“Emerging early?” the woman laying on the exam table croaks out.
My daughter groans in pain, and I rock her softly. “We think so.”
“How old?”
Walker turns back to her. “You need to rest if you’re going to get home safely. You don’t have to?—”
“Move, please,” she says.
I watch as Walker Boone—the man who listens to no one—does exactly what she asks. I lay my eyes upon the Omega on the exam table, her long, straight blonde hair splayed out over the cushion. Her bright green eyes remind me of the budding leaves of springtime, and that mouth-watering scent of cinnamon rolls fresh out of the oven fills my lungs.
I feel Amber relax a bit in my arms.
“What’s your name?” Lia asks.
“Eli,” I say as I cradle my daughter. “Eli Black. This is my daughter, Amber.”
“I’m Lia.” She nods toward my little girl in my arms. “How old is she?”
“Nine.”
“Mmm.” She nods her head. “I was just shy of eleven when I presented. Honey popsicles and warm lavender baths for the little one. It’ll help with the aches and pains.”
Amber snuggles tightly against me, and I strengthen my hold on her. “What do the honey popsicles do?”
Lia smiles, and it damn near knocks me off my feet. “They taste good. Go get some popsicle molds and warm equal parts honey and water together on a stovetop. Stir until it’s all a liquid, pour it into the molds, and pop them in the freezer.”
I feel my daughter sweating in my arms. “Thank you. I’ll grab molds right after our appointment.”
But even though I should go sit back down, even though I know I’m barging into a doctor’s appointment that isn’t mine to behold, I can’t find the strength to move. I just stand there, staring at the Omega lying there on Dr. Quinn’s exam table.
While I process the fact that her scent calls me to me in a way I haven’t experienced since first meeting Amber’s mother.
Knox
Pack.
The word resonates with me as I watch Eli while he watches Lia. There’s a shocked look in his eye as he cradles his daughter… what was her name? Amber? She looks like him, though I can’t really see her face. She’s got auburn hair like his that seems naturally disheveled. Her limbs are long, like his.
Is Eli going to be my packmate?
He seems steady. Comforting. Foundational.
I look back at Walker, and I find him watching Lia as well. His shoulders are pulled taut, his hands clenched into fists at his sides, like he’s trying to hold himself back. There’s a fire of protectiveness in his eye that Omegas always gravitate to. That’ll be a nice addition to any pack, especially if one of us has a kid.
Then my attention moves back to Lia, and my heart slams into my chest wall again, just like it did when I first saw Walker holding her in the alleyway. The sight of her. The smell of her. It calls to my instincts.
Do they feel it, too? They have to. I see the way they’re looking at her—equal parts confusion, admiration, and worry.
Is it possible I’ve got a pack out there after all?
A smile spreads across my face as my nostrils flare, becoming greedy with her scent. I know she’s mine. I can smell it in the air. I can feel it in the way her lovely green eyes meets my gaze. She seems so nervous. I want to scent the entire room until she settles down so that we can figure out what’s going on with her.
I want to hold her.
I want to cherish her.
I want to take care of her for the rest of my life.
