Page 77 of Knot Happening Again

Mace growls, his fists clenching at his sides. "That's ridiculous. She doesn't belong in a place like that, being pawed at by all those creeps. But how is that her fault?"

Troy mutters, his voice low and angry, "It's probably the fault of that asshole who marked her that she had to work there in the first place. We need to do whatever we can to make sure she never goes back there. Tonight is proof it's not safe."

Rhys nods in agreement, his eyes filled with determination. "You're right. We'll figure something out."

I step forward, feeling the need to do something, anything to help. "I can wait up for Leon if you guys want to go take care of her."

Rhys shakes his head. "No, she asked for all of us." A small smile plays at his lips. "She specifically asked for, and I quote, 'The one who smells like s'mores.'"

I feel my cheeks heat up. "S'mores? Really?"

Troy leans in and sniffs me, a grin spreading across his face. "Yeah, I can see that."

We file into the nesting room, and I'm immediately hit with another wave of Ophelia's scent. She's curled up in the center of the massive bed, looking more demure and bashful than before, but still absolutely stunning.

Rhys clears his throat. "Now that you're feeling a little more yourself, allow me to properly introduce you to our beta?—"

I step forward, offering her a warm smile. "Maddox. AKA the one who smells like s'mores, apparently."

Ophelia blushes, hiding her face in her hands. "Oh god, I'm so sorry. I made such a fool of myself earlier."

I can't help but chuckle. "Are you kidding? That was the hottest thing I've ever seen." I pause, realizing how that might sound. "I mean, I'm sorry I didn't get to meet you before your heat hit. This isn't exactly how I imagined our first encounter going."

"It's okay, I didn't imagine myself acting like a horny idiot," she mumbles.

Ophelia looks around at all of us, her brow furrowed in confusion. "Can I ask... why do youallsmell so good to me? I mean, you did before, too, but this time…" she trails off, like she's trying to make sense of it. "I've never experienced anything like this before."

We exchange a look, and Rhys sits down on the edge of the bed, taking Ophelia's hand in his. "Ophelia, there's something we need to discuss. I didn't want to scare you off before," he says gently, "but I knew the moment you walked into the room at Temporary Bonds that you were our scent match."

"So did I," Mace chimes in.

"Me, too," Troy agrees.

I find myself nodding, even though I wasn't there for that first meeting. It was still obvious from the moment I laid eyes on her. The moment I caught that beautiful scent.

Ophelia looks stunned, her eyes wide and her mouth slightly open. She seems shaken, even more than I'd expect, and Rhys squeezes her hand.

"Ophelia? Are you alright?"

She takes a shaky breath. "It's just... not something I thought I'd hear twice in one day."

We all exchange confused glances. "What do you mean?" Troy asks.

Ophelia swallows hard. "I… I ran into my ex tonight—the alpha who half-marked me. That's when I went into heat. He showed up at my work again and told me I was his scent match."

Rhys's voice is tight when he echoes, "He showed up at your work?"

For the moment, that's all any of us can focus on. Her accepting she's our scent match—or not—will have to wait.

If this prick is endangering her…

"Again?" Troy adds, his eyes narrowing.

Ophelia nods, looking uncomfortable. "Yes. He showed up before, once. Well… more than once, but the bouncers wouldn't let him in."

Mace growls, his protective instincts clearly kicking in. So are mine. "So the asshole is stalking you."

"No!" Ophelia says quickly. "It's not like that. Not exactly."

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