Page 53

FORTY-THREE

“What happened to your fruity scent?” I ask Opal as we walk through downtown. There are members of Alpha Xi setting up their tents from corner to corner, preparing for the event. Everything looks so lively already, and the smell of funnel cakes in the air makes my mouth water.

Opal’s cheeks turn a slight pink hue. I’ve been trying to pinpoint what her scent is every time we hang out.

Some moments it smells so familiar, but others it is unrecognizable.

It’s driving me insane. But now, as we cruise along the sidewalk, I can’t get even the tiniest whiff of it. It’s like it completely vanished.

She’s also constantly bringing her own blankets to our house, claiming that if we’re hanging out, she refuses to be uncomfortable. A woman after my own heart.

“She’s right, your scent is gone. Like you were never an omega. What happened? And can I make it happen, too?” Instead of finding Rory’s response inappropriate, Opal only giggles.

“I started taking suppressants with a deodorizing agent.” She shrugs. “I kept thinking about that date, when I met you guys. The things that alpha said about my scent…” A shiver goes through her as she remembers that awful night. “I think it’s best for now. I just need some time to get over it.”

I frown, feeling disheartened for her. It’s been a long time since omegas have felt the need to cover up their scents. I understand her reasoning because I’d feel the same way, but it saddens me that some creepy alpha had the opportunity to frighten her that much.

I wish my alphas had roughed him up a bit.

“We support your decision.” I give her a kind smile that she returns.

Rory scoffs. “Of course we do. But I’m still trying to figure out what your scent even is, can you just tell us?”

I huff out a laugh. “It’s true. I’ve been investigating, too. It’s some kind of fruit right?”

“You could have asked me sooner.” She playfully rolls her eyes. “My scent resembles lychees.”

My eyes widen. “That’s it! I had one of those once.” Why didn’t I recognize it?

Rory scrunches her brows. “There’s no fucking way you’ve had a fucking lychee before.”

“Yes, I did! In Hawaii.”

“You’re full of shit,” she mutters jokingly before turning back to Opal “Well, it’s a beautiful scent. Very unique.”

Her blush is back. “Thank you, Rory. And so is yours. Cranberries aren’t very common anymore.”

I fake pout. “Excuse me, where are my scent compliments?”

Opal opens her mouth to give me one, but Rory laughs. “You smell like both lavender and vanilla, the most feminine scents there are! Don’t shit on our rare-scent parade.”

I hold my hand to my chest and dramatically balk at her. “Well, I see how it is!”

Her teasing seizes as she gives me a tiny smile. “Your scent matches probably praise your scent enough as it is. You could ask one of them and they’d compliment you all day long.”

Now it’s my turn to blush because it’s true. They are very attentive.

“They are pretty great, huh?” I say this more to myself than them but Rory still pretends to gag.

We round the corner and finally come to our destination. Our eyes go so wide, they might as well be protruding out of our skulls.

“Is that their tent?” Opal asks, recoiling from the sheer size of it.

The tent is bigger than every single one we’ve seen so far, with actual walls that enclose the space inside. It kind of reminds me of a circus tent as Rory, Opal, and I come upon it. What the hell could they be doing in there?

“I don’t think we should go in there,” Rory comments, her arm looped with mine. Opal nods, agreeing with her. I am also a bit intimidated by the size of their attraction, but curiosity wins in the end.

“The boys told me that Uriah doesn’t know what they’re doing and that I wouldn’t want to miss the surprise.” I give myself an affirmative nod. “So, we are going in.”

Opal smiles sweetly. “Will this be a good surprise for him though, or a scary one?”

I tilt my head to the side. “They didn’t say. They were giggling about it like school girls though. It was cute.” But that also told me that whatever was beyond this tent was probably meant to freak Uriah out. Hopefully it doesn’t also freak me out. “Let’s go before I change my mind.”

Opal’s phone starts to ring in her hand. She looks at it and huffs. “I have to take this, but I’ll be inside soon.”

Rory and I march in, only holding our breaths for a second before we enter.

There are chairs lined up, far more than there needs to be I’m sure, and my three guys, minus Uriah, are standing at the front, their backs to us.

They look to be in concentration as they look at something, not even noticing us as we walk around the chairs to the spot where they’re standing.

I clear my throat and all three of them turn toward us. The way their eyes light up makes my stomach flip. I’ll never get tired of their happiness in response to seeing me. It’s unreal. And it happens Every. Single. Time.

“Doe!” Ciro exclaims, cutting away from the group first. He comes over to hug me, his hand finding its way into my back pocket. It’s a casual but intimate gesture, and I absolutely love it. “Did you miss me, Omega?”

“Always,” I tell him. His eyes widen, slightly glossy. I think he was expecting me to banter with him, but is surprised by the sincerity in my answer.

I’ll have to tell him I appreciate him more often.

He recovers, giving me a peck before letting me greet the alphas. They’re standing in front of something that looks made of glass.

“What’s going on here?” I ask, raising a brow at them. They each give me guilty smiles. Before they can show what they’re hiding, my grumpy alpha flows through the opening of the tent, Sam in tow.

“We’re done with the event tour, Sam.” He tells him before he sees me. His eyes brighten and a smile adorns his lips as he finds his way to me. “Lovely Omega,” he says before pulling me into a hug.

I preen into it, feeling sparks where his bare skin touches mine. I almost forget where we are while in his arms, but then I feel him tense against me.

“What the fuck is that?” I hear him say near my ear, but he isn’t talking to me.

I let my arms drop and turn in his hold, seeing the glass tank that was behind Kendall and Atlas is now out in the open.

It’s hard to miss the gigantic snake inside it, all wrapped up and ignoring everyone in the room as it naps.

As Rory steps closer to get a better look, I realize that I no longer feel Uriah’s body heat. I look up to see he’s taken several steps back, his eyes wide and panicked.

“Are you okay?” I ask him, wanting to reach out and comfort him. His anxiety feels wild and tangible in the space between us.

He shakes his head, his gaze never leaving the glass cage. The other men in the tent try to smile and laugh nervously.

Are they surprised by Uriah’s reaction to the snake? I thought this was something they had planned.

Sam clears his throat. “My friend owns a reptile exhibit. She dropped this one off first, but she’s bringing more soon.”

“There’s more ?!” Uriah yells, looking a bit lightheaded. He looks around, almost like the reptiles could show up at any moment. I’ve never seen him lose his cool this much before. He normally covers up his emotions with indifference or anger. This fear I’m seeing is really hard to witness.

My omega hardens with fury.

Rory joins in with the murmured laughter. I discreetly elbow her in the stomach, which makes her grunt way too loudly. Everyone looks over at us, and I try to put on a smile despite my blood still boiling at seeing my mate in so much panic.

“I thought you three said you chose the booth,” I state.

They notice my changed demeanor and look at each other like the answer to my mood is on each other’s faces. I snap my fingers, willing them to answer me.

“We did, technically,” Ciro responds. “Sam suggested it.”

The fraternity president tries to sneak out in my periphery.

I avert my eyes. “Don’t you dare,” I say in his direction, emphasizing each word.

He pauses his retreat out the door, looking inherently guilty.

I point towards the others, which makes him rub his neck and join them, his head hanging from being snapped at.

“So, you all thought it would be funny to play a prank on my alpha? Use his fear against him?” Their eyes all widen, and I only feel a little bit of satisfaction at their worried expressions.

I feel my omega burying herself underneath my skin, feeling unsettled by the soured scent of palo santo emitting around us.

The prime looks at me, shame rising for upsetting his omega. I hiss at him to answer me, causing an alpha whine to erupt.

I feel a hand on mine, and give a slight growl as I turn to the assailant who touched me, but it’s only Uriah. My alpha. Looking at me with those same eyes that speak volumes of his adoration for me. It makes me blink, causing the tension in my body to release a little.

“Omega,” he whispers like a lullaby. I flutter my eyes closed as he interlaces our fingers. His scent is mostly back to normal, only a tiny sliver of stress left behind. “I’m okay.”

I blink away some of the anger. My omega retreats, satisfied by her alpha’s calming tone. I feel a bit weird in my skin, looking around. There’s a different energy now, and I gulp slightly.

“Sorry,” I squeak out. “Oh, wow, I don’t know what just happened.”

Kendall steps forward the tiniest bit. “You’ve accepted us as your mates more and more these last few weeks, so your omega is going to come out more.”

I nod at that. It sounds reasonable, but it’s also a little troubling.

“Is this how you all feel? Does your alpha take over you like that, too?”

They all nod as Atlas steps forward. “We do, yes. It’s difficult to shake sometimes. You did a brilliant job?—”

“Oh, don’t play nice with me just yet, At.” I point at him. “Uriah obviously has a deep-seated fear of snakes and you thought it would be funny to force him to see them. What were you thinking?”

“Well—”

“It’s my fault, Stacia. I apologize.” Sam keeps his hands clasped in front of him. “And… if we’re being completely transparent. The snakes aren’t just for display. This tent is for the reptile exhibit. Around 3 pm, these four are supposed to… present them to the audience.”

I feel my eye twitch, but before I can snap at them again, Uriah rubs his cheek on my shoulder to get my attention.

He’s breathing easier. “It’s for a good cause. I can try to face my fear.”

I look over my shoulder and glare at my other scent matches. “You just got lucky.”

They gulp slightly before Sam announces his friend is here with the rest of the exhibit. They march out together, Rory included, leaving me alone with my anxious alpha as he prepares himself.

“Are you okay with doing this?” I ask.

He looks back at where the snake is, the fear still there but less catastrophic, before his gaze returns to me.

“I’m fine. I have a bit of a phobia for reptiles.

Something about their skin, the ripples …

” He shivers. “But I want to make today fun for the people who come here. They paid good money for a show. I think they also took that into account when they signed us up for this.”

I nod. “We could hold it together?”

He looks satisfied by that. “You’d do that for me?”

“Of course.” He tries to hide it, but an appreciative smile takes over his face. “And… we can always get them back. Do you know any of their fears?”

Uriah laughs. “Maybe. Kendall is difficult though. He’s mainly fearful that one of his desserts will taste like shit.”

“Then I guess we can switch the sugar out for salt, right?”

His shoulders relax, and his expression morphs into something that looks a lot like love. “You are literally perfect for me. Did you know that?”

Not at first, but I’m starting to believe it.