Page 60 of The Heat of Us

It became clear to me that she went early in the morning. The lemon scented disinfectant the cleaners used would always sit muddled on top of where they had tried to remove her. My alpha was extremely put out by this manufactured, chemical citrus instead of Hazel’s vibrant lime. I went at 6am and realised the cleaners had already been through. Tried 5am the next day and second guessed myself when she wasn’t there.

The next day, I dragged myself out of bed at 4am and made my way downstairs. Surely not. But nothing else made sense.

I had to brace myself on the brick wall when I saw her through the window. It had been so fucking long since I’d seen her in person that no amount of shitty fluorescent lighting could dampen how achingly beautiful she was.

She turned and I saw the mottled yellowing teeth-shaped bruises on her neck.

Everything.

Went.

Red.

It was screaming sirens, flashing lights and an absolute bloodbath of mayhem in my skull. I was moving of my own accord. Testosterone, adrenaline pumping through me as I pushed open the door.

“Ben!”

A small gasp and a dust bomb of her heady, dreamy scent.

“Who did this to you?” I snarled. Had to touch her, make sure she was real, she was here. My fingers caressed the soft, injured flesh of her throat before I pulled her toward me.

I was never fucking letting her go.

“I’m fine, Ben. It’s fine. I’m fine.”

Nothing about this was fucking fine.

A small hand slid up the back of my head and fingers tangled in my hair.

“Me and…the alpha who helped me through my heat,” she sighed. “It was intense, both of us fighting the urge to bond.”

Was I too fucking late? The gentle circles she was tracing to soothe me didn’t feel like I was too fucking late.

“Do you want to bond him now that you’re thinking clearly?” I asked hoarsely.

Am I losing you before I’ve even had a chance?

“I haven’t even processed any of it properly yet,” she whispered.

“Do you want to stop talking to me while you figure it out?”

“No. Never.” She shook her head and averted her eyes. Her emphaticness lit a fire in my gut. “I…like our little chats.”

She still looked so defeated. “Are you sure he didn’t hurt you?” I asked, unable to look away from her neck.

“I know it looks bad but there’s not really any physical pain,” Hazel assured me. “But for my omega, it’s like there’s this…ache.”

Hearing that her omega was drawn to this other alpha should’ve made me jealous. But it didn’t. Instead, I got the strangest sensation from my instincts. Of warmth and belonging and togetherness.

Find your pack.

Dizziness struck me momentarily.

“Wait, how did you know I was here?” Hazel’s head jerked back abruptly.

“I, er, may have…”

“Ben,” she demanded sternly.

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