Chapter 14
Massimo
I can still smell her . Even here, high above the city in the quiet stillness of our penthouse, the scent of honeysuckle and peaches clings to me like a ghost. It's not actually here, not physically. But it might as well be. It’s in my memory, my clothes, my skin. Like she pressed herself into the very air around me and left, it changed.
Every time I close my eyes, I see her. The flush on her cheeks. The wide, uncertain look in her eyes. The slight tremble in her fingers when our hands touched. She was so close to unraveling, and I wanted to be the one to hold her together.
Rowan Hart was supposed to be one interview. A meeting. A potential addition to our team. But from the moment she stepped into my office, she became something else entirely.
And Sébastien...
His scent still lingers too, wild honey, rain, and vanilla, softer but just as consuming. The moment he walked in, the air shifted again. The room couldn't contain it. Him. The Omega energy was undeniable, yes, but so was the pull. The resonance. And the way he responded to her... and to me. He’s mine too. They both are.
I lean forward, elbows resting on my knees, trying to make sense of it all. Two scent matches in one day. Two Omegas. Both tangled up in our world now.
I glance over at the others’ Cole’s standing by the windows, jaw set like stone. Xavier hasn’t said a word in ten minutes, arms crossed, a muscle ticking in his cheek. Laurent’s pacing like a caged animal, even though he wasn’t in the room when it happened and doesn’t fully get the weight of it. Not yet.
“She’s hired,” I say finally, breaking the silence. “Rowan. Assuming she doesn’t run screaming from all of this, I’m offering her the nest designer position.”
Cole lets out a breath that might be a laugh. Or a growl. It’s hard to tell with him.
“She’s good,” I continue. “She’s more than good. She’s exactly what this company needs, and not just creatively. She walked into that office and set the entire pack on fire. We’d be insane not to keep her close.”
I look up at them, slow and deliberate. “And Sébastien... he’s already ours. Contract signed. Title granted. He’s not just a passing scent in a hallway. He’s the Master Perfumer for House of Aphrodite. We have to respect that. Tread carefully. Especially now.”
No one argues. Good.
I draw a breath, let it out slowly. “We start courting them. Gently. No pressure. No games. Just... presence. Support. Safety. We let them know what’s possible, without making them feel caged.”
I glance toward the hallway, toward nothing, but I can almost feel their absence like a bruise.
“They’re not just future employees,” I murmur. “They’re our future.”
Cole turns from the windows, arms crossed over his chest. “I don’t disagree,” he says finally, his voice low and even. “She’s the best damn nest designer I’ve seen. And Sébastien...” He pauses, rubbing a hand along his jaw. “The moment he stepped in that room, it was like gravity changed. I’ve never felt anything like it.”
He meets my gaze, something raw flickering in his eyes. “But we need to be smart about this. No pushing. No crowding. If we come on too strong, we’ll lose them. Especially Rowan. She’s still trying to figure out who the hell she is.”
“She doesn’t even know,” Laurent adds from the couch. He’s sitting now, fingers drumming anxiously on his knee. “That she’s an Omega, I mean. That she’s ours. I walked in after she left, and I could still smell her everywhere. And Sébastien? That man’s scent was like silk and lightning. I’ve never reacted to another Omega like that in my life.”
He lets out a low whistle, shaking his head. “Two of them. At the same time. What are the odds?”
Xavier doesn’t speak right away. He’s standing rigid by the bar, his expression unreadable. Finally, he breaks the silence.
“I didn’t sign up for this.”
His voice is quiet, but there’s steel under it.
“We were supposed to be focused. Controlled. One Omega, maybe. But two?” He shakes his head, jaw tight. “This changes everything. I don’t know if it’s for the better.”
I open my mouth to respond, but Cole beats me to it.
“You think we get a say in this?” His tone is sharp now, his Alpha edge showing. “You felt it, the same as we did. This isn’t about what we planned. It’s about what’s real.”
Xavier’s eyes flash, but he doesn’t argue. He just clenches his fists and looks away.
Laurent leans forward. “I get it, X. It’s scary. It’s big. But pretending it didn’t happen doesn’t make it go away. We scent-matched. All of us. That’s not something you walk away from.”
I nod, my voice steady. “We’re not claiming them today. We’re not demanding anything. But we’re acknowledging it. And we move forward with care.”
Silence settles again. Heavy. Thoughtful. Then Cole exhales, nods once.
“All right,” he says. “We court them. Slowly. Thoughtfully. Together.”
Xavier still doesn’t speak, but he gives the smallest nod. It’s not an agreement. Not yet. But it’s not a no either. And for now, that’s enough.