Page 27

My blonde hair, a bit darker now that it’s wet, is plastered to my skull, making me look a bit like a drowned rat. I’ve always been thin, probably because we never had a lot of food when I was growing up, but I’m acutely aware of the way my ribs stick out a bit too far.

I know I shouldn’t compare myself to a pregnant omega, but she’s the only omega I’ve ever really met, and she’s all softness and curves.

I’m hard angles and bone.

My skin is so pale you could probably paint a map of my veins.

Her skin was glowing and healthy.

If Charlotte is the kind of omega that runs in this pack’s circles, why would they ever want someone like me?

A knock shocks me back to reality.

“Hey, it’s Chase, just wanted to check up on you, can I come in?” Chase asks from behind the bathroom door.

“In—in a second!” I scramble to drag Madden’s t-shirt over my head.

I’m surprised he didn’t just come in. I never would’ve gotten any sort of privacy had I been given to Alpha Niall. I also wouldn’t have been allowed any sort of clothing, ever, really.

Even though I don’t want to keep him waiting, I still frantically squeeze my hair out into the towel, trying to straighten it out and look at least somewhat put together. I put the towel backwhere I found it, as hard as it is to leave the soft fabric and comforting scent. It’ll be obvious I’ve used it since my perfume is all over it, but I don’t want to take something I haven’t been explicitly given.

Chase’s bright smile is the first thing I see when I slowly open the door, peeking through.

His smile is powerful enough to have my scent perfuming around us, my attraction to him obvious. He has the kind of smile that needs to be studied.

“How was that shower? I bet it felt pretty nice, all things considered,” he asks, leaning against the wall, his firm, lean muscles still on full display.

“It was,” I say, clasping my hands in front of me nervously. “Thank you, I appreciate it.”

“I’m gonna be the one to show you where you’re gonna be staying, how does that sound?”

“Al—alright, thank you,” I say, my eyes falling to my feet.

I was taken out of school before I had a chance to really get to know any boys, let alone develop crushes or even be around anyone I would consider attractive. But this man in front of me is as hot as the sun, and I don’t know what to do about it.

“How’re your feet doing?” He asks, taking a step closer to me. His ocean breeze swirls around us. It’s soothing to my frayed nerves. It’s also thick with his attraction to me.

I shrug, wincing a bit at the reminder. I’m not going to complain to an alpha about how much pain I’m in. All that got me in the past was more pain.

“Well, we can’t have that, now can we,” Chase chuckles. “Here, hold these for me.”

He hands me a bundle that I barely have a chance to process before he lifts me up and into his arms.

I squeak in alarm as he pulls me closer, adjusting me to make sure the shirt I’m wearing doesn’t ride up. His skin is smooth and so much warmer than I ever expected.

Whenever I felt a man’s skin against mine, I always remember them feeling cold. Maybe that was because I was usually going through my heat and my skin felt like it was burning hot, but still.

I clutch the bundle he hands to me to my chest as he carries me down the hall. It seems to be a bundle of clothes.

A bundle of clothes that smell like a delicious mix of warm ocean breeze, thick dark chocolate, pine forest, and spicy cinnamon. My eyes widen as I glance up at him in surprise.

He offers me a sheepish smile

“I know it must be a bit crazy with all four of us around, so I thought if you’re cool with it, you could get used to our scents,” he says.

“Th—thank you,” I say, looking down at the shirts in my arms with a bit of awe.

It’s an incredibly kind gesture, one that tugs at my heartstrings. The fact that they care enough about my comfort to lend me their own shirts is surprising, even with all the kindness they’ve shown me. It’s like they actually know how to soothe the omega part of me when I don’t even know how to.