He looks almost comically large in my small space, and holds himself stiffly, arms hugged in tight.
Crap, that reminds me, I was supposed to play with Queen tonight if her date didn’t go well. Not that it would be bad, because she seems amazing. Still, I should message her to let her know I’m okay but can’t play.
“Um, well, okay, make yourself comfortable and I’ll go grab some water and get my meds.” I give them an awkward little wave and smile and walk the five feet over to my kitchen to get a glass of water, then pull out my phone and surreptitiously send a text.
Archnemesis: Hey! I can’t play tonight. Something really weird happened. I’m safe and home, but uh, I went into heat because, I know this is going to sound nuts, but I ran into my scent matches. They’re here and I don’t think they’re murderers, but you might not hear from me for a bit if I go into a full heat. Here’s my location if a week passes and I’m not back online. In case they murder me. Joking. Hopefully.
I press send and shove my phone back into my pocket.
There’s a notification chime on the other side of the room.
Ruby pulls her phone out, looks down at the screen, and her mouth falls open.
Our eyes meet. My pulse races. It’s a coincidence. There’s no way she’s…
“Archnemesis?”
chapter 10
. . .
BEAU
Archer gaspsas Ruby calls him her arch-nemesis. Which, to be fair, is a really weird thing to declare to your scent match you’ve only just met.
“XrixQueen?”
Ruby claps her hands together in delight, and the next thing I know, she’s in the kitchen, bundling Archer into a hug which has both omegas purring.
What the hell is happening?
“I can’t believe it. There’s no way.” Archer’s voice is awe-filled, and when Ruby releases the hug, a tear runs down his cheek as he grins from ear-to-ear.
They both look so happy that my alpha is pleased, but the rest of me is confused and more than a little awkward at their… reunion?
Archer pulls her back into a hug, and Ruby’s purr grows louder. “I knew we’d spend time together tonight,” she says with a soft giggle, then sighs, nestling in against his shoulder and inhaling. Her voice grows huskier. “Best Valentine’s Day ever.”
The more they hug and giggle, the more I feel like an intruder. They know each other somehow—that much is clear.The way Archer looks at her is filled with pure adoration, and Ruby’s smile is brighter than I’ve seen it all night.
My stomach twists into a familiar knot, an echo of rejection and lack of belonging that’s taken root in the core of me. At least this time I found out right away that I’m the outsider. Maybe that’ll make it easier to forget them.
I shift in place, my skin feeling too tight as the need to get out of here wars with my alpha growling at me to stay with my scent matches. It’s hard to think clearly with Archer’s scent saturating every inch of his apartment, but the longer I stay, the harder it’ll be to keep away.
Archer notices my movement, his gaze darting over to me, and he gives me a sheepish smile, pulling back from Ruby but still keeping his fingers interlaced with hers. “Shit, you’re probably really confused right now,” he says, chuckling. “We know each other from gaming together online.”
“Ah. Right. Small world.” The game they’re both obsessed with and probably have spent hundreds of hours playing together. Dammit.
“I knew you lived in the city, and I can’t count how many times I thought about asking you to hang out in person, but I didn’t want to make things weird.” Ruby squeezes his hand, laughing when Archer gives her an incredulous look.
“You’re kidding! I had at least five separate elaborate schemes concocted to use as an excuse to meet you, but I was too chicken. I didn’t think you’d want…”
Ruby’s gaze meets his, desire flaring in her eyes. “Oh, I want.”
Archer’s strawberry and chocolate perfume grows stronger, and it looks like they’ve forgotten I’m here again as they stare at each other.
I clear my throat. “That’s, uh, super cool. Wonderful, really.”
“Yeah!” Archer says brightly, but Ruby’s keen gaze watches me assessingly.
