Page 16 of Unbonded (Pack’s Companion #3)

I remember Simon, my mom’s packmate, saying something similar when I first met him.

He actually apologized for his bitter scent, even though he was slathered in suppressants.

I’d caught a similar scent from Kate in the hotel ballroom, and it had taken me straight back to that breakfast table conversation when Simon explained that he’d lost his honeyed almond scent when his ex broke their bond.

I’d argued that it wasn’t ‘lost’ if someone was careless enough to break it, and he’d almost melted into his chair.

From that day on, I gave him honeyed almonds every birthday, and no one ever said a bad word about Simon without me making them regret it.

“What was your scent before the unbonding?” I ask as I pull into a parking spot near our house.

“Orange blossom,” she replies, regret thick in her voice. “I used to be so smug about the way I smelled, but I guess I’ve learned my lesson.”

Orange blossom?

I’m glad I’ve parked the car, because my mind is racing a million miles in every direction.

I’m staring out the windshield, but I’m back in that conversation in the hotel bed.

Dash was clearly besotted with his guardian angel, asking us how Kate smelled.

I thought he meant the suppressants, but Corbus promptly compared her to the orange orchard at our estate in Spain.

I’d wondered if he was just being kind towards Dash’s crush, but that can’t be it.

Out of all the scents in the world, he chose orange blossom .

Because Corbus smelled her true scent.

Which can only mean…

“Bram?” Her soft hand touches the back of mine. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah.” I jerk my head around to meet her worried gaze. Somehow, I manage to find a shred of my famous control, giving her a brittle smile as I point up at our house. “This is us.”

“Oh.” Her eyes go wide as she stares up at the building, and I use the distraction to slip out of the car and collect my scrambled brains off the road. Because I need to talk to Corbus now.

I can feel the weight of Kate’s exhaustion as I guide her through the imposing front doors, her garment bag over my arm.

I understand why she might be anxious about entering a strange packhouse at midnight, but she catches me off guard as she stops dead in the foyer.

“Wow. Is that a Hildreth Meière mural?” She points to the glazed tiles on the wall, embossed with gold leaf.

“It’s all so beautiful. How do you walk in here every day without tripping over your feet? ”

I look around the marble entryway, taking in all the gleaming fixtures with new eyes.

I didn’t grow up rich by any means, but I’ve been Corbus’ best friend for over a decade, and I’m ashamed to admit a lot of the beauty around me is just background scenery most of the time.

“Yeah. It’s all Corbus. It was two separate co-ops when he bought it, but he always had a clear vision of what he wanted them to be.

” I feel a flash of pride at the admiration on her face. “Style is second nature to Corbus.”

Which is something else they have in common.

“It’s still got so many original Art Deco features. I love it.”

She smiles as we cross to the elevator, and I’m relieved her curiosity has got the better of her anxiety.

I rattle off all the architectural details I remember from the insurance reports, and she soaks them up like a hungry sponge.

I could kick myself for not being able to answer half the questions she peppers me with, but I’m thrilled she’s so invested.

Whatever it takes to get her safely inside and surrounded by our pack.

I shouldn’t be surprised to find them both waiting for us as we step out onto the fourth floor.

This is our sanctuary, with a massive sunken lounge that opens out onto a rooftop garden and swimming pool.

With the city lights sparkling all around us, it's easy to feel like we’re standing on top of the world.

But the only view my packmates are interested in is the omega at my side.

“Kate!” Dash is glowing from head to toe and looks so excited, I have to adjust the garment bag to hide my reaction. “You came!”

He leaps forward to envelop her in a hug and the scent coming off him makes my mouth water. After having the object of his affection climb all over me and suck on my scent gland, I have to bite back a groan. Separately, they’re hot as hell, but twined around each other like vines is pure torture.

Corbus’ gaze snares mine right as I clamp down on my arousal. I’m pretty sure I can see laughter brimming in his eyes as he takes in my tense form. “We’re so glad you could come visit, Kate,” he says in his polite way, while Dash clutches her to his side.

“Thanks for inviting me,” she replies, looking flushed and anxious at the same time. She twists in Dash’s arms, her regret plain as she gazes up at him. “I’m sorry I couldn’t meet you like we planned. There was something I couldn’t get out of.”

“Don’t worry about that. I’m just happy you’re here.” He looks curiously at the garment bag over my arm. “And you brought the jacket?”

“Yes. I thought we could have a fitting here. Maybe if we…” Kate only now seems to realize Corbus and Dash are both wearing their lounging clothes, which consist of thin drawstring pants and tight tanks that would probably cause a riot in the gym.

They both have the lean muscles of athletes – Dash for obvious reasons, and Corbus from all his running and biking – and I don’t blame Kate for losing her train of thought as she stares at them.

“Did anyone make the hot chocolate?” I ask, breaking her out of her trance. “Corbus, maybe you can help me while Dash shows Kate the view.”

We retreat to the bar area while the omegas wander out to the terrace, their fingers laced and their heads close together.

The kitchen is on the second floor with the other entertaining areas, but Dash collects appliances like other people collect comic books, and the overflow ends up here.

While I get the drinks ready, Corbus leans against the bar and watches the omegas.

“He’s so smitten. It’s the same face he wears when he’s coming off stage, yes? ”

I glance at my packmate, a little surprised he noticed.

To the outside world, Corbus has the reputation of being aloof, but the truth is, he struggles with social cues.

He doesn’t have a diagnosis, since his parents treated any kind of neurodivergence as a slur on their family name, but I believe it’s a form of social-emotional agnosia.

He masks it well, but he can’t always read people or situations, and often finds it hard to navigate relationships.

He’s also old-school handsome, with the kind of masculine beauty that literally stops traffic.

I’ve always found him attractive, but he’s irresistible when he’s happy, and as I take in his smile, I abandon the half-made drinks.

Hooking my hand around his arm, I pull him through the doorway into the next room.

It happens to be the gym, and I bite back a groan as I catch sight of my reflection in the floor-to-ceiling mirrors.

I look like a madman, my muscles straining and my eyes on the edge of an uber glow.

“Bram?” Corbus is also studying my face, his pupils dilating as he takes in my heightened state. “What happened?” His hand brushes the front of my trousers, and my knot jumps, so thick and heavy it makes his throat bob. “Did you make love to her, mijn liefje ?”

“No, but we had… a moment.” I try to ignore the throbbing ache in my cock as I cup his face.

He’s a couple of inches shorter than me, but he’s got his own kind of strength, and I feel a jolt of satisfaction as he holds still under my hands.

Corbus is mine, but that doesn’t mean I’m not willing to share.

“I think she’s meant to be part of this. Part of us.”

“Really?” He’s still smiling, but I can see the surprise in his eyes, and it makes me pause. Is he being obtuse, or doesn’t he recognize her the way I do? If I’m right about them, they’re a scent match, which means his attraction to her should be undeniable. “She seems very sweet.”

It’s the same thing he said about our eighty-year-old neighbor, and I wonder if I’ve somehow got this wrong. Maybe I’ve been denying my instincts for so long, I’ve screwed them up, and this is all just my imagination at work. “ Orange blossom , Corbus.”

“What?”

He looks genuinely confused, and I swipe at the furrow on his brow with my thumbs.

If the connection isn’t there – or worse still, is somehow broken – it would do more damage than good to point it out.

Scent matches are a major deal, and given how Kate’s unbonding is already playing havoc with her hormones, I realize I need to tread very, very carefully. “We can talk about it later.”

“Wait.” He grips my wrist, pulling our bodies flush. “Tell me about this moment you had with her.”

I swallow down another brush off, reminding myself that this is important to him, and not just because of the possibility of a scent match.

Corbus often quizzes me about my romantic feelings and reactions so he can better understand his own.

“She just got a little swept up in my scent,” I reply, not sure if I’m making things better or worse by being vague. “It was all instinct, I think.”

“Are you surprised?” My brain short circuits as his hand drops back to my bulge. “How can she resist this?” We both groan as he squeezes my knot, hard enough to send a bolt straight up my spine. “You’re right on the edge, aren’t you?”

“I’ve been rock hard for hours.”

There’s a wicked gleam in his eyes, and as much as I’m about to bite through my tongue, I love seeing this side of him.

The aloof ice prince is gone, overtaken by a man who, while playful, is also ruthless in dishing out our pleasure.

“Hmmm. I think Dash is going to be a little too distracted to tend your knot tonight. Would you like me to help you out?”

My breath punches out of me as he starts to knead the swollen base of my cock.

As an uber, my knot never really goes down, which is more of a nuisance than a blessing.

I’ve got used to ignoring it, but Corbus knows exactly how to bring it to the front of my mind.

His clever fingers unzip me and slip inside my boxers, pulling the throbbing shaft through the gap.

The way his eyes burn at the sight makes a growl reverberate through my chest.

“Fuck.” I lean against him, feeling like the world’s biggest slab of putty in his hand. “ Now? ”

“I can’t leave you in this state.” With a smirk, he drops to his knees, those lips still smiling slyly as he licks across my engorged head. “Not always easy being such a big, strong packmate,” he purrs, a hint of laughter in his eyes.

“God. Don’t just play with it!” I have to fight the urge to grab his head and shove it on my cock, especially when he keeps up those lazy, teasing licks. “You’re gonna be the death of me, Corbus.”

His grin just widens. “Tell me about this moment you had. What did you do to make that sweet omega look so flustered?”

“Nothing,” I say through gritted teeth as he runs his fingers over my aching shaft. It looks like it’s about to burst out of its skin, and I shoot him a warning glance. “Corbus. Don’t fuck around.”

Ubers might be able to change the mood in a room with a harsh look, but Corbus has perfected the haughty ice prince stare. “I’ll fill my mouth when you use your words, Mr. Webber.”

I groan, my head falling forward as I tell him everything – from scooping Kate up outside that shithole of a club to convincing her to come back here for hot chocolate.

He scowls when I describe her frigid, gutted house, his angry growl turning to a satisfied hum when I add that I unleashed Perry on her scum of a contractor.

The only part I gloss over is her scent, since that’s part of a conversation I can’t have with him sucking my brains out of my cock.

Fuck, but he’s a picture right now, chest heaving and eyes hooded with hunger, even while he drains me dry.

“You should feel her, Corbus,” I taunt him, pressing my thumb against the pounding pulse in his neck.

“All those soft curves spilling over your lap while she licks and bites your neck…”

He groans, and the vibration in the back of his throat sends me over the edge.

I’m vaguely aware of his own dick jerking in his pants as I grip his head and spill in endless, quaking waves.

It’s a lot, but he swallows me down, stroking my knot until he’s taken the last drop.

But as he pulls back, the engorged flesh is still throbbing, and I can’t stop the frustrated groan that tears out of me.

“You need more,” he says as he comes up off his knees in a graceful move. “You should go to them; spend the night in their arms. It’s what you want, yes?”

“It’s early days.”

“But…?”

Corbus might not pick up on everything, but I’ve always been truthful with him.

“I want all of you,” I say slowly, still trying to catch my breath as I stuff my knot back into my trousers.

Corbus has released the pressure, but the need is still there, a hot red ache that throbs all the way to my pounding chest. “But it can only work if we’re all in. ”

He tilts his head, his gaze thoughtful as he touches a thumb to the edge of his swollen lips. “Then we should invite her to stay. Get to know each other better, yes?”

I’m not sure what I expected him to say, but something settles inside me, warmer than the orgasmic glow still humming under my skin. “Yeah, we should. I think it would be good for all of us.”

That wicked light returns to his eyes as he taps my chest, stroking right over my skipping heart. “Then we’ll have to come up with an offer she can’t refuse.”