Right then, Asher walks into the room. He must overhear what his brother said, because he adds, “Maybe you’d be happier in one.”
“You don’t know anything.”
“I know something’s off with you. Jess noticed it immediately. I should’ve seen it sooner. I’m a shitty brother.”
Mason closes his eyes and groans. “Don’t say that. It doesn’t matter. I don’t fucking matter—”
I stand and approach the bickering duo, addressing the other über in the room: “You do. You matter.” I glance at Asher. “You both matter. That’s not up for debate. If you want to try arguing about it, then argue with me—but let me warn you: no one wins an argument with me. When it comes to something I hold true, I’m as stubborn as they come.”
Mason quiets, and Asher only gives me a nod.
“Now, unless you want to argue about it, we should talk about Jess and what we’re going to do. She’s going to start showing pre-heat symptoms soon. She’s going to be extra hungry and clingy, and she’s going to want to nest, but I don’t want her to put any more strain on that ankle until we know it’s okay. That means we’re going to have to take care of her, whether she wants us to or not.”
I quiet my voice when I say, “And I have the feeling it’s not going to be easy. She can’t be matched before her heat.”
Mason is the one who says, “You keep bringing up that word: matched. That means being accepted into a pack. It doesn’t mean she can’t fuck.” Both Asher and I look at him, and he only shrugs. “What? I’m just saying.”
“I haven’t seen the will, so I can’t speak on the language used in it,” I tell him, but in the back of my mind, I do wonder if I should contact Darius and see if he can’t scrounge up that will and have Alabaster Security’s lawyers read the fine print. It would be good to know, for obvious reasons.
If it’s just the word matched, then technically Mason is right. You can fuck someone without being matched to them. The three of us aren’t even a pack; it’s only been mentioned that, maybe, once all this is done, we could be in one together if we all agree, if we can get Jess on the same page.
What might be difficult is avoiding any bonding bites. Those normally happen inside a pack, although of course there are stories of omegas being bonded against their will by unscrupulous alphas. There are a lot of shitty people out there, but I don’t think anyone in this room is a part of that number.
“If my boss can find that will and we get clarification,” I slowly say, “it doesn’t mean we throw all caution to the wind. We would still need to try to hold ourselves back. I don’t know if Jess is ready for something like that.”
Mason frowns slightly. “If she’s really your scent match, how have you two not jumped each other’s bones? I thought scent matches are impossible to resist, that when you find yours you just know.”
“I can’t speak on how it’s been for her, but it’s definitely been difficult for me.” I rub the back of my neck. “She always wears that scent-blocking cream. That helps. I don’t wear anything like that, though, so I don’t know how she acts like I’m just another alpha. It’s almost like…”
Asher speaks up, “Almost like what?”
“Almost like she can’t smell me.” The moment I say it, it doesn’t sound right, but then again, stranger things have happened. She did have a life-threatening, near-death experience before she presented. Maybe something got lost along the way, or some wires got crossed in her head or something. It makes as much sense as anything else. Trauma, mental or physical, can do wild things to the body and brain.
“That would explain it,” Asher mutters as he taps his chin. “But why wouldn’t she have said something?”
With a huff, Mason asks, “Would you want to share personal details like that with everyone you meet? Especially with a guy you haven’t seen or talked to in over ten years?” His brows furrow. “Something like that isn’t exactly easy to bring up in everyday conversation.”
“You’re right. Crap. I’ve been so stupid. I really need to talk to her.” Asher looks at me when he says, “I’d like to bring up dinner to her alone tonight. I… I need to talk to her one-on-one. I wanted to do it at the lake today, but I didn’t get a chance.”
It’s probably a good thing for Jess and Asher to clear the air when it comes to their past. You can only beat around the bush so much before things become unbearable, and if there’s one thing Jess doesn’t need, it’s any extra weight on her shoulders before her heat. Or during it.
If she can’t smell…
We need to make her feel comfortable with us. We need to show her that we care about her, that we can take care of her. It’s not a deal breaker. It’s not a huge deal, because it doesn’t change the fact that she’s mine.
No matter what happens, before we leave this cabin, Jess will see the light.
Chapter Twenty – Jess
I’m in the process of getting out of the tub after a long, thoughtful soak when I hear a low voice on the outside of the door: “You all right in there? Do you need help?” Rourke. I don’t know what he did while waiting for me to get out of the bath, and it doesn’t matter.
Yes, my ankle is sore, but it’s not broken. I’m not helpless. I can manage just fine on my own.
Of course, right as I think that particular thought, I take a step toward the vanity, where not only my dry set of clothes sit but also my towel, and when I do, my ankle gives out and pain shoots up my leg.
Not a lot of pain, not enough to bring me to tears, but enough to tell me that, yes, I did in fact hurt it. No more long walks for little old me, not until this thing heals. I don’t even know where the nearest hospital is—and besides, even if there’s a bone protruding from my skin, I wouldn’t want to go. I had enough of hospitals in my life.
“I’m fine,” I say after I fall to the floor, thankful I’m light enough I didn’t make a sound to alert him of the fall. If he’d heard me, I’ve no doubt he would’ve come storming in here to save the day, as alphas typically do.
