Page 2

Chapter 2

Harlow

“Why do you hide who you are if you want him?”

As the cab ride stretches into endless minutes of silence, Carver’s words echo in my head .

“Why don’t you be your real self?” he adds as the car stops at traffic lights.

"I am."

He sighs as turns away from me.

Headlights from passing cars flash across his sharp profile as he stares straight ahead, jaw clenched.

The cab moves again.

I’m not hiding. I’m not. The mantra repeats in my head.

The cab pulls up to our building but before I can reach for my wallet, Carver hands the driver cash. “I’ll get it.”

The elevator ride to our apartment is subdued and suffocating.

As always, Carver’s presence fills the small space, and when our gazes meet in the mirrored walls, my skin prickles as it usually does.

This time, though, I know it’s his words.

The moment we step into the apartment, I whirl to him, unable to hold back any longer. “What the hell are you talking about, Carver? What am I hiding?”

He takes a step closer, towering over me. His blue eyes lock onto mine with an intensity that makes my breath catch.

“You know exactly what I mean.”

“No, I don’t.” My voice shakes. “You can’t just say cryptic shit like that and expect me to read your mind.”

“Can’t I?” His lips curve into a knowing smile, making my stomach flip. “You’ve been doing it to me for years.”

I narrow my eyes as I think about that. “I do not.”

“Telling me you need me around, but you don’t know why.”

“That’s different.” I walk backward until I hit the wall. “You’re Colton’s brother. We always talk.”

“I’m more than that. We’re more than that. We understand each other.”

I sigh. “We’re best friends.” I hate to say out loud, but I’ve been best friends with Carver and not Colton for years. “And we understand each other."

“Friends.” He practically spits the word. “Is that what you tell yourself when you catch my eye across the room? Or when you lean into my touch? When you seek me out. And when you smell like—”

My palm presses against his chest, but I can’t tell if I’m pushing him away or holding him in place. “Smell like what? ”

“It doesn’t matter.”

I tilt my head to one side and consider him. “Yes, it does.”

“All that matters is you’re lying to yourself.” Carver’s breath fans across my face. “I’ve known since the day we met. I’ve known since we were kids.”

“Know what?” My heart pounds against my ribs.

“That you were going to present as an omega.” He sighs. “One day…”

“How many times, Carver?” I shove him back. Hard. “I’m an alpha.”

“Bullshit.” He crowds me against the wall again. “You think I can’t sense it? Smell you? That delicate scent you try so hard to mask with those expensive perfumes?”

“You’re mistaken. It is my perfume.”

“Am I?” His fingers brush my neck, right over my pulse point. “Your heart is racing. Your pupils are blown wide. And your scent...” He inhales deeply. “God, your scent gets stronger when you’re worked up like this.”

I slap his hand away. “Stop it. I’m an alpha. I’ve always been an alpha. The scent is just perfume.”

“It’s your omega scent,” he argues. “Don’t you ever think it was strange that your sister Grace suddenly presented as an omega when she was in her twenties?”

“No.”

I do, but now isn’t the time to talk about that.

Carver’s head tilts back, and he glances at the ceiling. He sighs. “Well, I’ve thought non-stop about it since it happened. I’m waiting because you’re not an alpha, just like Grace wasn’t a beta, and—”

“Shut up.” My voice cracks. “You know nothing.”

“I know everything about you.” His voice drops lower, rougher. “I know how you fuss over everyone around you. How you’d rather nurture than dominate. How you—”

“Even if I was, I can’t be yours.” The words hurt as they tear from my throat.

Carver steps back, running a hand through his dark hair. His jaw works like he’s biting back more words.

Finally, he turns and stalks toward his room.

As I watch him go, my body trembles.

His door slams shut. The sound echoes through the apartment like a gunshot, the invisible powder covering me like a cold sheet.

I wrap my arms around my body as my legs give out and I slide down the wall as his words replay in my mind.

You’re lying to yourself.

I’ve known since we were kids.

He is so fucking wrong.

I push off the floor, anger now replacing the shock as my feet carry me to his door. I throw it open without knocking.

Carver lies on his bed, one arm behind his head, staring at the ceiling. He doesn’t even flinch at my entrance.

“If what you’re saying is true, how come you know yet Colton doesn’t?” The words burst out of me. “He’s dated me for years. He would have noticed.”

Carver’s eyes slide to mine. All I see is pain in their depths. “There’s only one reason I’d be able to tell when no one else can.”

“What reason?”

He sits up slowly, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. “Scent matching.”

My heart stops. “What?”

“We’re fated mates, Harlow. ”

The room spins. I grip the doorframe to steady myself. “That’s impossible.”

“Is it?” he challenges.

I curl my fingers against my palms and yell, “We fucking live together, Carver! You wouldn’t be able to resist me. There is no way that is true.”

“That’s why I’m here.” His chest rises and falls and his blue eyes look pained as he stares at me. “Why I chose to live with you and Colton, waiting.”

Waiting.

“And if I did magically present? What would you have done?” My voice lowers again as I wonder if presenting as an omega could actually happen.

Do I want it to?

“What I had to do. You’re mine, Harlow.”

“You’ve thought about it all this time?” My voice cracks. “Years of watching me date your brother and you never said a word to me, apart from making jokes about me not being an alpha.”

He runs a hand through his hair. “What was I supposed to say? ‘Hey, I know you think you’re an alpha, but you’re actually my scented mate, omega.’”

The reality of what he’s saying crashes over me. I shake my head, backing away. “No. No, this isn’t right. If we were fated mates, I’d smell you, too.”

“I don’t know why you can’t.” He stands, taking a step toward me. “But I think it has something to do with whatever is blocking your omega nature.”

“There’s nothing blocking anything because I’m not an omega.”

He sighs .

“You must be mistaken.” I pace in front of him. “Maybe you’re confusing me with someone else.”

Carver’s hands curl into fists. “For fuck’s sake, Harlow. I know your scent better than I know my name. I’ve spent years breathing you in, memorizing every note, every subtle change.”

“But I’m not—”

“Your mother is an omega.” His voice rises with frustration. “Grace is an omega. The signs have been there all along.”

“Bardot and I are different.” I lift my chin defiantly. “We’re alphas.”

He lets out a harsh laugh. “You want to know something? Colton once caught your scent, too. Your omega scent.”

My heart stutters. “What?”

“Yeah.” Carver’s eyes bore into mine. “When you were around fourteen, maybe fifteen years old.”

“But he said nothing to me.” I feel dizzy, like the room feels like it’s tilting on its axis.

“Because he convinced himself he was wrong.” Carver runs a hand through his hair. “Said he must have picked up someone’s scent on you.”

The fight drains out of me. I sink onto his bed; the mattress dipping under my weight. My head spins with too many thoughts, too many possibilities.

“I’ve had a shitty day and I don’t want to fight with you, Carver.” I look at him. “You know…" He stares back at me. "You’ve always been my best friend.”

His expression softens, and he kneels between my legs. “I know, Harlow. I don't want to fight with you, either. All I’ve ever wanted to do is to protect you, even from yourself. ”

I stare into Carver’s eyes, my heart hammering against my ribs. “If Colton smelled me too, but never acted on it...” My voice trails off as the implications hit me. “Does that mean he’s not my scent match?”

I can’t believe I’m even considering what he is saying.

Carver rises from his haunches, his warm palms cupping my cheeks. Sparks race across my skin. “It doesn’t matter about Colton. What matters is what happens from now on.”

“What are you saying?” My breath catches in my throat. The intensity in his blue eyes makes it hard to think straight. “Me and you?”

“Yes.” His thumb traces my bottom lip.

I pull back slightly, reality crashing in. “You’re my ex-boyfriend’s brother...”

And I’m not an omega. I keep that zipped inside my mouth.

A smile plays at the corners of his mouth, transforming his face. “So it’s definitely over. You won’t beg him to take you back.”

I shake my head, the motion slight against his palms. “Alphas and omegas need each other. I hate it, but I can’t fight it.”

Before I can process what’s happening, his lips capture mine. The kiss steals my breath, sending electricity coursing through my veins.

I freeze, shock rendering me motionless as his mouth moves against mine.

Carver waits for me to open.

I can’t.

Recoiling from Carver’s kiss, I press my hands against his chest. “We can’t do this.”

Carver’s grip on my face tightens, his blue eyes blazing with intensity. “Why not? You want this just as much as I do. ”

“But Colton—”

“Fuck Colton.” He cuts me off, his voice rough. “He doesn’t deserve you. He still fucking cheated on you. You should want some form of revenge.”

I shake my head, trying to pull away, but his hold is unyielding. “I don’t want revenge. I just want—”

“What do you want, Harlow?” His thumb brushes my bottom lip, and my breath catches. “Tell me.”

“I don’t know.” My voice comes out in a whisper. “I’m so confused.”

Carver’s expression softens, and he presses a gentle kiss to my forehead. “Then let’s just be friends. For now. Or friends with benefits.”

I search his face, brow furrowed, but he is really serious.

I smile. “Friends with benefits to revenge.”

A slow grin spreads across his face. “If that’s what you want.”

Before I can respond, his lips are on mine again, the kiss deep and hungry. A needy whimper escapes my throat, and my body melts against his.

My fingers grip the front of his shirt, holding him close as his tongue tangles with mine as the world narrows to just us. To the feel of his hard body pressing against mine, and to the way his hands roam my curves, setting my skin on fire.

A warmth blossoms low in my belly, and I ache to be closer, to feel more of him.

Just as quickly as it started, Carver pulls away, leaving me breathless and flushed.

“Told you,” he murmurs, his thumb tracing my swollen lips. “You can’t deny this, Harlow.”

I open my mouth to protest, but no words come out. He’s right. I can’t stop the way my body reacts to him, or the way my heart races when he’s near .

But…

“We can’t do this.” The words feel like a lie, even as I say them. “It’s so wrong.”

Carver chuckles, the sound low and rumbling. “Since when have you cared about what’s right or wrong? And Colton certainly doesn’t.”

I have no answer for that.

“Just think about it, okay?” His fingers trail down my neck, raising goosebumps in their wake. “When you’re ready, I’ll be waiting. I've waited years already. I can wait a little longer.”

With that, he presses one more kiss to my lips before stepping back.

I watch, dazed, as he leaves the room, closing the door behind him.

I sink back onto the bed, my heart pounding. What the hell just happened? And more importantly, what the hell am I going to do about it?

Then I realize I’m in his bedroom.