Chapter 13
ROWAN
I’m losing my mind.
She was about to leave without saying goodbye.
Thank fuck for Ash and his dramatic stomach.
Finally, I have her to myself.
Ryland purred for her last night, and while I’m happy for my brother, I’m burning with jealousy.
Even though I slept next to her on the couch—so close, yet so far away—it’s not enough.
It won’t be enough until I have her in a nest, comfortable, happy, and secure.
A few moments eating a bagel with her isn’t going to cut it.
If I have to keep only hearing snippets about her from Travis it will kill me.
I know she’s close to rejecting us.
If not Ryland and Travis, she’s close to rejecting me.
“Of course I have everything bagels.” I smirk. I still speak quietly, careful not to wake my packmates. This is my time with Blair. “That’s the best kind.”
“I suppose I could stay for breakfast then,” she murmurs, and I exhale with relief. She takes a seat at a barstool at the island while I open the fridge. “So, intel about my breakfast preferences, huh? What else have you learned about me?”
I pause briefly before rummaging through the fridge. “I’ve learned that you have a decent right hook, and you make a mean vodka soda.”
She chuckles softly. “I punched a customer once, and only because Travis didn’t get to him in time.”
“So I’ve heard.”
When Travis had told me that some drunk Alpha had groped Blair’s ass, I almost drove to Scents to hunt down the bastard myself. Then, when he told me how she gave the guy a black eye, I’m pretty sure I fell in love with her right then.
I know so much about Blair just from hearing Travis talk about her for a whole damn year.
And now, I know she’s my scent match.
The Omega I was told to stay away from because my packmates weren’t sure if I would make things worse is my scent match.
I’m pretty sure a good breakfast has never made anything worse, though.
The least I can do for my soulmate is feed her.
She doesn’t know we’re soulmates yet—only scent matches. I realized it long before I met her, but once the scent match kicked in, it’s a universal truth that boils in my blood.
I can’t have her leave. Not yet.
Even if it meant stealing her duffel bag just to have a few more minutes of her time.
I’d rather she be angry with me than not here at all.
I can feel her watching me as I pull the ingredients out of the fridge and lay them out on the counter.
“They really told you to stay away from me?” she asks in a soft voice.
I don’t look at her while I retrieve the toaster from the cupboard. “Yeah. They did.”
After the bagels are in the toaster, I turn to her. She bites her lip and stares hard at the marble island, shaking her head.
“It makes sense,” I say carefully. “After what happened at the rescue with Ryland. And Travis said you weren’t really talking to him anymore after you met him.” I shrug.
She nods. “Like I said before,” she replies, “I don’t need protection. No one speaks for me but me.”
There’s an undercurrent of spice to her violet scent, and her anger is more mouthwatering than I thought it could be.
She remains silent until I hand her an open-faced bagel, complete with smoked salmon, avocado, dill, and capers.
“Okay, this looks delicious,” she mutters. “It’s hard to stay angry with something like this in front of me.”
I chuckle and take the stool next to her as she takes her first bite. Her eyes close, and I watch as the tension visibly leaves her body.
Success.
I fucking did that for her.
The moan that leaves her mouth is absolutely sinful, and my Alpha roars with pride.
My cock stirs in my pants at the delighted noise she makes.
I provided for her.
I kept her fed.
My brain is in full caveman mode, and I wonder how crazy it would be if I knocked our plates to the ground and took her on the kitchen island.
That would probably be too much.
But I move my stool closer to her, not bothering to be sly about it.
I’m bitter, jealous, and greedy. Travis has known her for so damn long, and she slept in Ryland’s clothes last night, not mine.
I want to make up for lost time with her.
I want—
“Mew.”
A kitten leaps onto the island, startling me. Before I can stop her, she runs to my plate, snatches a piece of salmon like it’s a cat toy, and runs away, thudding onto the tile floor.
“They can jump that high?” I sputter, then turn to Blair, who has her mouth buried in the crook of her elbow, her eyes crinkling. Her body shakes with delighted laughter.
“Yeah,” she squeaks, “they can.”
Her smile is breathtaking, and her joy is radiant. It makes me laugh at the absurdity of the situation.
The kitten hurries away with the contraband in its mouth, growling the entire time.
Blair won’t stop laughing. She places her elbows on the island and doubles over, and when she looks at me again, tears are in her eyes.
Suddenly, I’m not so jealous of Ryland and Travis.
I doubt she’s ever laughed like that around them.
“Okay,” she says, wiping at her eyes. “Two things. You need to get the three of the kittens collars with bells, so you can hear where they are. Free roaming right now isn’t the best option for them without collars. Your house is huge, and they can end up anywhere.”
“Usually, I put them in the spare bedroom at night,” I admit. “But you know…last night happened.”
She nods. “I know,” she says fondly. “Another thing—you haven’t named them yet?”
I shrug. “We all have different ideas; none of them have stuck. They’re my girls anyway and I want the final say.”
Her expression stays fond. “I still can’t believe my friends talked you into fostering,” she murmurs, amused.
“I wasn’t talked into it,” I tell her, scoffing. “I’ll have you know those kittens and I have a connection.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yeah. We just looked at each other and knew we weren’t meant to be apart.”
I’m definitely not talking about the kittens anymore, and her eyes soften.
“That sounds like it can be difficult,” she says evenly.
“Maybe. But it’s worth it, in the end. Especially once they know I have no intention of going anywhere, ever.”
What a strange love confession.
A flicker of something flashes on her face, and she picks up her bagel. “Sometimes cats don’t adapt for a long time, though. They can be difficult. Might not even let you pet them.” She takes a bite and looks away, chewing slowly.
“It’s still worth it,” I say.
She swallows. “Hmm.”
We’re talking in strange cat riddles, but if that’s the only way I can get my point across, I’ll use it. “I’ve been waiting a long time for the right box of kittens to come along. A long, long time.”
“They scratch, bite, and hiss.” Her eyes burn into mine, amused.
I grin. “Scratching and biting sounds fun.”
Her face flushes, and her scent spikes with sweetness.
Delicious.
“You two are really weird,” Ryland observes as he enters the kitchen, his mouth pulled into a half grin. “Strangest thing I’ve ever woken up to,” he adds, his voice rough with sleep.
I make a face at him. “She was trying to sneak off without saying goodbye. Had to stop her.”
“Turns out, bribing me with a good breakfast helps,” Blair says, biting into her toasted bagel with a crunch.
Ryland looks at her, frowning. “You barely got any sleep,” he says. “You can stay longer, if you want.”
Good luck with that, I think.
Blair is still looking for any excuse to run from us.
The storm was the only thing keeping her here last night.
“I’m good,” she says evenly, and I bite the inside of my cheek to keep from arguing with her. “I do appreciate it, though. But, telling him to stay away from me?” She jerks her head toward me. “That’s not okay.”
Ryland glances at me, unimpressed. “Staying away is a stretch.” His look turns murderous, but I simply smirk at him.
That’s what he gets for trying to stop me from seeing my girl.
“I’m the perfect balance between you and Travis,” I say, giving him a shit-eating grin.
Ryland rolls his eyes, but Blair chuckles, and it’s worth it.
“I’m surprised Travis isn’t up with all our talking,” she says.
“He’ll be out for a bit,” Ryland says. “He normally doesn’t sleep this deeply; it’s obviously because of you,” he adds fondly.
Blair shakes her head dismissively. “I doubt it.”
“He’s the happiest he’s been in a while,” I tell her. “Just having you here makes everything better.”
A small, secret smile forms on her lips, and my fingers twitch with the urge to tuck a piece of hair away from her face.
Every smile, no matter how small, is a victory.
I know what haunts her now and I want to chase those ghosts away.
I can do that for her, if she would just let me.
“I don’t know what I can offer you,” she says quietly. “I don’t…I haven’t thought of doing this in a long time. I don’t even know how to do this, anymore.”
“That’s okay,” Ryland says quickly.
“Is it, though?” she murmurs, then turns to me. “I can’t be exactly what you want. There’s too much of this.” She points to herself and motions with her hand across her chest.
“I don’t think you know what we want,” I say. “No offense, babe. I’d be happy with just your company.”
“My company,” she deadpans. “We’re scent matches, and you’d be okay with just that?”
“If that’s all you’re comfortable with,” Ryland says.
Blair looks between us, her eyes sharp. “I’m not sure I believe you.”
I shrug, unphased. “Looks like you’re going to have to spend time with us, then. Just to see if we mean it.”
Blair may be stubborn, but I’m much more stubborn.
If anything, it’s a challenge.
I’ll wait ten fucking years to hold her hand, just to prove a point.
I don’t care.
We’ve finally found our scent match.
I sure as hell am not letting her get away.
“If a friend is all you want, then that’s what we’ll be,” Ryland adds. “Just let us into your life.”
Blair’s scent sweetens even more, and my mouth waters.
I had smelled the subtle arousal on her this morning when I woke up—all sugary and sweet—which tells me that at least her inner Omega is attracted to us.
It’s Blair that has to catch up.
“Friends for now?” Blair asks, looking at me.
“I’ll take it,” I murmur.
Her eyes soften, and I only fall for her harder.