Chapter 6 #2
“That doesn’t mean she’s ours.” As soon as I utter the words I feel sick and my Alpha bangs against my ribs as if he’s trying to get out to beat me up for saying something so ridiculous.
I rub at my sternum, and Mateo places his hand on my arm, gripping my bicep tight.
“Wilder, I know it seems hard to believe that she’d walk into our lives like this, but my Alpha knew the moment he saw her.
” He places his free hand over his heart, mirroring me.
“I thought it was crazy at first too, but it’s clear to me now after all this.
Most importantly, my Alpha, my heart, knows. ”
My heart thuds against my hand; my Alpha that’s normally hard around the edges, softening at Mateo’s admission.
“You may not believe it yet, but your Alpha did the moment he growled out there.” He pulls back from me and looks at Jett.
“You went near full Alpha rage at just the sight of a small bruise on her forehead, not something you’d do for just anyone.
And I think your scent is strong because your Alpha wants her to recognize you.
And mi amor”—he moves to cup Augie’s cheek—“I think there’s a reason you’ve always felt drawn to Iris.
You may not be an Alpha but you knew all along just seeing her through a screen.
And I think you felt something when you met her, yes? ”
He nods. “When her fingers brushed mine, it felt like something clicked inside me. A missing piece. But I didn't want to get my hopes up about anything. But, I think you’re right, baby.”
Jett drags a hand over his face. “You realize how insane this is, right?”
“Do you think Augie and I are both wrong?” Mateo asks.
“My Alpha agrees with you both,” Jett says readily, his southern accent slipping through like it did with Iris earlier—another odd thing to add to the odd bank of today. “But as mentioned, we can’t scent her. How can we know for sure?”
“I trust my Alpha. If he says she’s mine, she is,” Mateo says.
“Ours,” Augie interjects.
Mateo takes his hand and squeezes, their eyes locking as words they don’t say pass between them before Mateo corrects, “Ours.”
Jett bumps my shoulder and I meet his gaze. He lifts a brow at me, and I know he’s waiting for me to speak. I’m the Prime of this pack, and I’m not going to lie and say I’m feeling off center right now.
If all of this is true, how did my Alpha not immediately recognize Iris as ours like Mateo’s did?
I don’t say it out loud often, but I’ve wanted an Omega for our pack since we formed and bonded.
I may look like a man who’d scoff at romance on the outside, but I came from a loving scent-matched pack with a male and female Alpha who adored my Omega mother.
I’ve wanted what they had since I was a teenager.
When we didn’t find our Omega in college, I’d turned my focus to my pack and our careers, hoping we’d find them at some point.
Even if scent matches are rare. Over the years I’d stuffed my romantic dream to the back of my mind, our success making it hard to date and even harder now with Jett’s continual rising star.
I resigned myself to one-night stands and the occasional heat clinic volunteer alongside my pack.
In my dreams, the moment I met my Omega, I would have known.
“I can feel you beating yourself up,” Augie says.
“I—” My words catch and I think of what to say. I don’t like being weak in front of them. I’m their leader, the one they look to for answers. I don’t like that I don’t have any.
I tensely exhale. “I’m just frustrated with myself that I’m doubting your words. It just doesn’t make sense.”
“You rely on your nose too much. I have no doubt in my mind that if you could scent her, we’d be having a different conversation,” Mateo says.
“Maybe so, but wouldn’t she react to finding her pack if this was true? We may not be able to scent her, but she can still smell us. There’s no way she would have missed Jett’s pheromones.”
“I had the same thought, but I think I figured it out. Her Omega kept trying to scent me, but every time she did her nose scrunched like a rabbit.”
I mull over his words and the moments we spent with Iris.
The way she’s covered her scent, how she didn’t react to us how a scent match or scent-sensitive Omega would, and I do remember her scrunching her nose.
There’s only one thing that could make her do that, I know because I used them in my teens when I played Rugby.
I scrunch my nose just thinking about that sterile smell.
But it was better than smelling a bunch of sweaty guys.
“She’s using a nasal scent neutralizer,” I say.
“Bingo.”
“Why would she do that?” Jett asks. “I don’t think I’ve met an actor who’s used them on set before.”
“Maybe she’s more comfortable with them,” I say, making a mental note to dig a bit more into Iris Walker tonight.
We always make our sets comfortable spaces for any actor and designation, but now I’m curious if Iris has had bad experiences on set before that we aren’t aware of.
Jett is right that it’s unusual for anyone to choose to inhale that disgusting spray.
“Iris may not have reacted like our pack has to her, but I think her Omega knows on some level too,” Augie says.
“How so?” Jett asks.
“She felt something when she touched me. It’s why she gasped and we dropped the water.
Then when you three were blocking and lighting, I saw the way she was entranced by all of you.
How the four of you moved together easily, and how she fit so quickly despite the start we’ve had.
There’s something there for her too, even if she doesn’t know it yet. ”
The image of Iris standing next to Jett on set, Mateo lighting them to perfection comes to mind.
It was easy working with her so far, but I didn’t think much of it.
I was doing my best to be professional. I have no doubt I came off a little angry now that I think about it.
I’ll have to apologize to her, make sure she knows she’s safe with me, with us.
Maybe after a few days she’ll feel comfortable to ease up on the de-scenters and neutralizers.
My Alpha grunts in approval, the dark-haired beauty fully taking over my brain. I didn’t truly allow myself to appreciate the Omega before. Like I said, I was trying to remain professional, but she’s perfect. More than perfect.
Kind, hardworking, tall and voluptuous, with hips that I could grip on to and not worry about hurting as she took my knot. It’s the kind of body that’s made for me, for my pack.
Mine.
My heart stops in my chest at the word. My pack can’t hear my thoughts but no doubt they felt possessiveness that just burst through the bond.
Mateo chuckles. “You’re getting it now.”
Jett blows a breath through his tight lips. “What the hell do we do with this information? We have a movie to shoot.”
Different options come to mind. In a normal situation, we’d ask Iris if we could officially court her. It sounds dated, but it’s what packs do when they want to potentially have an Omega join their pack. We show the Omega what we can offer them, the pack they can have to take care and cherish them.
“If we could court her, that would be the best option,” I say.
“Why can’t we?” Augie asks.
“She technically works for us so there’s a conflict of interest. On top of that we don’t have time to truly court her. She could also say no and then she’d be uncomfortable the rest of the shoot.”
“She won’t say no,” Mateo says, his voice carrying the kind of authority that tells me his Alpha has taken over.
If I didn’t have to lead this pack and a movie to direct, I have no doubt I would have said the same.
But it’s true, we all just met, none of us know what she smells like and it’s clear she doesn’t know what we smell like.
We’re going off our reactions and instincts alone, including the deep-seated hope we’ve pushed aside that one day we would find our Omega.
“You can’t be sure of that, Mateo. We don’t even know her,” I say. Though the words feel sour on my tongue as I speak them.
He blinks, fists flexing at his sides. Augie places a hand on his mate’s back and rubs.
“I know you’re right, but my Alpha says you’re wrong.” Mateo sighs.
“I get it. I do.”
“Look, we can pull this back a little, yeah?” Jett interjects.
“Meaning?” I ask.
“There’s no need for a declaration right now,” Jett says.
“We’ve waited this long for an Omega who fits our pack, not one chasing fame or money.
I can’t explain it, but my Alpha knows Iris isn’t like the others.
Let’s work with her, get to know her, and if we still feel the same by the end of the shoot, we’ll make it official and ask to court her.
We don’t know the scent match yet, but I trust Mateo on this one, and my instincts say it won’t be an issue. ”
“I think that’s the best way to go, too.” Mateo nods with finality.
“Same,” Augie adds.
I comb my hand through my hair. I may be used to thinking logically, but like my pack, my instincts are riding me. My Alpha is in nothing but agreement with them, even if all this seems like too much of a dream come true. Like a movie more than reality.
Mine.
I rub my chest as I stare back at my pack, the hope clear in their eyes. I can’t disagree with them, neither can my Alpha.
“Alright.” I finally nod in agreement. “We’re all on the same page moving forward then?” The three of them smile brightly back at me and dip their chins, our bond buzzing with hope and happiness, assuring me this is the right path forward.
I turn my focus to Jett, lacing dominance into my next words. “What happened out there, can’t happen again.”
“I know. I was caught off guard, but I’m good now.” He looks at the rest of our pack with determined eyes. “I swear it.”
“If you feel anything at all, you get off set. Just walk off.”
“I will,” he promises.
“You good, Mateo?”
“I’m good.”
“Augie?”
He smiles gratefully at me, but he knows I’ll always include him. He may not be an Alpha, but he’s loved Iris before he knew her. His Beta clearly reacts to her, even without her scent. That means something to me.
He smirks. “I’ll make sure you all don’t embarrass me.”
That makes us all chuckle. “It’s settled then. Let’s get back out there. We’re behind, but if we put in an extra hour tonight we can catch up.”
I clap Jett on the back and he smiles softly, our gazes locking.
In all the time I’ve known him, since our first week of college, I’ve never seen him look this hopeful before.
I knew we both wanted an Omega, but I guess I didn’t realize he’d been craving it as much and as deeply as I have, especially after his stalker and Omegas chasing his money.
“What about you?” he asks.
“I’m good,” I assure him.
“If Iris is ours—”
“She is,” Mateo and Augie say at the same time.
“If everything goes well, things are going to change,” Jett says.
I smile despite the near absurdity of it all, but he’s right.
“Good,” I say with conviction. My pack is everything to me. The life we’ve built is everything to me. But there’s always been a missing piece. One we thought we may never have.
If Iris is that piece like my Alpha, and my pack thinks she is, then I’m going to do everything I can to make sure she knows she’s ours. But first, we get through this shoot. Once that’s done, we’ll make our intentions known. Getting to know Iris as friends will have to be enough for now.