Page 38

Theo sets the glasses down and moves back to the island, his expression growing more serious but still holding that satisfied edge. "I went to the library for research. It was supposed to be closed, but I could smell distress from the parking lot."

"Belle was in heat," I say, pulling the pot off heat.

"Full breakdown," Theo confirms, gripping the edge of the counter. "Scared, confused, fighting her own biology. She'd missed her suppressant dose for the first time in a year, and her body was making up for lost time."

Felix leans forward. "What did you do?"

"Found her in the back, practically hyperventilating." Theo starts pacing again, restless energy radiating off him. “I got her water, and I talked her through the panic, by making sure she wasn't going to hurt herself. But guys, the moment I touched her shoulder to comfort her, everything changed."

I move around the island, drawn by the intensity in his voice. "How?"

"Her scent shifted, became richer, more complex. She calmed for me in a way that shouldn't be possible with a stranger." Theo stops pacing, facing both of us. "But she was terrified. She kept pulling away, then gravitating back toward me like she couldn't help herself."

"Mate recognition," I say, feeling something tight in my chest finally loosen.

"Immediate and undeniable," Theo confirms, moving to the window and back. "She felt it too. She had this look on her face like the world had just shifted under her feet."

"Because it had," Felix says quietly, spinning on his stool to follow Theo's movement.

"But she fought it," Theo continues, his voice growing rougher. “She kept apologizing, trying to convince me to leave. Said she could handle it alone, that she didn't need help from an alpha."

I abandon the popcorn cleanup, moving closer. "Why? What was she afraid of?"

Theo's expression darkens, and he stops pacing to grip the back of Felix's stool. "She had a friend in high school. Another omega named Sarah who went off suppressants to bond with an alpha she met through a dating app, because she thought that she'd found her perfect match."

The kitchen grows quiet except for Felix shifting on his stool.

"The alpha lost control during her heat," Theo continues, his knuckles white where he's gripping the chair. "Became aggressive when her scent triggered his rut. Sarah died from an unmatched claiming because he couldn't control himself."

"Jesus," Felix breathes.

"So Belle decided it was safer to suppress completely," I say, understanding flooding through me. "No heats, no dating, no relationships."

"For a whole year," Theo confirms, releasing the chair and moving toward the living room doorway. "Just suppressants and careful control and absolute self-reliance."

Felix stands up from his stool. "But she let you help her."

"Eventually." Theo turns back toward us. "But not easily. She kept pushing me away even while her body was begging for alpha comfort. She told me she couldn't trust her judgment during heat."

I move to the island, bracing my hands on the granite. "How did you convince her?"

"I didn't try to convince her," Theo says, walking back into the kitchen. "I just stayed, but I kept my distance physically but stayed close enough that she could feel safe. Used everysecurity protocol I know from clear communication, no sudden movements, constant verbal reassurance."

"Smart," Felix says, moving around the island.

"She was burning up," Theo continues, his voice getting that rough edge again. "Fevering and shaking, and every instinct I had was screaming at me to claim her, to make her mine right there in the library."

I straighten, watching him carefully. "But you didn't."

"I couldn't." Theo stops in the middle of the kitchen, running both hands through his hair. "Not with her friend's story, not with her terror of losing control. She needed protection, not possession."

"What happened next?" Felix asks, leaning against the island.

"I got her to her car, drove her home." Theo starts pacing again, more agitated now. "Twenty minutes of pure torture with her scent filling my car, her heat calling to everything alpha in me. I was knotting just from being near her, trying to drive while my body was convinced I needed to pull over and mate her."

I feel my own alpha response kick in at the description, protective and possessive all at once.

"Getting her into her apartment nearly broke me," Theo admits, moving between the kitchen and living room doorway. "She was clinging to me, begging me not to leave, and I had to carry her to her heat room because she could barely walk."