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After breathing out a sigh, he looked at me with an eyebrow raised.
“You must be a master of self-control to be in this room telling jokes instead of out there chasing her. But you’re right. I need to chill. Come on—” he motioned his head toward the door “—her name’s Sylvie. I can get my shit together enough to introduce you.”
It was as if a time portal had opened up and in front of me was the Jonah from a year ago, from before the accident. A man with a bit of swagger and a lot of confidence, something I’d always envied. That didn’t mean he was lucid right now.
“Do you know her? Can we back up a little? I’m still not sure why you called or what was going on when I got here.”
“I have to explain it? How are you not wanting to roll in her scent right now?”
“What scent? I meant what I said before. There’s nothing in here. Was there something out in the gallery?”
“Fucking strawberries and whipped cream, fruity and tart and sweet. You don’t scent that? It’s like we’re taking a bath in it in here.” He was nearly groaning. “That girl was an omega, not a beta. I think she’s ours, Toby.”
My heart sank. Dropped ten feet. What kind of shitty Greek tragedy was this? He was scenting phantom omegas now? Maybe something was wrong with his olfactory system. Maybe that was the problem with the scent cards.
The only way I could think of to get him out of here was to prove to him that she was a beta. Then we could get home and figure out what to do next. Hopefully one of the other guys would have a brilliant solution.
“So…hear me out. I’m not picking up any scents in this office, and I didn’t get any off her when she walked by. She’s a beta, I’m sure of it. Why don’t we go find her and ask her to be certain? And then we can go home, okay?” I hated the look that crossed his face. Self-doubt, pain. Jonah had had enough shit in his life, and I didn’t want to add to it. “Hey, you should get her number anyway. If you like her, who cares what her designation is.”
Jonah ran a hand down his face, then pulled it back, staring at his palm like it held all the answers.
“I touched her face,” he murmured. When he looked at me, he was resolved. “You go talk to her, ask her. I don’t trust myself right now.”
I nodded. This was progress, maybe. Some self-awareness.
“Okay, sit tight. I’ll go find her and have a quick chat.”
“Hey,” he called out before I made it through the door. He talked to my back. “I’m counting on you to be my wingman. Don’t fuck it up.”
Thanks for the vote of confidence, asshole.I didn’t bother turning around.
“I’ll try, Jonah,” I grumbled.
I found her just outside the storefront, standing with her arms crossed, looking a bit shell-shocked. Her eyes widened when she saw me, and I was struck again by how lovely she was. Pretty pouty lips and a heart-shaped face. And those green eyes under her long, dark lashes were something special, like a deep jade color. Jonah had good taste.
“Is your packmate okay?” She had a sexy, breathy voice. I wasn’t immune to this little beta, that was for sure.
“Yes, he’s calmed down. Thanks.” I smiled, but inside I was cringing. “I have kind of an awkward question to ask you. Apologies for being blunt.” Shit, there was no polite way to say this. “Jonah thinks you’re an omega. He thought he could scent you, and I told him he was wrong. But he wanted me to make sure. And he’d like to get your number either way,” I hurried to add.
Fuck, I was a crappy wingman.
The woman flushed a deeper red than I would have thought possible, and I saw tears starting to well. Her voice cracked when she spoke. This was bad.
“Did he…” She paused to close her eyes and take a breath. When she opened them again, the anguished look there made me feel about an inch tall. “Did he say what my…what the scent was like?”
“Yeah, he said it was strawberries and cream, tart and sweet.”
She swayed on her feet, and I didn’t think, I reached out to her shoulder to steady her. My alpha instincts were front and center, telling me to protect her, care for her. I didn’t have time to second-guess it, but I was surprised by how low my voice came out.
“You okay? You need to sit down.”
I frowned. I’d probably react that way for anyone who looked distressed, right? My hand stayed glued to her shoulder, like it would be wrong to lift it off. She leaned into my touch, and I fought the sudden need to wrap her up in my arms.
“I’m okay.” She shook herself and stood straighter, but I still didn’t move my hand. “I…Iaman omega. But no one ever scents me. Everyone just assumes I’m a beta. During—” she swallowed “—heats…” she looked down at the ground, unable to look me in the eye “…my perfume is like berries and vanilla, at least to me.”
For a minute, I let that bombshell statement wash over me. I resisted the strong urge to lean forward and sniff. It would be rude, and it wouldn’t do any good. I was getting nothing from her. Jonah had, though. She could be lying about being an omega, but why? All the evidence pointed to this being real.
“You aren’t bonded?” Asking was pretty forward, but the situation was already a bit out of bounds.
