I know that as surely as I know my own name.
And that isn’t the scent of a Beta. It’s too intense, the reaction it produces in me too primal.
He’s an Alpha.
Sax is an Alpha.
And he lied to me this whole time.
Ten years down the drain. Ten years of lies and deception.
I take several steps back, tears threatening to spill down my cheeks, and his face falls.
“Onion, wait.” I try to tune out his pleading tone as he takes another step toward me. “You have to let me explain.” His pupils are blown wide, and I know my scent is having the same effect on him as his on me, even though it is no doubt sour with distress.
I can’t think about that right now.
All I can think about is the fact that my worst fear has come to light.
The thing I have spent my adult life afraid of has happened, and it’s all his fault.
The man I love, the one person who was always there for me, has ruined everything.
“You lied to me.” It’s a whimper that I once would have been embarrassed about. Not this time. “For ten years. You lied to me the entire time.”
“I know, and I’m sorry but-”
I bite back a whine, choosing to turn my distress into fury. “But nothing! You agreed to this, knowing how scared I was of this exact situation happening.” I turn to face one of the nearby cameras, a sneer on my face. “For the viewers at home, not only has Sax been lying to me about his designation, hiding the fact that he’s an Alpha, which I guess you already know based on his interview, but he’s my scent match. Which means without exposure to his pheromones for therest of my life, I could die, just like my brother did.”
He tries to say something, taking another step closer to me, but I don’t let him. “I’ve cried to you about this more times than I can count. No one knows me as well as you do. Did you come here to embarrass me on national tv? Is this funny to you?”
“Of course it’s not funny!” The distress in his voice does absolutely nothing to me. It does not make me want to curl up in his arms until he feels better. Not even a little bit. “But you have to understand, Onion.”
I flinch back as if slapped.
How could this happen to me? I have hidden away for years to make sure this never happened, and the person I love most is the one who doomed me. My voice is high-pitched, veering on hysterical.
“You’ve ruined my life, Sax.”
His face falls. Shoulders slump. His rich scent turns burnt and bitter.
Before he can say anything, the door behind himopens, and I breathe a sigh of relief. Bridgette and Bradley must be coming back to take me out of this living nightmare, even though my contract says they’re not liable if I scent match someone during production of the show.
They knew he was an Alpha. They knew this could happen. And they let me do it for the ratings.
I’m a joke. Everyone is laughing at me.
I shouldn’t have left my house. My fears were legitimate. Validated. I was right to be afraid of this, because the first time I leave my house in eight whole years, I scent match with an Alpha.
I don’t have time to be smug in my validation, because when the door opens, it’s not the beautiful Beta hosts.
Two gorgeous men file in and stand on either side of Sax.
An Alpha and a Beta, both of them with scents that make me feel lightheaded. Something floral, something spicy.
What is happening? Oh God, how could this happen?
Sax speaks as if he is afraid to spook me. “Onion. This is my pack. And… we’re all Sax.”
