Page 35 of The Heat of Us

Being an alpha was fucking awful.

I forced myself to breathe slowly until the aggression subsided. When I felt like I could hold my phone again without crushing it to smithereens, I called my sister.

“Is it that hard being away from my glittering presence?”

I had no sense of self-preservation. Despite needing her help, I instantly replied with a snide, “Glitter? You mean the herpes of craft supplies?”

“Ok hanging up now, buh bye.”

“Wait!”

“Say please.”

“Seriously, Juno? Every time?”

“Every time.”

“Please.”

“It’s like…” She proceeded to make obnoxious kissy noises with her lips.

I tapped my foot impatiently. “Are you done?”

“For now.”

If I had a mortal enemy I would wish a younger sister on him.

“Does Hazel live near me? I scented her at the gym,” I asked her bluntly, cutting right to the chase.

Juno went quiet. “Are you sure you did or was it just—”

“It was her, Juno.”

She spoke slowly, like she was trying to be careful with her answer. “I know she lives in the city in an apartment alone. But as for where…I’ve never been, Ben.”

What? “You’ve never been to your best friend’s place?”

“Omegas don’t really visit each other’s houses,” she said exasperatedly.

“You literally have massive parties and gatherings at your house,” I shot back.

“It’s different with a lot of people. Everyone’s scents just kinda mingle and it’s fine. But the thought of one of us going to the other’s house? Alone?” I could hear her shudder. “It would be like I’m shedding cat hair all over her space and the same if she was here. It would feel even worse if the rest of my pack were home. We’ve only done it once and she was so careful the whole time. Why do you think we always go out and eat?”

My uncomplicated beta life seemed like a world away. I knew alphas and omegas had their territorial idiosyncrasies but experiencing them and hearing about them…

Who would want this? We were a mess.

Juno seemed to decipher all this from my tired exhale.

“I know firsthand how a scent match can make you feel loopy. But she’s still Hazel and you’re still Ben. You need to find out whether they work together once the pheromones fade.”

I was a fucking bull in a china shop right now as my new designation settled in. I didn’t even know if I could even speak to her without losing it on some level. Courtship seemed like a pipe dream.

“Have you always been this smart?”

“Yes, Ben. You’re the dumb one.”

I deserved that.

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