Page 27 of The Flavor of Us

My Omega friends used to talk about this. About how sometimes their body knows before their mind does. About how scents can wrap around them like chains, binding them to people they can’t escape even if they wanted to.

But I’m not an Omega.

I’m aBeta.

This shouldn’t be happening to me.

I squeeze my eyes shut, pressing my face deeper into Carleen’s pillow as I try to focus on the scent—the one that feels safe. The one that feels likehome.But instead, all I can think about is how good Ryder smelled when he leaned in to pull Ashton back. That faint hint of bourbon and something sharp, earthy, and citrusy.

I groan again, rolling onto my side and pulling the blanket tighter around me. This isridiculous.

I need to get out of my own head. I need to dosomething. But my body feels heavy, my limbs useless as I curl tighter into myself, sinking further into the plush nest I’ve built. I resist the urge to pleasure myself, to stick two fingers deep into my pussy and let myself fall apart to my fantasies. Mostly because I don’t believe how fast this is happening and also because then every goddamn Alpha would be able to smell me throughout the entire apartment if they can’t already.

I don’t remember falling asleep. One minute, I’m tangled in a mess of blankets, my body still thrumming with the weight of scents and instincts I don’t know how to process, and the next, there’s warmth against my cheek. A thumb, maybe. Stroking gently along my jaw, brushing over the faint curve of my bottom lip.

My eyes flutter open and the first thing I see is Carleen—her warm brown eyes watching me. She’s crouched next to my nest, her knees pressed into the edge of the blankets, a steaming bowl in one hand. “Morning again, sleepyhead,” she murmurs.

I blink up at her, still half tangled in the haze of sleep andthembefore my stomach makes a decidedlyloudnoise.

Carleen grins, holding up the bowl. “Thought you might be hungry.”

I sit up, my nest shifting around me as I push myself into a more upright position. Carleen hands me the bowl, and the smell hits me first—tomato soup.Rich, tangy, with hints of herbs and something creamy swirling through it.

I don’t even hesitate. I scoop a spoonful into my mouth and—oh.

Oh.

I moan, the sound muffled around the spoon, as the flavors hit my tongue. It’s perfect.Smooth and velvety, just the right balance of acidity and warmth. Carleen chuckles, leaning back slightly as she watches me devour another spoonful. “Good?” she asks, her lips twitching upward.

“Are you kidding me?” I manage around a mouthful. “This might be the single best thing I’ve ever eaten.”

Her grin softens and she reaches over to hand me something else—a grilled cheese sandwich, perfectly golden and cut into two triangles. I practically snatch it from her hand, dipping one corner into the soup before taking a bite. It’s heaven. Warm, cheesy, buttery heaven. The moan I let out is borderline indecent, Carleen raising an eyebrow, her smile turning sly.

“Careful, sweetheart,” she teases. “Keep making noises like that and Ryder and Ashton are going to come running.”

I choke slightly on my bite, glaring at her over the sandwich. “Carleen!”

But she just laughs, leaning back on her heels and watching me eat. For a few minutes, it’s quiet—comfortable, even. Just the sound of me enjoying the world’s most perfect comfort food and Carleen’s soft, amused presence beside me. Eventually, though, the silence stretches just long enough to feel… heavy.

Carleen tilts her head slightly, her voice softer now. “You okay, Tati?”

I pause, my sandwich halfway to my mouth, before setting it carefully back on the plate. She must see something on my face because she sighs, running a hand through her hair as her brows draw together. “I want to apologize for earlier. Did I read the moment wrong?”

I blush, staring down at the last bit of soup in my bowl. “Yeah, I mean no! It wasn’t—Ashton was fine. My scent gave me away, didn’t it?”

Carleen leans forward, her elbows resting on her knees as she watches me carefully. “Sweetheart, they didn’t even know you were here until your scent thickened. It hit them like a freight train and I could tell they were trying to keep their distance before Ashton gave in.”

I groan, setting the bowl aside and burying my face in my hands. “Oh, Goddess, it wasthatobvious?”

Carleen laughs softly, reaching out to gently pull my hands away from my face. “It was pretty obvious, yeah.”

I drop my head back against the nest, groaning again as my face heats up. “This istoofast,right? Like… this isn’t normal.”

Carleen shrugs one shoulder, her lips curving into a faint smile. “Things work as fast as you let them, Tati. There’s no timeline, no rules. If it feels right, it feels right. If it doesn’t, then we step back. Simple as that. We could’ve had this months ago, you and me. If I hadn’t been so scared, so caught up in my own head, we could’ve been building this all along.”

She’s right. We could’ve had this—this warmth, this safety, thissomething—so much sooner if Carleen hadn’t pulled away—if I hadn’t so easily left. But at the same time, maybe we needed that time apart. Maybe we needed to grow into who we are now before we could make this work.

I nod slowly, reaching for my sandwich again. But as I chew, my eyes keep flicking back to Carleen—her warm brown eyes, the faint smile tugging at her lips, the way she’s still crouched beside my nest like she belongs there. The words slip out before I can stop them. “Alpha, will you come in here with me?”

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