Page 95 of Scent of Home

“Oh, but he is. That’s what he signed up for. He is our thing. Our lead singer. If we want him to sing lead for the biggest band in the world, he will. If we want him to disappear and play pipes in some hamlet town like this one, he will. Because we will it.”

I lean back in the chair and let my rage come out as a feral smile. “You’re not taking my omega from me.”

“He already has a pack. You’re lying. You’re not real scent matches,” Jason says coldly.

“I am his alpha.”

“Not in the eyes of the world,” Jason says and shrugs. “Cue the court of public opinion, and Locke belongs to the world as much as he does the label. He’s never going to be yours, Miss Bradley. I’m sorry, you seem so worked up about this. Just fuck him and then forget him. Like everyone else does. You’ll find someone nicer.”

He stands up without touching the coffee and walks out. The door chime has never been so infuriating.

I watch him go. He won this round, but he hasn’t won the war. Someone walks past me, and I start when I realise it’s Bray. I didn’t even know he was in here.

“Bray!”

He ignores me and slams out of the dinner, looking both ways before he jogs down the street.

“Let him be, love. For all his life, Bray has handled things alone, and we, well, we have not been kind to him. But sometimes, a man needs to think things over on his own.”

I exhale and lean back as Eustice sits opposite me. Her hair is all fly away today, and her eyes look tired. She picks up Wood’s coffee and takes a sip.

“Such a waste.”

I lean back. “That didn’t go how I’d hoped.”

“What are you going to do now?”

“Exactly what I said, except I’m going to find the loophole. I suspect I know what it is, but I need to clarify it.”

Eustice nods. “That man is no good. We don’t like his kind here. They find no places to stay. No where to eat. Nothing to drink.”

I tilt my head to the side. It didn’t occur to me the town would gate-keep its guests.

“We consider you and Locke one of us now.”

I blink at her. “Uh, thank you.”

“I don’t know about thanking me, but it’s something.” She tilts her head to the side. “Sometimes, people come here and they find it hard to leave. We can delay him if you want?”

I stare at her, hearing the offer beneath the words. “No, thank you. I have this.”

She reaches out and pats my hand. “If you need us, just shout out.”

I’m a bit dazed when I walk out onto the street.

The river festival is well and truly over, and the town is so much quieter now. Everyone I see is someone I know that lives here, and they all have smiles for me.

The transformation from a bustling hive of energy into a soothing pocket of peace is incredible. I can see myself living here. I could be happy with Bray, Shane, Finn, and Locke here.

Am I staying?

Yes. I am.

I can work from here or remotely. Or find something less stressful to do. But I don’t want to go home. I don’t want the life I left behind. The smiling while they lie, the dog eat dog world. Up at work by nine and still at the office at dawn. Living on coffee and air.

I want to see colour outside of an office on the twentieth floor. I want to eat a burger, laugh, fuck, sing, and dance. Fuck, I want to see the sunrise from a picnic blanket with my lovers.

But when I close my eyes and picture all those things, Locke is there by my side.

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