I slid my phone into my back pocket and surveyed the kitchen one more time. It was cleaner than it had been in years, but it still wasn’t good enough. I didn’t know what was wrong with me–I just needed everything to be perfect. My heart wanted me to go back, but I couldn’t make right with the lie Dane had told. They were both in on it. Kade could have told me about Dahlia, but only Dane’s feelings mattered. I needed time, and maybe Uriel could give me that.
After a shower, I packed my overnight bag. I paused in the doorway. I looked over my shoulder to where the bottle of suppressants gathered dust on my nightstand. I hadn’t taken them for years, but with all this exposure to Alphas, and the hot way I’d been feeling, it was better safe than sorry. I rushed over, snatched the bottle, and threw it in my overnight bag. I couldn’t face my Mother’s questions, not when I was already vibrating with a fever. On my way out, my phone dinged with another message from Uriel: Room #802.
I swerved one too many times on my way to The Heat. Every bump in the road made my skin prickle. Dane’s stolen hoodie was my only solace. I pulled the collar up to my nose, inhaling whiffs of his scent. Campfire and pine. The only thing keeping the panic at bay.
When I pulled into the parking lot of The Heat, a dull ache throbbed between my thighs. I fell out of the car, my legs feeling like lead. I needed to be inside a dark room with warm blankets and the Alpha who promised to meet me here. He’d make me feel better.
I smoothed my hair with trembling hands, trying to look like a woman who belonged in a lobby smelling of expensive orchids and polished brass instead of a runaway Omega ready to hump the nearest Alpha.
The concierge, a blonde in a red uniform, greeted me when I got to the hotel. Did I have a sign on my forehead that said I was here for a hookup? She handed me my key and showed me to my room. When she disappeared into the elevator, I stood outside Room #802. The hall was silent and posh. Like every other time in my life, I didn’t belong here.
I tapped the door with the key until it beeped. The air-conditioning hit me as I stepped through the doorway. I dropped my overnight bag by the closet, knocking on the bathroom door as I passed. I reached into the side pocket, my fingers trembling as they closed around the bottle of suppressants. I didn’t just feel warm; a fever clawed through my veins and soon they felt as if they would burst. A thick, humid weight clung to my skin, smelling far too sweet. I couldsmellmyself.
I snagged a bottle of water off the pristine counter. I twisted the cap, my palms were so damp, I almost lost my grip.Just two, I told myself. Enough to kill the fog.
But as I tilted the bottle, a wave of dizziness washed over me. My hand jerked. The plastic container hit the edge of the nightstand with a hollow thud, and dozens of small white pills skittered across the carpet and the rumpled duvet.
“Vera?”
I spun around, my pulse pounding. Uriel stood by the door, his eyes narrowed as he took me in. He looked… hungry.
“You smell… gods, Vera,” he murmured as he stepped toward me.
“Do I?” my voice cracked. I looked down at the white pills lost in the carpet—the mess I’d made of my only safety net. I was losing control. “Something’s wrong with me. I haven’t had to take these pills in years, but I brought them just in case. I just need a second.” My knees gave out. I sank onto the edge of the bed, my hands pressed into the bed as the stray pills rolled to the floor.
Uriel didn’t stay by the door. He crossed the room in two strides, his shadow looming over me. He was dressed in a thick maroon sweater. Underneath, the collar of a white linen shirt peeked out, crisp and clean. He wore dark trousers that fell perfectly over polished leather boots. He was stability, warmth, and safety. As he reached out, the soft sleeve of his sweater brushed against my heated skin, and the itch of the fever quieted.
His hand was hot as he cupped my jaw, and then his scent hit me.
Vanilla and sandalwood. Grounding.Right.
My eyes flew open, locking onto his. The fog of heat parted, and his pupils dilated, nostrils flaring. He smelled it too. He always had. The way our scents tangled, merged,fit.
“Mate,” I breathed, the word foreign on my tongue.
Uriel’s jaw clenched. “Vera—”
“You’re mine,” I whispered, pulling him between my thighs. The heat roared back, but now it had a target. Not any Alpha.MyAlpha. One ofthem. Us.
“Fuck,” he groaned. “I didn’t want it to happen like this. Not when you’re—”
“Don’t.” I yanked him closer, my nails digging into his sweater. “Don’t you dare.”
“You’re going into heat, Vera. I think it’s too late to take those,” he motioned behind me to the pills.
“It shouldn’t be possible,” I murmured.
“Sorry to say this, baby, but it is. I’m barely holding back,” he groaned, his brows pinched like he was in pain.
“Then don’t,” I said as I grabbed his hand and dragged my tongue up his wrist.
“Fuck. I don’t even know if you’re in your right mind, right now,” he groaned as I sucked on his finger.
“I missed you so much. I want to believe this is what you want, but I need to know. I need to hear it.” His free hand pushed my hair back and behind my ear.
“I want you,” I breathed.
He closed the distance, his mouth claiming mine. His touch grounded me. When his hand slid up my thigh, bunching the hem of Dane’s stolen hoodie, I let out a broken moan. I’d wormed back into the fleece after my shower, wearing nothing but the oversized garment and a sliver of lace. The rough fabric teased my bare skin, but his touch was the cure. He pushed me back against the pillows, his weight pressing me into the mattress—and the pills rolled to my skin.
