Page 85 of Claimed By the Band

That explains why everything feels so intense. The air on my skin, the brush of Asher's hair against my shoulder, the hardness of his body against mine. The thought should terrify me, but Asher's warmth against my back is oddly grounding. At least I don't have to worry about selling our cover story now. Anyone looking at us right now would assume we're just another packin the early stages of incorporating a new member, giddy on hormones and each other.

"It's certainly... potent," Silas says diplomatically, though I catch the slight wrinkle of his nose beneath his crow mask.

"Speaking of new formulations," Vince continues, practically glowing with self-importance, "I believe I promised to introduce you to our lead scientist. He's been quite eager to meet you all, especially after hearing about your unique request."

My head snaps up and clears immediately. This is it, our chance to get close to someone who might actually know something about the attack. But Vince's words make me uneasy. What exactly has he told this scientist about us?

"We'd be honored," Silas says smoothly, though his hand twitches like he wants to punch Vince instead of shake his hand.

"Excellent!" Vince claps his hands together. "Follow me."

As we move to follow him through the crowd, Asher's arm stays firmly around my waist. His pleasant scent forms an invisible shield around me, helping cut through the artificial musk that permeates the air.

"You okay?" he whispers against my ear, and I have to suppress a shiver.

"Yeah," I manage, though my voice comes out breathier than intended. "I should be asking you that."

"The new suppressants are working like a charm," he says, giving me another worried once over. "Is the scent bothering you?"

I swallow hard, suddenly jealous of those pills. Mine aren't holding up quite as well, but I don't think it has anything to do with Vince's artificial musk and everything to do with the pack. Each one's scent is like it was made just to tempt me, but combined? It's not fair.

Even on the bus, I've never been so close to all of them at once, let alone all the touching.

"I'm fine," I lie, my voice sounding hoarser than usual. "Just tired."

His thumb strokes my hip, and the simple touch nearly undoes me. "Stay close," he murmurs. "We've got you."

The possessive note in his voice makes something deep inside me purr. It's getting harder to remember why I've spent so long running from this feeling, this sense of belonging. Of being protected and wanted.

But then I catch sight of myself in one of the many mirrors. I see the cat mask hiding my face, the carefully constructed male facade, all the lies I've built my life around, and reality crashes back in. After tonight, after I tell them the truth, they might never look at me the same way again.

The thought hurts deep in my core, but I force myself to focus on the mission. On following Vince through the crowd toward this scientist who just might hold the answers we're looking for. On gathering evidence that could protect Asher and other omegas like him from people who want to control us.

Like my family. Like PheroMaster. Like everyone who thinks omegas should be seen and not heard, used and not valued.

"Almost there," Vince calls over his shoulder as we approach a quieter corner of the ballroom. "I think you'll find Dr. Trakiss’s work quite enlightening."

He talks like someone who just discovered a thesaurus, and wants everyone to think he's brilliant, but it's a facade every bit as clearly as his gaudy gold-plated offices and everything else about PheroMaster.

I feel the pack tense around me, their protective instincts clearly on high alert. Even through the artificial pheromone haze, I can sense their readiness to act if anything seems off.

My eyes widen as Vince leads us to a quiet corner where a tall man with light hair and sharp brown eyes waits.

Dr. Trakiss is nothing like what I expected. His energy is completely different from Vince's sleazy alpha posturing. He radiates intelligence and something else I can't quite place, even behind a gray, vaguely canine mask.

But what strikes me the hardest is the fact that he's a beta.

The pack seems equally surprised by his secondary gender. I catch Knox and Silas exchanging glances, clearly reassessing their own expectations.

We're all thinking the same thing. Why on earth would a beta devote his career to creating pheromones that primarily affect alphas and omegas?

The only answer that occurs to me is control.

"Dr. Trakiss," Vince announces with his usual smarmy charm, "allow me to introduce you to Wild Honey and their newest addition."

The scientist inclines his head politely. "A pleasure to meet you all. I understand you're interested in the potential development of a new product?"

Before anyone can respond, a waitress appears, her omega scent barely detectable under PheroMaster's cheap perfume. Her glittery uniform leaves little to the imagination as she offers drinks, batting her eyes at the alphas and lingering particularly long on Asher.

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