Page 20 of Talk About… Rivalry

She might be mine, too.

And fuck, I just bought a new house that’s completely unfinished and a shop that’s gutted and in serious need of some TLC.

“Okay, well, let me just preface this by saying that I’m about to go on a ramble,” he said, settling back in his seat and letting out a long sigh. Leave it to Taylor to give me a warning label before he unloads everything on his mind. Like I haven’t listened to his brain dumps before—I knew how he worked.

“So, there’s this omega that comes into The Landing. One of those types that doesn’t even know she’s gorgeous. She works on a ranch, so she’s always in boots and faded, dirty jeans, but God, if you could see the way she smiles—it stops your heart.”

“Really?” I asked, a bit surprised. That didn’t sound like Taylor’s type at all.

“I know what you’re thinking. She’s nothing like anyone that I’ve dated before; she’s unique. She’s so smart and sassy and strong, but then there’s a side of her that seems so fragile. Not fragile as in weak, but vulnerable, like she never lets anybody see. It’s only in these moments where she thinks she’s alone that you can see the cracks in the mask, you know?” He turned his gaze on me. “Kind of like you, beta.”

Fuck, my best friend sure knew how to hit me where it hurt.

He’d been one of the few people in my life who saw past my mess. Family aside, of course. I knew that I had to make moneyand as quickly as possible, so my grandpa had time to enjoy our dream.

I spent every day, from the time I graduated high school until now, working my ass off. I didn’t rise up in finance and snagging influential packs by being a gentle beta; I did it by being a take-no-shit kind.

I was stoic, always had a mask on that let nothing slip past it. It was well practiced, and it worked for me. I was serious, strong, controlled, and determined.

I’d made enough money to buy both of these buildings without the bank batting an eye. Grandpa Harvey and I were still going in fifty-fifty, even if he wasn’t here. Nothing was about to change that now.

“You need to meet her, too,” he said, his voice careful. “Would you hate me if I said I was terrified for that to happen?”

“Why?” I questioned, then let out a little laugh before connecting the dots. “Oh, this whole you’re-not-pack thing?”

“No, it’s not that. She’s just… complicated.”

“What does that mean?”

“Well, she doesn’t have a scent.”

I shot him a look. “As in she takes scent blockers?”

“Maybe, but she’s never reacted to me any sort of way like she recognized my own scent, and I overheard her and her friend talking about scenting issues, so I just genuinely don’t think she has one.”

“But she agreed to go on a date with you, so maybe there’s something there you just don’t know.”

“Well, ‘agreed’ is a bit of a stretch,” he started. Clearly, there was more to the story than I realized. It took me a few minutes to put the pieces together, but I realized that Taylor was more worried that I would see her, realize that she had no scent, and then reject the notion altogether.

“Scents aren’t everything,” I said with a shrug. “There’s always a choice. If you think she’s the omega for you, then I say go for it.”

“If she ever agrees. She gave me her number, so I feel like there’s hope. I’ve been texting, and it seems like things are going well. She’s just…” He shrugged, let out a breath, and ran a hand through his curls. “Complicated. Beautiful, but complicated.”

I swear that was his new favorite word. Howcomplicatedcould one omega be?

“After all this is said and done today, we can go over ways to woo your omega.” He shook his head at me but looked relieved.

“I should have known not to worry about telling you,” he said. There was a moment of hesitation before he finished. “I just didn’t want you to walk away from her before even giving her a chance.”

“Oh, oh, wait! What’s that?” I teased, flashing him an over the top smile. “Was that you admitting to us being packed, my friend?”

Taylor huffed and shoved me, even though I was driving the car. I didn’t swerve at all, just shot him a glare.

“Don’t be insufferable,” he grumbled. Thankfully, I had just pulled up in front of what I hoped would be our future home.

Taylor was out of the car before I even shut off the ignition. I had a feeling the view was hitting him just as hard as it hit me.

Nothing quite made a backdrop like the mountains.

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