Page 8 of Knot the One They Want

Just as I'm starting to wonder if the pack is going to show up at all, the dining room doors swing open.

And in walks Damien Blackwood, looking like sin incarnate in a black suit that fits him like a second skin. His dark hair isartfully tousled, and his blue eyes are cold as ice as they sweep over the room. But it's when they land on me that all the breath rushes from my lungs.

I'm used to alphas looking at me admiringly. Even if it's only my family's money they covet. But one look in those not-so-baby blues and I feel like I'm staring down my mortal enemy and just don't know it yet. Like somehow, I got into a time machine and went back to before this guy was even born and kicked his great-grandma in the shins. And her puppy, too.

What the hell?

Behind him are the twins, Cole and Lake. They're both devastatingly handsome, with golden skin and chiseled features that belong on a billboard. Lake's hair is light, and there's a softness to his honeyed eyes that belies the hard planes of his face. Cole's hair is jet black, and there's a wildness in those stone gray eyes that makes me shiver.

And bringing up the rear is Asher, the world-renowned violinist. He's all lean muscle and elegant lines, with golden hair that brushes the collar of his crisp white shirt. His hazel eyes dance with mischief as they meet mine, a smirk playing at the corners of his full lips.

I guess at least one of them doesn't hate me at first sight for no reason.

Damn.They're even hotter in person.

And apparently, Damien is crazy.

Hotandpsycho.

Maybe I shouldn't have turned down that pack full of accountants. Even if that one beta kept asking if he could see my feet.

Nope, I'll actually take my chances with Gorgeous Psycho over Foot Beta any day, thank you very much.

It's not just the appearances of the members of the Blackwood Pack that catches me off guard, though. It's theirscents. Even though they're all standing relatively close together, I can make out each alpha's scent individually.

Damien smells like leather and bourbon, a dark and intense but sinfully pleasant elixir that has me leaning forward instinctively, wanting to drift closer like an old-timey cartoon cat smelling a pie through an open window.

Lake smells like his namesake. Something cool and watery and deeply enticing. The scent makes me feel like I'm at the waterside, calm and tranquil, and all my anxiety vanishes. His brother's scent is darker, spicier, with notes of cinnamon and forest. Like someone bottled all the scents of Fall, only it's coming from him. There are no acrid notes of cologne to taint it.

Then there's Asher. He smells like… sunlight. Like everything gold and bright and warm. Like I could close my eyes and just bask in the warmth coming off him. Like a gentle melody you can't hear, but one that resonates deep within me all the same.

It's all so intense and overwhelming, I find myself looking around the room to see if anyone else is equally affected, but they all seem to be just carrying on like business as usual.

I've been on suppressants ever since I presented as an omega, to make sure I don't go into heat as an unmarked, unmated omega without a pack in sight. They have their drawbacks, but one benefit is that most alphas and even other omegas don't really have that strong of a scent to me. It's more noticeable than betas, but they fade into the background easily enough.

These alphas, though… it's like seeing the world in shades of gray only to be treated to a full technicolor display all of a sudden. The contrast is that stark, that intense, that I can only come to one startling realization.

They're my scent matches.

They have to be.

And yet… they're not looking at me like I'm theirs. They're not looking at me like four alphas who just had their whole world turned upside down. At least, not in a good way.

Am I losing my mind? Or maybe my suppressants are choosing the most inconvenient time to fail.

I've been on them longer than any omega is supposed to. Even though the doctor said it was safe, she warned there could be side effects. Maybe this is one of them.

It figures it would be tonight.

I shake my head to clear it and try to tune out those delicious scents emanating from the alphas across from me who are clearly not sharing the same experience.

Carl stands, a tight smile on his face. "Ah, gentlemen. So glad you could join us." He gestures to me and my family. "I'd like you to meet Charles and Vivienne Beaumont, and their lovely daughter, Evangeline."

Damien's gaze slides over me, cold and assessing. "Charmed," he says, his voice flat.

The twins nod in greeting, their expressions inscrutable. And Asher... Asher winks at me, the action so quick I almost miss it.

Talk about a four-way intersection of mixed signals.

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