Page 5 of Luna

I flushed, prickly heat starting in my scalp and flowing down my body. Everything south of my belly button turned molten.

“Colton, this is Luna. Luna, this is my alpha Colton.”

Colton’s gaze turned to me. “Thought I scented you earlier.”

I stared at him, speechless, like an idiot. With eyes the same gray blue of the ocean on overcast days, and his scent wafting over me, the sharp clean scent of the air right before a thunderstorm, I was transfixed.

I sucked in a breath, but that didn’t help, because I got a lungful of that thunderstorm smell. The prickles running along my skin went deeper, sinking into my body. I’d taken half a step forward before I realized and had to stop myself from touching him.

I blushed again. My hormones were going insane. A stab of blinding pain spiked through my head, making my vision swim for a moment.

Quinn’s big brown puppy dog eyes looked at me with concern. “Should I bring you some water?”

Colton took a big step back. “I can give you some space.”

The gesture was enough to snap me out of it. Just knowing that he would respect my personal space, regardless of what my hormones were doing, was enough to calm me a little

“Sorry.” I rubbed my arms, my hands trembling. “Sometimes it’s just…overwhelming.”

Quinn perked up. “You know there’s been a lot of studies on the effects of pheromones, especially between alphas and omegas. The leading theory is you have more receptors in your brains, allowing you to make quicker decisions on mate compatibility based on scent and subconscious body language cues.”

“I wish I could turn it off.” My mouth had gone dry again, this time with embarrassment.

My heartbeat kicked up, as my self-consciousness over reacting so strongly to Colton began to smother me, layering over my reaction to the overwhelming press of the crowds.

I took in a tiny, tentative breath of air through my nose. My body acted like I was in danger, like a bear was chasing me down.

I tried to tell myself I was fine. I knew I was fine. Why my body couldn’t calm down, I would never know.

It had been yet another thing Thomas had thought I needed to do better. What omega got overwhelmed in crowds? I should have been able to attend all the fancy dinners and make my alphas look good.

“S’alright,” Colton grinned. “I tend to overwhelm everyone.”

“He really does.” Quinn seemed more comfortable with Colton around. “I hid from him for a week after we met.”

I raised an eyebrow, trying for calm. “So you led him on a merry chase?”

“No.” Quinn squeaked. He turned a lovely shade of pink and looked at Colton. “I couldn’t stop thinking about him, so I finally said yes to going on a date.”

Despite my efforts to calm myself down, I realized that my palms had grown clammy, and I started to listen to the conversation like I wasn’t inside my body anymore, as though their voices were coming from a long way away. It didn’t matter that I actually wanted to be brave this time, because I didn’t see how I could stave off the oncoming panic attack.

Elevators dinged open, and more people crowded through the lobby. Someone shouted, and I flinched.

“I can go back to the room.” Colton looked at me with concern, then gestured at the elevators. “I’ve got a mountain of paperwork to sift through.”

I didn’t want him to leave. Their combined scents were soothing, even if it was one more sensation that my brain struggled to process. I sucked in another breath, but my heart was pounding in my chest.

I shook my head and tried to talk but my tongue was glued to the roof of my mouth. Faintness washed over me, and black spots appeared in my vision.

Colton frowned. “What’s wrong? You just went pale and your scent smells burnt.”

“Dizzy,” I managed. My heartbeat raced, the sense of doom pulsing around me. I pushed the thoughts of being a freak, a weirdo, a defective omega out of my mind, but they always came in louder when my defenses were weak.

“Come on.” His voice remained soft, but there was steel under there. It was easier to follow him than to try and think. He turned to head back the way he’d come from.

“Are you ill? We can get a doctor,” Quinn said. “Maybe it’s heatstroke? You said you were outside all day.”

“Quinn, let her breathe.” Colton jerked his thumb behind him and I could see a row of doors, one of them propped open to show a conference room filled with tables and chairs.

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