24. Chapter 24
Chapter 24
Celeste
The truth had finally come out, and the air in the house was so thick with unspoken tension that I could barely breathe. The pack knew I was their scent match. And even worse, they knew I was aware of it the whole time and kept it from them. We’d been avoiding each other since then. Any time I needed to go to the kitchen or front door, I did so as quickly as possible, and only when I didn’t hear anyone around.
It had been days since the party, and I knew they were probably trying to come to terms with the fact that they were now screwed. They would never find another omega that they wanted as much as me. I would haunt their minds, just as they haunted mine since I found out. The only saving grace was that they, like me, wanted to keep it a secret. No one would ever know.
One morning, hunger got the best of me, and I couldn’t wait for delivery. I dragged myself to the kitchen, determined to make a quick brunch and retreat before anyone else showed up. Moving fast, I pulled out a pan, tossing in some bacon until it sizzled. As I started a pot of coffee, I kept an ear out, hoping to slip away unnoticed.
As I added some fruit to my plate, the sound of footsteps made me freeze. Liam walked in, stopping for the briefest moment when he saw me before continuing toward the cupboard, as if nothing was out of the ordinary. He barely spared me a glance as he grabbed a mug.
I would’ve been fine with that. Except… he was wearing grey sweatpants.
Just grey sweatpants.
And suddenly, breakfast wasn’t the most distracting thing in the room.
I swallowed hard, keeping my mouth shut as I watched him move. When he reached for the mug, his muscles flexed effortlessly - broad shoulders, strong arms, every shift smooth and controlled. His golden skin caught the light, and I silently cursed myself for noticing.
I tore my gaze away, knowing full well that every second I lingered would only haunt me later when I was alone.
Liam reached for the coffee pot, and I instinctively stepped aside, giving him plenty of space. Too much space. As I backed into the counter, I realized my mistake. I felt a scorching heat as my palm brushed against the pan of bacon, and quickly pulled my hand away with a gasp.
I looked down, cradling it, when suddenly Liam’s presence took up the space next to me. My head swiveled, and now he was mere inches away from me, his eyes stuck on my hand as he reached for it. I tried to yank it away, but Liam was quicker. He grasped my wrist, looking over the burn as I felt my breath catch at his touch.
“You're hurt.” Was all he said as he inspected my hand.
“It’s just a small burn.” I replied, my face so close to his chest that my strangled words barely left my mouth. I stared at him, his scent now fully invading my nose as I tried not to be affected by it. He swallowed, and we looked at each other for a moment.
I yanked my hand back, moving a few steps away from him. “I’ll be fine. Just leave me be.” I turned away, trying to distract myself from the gentleness that he’d just shown me.
“You need to keep it cool.” He lectured, and before I knew it he was gathering a washcloth and running it under the faucet. “Here.” He said as he handed it to me. I took it slowly, looking at him suspiciously again. “Sit down while I finish making the food.” Something about the dominant way he said that made the omega in me very pleased. But I shook it off.
“I can do it myself.” I replied stubbornly, and he sighed as he grabbed the edge of the counter, leaning on it as he closed his eyes in frustration.
“No matter what your thoughts are about me, I do have an obligation to keep you safe.” He said, opening his eyes to stare at me. “Per the contract.”
I took a moment, meeting his blazing green eyes and trying not to see how his muscles flexed so beautifully when he was stressed. Finally I sat down in one of the bar stool seats at the kitchen island and nodded.
“Fine. Per the contract.” I said. Liam relaxed a little, then nodded. He started tending to the bacon, then went to the fridge.
“Eggs?” He asked.
“Two please.”
He started to move around, expertly pulling out pans and seasoning the food as he went about cooking breakfast. I had to admit, it was hot as hell watching a man cook for me. He looked so good moving around that I pulled my phone out and snapped a picture of him, getting a great view of his back as he reached for the condiments in a cupboard. I told myself it was so that I could post it to social media to keep up our facade, but that wasn’t the whole truth. I just wanted to keep this moment forever.
Soon, I had in front of me two eggs sunny side up, bacon, sausage, a variety of berries and cut melon, sauteed mushrooms, toast with butter, and a glass of orange juice. I opened my mouth to complain about how I was going to carry the plates and glass back to my room when he pulled out a carrying tray.
“And I assume you want some coffee?” He motioned to the pot I’d prepared earlier.
“Yes. With a bit of cream.” I replied, and when he had all the plates, cups and mugs on the tray, he lifted it. “I can carry it myself, thank you.” I said, realizing he intended to carry it back for me.
“Your hand-” He started to say, but I took the tray from him.
“My hand is perfectly fine now.” I said as I turned to go. Halfway out of the kitchen I stopped, looking over my shoulder at him. “Liam?” I asked, and he was already watching me. “Thank you.” I said.
Liam looked surprised, but I turned and ran off before he could respond. Once I was back in my room I set the food down, confused and frustrated at how nicely he had set up the meal for me.
It was just our hormones, I reminded myself. The way he protectively appeared at my side when I was burned and took over cooking for me made me ache with need, but that was just him being an alpha and me being in my omega feelings. We were both hardwired to feel this way - he and I didn’t actually care about each other. I had to keep reminding myself of that. Because right now, with the way he looked, smelled, and felt next to me, and his upper body on display - I was going to need a miracle, or a very big sex toy, to get me through the day.
I placed the tray on my desk and sat down, breathing in the air now that there weren’t sexy alpha pheromones surrounding me. My hand wasn’t so bad - the burn was small enough that it wouldn’t be an issue. I looked around, wondering if there was a first aid kit in the bathroom. Just then, there was a knock at the door. I bit back a groan, then stood to open it a crack. Liam was there, but with a shirt on. That was a small mercy at least. He held up a box in his hand.
“I brought you some bandaids. And some antibiotic ointment.” He said, and I reached out and took it quickly. “I can take you to the doctor too.” He seemed so earnest when he spoke.
“It’s fine. I barely notice it.” I said, and tried to shut the door, but he stopped it right before it closed.
“Just… if it gets worse, please let me know, okay?” He tried to sound stern, but he was practically pleading. I rolled my eyes.
“I’ll be fine.” I said, but a twinge of sympathy stirred in me. “If that changes I’ll let you know.” I added, and he seemed to relax a little bit.
“Okay. And feel free to do your work in the main house. It’s just me here today. The rest of the pack is at the office.” His words sounded kind, but I wondered why he’d want me out there.
But a few hours later, I was bored and in need of a break. Maybe working out in the main living area would be nice. I’d at least get a nice view of the mountains through the glass doors. I took my laptop and wandered out of my wing and into the living room. The light from the large, sliding window walls made the whole space look inviting and comfortable. I settled in on a big couch and started scrolling through my emails, shooting off responses and working with the team leads to keep things running as normally as I could. I became so absorbed in my work that I almost didn’t notice the alpha scent growing stronger. I looked up, and saw Liam there, watching me from the other end of the room.
“Is staring your hobby now?” I asked, a frown forming on my face. For a moment, I swear he almost looked hurt. But then he brushed it off and strolled over, a laptop under his arm.
“I was just hoping to work out here without it bothering you too much.” He said, and I immediately felt a little bad for my attitude. I reminded myself that they deserved it, even if they were struggling with adjusting to our new dynamic. After all, I'd struggled now for weeks and they were awful to me.
“Sure. It’s your house.” I said with a shrug. He sat down at the couch across from me, opening his own laptop and settling into his spot as he worked. We both sat quietly, me typing away as he frowned at his screen, a crease forming between his brows. I tried so hard not to pay attention to him, but when your scent match is across from you, it’s nearly impossible to focus on anything else. For about ten minutes, I struggled in vain to get anything done, but it was hopeless. Finally I looked over at him, noticing he was still staring at his screen.
“All right. What’s bothering you?” I asked, setting my laptop to the side and reaching for my water bottle. Liam looked up at me, his eyes holding an expression I couldn’t decipher.
“It’s just a minor issue, that’s all.” He answered slowly. I sighed, frustrated that he was so cagey. I knew he didn't want to talk business in front of me, for good reason.
“Look. Maybe you can bounce some ideas off of me. You don’t have to tell me details. But I didn’t get to keep my position without being good at what I do.” I said, and he looked at me warily.
“I don’t think telling my direct competition about a problem we’re having would be very smart.” He finally said, and I gave him a wry smile.
“I get it, you don’t trust me. But I’m not afraid of your success.” I replied, and he seemed surprised. “I’ve never been afraid of a little competition. It keeps both of our companies on our toes.” I said with a shrug. Liam looked perplexed. He opened his mouth to say something, then stopped.
“Alright, maybe I can get your thoughts.” He finally said, and I nodded, finally eager for something to distract me from his perfect face. “I’ve been testing this marketing campaign, and it does well with almost everyone.” He started, glancing at me.
“Except for omegas.” I said, finishing his statement. He nodded.
“Exactly. And I can’t figure out why. Aside from the obvious.” He said, and I realized what he was referring to. Many omegas had boycotted their company ever since I’d accused them of the kidnapping conspiracy. But that wasn’t quite it. Omegas had particular buying habits, and I knew exactly how to market to them. It was one of the reasons I had been able to increase Harringday’s profits so much since I’d taken over. Omegas were in charge of most of the shopping decisions for packs. The board may not like an omega in charge, but they couldn’t deny the facts. I made the company money.
“How are you marketing to omegas?” I asked, curious as to how this particular alpha perceived people like me.
“Well, here’s one of the ads we tested.” He said dubiously, turning his screen toward me. I could tell he was already halfway regretting showing me the ad. I scanned it, reaching out to scroll through the rest of the strategy.
“Well there’s your problem. Your ad is speaking to omegas as if you are the expert.” I said, sitting back and taking in Liam’s look of bewilderment.
“I don't get it. The ad is all about the features and how the product can help omegas.” Liam said, turning the laptop back to look at the ad again.
“That’s the thing. Omegas get talked down to constantly. Our whole lives we have to be careful, being told what to do and having our agency taken away, especially omegas in this province.” I said, leaning forward as Liam watched me. “We already know more than anyone what we need. The problem with your ad is you are talking at omegas, and not building trust with them. You are focused on selling a product when you should be focused on building a relationship with your customers.” My words seemed to stun him.
“So you’re saying it’s condescending?” He asked, his cheeks turning slightly red as he looked at his laptop.
“Not necessarily, it’s just that we get the same messaging from everyone, all the time. ‘Here’s what’s best.’ That’s all we hear. If you focus more on a campaign that connects rather than explains, you might have a different outcome.” I said as I sat back, taking a sip of my water. Liam looked at me again, like he was finally seeing me.
“That’s… really insightful.” He said, as if he was surprised.
“Look, I’m not going to give you any insider secrets or let you gain any headway against my company that you didn’t earn. But try to see if you can view your customers differently. Not for your sake - for theirs.” My words settled into the air as he sat back and closed his laptop.
“You're so sincere, I almost believe you’re actually trying to help.” He said with a rueful smile. I gave him a matching smirk.
“I’m not messing with you. But I won’t dispense any more free advice. Consider it a thank you for the breakfast earlier.” I said, and packed up my computer. There was no way I’d get any more work done with him staring at me like that. Pretty soon I’d need to up my suppressants with how charged things were getting.
He opened his mouth to say something, but paused.
“What? What is it?” I asked, tired of everyone tiptoeing around now that our unfortunate scent match had ruined everyone’s plans for life.
Liam exhaled through his nose, shutting his laptop with a quiet click. He leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees, and studied me with an expression I couldn’t quite place - somewhere between frustration and reluctant admiration.
“How did you do it?” he finally asked, his voice low.
I blinked. “Do what?”
“Live here. Work. Breathe. Knowing we were scent matches the whole time.” His jaw tensed as he ran a hand through his hair. “Because I can barely manage, and it’s only getting worse.”
I swallowed, my fingers tightening around the edge of my laptop. “It wasn’t easy,” I admitted, keeping my voice even. “It still isn’t. Out of everyone in the world, I got stuck with you three. And yeah, I had to suffer through it. I wasn’t sure if you would use it against me.” I said, thinking about how bad it would have been if they were the more pushy, controlling alphas that were common in my circles.
Liam reared back, clearly horrified at the idea that they would use alpha barking or worse, a bite to control me. “Celeste, we would never-” He started, but I held up a finger.
“I know that now. But how could I have known when the first time I really talked to you was to discuss how you were blackmailing me to save yourselves? You saw how Marlon acted at the party. That’s what I’m used to. So yeah, I couldn’t trust you with the information. And it tore me apart.” I said.
Liam’s throat bobbed as he swallowed, something unreadable flashing through his eyes. “I didn’t realize -”
“You didn’t care to realize,” I cut in, my voice sharper than I intended. “None of you did.”
Silence stretched between us, thick with unspoken regrets. Then, finally, Liam sighed. “You’re right.” He leaned back against the couch, rubbing a hand down his face before glancing at me again. “Look, I know we can’t change what’s already happened. But we still have time left in this… arrangement. And I don’t want to spend the rest of it at war with you.” His voice softened, and I saw something tender in his expression. “Can we call a truce?”
I hesitated, searching his face for any sign of deception. But for once, Liam Lockwood wasn’t playing a game.
A truce wouldn’t fix everything. But maybe, just maybe, it would make this mess a little more bearable.
“Fine,” I said at last, closing my laptop. “But don’t expect me to be nice.”
His lips twitched in something that wasn’t quite a smirk. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”