Page 13 of Knot Your Romeo

“That’s not management,” I say, my voice rising with anger. “That’s using me.”

“And you’ll be using me too,” he points out. “Omega needs are just as biological as Alpha ones. Don’t pretend you wouldn’t benefit from the arrangement.”

The casual cruelty of his words takes my breath away. This is what he thinks of me—a problem to be managed, a biological need to be satisfied. Not a person with feelings and dignity and the right to choose her own path.

“No,” I say firmly, backing away from him. “Absolutely not.”

Romeo’s expression doesn’t change, but something flickers in his eyes that might be disappointment. Or relief.

“Your choice,” he says with a shrug. “But Jolie? The offer stands. When you realize that fighting biology is a losing battle, you know where to find me.”

He walks away without another word, leaving me standing beneath the oak tree with my heart racing and my mind spinning. I watch his retreating figure until he disappears behind the science building, then I sink onto a nearby bench with my head in my hands.

This is exactly what I was afraid of. A fake scent match with an Alpha who sees me as nothing more than a convenient solution to his biological urges.

Romeo may be beautiful and powerful and everything my Omega instincts crave, but he’s also cold and calculating. Just like Blake, but wrapped in a prettier package.

6

Emmie

The next night, Icurl up on my bedroom windowsill with my phone, hoping to speak to my sister Lottie again. I need to hear her voice more than I need my next breath. The cottage is quiet when I press her name. Mom is having dinner with the staff at the main house, part of her integration into the household. My heart pounds when she answers on the third ring.

“Emmie!” Her voice is bright, almost too bright, but it’s still hers. “I’ve been meaning to call you back. How are you settling in?”

Relief floods through me so completely that I almost start crying. “Lottie, thank God. I was getting so worried. You haven’t been answering your phone.”

“I know, I’m sorry. Carlos has been...he’s been keeping me busy.” There’s something in her tone that makes me sit upstraighter. “But enough about me. Tell me about your new place. Is it as grand as it sounded?”

I launch into a description of the estate, the cottage, my time at college. But as I talk, I notice the sounds of music and laughter drifting across from the main house. The kind of rowdy noise that suggests a party in full swing.

“There’s actually a party happening right now,” I tell her, glancing toward the manor’s lit windows. “Some kind of celebration at the main house. It’s pretty loud.”

“A party? How fun!” But Lottie’s enthusiasm sounds forced. “Are you invited?”

“God, no. I’m the housekeeper’s daughter, which everyone is happy to keep reminding me of. I’m supposed to be invisible.” I shift on the window seat, trying to get comfortable. “And the son, Romeo. Well…he’s...complicated.”

“Complicated how?”

I hesitate, unsure how much to tell her. “He’s attracted to my scent.”

“Your scent is false, isn’t it?” she whispers.

“My primary scent is enhanced to hide my rare scent, which totally changes how my perfume really smells. But I think enhancing the primary has made Romeo think we’re scent matches.”

“And what do you think? Is there a possibility that you can have a scent match?”

I sigh. “I can obviously smell his scent too, but…I don’t know…”

The silence stretches so long I wonder if the call dropped.

Finally, Lottie sighs deeply. “Oh, Emmie, you don’t sound too thrilled by him—“

“Definitely not thrilled. He wants me to be his secret partner while he keeps his perfect girlfriend in public.” The words taste bitter as I say them.

“What the hell?”

“I know. I told him no, obviously.”