I’ve smelled it once before. The anniversary event. It’s dull now, muted by the suppressants, but my nose is sharp.
The beast howls.
Shit. Perhaps basking in the near-full moon wasn’t the best idea. Alpha and omega cycles are like a circadian rhythm. They drift and disconnect when deprived of moonlight. But those primal instincts are meant to get us all out and ready to fuck on bright nights like these.
I kiss the top of Jamie’s head, savoring one last deep breath of his scent as the beast writhes. Another breath and I’ll lose it—this is my absolute limit. I lean back and force the beast down. I’ll get stronger the way I always do. Reps, reps, and more reps.
“You sure enjoy torturing me, don’t you?” Jamie sighs.
I give a dark chuckle. “Maybe.”
“Can I… can I ask you about something?”
“Sure.”
“A-about… Tobias…”
“Ah. That’s fair.”
“I-If you like him—”
I snort. “I cannot possibly overstate the degree to which I hate his guts.”
“But you…”
“Tobias needed to be put in his place. And I needed… adistraction. It wasn’t anything more than that.”
“A distraction from… what?”
My fingers trace his shoulder. “From wanting to sink my teeth into you.”
“Oh. I thought…”
“I understand how you might have… interpreted it another way.” It’s the PR answer. But Jamie deserves more than that. I add, “And I’m sorry.”
“I thought you’d never…”
“Never what?”
He hesitates, fidgeting with the button on his cuff. “Be interested in someone like… me.”
“Why? Because you’re shy and quiet and ‘a poor’?”
Jamie winces. “Yes,” he says earnestly.
“Jamie… I was being sarcastic.”
“What?” His eyes widen as he turns to look up at me.
I kiss his forehead again. I want to run my tongue down his face.
“Have you been taking me seriously this entire time?” I tease.
“Yes,” he breathes.
I laugh and ruffle his hair. “What goes on in that brain of yours?”
“I’d love to know,” he mutters.
