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“So much of our society is still difficult, especially for omegas. We wanted to create something that helped bring more freedom.”

“Scent wipes aren’t new, so what makes these particular ones stand out?”

Chase pulled out a wipe with a flourish. “These pretty little squares—”

A buzz in my ears drowned out his words and while his mouth still moved on the screen, all I could hear was the echo of his self-assured voice, hot against my ear.

Stand still, pretty.

I couldn’t control the way my scent soured. Seph stared at Chase and her awe and happiness were palpable. My stomach turned and so did I, needing to move. I lurched up, the stool clattered behind me. I needed to run. Hide. No destination in mind, except away from Chase’s sharp grin.

What made them different?My family’s recipe. But he wouldn’t admit that, would he? That would mean explaining how he came by it in the first place.

“I’m sorry, Tully.” Walden stood, but I darted out of the room.

The sound of a discordant piano guided me, and I stumbled into a darkened room. The crescendo of keys cut through my rising panic. Pan leaned over a piano, his left hand flew over the keys with a frantic urgency while his right was curled in a fist. The curtains were partially closed and one beam of light illuminated his face like a spotlight. His head was thrown back, twisted like he was in the throes of pain.

Grape bubblegum, as sour as my scent, permeated the room. I lingered in the doorway. The music was dark, broken and needy,and my heartbeat answered its call like a siren. I crept into the room, mesmerized by the passion that thrummed through Pan’s body. He made a mistake and let out a furious shout as his fingers slowed their wild pace. Finally, pressing deeply on the keys until they groaned.

“I thought I scented something sweet.” Pan spun around on his bench seat. He tucked his curled right hand in his lap while his gaze glinted with something I couldn’t decipher.

“I didn’t mean to distract you.” My body froze in place until he beckoned me to him.

He scooted over the bench, a wordless invitation I accepted. What was I doing? In a darkened room with an alpha like Pan? His hazel eyes pierced through me, and he ran his hypnotizing fingers down the side of my face. I flinched, resisting the insane urge to lean into the touch.

He promised oblivion, and the surprise appearance of Chase shook me enough to consider taking it.

“Why so bitter, angel?” His nostrils flared as he caught my scent in full.

“I got kicked out of my apartment yesterday,” I breathed out the plausible lie. “What’s your excuse?”

Pan’s laugh was a hollow pretense, and he withdrew his touch. I swallowed a whine. From the moment I’d seen him, I’d wanted to know what his fingers would feel like on my body. Pan ran his touch along the keys, too light to make music. His shoulders hunched and his collar glinted in the shard of light.

“Tully Hartlock. You’re like the omega blueprint, did you know that? Everything Walden ever wanted.” Pan smiled, but it was a twisted parody.

My stomach knotted. “What do you mean?”

“Someone to care for and look after. Is that what you’re looking for, omega, someone to coddle you?”

I jerked away as his words lanced my chest. How did he reach past my ribs and straight to the throbbing want I held against my heart? It was a cruel question because, regardless of what I might want, I was an omega. My instincts craved exactly that.

I thought that was what Chase was doing, albeit from the shadows. His ‘care’ left a deep soul scar, and the prospect of accepting anything close to it made me tremble.

Was that why being here felt good?

Because I couldn’t remember the last time I had anyone else think about my needs. But saying it out loud would mean admitting I couldn’t do this on my own. That I really was as weak and useless as my parents thought I was.

“Do you remember me?” I whispered.

I don’t know why it mattered so much, but I needed to know if I was as forgettable as Chase made me feel.

“Who could forget you, angel?”

“You weren’t yourself.”

“And you let a little kid send me off in the wrong direction.” He clicked his tongue. “I won’t tell if you don’t. While I wonder what a Hartlock was doing in The Barracks, let’s keep it to ourselves. I don’t need Walden being disappointed in me again.”

“Is that why you call him daddy?” I changed the subject. “Does he baby you, too?”