Page 4

I arrive at the Bureau thirty minutes early, settling into the introduction room. My opponents assume the Bureau is a harsh place where omegas are treated like breeding stock. The reality is the complete opposite. Everything in this room is geared towards omega comfort.

The air is carefully filtered so that no external scents intrude, especially those of non-matched alphas in the building. It’s comfortable and soft. There are choices of seating: a formal chair and tablet set, a soft pair of sofas. There’s a bookcase and a TV, in case the omega just wants to sit quietly for the first introduction, ease themselves into their alpha’s scent. There’s even a set of bean bags in the corner. Is it perfect? No, but the Bureau makes a real effort.

We know it’s not easy, even a prime match. Even heaven requires a period of adjustment. All major life changes do, even the good ones.

I’ve spent my time since the match notification researching Leo Torres. He really is gorgeous even if he does think I’m -- what did he call me -- oh yes, a lapdog. The corner of my mouth twitches. I smooth my tie and glance at my watch.

Leo will either be deliberately late as a minor act of rebellion or he won’t show at all. My money’s on the latter but I really hope he shows.

He can’t put it off forever and I can’t wait to finally feel the moment that I meet my soul mate. From everything I have researched, it is meant to be electrifying.

“Dr. Thorndike.”

The Bureau liaison, a trim beta named Bartholomew Sun, enters with a tablet in hand. I know him vaguely. My office is on the other side of the building, but we’ve crossed paths occasionally.

“Can I offer you coffee before we begin?”

“No, thank you.”

Sun nods, taking a seat across from me.

“I should warn you. Mr. Torres made a public statement contesting the match this morning. Nothing formal yet. It was all through social media, but he’s clearly intending to pursue legal channels.”

“Yes, I’ve seen it,”

I allow myself a small smile.

“I’d be disappointed if he hadn’t.”

Sun hesitates.

“His case has some merit. The blood drive registration could be seen as—”

“Procedurally unconventional, yes,”

I interrupt, my voice cooling several degrees.

“But completely legal, as I’m sure the Bureau’s counsel has already determined. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be having this meeting.”

The door swings open with enough force to rattle the glass wall behind it, and then—

Holy shit.

Pressure builds behind my sternum, like the warning vibration before an earthquake. The air suddenly feels thicker, heavy with pheromones.

Leo Torres stands in the doorway, body rigid with tension. His blond hair falls across his forehead in a way that suggests he’s been running his hands through it for hours.

There are shadows beneath his eyes and a tightness around his mouth that speaks of sleepless nights and clenched teeth.

He is the single most beautiful thing I have ever seen. My entire body is tingling, focusing only on him. Sun disappears. The introduction room disappears. The world consists of nothing but Leo. My mate. Finally.

I was going to play this cool but suddenly that seems extraordinarily stupid. He is mine and I am his. There is no need for games between us.

“You’re here,”

I whisper.

His reaction to me is just as obvious as mine is to him. His scent spikes. I can scent slick beneath it as his body reacts to mine. It hits me with unexpected force—warm citrus undercut with something like fresh rosemary. It’s distinctly omega, but without that cloying sweetness that they often have. I have to consciously regulate my breathing to maintain my composure. His pupils are blown wide and he is breathing as hard as I am.

Then Leo’s eyes narrow, the color intensifying in the fluorescent light. He grimaces and takes a single step into the room.

“I’m here to file my formal objection. Nothing more.”

Okay, maybe I am going to have to play it cool. My omega has pride. He’s not the type to just surrender because he has been told to. It’s one of the things that makes him the perfect match for me.

I need to win him over, court him. With our chemistry, our ending is a foregone conclusion but that doesn’t mean I should take him for granted. He is going to choose me. It’s inevitable, but he needs to feel like it is his choice.

“Your objection is noted.”

I gesture to the empty chair across from me.

Leo’s lips curl. They’re soft, very kissable. I wonder what it is going to feel like to have them on mine, explore his mouth with my tongue. That scent is already driving me wild. I can barely imagine getting to taste it.

“I’ll stand, thanks.”

He remains by the door, as if ready to bolt at any moment. Sun clears his throat awkwardly.

“Perhaps we should start with the formal acknowledgment of—”

“No,”

Leo cuts him off.

“Let’s start with the fact that I was registered without my consent. Let’s talk about how that’s the foundation of this entire farce.”

I sit back down, arranging myself comfortably. I keep my voice measured, as if we’re discussing the weather instead of the course of our lives.

“We’re not here to debate the registration process. We’re here to acknowledge the match.”

“I don’t acknowledge anything,”

Leo snaps, taking a step forward despite himself.

“I reject the match.”

“Based on what grounds? Personal antipathy? Political disagreement? Neither is a valid basis for rejection.”

“Based on the grounds that I don’t want it,”

Leo says, and his voice drops to something dangerous and low.

I feel another pull beneath my ribs, stronger this time and unmistakable. Leo clearly feels it too. The dilation of his pupils proves he does as does the flush that is growing on his beautiful face, even if he’s clearly fighting it with everything he has.

Damn, he’s something else. That fire, that absolute conviction. I’ve never seen anyone resist a prime match pull with such determination. It’s impressive. And, if I’m being honest, kind of hot.

“Your rights aren’t being violated,”

I say calmly, folding my hands on the table.

“The Bureau offers extensive support. This is hardly a prison sentence, Mr. Torres.”

Leo laughs, the sound brittle and sharp.

“Of course you’d say that. You’re not the one being forced into this.”

Before I can respond, Sun intervenes.

“Perhaps we could return to the purpose of this meeting. The Bureau requires formal acknowledgment of the match notification and discussion of next steps.”

Leo crosses his arms. I watch the movement fascinated. He moves with incredible fluidity and grace.

“I filed a preliminary challenge this morning.”

“Which will be reviewed,”

Sun assures him, in a tone that suggests such reviews are rarely favorable.

“In the meantime, protocol requires—”

“I’m not interested in your protocol,”

Leo says flatly.

“I am here to notify you of the challenge and because not turning up today would mean that challenge would be harder to contest.”

I watch the muscle working in Leo’s jaw, the tight line of his shoulders. Everything about him radiates defiance, but there’s something else too. I can almost feel his body vibrating with awareness of me. It matches the one humming through my own body.

“You feel it,”

I say quietly.

“The bond. There’s no point denying it.”

Leo’s eyes flash.

“Don’t patronize me.”

“I’m stating fact.”

I lean forward slightly.

“You’re having a neurochemical response. Your heart rate elevated the moment you walked in. Your pupils dilated. Your scent intensified.”

“That’s called anger, Dr. Thorndike,”

Leo says, but a flush creeps up his neck, betraying him.

“No,”

I disagree mildly.

“What you’re experiencing right now is recognition at the cellular level. Your body is responding to mine, just as mine is responding to yours.”

Leo’s hands clench into fists at his sides.

“Are you suggesting I have no choice? I don’t consent to this.”

“Not at all,”

I say, my voice dropping lower.

“I’m suggesting that you’re fighting against something that doesn’t need to be fought.”

Leo takes another step forward, his anger drawing him closer despite his obvious intention to maintain distance. He can’t help it. He’s feeling the same pull that I am. The air between us seems to thicken further. I’m acutely aware of every minute shift in Leo’s posture, every flicker of expression that crosses his face.

He slams his paperwork down onto the table like a challenge.

“You don’t have to like me,”

I say finally, my voice softer than I intended.

“But we are meant to be together.”

“You’re so certain,”

Leo says, and for a moment, something almost vulnerable flashes across his face.

“Has it ever occurred to you that you might be wrong?”

“I follow the evidence,”

I reply simply.

“And the evidence for prime match compatibility is overwhelming.”

“So is the evidence for its abuse,”

Leo counters.

Sun intervenes again. If he is exasperated, he doesn’t show it. I suppose he is used to show downs in this room.

“Gentlemen, please. We need to address the procedural requirements. Mr. Torres, your challenge has been filed and will be reviewed, but in the interim, the match stands.”

Leo turns to the liaison, his expression hardening.

“And if I refuse?”

Sun shifts uncomfortably.

“You know there are—”

“Punishments,”

Leo interrupts.

“Call them what they are.”

“Administrative measures,”

Sun corrects.

This is going nowhere. We’re arguing in circles. Both Leo and I know what the penalties for non-compliance are. I’m also not in the mood to let this drag out longer than it needs to. I want my omega. The longer he fights this, the harder it is going to be on him. I’m not going to put my omega through that.

“As alpha, it is my prerogative to set the date for the bonding ceremony,”

I interject, earning a sharp look from Leo.

“Tomorrow. Nine am. The sooner we resolve this, the better for all involved.”

Leo’s eyes narrow. “No.”

“Prolonging the process serves neither of us.”

Leo holds my gaze for a long moment, and I feel that pull again. It seems to tighten the air between us.

“No,”

Leo says again. He turns without another word and walks out, leaving the door open behind him. His scent lingers in the room.

Sun lets out a breath.

“That was... intense.”

“Yes,”

I agree, gathering my papers with unhurried precision. “It was.”

“Do you think he’ll be here tomorrow.”

I consider the question as I slip the file back into my portfolio.

“I doubt it.”

As I leave the conference room, I find myself uncharacteristically distracted. I pause in the lobby, looking out at the rain-slicked street where Leo disappeared minutes earlier. The pull is still there, a compass needle seeking true north, even with distance between us. It will only grow stronger.

Leo will be feeling it too. But even as I think it, another feeling settles in my chest—respect. Unexpected, unwanted, but undeniable.

Leo Torres isn’t just another resistant omega. He’s something else entirely.

And damn if that doesn’t make me want him even more.