Page 4 of Pack Me Up

I pace a while, thinking about that scent and who it could belong to, until my phone vibrates against my thigh.

It’s Colton.

I thumb the accept button, and his voice comes through low and sharp, a scalpel instead of a greeting. “You’re circling the house like a shark. What’s wrong with you?”

I shift my stance, eyes sweeping the driveway. “Just doing my job. Press is extra thick tonight.” I hesitate, then add, “I smelled the scent again.”

There’s silence on the other end of the line for a long moment.

“You know the rest of us have never smelled it,” Colton says gently.

The twins are never far apart, so I hear Cody’s response in the background. “Don’t discount how good his nose is. It’s the best out of all of us.”

I puff up with pride at that assessment.

Colton sighs. “I know, I know. I just don’t want you to get your hopes up, Hunter.”

I hesitate, not wanting to admit how deep the scent’s gotten under my skin. “No, but it’s definitely closer. I keep catching it at the house, then it vanishes.”

There’s a long silence, then, “Careful. You know how these things go.”

“Understood,” I say, though it’s a lie. I understand nothing about this. The longer it goes on, the less it feels like instinct and the more it feels like compulsion.

Colton softens, just a touch. “Look, you want me to send Fox out for a shift change? Maybe you need to step away.”

“No, I’m fine and don’t tell Saint or Fox.”

Colton grunts and then hangs up. The conversation over.

I stand there, phone still pressed to my ear, watching the last of the paparazzi trickle away from the gate. The air’s colder, the house quieter, but that itch at the base of my skull hasn’t faded. If anything, it’s getting worse.

I wonder if this omega knows she’s being hunted.

The phone’s still warm in my hand when it vibrates again. Saint’s name lights up, big and bold, and for a second, I consider letting it ring out, but then I remember that he will just come down here, and I answer.

“Yeah?” I keep my voice low.

Saint doesn’t waste time on greetings. “You’re supposed to be watching the east fence, not sitting on the phone with Colton.”

I guess he was watching the security cameras that I’m standing under.

With quick steps, I make my way over to the east fence.

“What scent were you talking about?” he demands once I’m there.

I roll my eyes and edge farther from the lights. “It’s nothing.”

“Didn’t sound like it. You mentioned a scent on tour, is it the same one?”

It gives me hope that he remembers that. “Yes! It’s everywhere tonight. Stronger than before. I think she, whoever she is, is closer.”

A sharp inhale on the other end, like he’s about to launch into a lecture. “You’re obsessing. If it’s an omega, it’s probably Hart’s. You need to be focused on the job.”

My heart sinks. Of course, he isn’t taking me seriously. I am forever the baby of this family.

“It’s not the same. I’ve smelled hers, and it isn’t mated. This one is—” I break off, realizing how it sounds. Like I’m hunting a ghost or, worse, losing my mind.

Saint fills the silence. “You’ve been off ever since we took this job. Maybe lay off the gym for a few days, yeah? Get some sleep. Stop chasing shadows.”