Page 50 of Talk About… Rivalry

She didn’t have a scent and couldn’t scent him.

Was that why she had held herself back? If that was the explanation, then I truly was an asshole.

My stomach was uneasy and it wasn’t just because my best friend was mad at me. It was because I hurt her on purpose. When she ran past I caught a glimpse of her face. Those mossy green eyes were full of tears and for a second the pain in those gorgeous eyes was so intense it stole my breath.

Yes,gorgeous.I couldn’t even deny that. Sidney was always a beauty. Before everything went down with her mom I thought that she was cute, and then I realized what kind of person she was and it all went away.

She’d only grown more beautiful over the years. She always had a little bit of a hard edge to her and now I recognized it as a shield against the world.

I wasn’t sure why I cared so much, but here I was being pathetic, listening to every word that they said to each other.

Part of me wished that I was right there with them.

What the hell was wrong with me?

Not to mention, I knew damn well that she had chemistry with Maverick as well. Was she going to be with Maverick Whitaker and my best friend? It wouldn’t be unheard of. Packs formed how they formed. Sometimes packs were old friends. Other times they were strangers, an omega bringing them together.

“So,” Taylor said, catching my attention with the way he drew out the word. “I heard that Maverick is going on a date with someone and thatyouwere not happy about it.”

Sidney shifted uncomfortably in her chair. She didn’t shy away from him even as her voice wavered. I could respect that, even if begrudgingly so.

“I’ve liked Maverick for a long time. He looked right at me when that omega asked him out and I just… I couldn’t tell him to stop.”

“Because of the scent thing?” Taylor asked. There was so much kindness in his voice. It would be stupid to try and convince her that we didn’t understand why it was a big deal. Scents were how packs formed. It was how people connected. Every date, every marriage, every long lasting connection involved scent.

Her not having one was a major complication.

Just not to my best friend it seemed. I wasn’t sure how to process that.

“Yes,” she admitted. “I like both of you too much to risk it. I can’t be your scent match and that means...” she trailed off, unable to say more, but everyone understood loud and clear.

They’d leave her when they found their match. She’d be rejected and heartbroken.

A pang of pity and regret hit me. I didn’t know why I cared so much. I knew what kind of person she was and honestly, wouldn’t it just be Karma?

Then there was that fucking inner voice in me. The beta that was reasonable and trying to make excuses for this fucking omega, reminding me that she was just a kid. That was a lot to put on a child.

When we talked about it, Taylor said there was probably more to that story than I realized, and I honestly didn’t even want to consider it.

Mainly, because if I did, and I found out that her mother’s accusations weren’t actually the truth, then I wasn’t sure what to think about myself.

I’d always thought I was level headed. The kind of beta that wouldn’t just be some calming force to placate others, but a solid force they couldn’t ignore.

Did it harden me? Was I an insufferable, unreasonable dick in my quest for not submitting to the ‘stronger’ designation?

If I kept going down that hole I’d never get out. Instead, I focused back on my best friend.

“You agreed to go out with me,” Taylor reasoned. “Does that mean you’d be willing to date Maverick as well?”

“Are you and Maverick a scent match,” she asked. She couldn’t even see how he was trying to fix things for her, just to make her happy.

“No,” he chuckled. “We are definitely not. He’s not exactly my type.”

Sidney let out a breath. “It’s too late now anyway. He’s already agreed to the date.”

Taylor’s smile morphed into something mischievous. “So? The date doesn’t have to go well. He’s on the books for tonight.”

He didn’t have to spell it out for her, Sidney had always been smart. She lets out a small gasp that hit me square in the chest.

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