Page 8 of Omega Scorned

I stared at him. "Uh, she's coming over again?"

"I'll give you a list of what I can and cannot have," Candace told me.

"She's moving in next week," Jake said.

The room suddenly seemed very hot.

"Moving in?"

"She's our scentmatch!" Daryl looked so happy I almost felt bad for my own reaction.

"I… I thought…"

"It's not their fault. It's biology," Candace told me earnestly. She gazed adoringly at the men. "It's not something you can explain until you've had it. It's irresistible."

"Don't worry, you can still stay," Daryl told me, while still gazing at his new omega. "We would never put you out."

I sat in frozen horror, barely able to breathe around the tightness in my chest. They'd replaced me. This was why they'd never bitten me and bonded me into the pack. They'd been waiting for her.

"Excuse me," I got up from the table.

Daryl gave me a curious look as I walked into the kitchen, but didn't stop me. Once there, I leaned on the counter and focused on sucking in air through my nose and blowing it out slowly through my mouth. This couldn't be happening. I was losing my second pack just a year and a half after the first.

My heart splintered and a stifled cry broke from my throat. No one heard it.

I went to my room and sat on the bed, trying to stop the tears that poured down my face and soaked my blouse. I'd even dressed nicely tonight, wanting to impress whoever they brought home. And then they'd done this. No warning, no sign that my entire world was going to be turned upside down again for the second time in less than two years.

It was after 10 when I heard the front door open and shut. The house settled into silence, but this time it felt like the silence was mocking me.

Since it seemed they'd all left to take Candace home, I went out and cleared the table, then scraped the plates and put them in the dishwasher. It was a simple task that kept my hands busy, but not my head. My mind was spinning over everything that had happened tonight.

I was just finishing up in the kitchen when the men came home. They sounded positively joyful when they walked through the door.

"Emilia, thanks for dinner tonight. Just remember, no more pork," Jake called as he headed upstairs. "It was delicious, though!"

Wiping my hands on a dish towel, I folded it carefully, blinking hard to stop any more tears from escaping.

"You okay?" Daryl asked. I looked up to see him leaning in the doorway.

"Not really."

"What's going on?" He crossed the room and gathered me in his arms. His warmth enveloped me and for a moment, I could pretend everything was back to normal. Except for the scent of geraniums on his clothes.

Pulling back, I wrinkled my nose. "You smell like her."

He gave me a lopsided grin. "Yeah, I hugged her goodbye."

"And kissed her." I could scent her on his lips just above me.

"Well, yes. She's our scentmatch. She belongs to all of us."

"Where did you meet her?" I stared into his eyes, silently begging him to tell me the truth.

"At the grocery store. Well, Rory did. He said it was like getting hit by a freight train. He introduced himself and told her he had a pack. We met the next day for coffee to make sure it was the real deal."

"When was that?" I tried to remember if I'd smelled her on them before.

"Three days ago," he told me. "Hey, don't worry, okay? I know this is kind of awkward, but we don't want you to feel left out. You're still welcome to stay here. We love your cooking."