Page 53 of Alpha Daddy

“Most alphas pack up, but you don’t have one,” I say, fighting the nervous temptation to keep quiet. “You could have any woman you want, but you’re alone. Are you a serial killer? Is this long drive how you’re going to take me out?”

He cackles, shoulders shaking and eyes crinkling when he smiles.

“Oh god, it is, isn’t it?” I joke. I don’t think I could ever get tired of making him laugh. “Should I barrel roll out of the car right now and flag down someone?”

“No, I’m not going to kill you,” he chokes out. Then, when he finally stops laughing, he says, “But I understand your curiosity. I’m a bit of a rarity, aren’t I?”

I nod as I reply. “A bit.”

He takes a deep breath, the kind that precedes every long, depressing story in the history of stories, and I know the answer is going to be somber.

“You aren’t the only one with a tragic story,” he admits with a sigh, shifting slightly in his seat. “Although mine happened a long time ago–going on ten years now. At one point, I did have a pack, and an omega.”

My stomach clenches at the mention of an omega, and my chest feels tight. I should probably just move on and change the subject, save myself the hurt feelings if it’s not something I want to hear, but my curiosity gets the best of me.

“What happened?”

“She died,” he says, his voice a little heavier. “It severed our pack bond, and rather than rejoining or forming a new pack, I decided I needed to do life on my own for a bit. You know, give myself time to heal, process everything that happened.”

The clench in my stomach gets heavier, sinking as he tells the story. Of all the potential reasons for his isolation, I never imagined anything so sad.

What if his mate was murdered?

Now I feel bad about the serial killer jokes.

“Then, we opened the restaurant and I let it consume me. I worked seven days a week, open to close, so my mind would stay too busy to focus on anything else. The more time that passed, the less important packing up and finding a mate seemed.”

“I’m sorry,” I mutter, not knowing what else to say. I expect him to pull his hand away as he dives into the memories, but it stays planted firmly on my thigh.

“It’s okay. It was a long time ago,” he assures me. “I’ve moved on, healed, and now, I just put all my energy into the restaurant.”

“Are you ever looking to have a mate again?” I ask, cheeks burning hot as I force the question past my teeth. I hate that I’m asking, that I want to know so badly, but curiosity has me firmly in its grips, and it isn’t letting go. “Or do you want to be a bachelor forever?”

He smirks, gently squeezing my leg. “You know, I’ve asked myself the same questions at least a dozen times over the years. I’ve had countless opportunities tosettle down, but that wasn’t what I saw for myself. I thought I’d grow old and die behind the bar I’ve loved for so long, but…”

The pause while he gathers his thoughts is heavy, pressing down on me, and I just want to tell him to spit it out.

“But?” I try not to sound impatient, even though I very much am.

“If I found the perfect person for me, I might be willing to make that bond.”

My thoughts are cartwheeling, heart racing, and I adjust the vent so it blows in my face to cool me off. Who knew having such a serious conversation with him would be this difficult?

“Like a scent match?”

Scent matches are what many alphas and omegas search for, even though few ever find them. They’re supposed to be the perfect person for you, the one who completes every part of you, the one who meshes with your soul better than anyone else possibly could. Scent matches naturally form unbreakable bonds, the strongest form of omega magic.

Call me a hopeless romantic, but I’ve always been fascinated by the idea of scent matches. However, they’re so rare that I never thought twice about trying to find mine. The chances are tiny, miniscule.

Still, there’s always a chance. There’s even the slightest chance I could be Alessandro’s scent match if I told him the truth, and my mind begins to race with possibilities at the thought.

If I stop taking the scent blocker and perfume for him, what would happen?

Could I be his scent match?

“No, not like that,” he says, interrupting my thoughts. “Just someone who understands me on all levels. Who pushes me, challenges me, wants to build with me. Someone who would want me the same without my alpha designation. That’s a big ask.”

“I don’t think so,” I say before I slam my lips together.

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