Page 49 of Knot Your Romeo

“Jolie, wait.” I pause, one foot already on the concrete.

“I need to get to class—“

“We need to talk,” he says. “Please.”

While he ends his call, I close the door and glance ahead.

Cerise appears at Romeo’s side, like she’s been waiting for him. She’s perfectly put together, as always. Today, her blonde hair is in an elegant updo that is too old for college, and the designer dress probably costs more than my mother makes in a month. But there’s something sharp in her expression as she takes in Romeo’s agitated state.

I watch through the windshield as they have what’s clearly an intense conversation. Cerise gestures toward our car, toward me, and Romeo’s body language grows increasingly defensive.

“She knows,” I murmur.

“Knows what?” Beck asks, ending his call.

“That he’s not faithful. Look at her face—she knows exactly what kind of person she’s dating.”

Romeo rushes away from Cerise, practically fleeing toward the main building.

Beck catches my wrist gently. “That’s what we need to talk about.”

I settle back into the seat, hyper-aware of his touch. “About what?”

“About Romeo. About what’s happening between you two.”

“Nothing’s happening between us.”

“But something could,” he says quietly. “If you let it.”

I study his profile, trying to read his expression. “Have you ever scent matched with anyone?”

The question seems to surprise him. “No. Never.”

“If you were with someone you cared about, and then you met your scent match, what would you do?”

Beck is quiet for a long moment, his fingers drumming against the steering wheel. “I don’t know,” he finally admits. “I’d like to think I’d choose the person I loved, but biology is...complicated.”

“I appreciate your honesty.”

“What would you do?” he asks, turning to face me fully.

I look toward the building where Romeo disappeared, then back at Beck. “I’d reject him.”

“Even if it meant fighting your biology every day?”

“Especially then.” I take a shaky breath. “Can I tell you something?”

He nods.

“Romeo isn’t my scent match. Not completely.” The admission feels dangerous, but something about Beck’s steady presence makes me want to be honest with him. “He smells me as his perfect match, but my scent is false. I have an undertone that I suppress with blockers and that is my real scent, but…it’s complicated. Just believe me when I tell you that nobody will match with that part of me.”

“Nobody—“ Beck’s eyebrows draw together. “That’s unusual.”

“It’s more than unusual. It means I probably don’t have a true scent match anywhere. And if I ever bonded with an Alpha, there’s always the risk that he’d find his actual mate someday and leave me behind.”

“So Romeo isn’t actually your match?”

“Not the moment I stop hiding my full scent.” I look down at my hands. “And until I do, he is struggling to reject me despite how much he wants to.”