Page 11 of Knot My Luck

She looks up at me then, and I see it – the confusion, the panic. But there’s something else there too, something too honest to ignore. Desire. She can’t hide it. Not anymore.

Her breath hitches, and I’m almost sure her scent shifts again, more intense this time, a subtle invitation that has my heart hammering.

I stand there, frozen for a moment, as the truth hits me hard. It’s like a switch has been flipped, and everything suddenly makes sense. Her scent is not just intoxicating, it’smine. The same warmth that pulses through my veins, the same sweet heat that clouds my mind, it’s the scent of my match.

Shit.

I take another deep breath, but this time it’s not just the lingering notes of caramel and apple that flood my senses. Toasted pecan dances on my tongue, making me salivate, but there’s something deeper beneath it all, a rawness that sings in tune with my own primal instincts. Cinnamon.

My heart slams against my ribs.

She’s my scent match.

There’s absolutely no denying it.

Mate. Mine. Bite. Claim.

I look at her again, really see her this time. She’s standing there, her back stiffening under the weight of the moment, but her eyes – those wide, panicked eyes – betray her. She knows.

She feels it too. That pull. That primal magnetism that’s as undeniable as it is dangerous.

I swallow hard, stepping back, but my gaze never leaves her. It’s impossible to ignore now. She’s my match. My one in a million, rarer than rare, scent match.

Her heat, her scent, everything about her is meant for me, andIam meant for her.

I’ve been fighting my instincts since the moment we slept together, trying to get her off my mind, but the truth is – there is no staying away now. Not with this, not withher.

“You…” I can barely get the words out, my throat dry, my voice ragged. “You’re my mate. We’re scent matches.”

The confession hangs heavy in the air between us. She flinches, her lips parting, and for a moment, I think she might say something. Anything. But she doesn’t. Instead, she takes a shaky breath, her scent swirling around us like an invisible storm.

“You didn’t know?” I ask, almost in disbelief. She looks so…lost right now, like she can’t comprehend what’s happening any more than I can.

Her face is flushed, eyes darting nervously as she tries to gather her composure. “No…I didn’t?—”

She cuts herself off, looking like she wants to run, but something holds her in place. That pull. Our pull.

“Youdidn’tknow?” I repeat, stepping closer, my voice lower now, almost coaxing. “You’re in heat. That’s what this is. And I’m the one who’s supposed to be…here for you.”

I can feel her stiffen, a shudder running through her at my words, and I watch her carefully, noticing the way her pupils dilate even further. She’s trying to hold herself together, but she can’t fight it anymore. Not when her body is already responding to me in ways that are too obvious to ignore.

“Y-you don’t have to. J-just a s-spike. I’m l-leaving.”

I don’t even realise I’ve moved until I’m standing right in front of her, her scent almost overwhelming me now. My breathing is ragged, and I feel the urge to reach out, to touch her, to claim her as mine.

But I stop myself. I should stop myself.

The tension between us is thick enough to cut through, but I can’t pull away, not when everything about this feels so damn right.

Fuck.

It’s not just the heat or the scent. It’s her. It’s been her since that night and I’m never going back.

I feel the pull between us like a damn magnet. She’s standing there, eyes wide, pupils blown, scent swirling around her like a thick, heady perfume. It’s intoxicating. Delicious. And it takes every ounce of control I’ve got not to step forward, take her in my arms, and claim her right here.

But something about the way she’s standing there, breathing in shallow, panicked gasps, makes me hesitate. I see it – the uncertainty, the fear in her eyes. She’s not ready for this. Hell, I’m not ready for this either. But I know one thing for sure: I can’t walk away from her. I can’t leave her like this.

My overwhelming instinct might be to claim her, but I want to protect and comfort her too. And right now, my alpha recognises that’s what she needs most.

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