"And we're going to let her."
"We have to. That was the deal."
Silence.
"Her scent. Did you notice?—"
"Yeah. Under the blockers, there's something else."
"Familiar."
"Impossible. We've never met her before."
"I know. But–"
"But nothing. It's a coincidence. Heat of the moment. Our wolves reacted to an incredible scene."
"Right." He didn't sound convinced. "Coincidence."
I looked down at Naomi's sleeping face, peaceful and unguarded, and felt my chest tighten. We'd searched for twenty-nine years for our mate. The baby Omega stolen on her first birthday. Our scent match.
And every year on Valentine's Day, her birthday, we mourned what we'd lost. This woman wasn't her. Couldn't be her. Or was it? We’d been informed that she was dead and that’s why we hadn’t found her.
But that scent?—
Stop, I told myself. You're grasping at straws because you want it to be true. She was just a woman who'd walked into our club on her birthday. Nothing more. Nothing less.
In the morning, she'd leave. And we'd go back to living our lives as we always had. That was how this story ended. Not with hope. With goodbye. Because there was no way that she was who we needed her to be.
NAOMI
Iwoke to a cramp low in my belly and the weight of two Alphas surrounding me. The room was still dark. Early morning, maybe 5 AM based on the faint light creeping through the windows.
Kellan was pressed against my back, his arm heavy across my waist. Rowan had his hand splayed possessively over my hip. They were both still asleep. And I needed to leave. The night was over. That was the deal. One night, no strings, walk away before it became complicated. But god, leaving was harder than I'd expected.
Another cramp twisted through my abdomen, much sharper this time. Probably just my period coming early. Stress did that sometimes. The last thing that I needed was to start that while laying here between these two delicious men.
I carefully extracted myself from them, moving inch by inch so I wouldn't wake them. Kellan made a sound of protest in hissleep and reached for me, but I slipped away before his hand could find purchase. Barely…
My dress was still on the floor where I'd dropped it. I pulled it on quickly, not bothering with my bra or taking off the t-shirt they’d given me. It didn't matter that it was on. I had to get out of here before they awakened. That was my only goal.
The t-shirt smelled like them and made it easier to keep moving though everything inside me demanded that I stay. I should take it off. Should leave it behind. But I wasn’t. I’d keep it until I got home. Then I'd take it off and forget this ever happened.
Liar.
I grabbed my clutch and heels, casting one last look at them. Rowan's now calm features, Kellan's tattooed arm reaching across the space where I'd been. Beautiful. Dangerous. Everything I couldn't have. I slipped out the door and closed it softly behind me.
The ride home was torture. I requested a rideshare, and the driver, a chatty woman in her fifties, kept trying to make conversation while I pressed my forehead against the cool window and tried not to think about what I'd just done and walked away from.
"Late night?" she asked cheerfully.
"Something like that."
"Well, you look like you had fun. That's what matters."
I didn't respond. Couldn't. Because if I opened my mouth, I might cry. Which was ridiculous. This was what I wanted. One night. No complications. Back to my life, my plans, my carefully constructed plans. So why did it feel like I was leaving part of myself behind?
Kira was waiting when I got home, curled up on the couch with coffee and her phone.
