Page 31 of Where There’s Smoke (Fire House Omegas #2)

Melody

“ W ould you like a drink?” Elliot asked as we walked back toward the open-plan kitchen and living space.

“A soda, if you have it,” I said, sitting on the plush maroon couch.

“I'm pretty sure we have at least ten varieties of soda and as many varieties of energy drink, thanks to Samson.” He chuckled as he walked over to the fridge, pulling out a cherry soda and returning to where I was sitting to hand it to me.

“Cherry?” I asked, raising a brow as a grin threatened.

He shrugged. “It's your favorite.”

“It is, but how do you know that? I don't think I ever told you.”

Elliot raised his brows back, cocking his head as he gave me a look. “You're constantly drinking them at the station. I'm pretty sure Fitz has been getting extra boxes of it at the grocery store just to keep you well stocked.”

My face heated, my pulse fluttering in my neck. Why did it please me that he paid close enough attention to notice that?

For a moment, we were quiet, Elliot standing awkwardly next to me, while I sat there, playing with my can of soda. We had been friendly ever since my heat, but there was an unresolved issue that still lingered.

“I—” I started to say, but was cut off when Elliot opened his mouth.

“I owe you an apology,” he said matter-of-factly, his voice level and clear.

I paused, mouth still open. While I expected several things of Elliott, I didn't expect an outright apology, considering he had proven to be fairly stubborn in the past. A trait we both clearly shared.

“Okay…” I trailed off, letting him continue. I wanted to hear why he felt he had to apologize, if he actually understood what he had done to offend me, or if he was simply apologizing for the sake of apologizing.

“I was a complete ass to you about the arson investigation.” He sighed, running a hand through his hair and sinking onto the couch to the left of me. I watched him sit, noticing his shoulders droop.

Placing my drink on the small coffee table, I nodded. “You were. So, why’d you do it?”

He swallowed, chewing on his lip for a moment. His scent darkened, and my nose scrunched involuntarily as it hit me. “What’s wrong?” he asked, his brow pinching together as he regarded me.

“Your scent… it changed.”

“Ah…” He swallowed, bobbing his head in a slight nod. “So, okay, I'm sure you noticed our scents get a bit stronger when we’re turned on, yeah?”

My face heated as I nodded, thinking back to the heat. “I am very aware that.”

“Well, sometimes when an alpha or omega is in distress, or they’re unhappy with something, their scent can take on a bit of a darker tone.

With omegas, it's usually a bit of a charred or burned smell, like burned sugar.

For alphas, it's not quite as sweet, but usually their scent just gets a bit less pleasant.”

I stared at him for a moment. Did that mean he was stressed? Angry?

“Yours just changed and went a little bit… sour? I think. If that makes any sense.”

Elliot nodded. “Stress. Maybe a little bit of nerves.”

“I’m stressing you out?”

“N-no, not at all! I just know we need to talk, and I don’t want to fuck it up and say the wrong thing. I’m not good at this shit. Never have been.”

I couldn’t help but laugh a little at that. “Okay. That’s understandable… Does my scent change?”

“Very much so. It gets a little sweeter anytime you look at Samson and Fitz, and you smell like slightly scorched fruit when you’re stressed about something.”

“How often do I smell like that? Like the burned fruit?”

“It’s only happened a handful of times, and it's usually when you're worried about the animals from the rescue.”

“That tracks.” I wasn't used to people being able to smell me so easily. Everyone had a scent, but before I’d presented, mine had been far more muted, not a neon sign that shouted my moods.

“I owe an explanation for why I was so grumpy about the arson investigation. I just…I love my pack mates dearly, but they don't always think with the right head, if you know what I mean. Not that I'm calling them manwhores or anything!”

Elliot shot me a worried look, and I smiled, shaking my head.

“I didn't think you were,” I assured him.

“From the day our pack formed, I was the leader. It's my job to ensure their safety. Sure, they’re both grown-ass adults, but I still feel a sense of responsibility for them. When you came to the firehouse, it was clear they had really strong feelings for you.”

My stomach twisted. “And that was a bad thing?”

He shook his head. “No. Not at all, but there was and is still the question of what happened to your shelter.”

“And you worried that your pack mates were getting attached to someone who was secretly an arsonist, when they’re firefighters, which would obviously end badly.”

Elliot nodded, his lips rolled between his teeth.

“Okay. I get that, but why did you have to be such a dick about it?”

“Ha.” Elliot laughed sarcastically. “Honestly? I was mad at myself.”

I frowned at the alpha, trying to figure out what he meant. “You're going to have to explain that one.”

Elliot chuckled ruefully. “I was mad about it because I also liked you a lot from the get-go.

In the early days of your being at the station, I found myself completely disregarding the possibility that you could have set that fire.

After all, it's hard to believe you would ever put animals in danger.”

“I mean, you're not wrong there.”

“But it is my duty to protect my pack, and that means checking every possibility.

I've never had an experience where my inner alpha and my logical brain were at odds. My alpha was immediately possessive and caring of you, but my logical brain knew I needed to hunt down the truth about what happened. It was like fighting a war with myself.”

I nodded, the unease I felt backing off as I sighed. “Believe it or not, as someone who is only just coming to terms with a change of designation, I understand fighting internally with your instincts.”

“But I took my stress about that situation out on you, and that was wrong. I was figuring out what to say to you, to try and explain, when your heat hit, and suddenly, it was all hands on deck, so to speak. That logical brain? Out the fucking window.”

A snort escaped me. “Not all hands on deck, just pack Wilder hands.”

Elliot nodded, his face serious, but a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth as his eyes flicked down for a moment.

Why were crooked smiles so darn attractive?

“Yes, only those hands.” He met my stare again, and damn, if it wasn’t something to be on the receiving end of a vulnerable and open Elliot. “I was struggling with my instincts, and I've been an alpha my whole life. You are only just going through a change and are handling it better than me.”

“I wouldn’t go that far. I probably shouldn’t have slapped you.”

He shrugged. “Eh. I deserved that.”

“Still. It wasn’t the nicest. It was just that, in the space of a few minutes, I discovered that my beloved animal shelter had been burned down on purpose by someone, and then in the same breath was being accused of doing it.

My head was reeling as I tried to figure out how it had been burned down in the first place.

Who would want to burn it down?” I shook my head.

“There were fingerprints on the canisters, and we have sent them off. Unfortunately, the lab is taking its sweet time. They don't take arson investigations as seriously as they should when no one is hurt and it’s not a residence. There were also other cameras nearby; we have requested copies of those tapes. Maybe it’ll be enough for an identity. ”

I cocked my head to the side. “Could it have been just a random act of violence?”

“Maybe, but from the footage, it seemed rather deliberate.”

Tears gathered in the corners of my eyes. “I hate that someone did this to my shelter. Do you know how long it took me to build that place? It was years of blood, sweat, and tears just gone in a puff of smoke.”

“Melody…”

Strong hands wrapped around my waist, and I was pulled into a warm lap, Elliot’s spearmint and smoky scent engulfing me as he pulled me into his tight embrace.

Part of me wanted to resist, but his touch was so goddamn comforting that I couldn’t help but melt into him. It helped that he’d just apologized. Quite well, in fact. But I wasn’t going to let him off that easy.

“Just because you’ve apologized doesn’t make everything better,” I grumbled.

He chuckled, his hand running lightly up and down my back. “Oh, I know. I was considering getting you gifts, but I figured out something better.”

That piqued my interest. Rearing back so I could look up at him, I cocked an eyebrow.

Smirking, he reached into his pocket, pulling out his phone. Tapping on the screen a few times, he turned the device so I could see it.

“I ordered a bunch of new dog beds and toys for your rescues. They all deserve a comfy new bed, and I knew you would appreciate that more than something shiny for yourself.”

“Oh…” Tears gathered again, my throat tightening as I tried to keep them at bay.

Beneath me, Elliot tensed. “Did I get it wrong?” he asked, voice laced with anxiety.

“Not at all!” I cried, throwing my arms around his neck and squeezing tightly. “Don’t get me wrong, I like shiny things as much as the next girl, but these are amazing!” I said, my voice somewhat muffled, as my face was shoved into his chest, while I hugged him fiercely.

A warm, rumbling laugh emanated from his chest. “I can get you something shiny, too, if you want? Or a book? You’re always reading Samson’s.”

“Well, I’ll never say no to shiny things,” I murmured, making him laugh more. “And new books are always a good thing.”

“How about we go get a coffee, swing by the rescues and check on all of your fluffy babies, and then meet the guys for dinner?”

“You’re speaking my language now!” I giggled. Instead of getting up, though, I simply stayed in his arms, basking in the embrace.

“If you want coffee, you will have to move eventually.” He chuckled, not tense at all, and rubbing a hand along my back.

“Soon. This is too good to pass up,” I said softly, eliciting another chuckle.

“You know, precious, it is.”