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CHAPTER FOUR

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VANESSA LENNON NAMED PARAGON RACING’S SECOND DRIVER

In a stunning turn of events, Vanessa Lennon, former Formula 2 champion and granddaughter of world champion Vance Lennon, has been elevated to Formula 1. Despite the driver’s excellent performance in the final race of last season, the decision still comes as a surprise. It’s been two years since her win in the junior categories. Is one race really enough to tell if she can compete with the rest of the grid? Only time will tell.

Bloody fucking hell.

The moment Vanessa’s skin touched mine seemed to last forever, and if I had my preference, time would freeze here entirely. The audience would disappear and she and I would be alone.

I knew she was beautiful. You could practically be blind and still know that. I didn’t know that she smelled like heaven incarnate. The sticky, warm sweetness of caramel shot through with the bright notes of pineapple.

Tasting that scent became my only priority in life. Without knowing how it played on my tongue, I’d never be able to survive. Fuck. FUCK.

One breath and she’d branded herself on my soul. She smelled like she was mine.

And we were in front of the entire world.

The way she froze told me this wasn’t one sided. Whatever powers ruled the universe, I thanked them for making it a match and not some quirk of my own DNA meant to torture me.

I didn’t want her to be in any kind of discomfort, but there was a certain relief in knowing she felt this too. I tightened my hand on hers—just a fraction—and saw her shiver.

Fuck.

It was really the only word I could hang onto right now. Both as an expletive and an action. Because that was what I wanted. Right now.

“Nice to finally meet you,” she managed, breathless. “In person.”

“My pleasure,” I murmured. A low rumble started in my chest, my purr coming to life out of pure instinct. Forcing it to stop was the hardest thing I’d ever had to do.

I needed to let her hand go. I needed to step away, even if the only thing I wanted to do was haul her over my shoulder and go somewhere more private. But we needed to finish this, and there was press to speak with. Vanessa’s promotional photoshoots.

Privacy wasn’t on the agenda right now.

Damn it.

Forcing myself to let go of her, I smiled. “Later.”

I said it so quietly only she could hear. My Alpha would not let her go without her knowing this was real. My Omega.

She nodded once, but it was clear she struggled just like I did.

Tracy, one of our marketing people, had the mic pointed at Lars. “What do you think of this season’s car?”

He glared at Vanessa unkindly. “I think it’s a good car. Everything shows the PR25 being a car that can take Paragon to the top. A real , talented driver will be able to get everything out of it.”

Protective rage flowed into me so quickly the world tinted red. I saw myself crossing the space and letting my fist meet his jaw and savoring the crunch, and it took me a second to realize it had been a fantasy and I hadn’t just hit him.

There was no doubt that she was mine. Ours. Fuck. The others needed to know. But the instinctual anger and need to protect currently gripping me was so raw I had no control. It didn’t allow me to move.

Covering my growl, I watched Tracy’s smile go so brittle it could crack. “Well, we look forward to seeing what you do with it this year. Vanessa,” she turned. “Same question.”

Vanessa’s smile was so bright and so real the wave of flashes from the reporter’s cameras felt like a natural response.

“I think the car looks amazing. The simulator is fast as hell, so I’m looking forward to testing. Ready to get behind the wheel and see what’s possible.”

“I think everyone else is looking forward to that as well.”

Vanessa laughed, the sound low and musical. “Hopefully the surprise was a good one.”

“Definitely.” Tracy asked Lars another question before wrapping up the official presentation. People could now mingle and look at the car or speak to the drivers. Predictably, no one was interested in the car, even though we had a full press conference after this.

It took every ounce of willpower I had to step away and take out my phone.

Grayson

Where are you guys right now?

Beck

We’re all at the penthouse.

Our real home wasn’t here in Britannia, but we didn’t get to be there nearly as much as we wanted to.

Elias

Why? What’s up?

Grayson

I’m not sure I can fully explain it.

River

That sounds ominous.

Is it Lars?

Elias

Considering him being a colossal douche is normal? I’m guessing no.

Beck

Gray?

Grayson

It’s Vanessa.

I hesitated. How the hell did I relay what just happened and the sheer enormity of it?

River

What? What do you mean?

None of us had met her. The idea of the surprise taking the racing world by storm had been carefully orchestrated. But that also meant we couldn’t just dive into this publicly. No one would believe the coincidence. At worst, it would look like favoritism for a member of my pack—putting my lover in the lineup.

In spite of all the problems rolling out in front of me, I couldn’t help but smile at my own mind. I hoped she would be my lover. Because it took about one minute for her to be my everything.

Grayson

Let me put it this way. She walked out, I got hit with her scent, and I’m barely stopping myself from kidnapping her backstage and doing things it would be unprofessional to put in writing.

She’s our scent match.

Nothing came through for a minute, and I could almost feel the shock reverberating through the pack.

Elias

If this is a joke you better say so right the fuck now.

Grayson

Not a joke.

Beck

We’re on our way.

Grayson

We have the press conference and then she has promo shoots all afternoon because this was kept so far under wraps. When we have a second I’ll make sure to get her time with us.

Elias

I’m still coming.

There was no stopping them, and I knew it.

Grayson

Fine, but keep it quiet. This is something we need to keep on our terms, much as I hate to think of it that way.

River, stay put. You know why.

River

Fuck.

We all teased River about his crush on Vanessa, but now I wondered if there’d been something more to it. Like his Alpha saw that she was ours before we ever could have known. To keep him away felt cruel. But River couldn’t be here at the Paragon launch. It was already a delicate balance between our pack and the two teams. This would only add more layers.

Grayson

I’m sorry.

River

No, I get it. But…

What the fuck.

Another few seconds.

River

What does she smell like?

Grayson

Pineapple and caramel.

Elias

Sounds incredible.

Grayson

It is. I need to get her to the press conference. The faster we get her through all of this today, the faster we can find a way to bring her home.

River

Does she know?

I nodded, even though he couldn’t see me.

Grayson

Yes. She felt it the same way. Trust me.

River

Thank fuck.

Grayson

Try not to chew your own arm off.

Just watch how pissed Lars is.

River

That’s not going to keep me from chewing my arms off. That’s only going to make me want to beat the smile off his face.

Grayson

Imagine how I feel being in the same room with him.

River

Good luck.

Beck

We’ll be there in half an hour.

I slid my phone back into my pocket and looked back at Vanessa. My Omega .

People surrounded her. Sponsors and investors. Press. Our employees who hadn’t known about us signing her. There was a throng of people around her so thick it made me nervous.

But the rest of the room showed a clear divide. For every person at her side, there was another one across the room nearer to Lars. Whether they were shocked or trying to keep themselves away from her, I couldn’t imagine a more tangible illustration of how this would play out across the world.

Tracy approached me with a smile. “All the announcements are live on socials, and we have the press room set up whenever you want to head over.”

I watched Vanessa a moment longer. It was good for her to interact with people, but we also needed to get her in front of the press as quickly as we could so they had actual quotes and soundbites instead of reporting on their first reaction.

“Yeah, let’s get her out of there.”

There would be plenty of time for buttering up the sponsors, and Vanessa would no doubt have more one-on-one conversations with reporters than any other driver this season.

Tracy tried to make it through the crowd, but no one was focused enough to hear her. This time when my protective instincts flooded my system, I let them loose. “The press conference will start in five minutes in the press room if everyone wants to head there.” I projected the words and watched the briefest hint of relief on my Omega’s face. “You’ll be able to ask Vanessa all the questions, promise.”

Laughter skittered through the crowd before they dispersed. I didn’t watch them go. I still watched her. She watched me too, and I didn’t want to be the one to break that connection.

Each second was a risk. I wasn’t hiding my desire. There was no way I could do that. Not right now. I closed the distance between us and savored the delicious burn of her scent. Every breath rewrote something deep in me. I would never be the same.

“You ready?” I asked her, unable to ignore the dual meaning to the question.

“I honestly don’t know,” she said, throat bobbing in a swallow. “I want to be.”

“I’ve got you.”

A fleeting smile that held that same deeper meaning. “Are you promising me too?”

I would do anything and everything for this woman. Make every promise and make sure I kept it. Yes. Forever.

“Promise,” I said.