Chapter 4 – Seth
CHAPTER FOUR
SETH
I leave the cafe with a bag of coffee beans and a sense I just let half my soul walk away.
Which is weird, because my actual soulmate, Bennett, is the entire reason I went to buy coffee in the first place. We ran out this morning. Last time the pack was in London, collectively for business, we drank it all. I was already grabbing snacks for movie night and the cafe was right there . It made sense to go in before they closed — except now I feel like it was meant to happen.
I’d know that face anywhere.
The same woman who was trapped in the elevator with us two nights ago. The same woman who stepped into the small space, with dark auburn hair swept back, a mess of waves, clad in only a pullover sweater and a pair of leggings. I’d felt my entire life shift when she’d pressed against the wall after nearly touching Bennett.
Unlocking the door to the townhouse, I let myself in, shaking my head. I never even got her name . Neither of us did. And I know Bennett has thought about her, how could he not? How could either of us leave that elevator without thinking about the random beta who’d smelled like fresh honey and was terrified she was about to die?
I’m very glad we didn’t die — but also, I’m wondering if this is all some weird fever dream, because that was the same woman and she sure as shit wasn’t a beta.
She looked worse tonight, her hair stringy and hanging limp, her eyes wide with dark circles under them — but it makes no sense because she looked around my age — and thirty year old betas don’t suddenly wake up with an entirely different designation. I don’t think anyone has ever had their designation emerge after twenty-five, it’s unheard of.
The woman with her mentioned something about packs when I walked in, and I’d not thought anything of it, but now my mind is doing what it does best — sprinting ahead with no fear of falling.
Wandering into the living room after dropping the coffee beans onto the kitchen counter, I make my way over to Bennett on the couch, throwing a sack of snacks onto the coffee table before dropping down next to him.
“You okay?” My alpha looks down at me, running a hand over the back of my neck, his thumb brushing the edge of the silver bond mark he gave me on my throat. His skin is so much darker than mine, but it looks damn good as a thrum of desire pulses through our bond. Bennett’s eyes are soft as he takes me in. “I felt something weird in the bond while you were out.”
Sinking into the couch, I tuck my forehead against his chest and ignore Theo as he leans forward to rifle through the snack bag. I just need a second — a moment to inhale Bennett’s thick orange perfume, feeling righted by the way he hums and leans closer, inhaling the side of my neck.
“You smell so good.” He whispers the words and my heart lurches as he runs his hand down, over my chest. “You didn’t miss anything, we haven’t started the movie yet.”
“It’s supposed to be garbage anyway.” Theo tosses a piece of candy into the air and then catches it, looking over at the pair of us. His smile is teasing as he takes us in, his huge body overtaking the chair he’s lounging in. “Should I leave you two alone? Or join?” He pauses, then his brows pull together, inhaling slowly. “Damn, Seth, did you buy scent-enhancing spray? I can smell sugar all the way over here.”
I pull away from Bennett, reeling. I’m losing my fucking mind, because normally beta scents are so soft they don’t alert two alphas to them — especially not when it’s a casual bump against someone else. Otherwise the world would never function.
Bennett starts to laugh, but something on my face makes him stop, frowning. “What is it?”
Theo gives me a weird look. “What happened when you were buying snacks?”
Pushing up from the couch, I shake my head. “I’ll be right back — I need to shower.” It feels wrong to have both their eyes on me when I know it’s her on my skin, causing the reactions. She didn’t ask for that — and I shouldn’t have the image of her stuck in my head while I slobber over her like a pervert.
Bennett is only a step behind me as I head toward the stairs. Gripping the handrail, he touches my back, his voice softer. “Hey, I’m sorry. What’s going on?” His concern is evident, a soft nudge in the bond.
The bite on my shoulder itches as I shake my head and look down at him on the stairs. “You’re going to tell me I’m crazy.” We talked about her — that night — after we got home and Arin set off for Paris. Bennett’s voice had been barely a whisper when he admitted his first instinct was to protect us both , not just me above all. The bond should have made him grab me first when the elevator jolted, but instead he’d thrown himself over both of us.
Bennett looks up at me, his hand sliding over my side. “Lay it on me.”
“I thought I saw the beta — but she’s not a beta — from the elevator.”
He blinks. “What?”
“She was at that coffee shop — you like their light roast.” I stare down at him, my throat feeling thick as I run over the moment in my mind again. “I stopped to get you more and she was just… there . But she didn’t smell like a beta, Bennett, and the woman she was with had a jacket on from the London Designation Center. They were talking about finding her a pack.”
Bennett moves up a stair, joining me on the second floor. He’s slightly taller than I am, and I lift my chin as he looks down at me. “The smell on you?”
“I ran into her.” I glance up at him. “Or, well, she turned around and ran into me.” Bennett leans in closer and breathes in. I see the second the perfume registers in his brain. His long, lithe body goes still, a predator reaction to the scent of prey. All the muscles in his body tense, his hand steadying himself by grabbing my hip.
When he opens his eyes again, they look slightly haunted. “No, that’s not the smell of a beta.”
The sun streams through the window over the breakfast nook when I step into the kitchen the next morning. I washed her scent down the drain last night with some scent-cancelling body wash and Bennett didn’t comment on it when I rejoined him and Theo for our movie.
Bennett moves around the counter, spooning coffee beans into his grinder when I walk in. From the corner, Theo points at the TV visible through the archway to the living room.
“I’ve never fucking heard of anything like this.”
I turn, and there she is . The photo is of her smiling, her eyes soft as she looks up at someone clutching a paperback to their chest.
“The author’s signing was cut short two nights ago. Reports say that the nearly thirty-year old suddenly displayed signs of illness, and while the readers waiting in line were ushered away, multiple sources say that she perfumed, emerging as an omega almost five years later than has ever been reported.”
My blood runs cold, knuckles tightening as I grip the edge of the marble counter.
“As for official comments, June Wald’s agent said this morning, ‘ My client, June, experienced something unprecedented during Monday’s signing. She’s currently dealing with this matter privately with help from the Central London Designation Center. ’ We can confirm that designation centers only provide emergency aid to omegas.”
Before I can think about it, I whirl and grab my keys from the hook near the front door. Bennett and Theo both give me a weird look as I do.
“What’s going on?”
“I met her.” I shove my phone into my pocket. “Last night — but not just then. She was in the elevator with Bennett and I.” I look up at them as Theo freezes with his cup of coffee nearly to his mouth. The set of his shoulders are tight as my eyes flicker to Bennett, pleading, but my decision is already made.
I think I made it last night before the other woman dragged her out of the coffee shop.
“Last night she ran into me, that’s who you both smelled.”
“What —” Bennett looks back to the TV, then at me again. “What are you about to do?”
I step back, shoving my feet into my shoes, shaking my head.
“Seth.” Theo’s bark is harsh. “Where are you —”
“I have to go.” I look at Bennett, praying he understands the tangle of emotions through the bond, the feeling that if I don’t leave right now , I’ll be making a huge mistake.
I’ve always been an impulsive person, but it’s always paid off. I’m hoping now is no different.