Page 17 of Knot Your Baby

The desk phone buzzes. “Mr. Thompson is here,” Maya’s professional voice announces. Despite her annoyance, she always acts with dignity in front of clients. “Should I send him in?”

She sounds so sweet.

She looks so sweet.

I don’t know why she no longer does it for me.

She doesn’t smell as sweet.

Maya seemed perfect on paper. An omega who triggered something in me when I met her at Club Midnight. But now? Nothing. Especially the memory of her scent that last night. It was intoxicating, but it doesn’t match what I smell on her now.

Is that possible? Can an omega change her scent that much? Unless she was on scent modifiers. Some omegas use blockers, some use a scent with a hint of alpha pheromones, and some use other omegas perfumes. But why do that?

It also makes little sense because I could smell her as though she were my mate.

Was she so desperate she had a perfume made up to smell like me?

Did she hunt me?

Did she want my pack?

She’s admitted it since. Asked to be our pack omega. Not all packs wait for their scent matched mates. Omegas are so rare that some packs just want an omega to call theirs. An omega who they can breed.

But I can’t give her that. Not anymore. My pack is waiting. It started with Zane’s constant preaching about waiting for our true mates. But that’s my younger brother, the romantic, the virgin. The one who is still holding out for some perfect match while denying his alpha urges.

I laugh to myself. It’s been that long since I fucked an omega—anyone—you’d think I was celibate. I’m not. I’m just waiting for the right one. I found her once. Or did I?

“Are you okay, Mr. Stone?” Maya asks, and I realize she is still waiting for an answer.

I close the browser, straightening my tie. “Send him in.”

Time to do what I do best. This deal won’t negotiate itself.

But somewhere in the back of my mind, something persists. Like I’m missing something crucial. Something important.

I slam through the front door of our beach house, tossing my jacket onto the leather couch. The day’s meetings have drained every ounce of energy from my body.

Miller appears from the kitchen, bourbon in hand. “Rough day?”

“The worst.” I take the glass, savoring the burn as I swallow. “Where’s Zane?”

“Called about an hour ago. Emergency came in right as his shift ended.”

My jaw clenches. “He needs to quit that damn job. The family business is waiting for him.”

“He’s different from you, Thorne.” Miller leans against the doorframe. “Not everyone’s cut out for boardrooms and takeovers. Including Zane and me.”

“We haven’t done a takeover in five years, and that job nearly killed him once already.” The memory of seeing my brother in that hospital bed, covered in burns, still haunts me.

“You still have to let him make his own way in the world.”

“He’s my baby brother,” I say as I step out onto the balcony, letting the ocean breeze cool my temper. The waves crash against the shore in steady rhythm. “Anyway, how was your day at the hospital?”

“Interesting. That’s what I wanted to tell you about.” Miller joins me, resting his elbows on the railing. “Had this pregnant omega come in?”

I laugh. “You have omegas coming to you every day.”

“Not like this one.” He stares into his glass. “She wore scent blockers, but there was something about her. A hint of strawberry that made my inner alpha growl.”

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