Page 18 of Knot Their Arrangement

Before he can respond, or those captivating eyes can draw me back in, I spin around and dart away. My feet carry me forward at full speed, bangles jingling with every step, but his scent follows me like a ghost.

Coffee, bourbon, sandalwood, and secrets.

Why would a man like that be emerging from an alleyway at this hour?

Everything about him screamed authority – law enforcement perhaps? A detective? The way he carried himself, the alert look in his eyes despite his relaxed posture, the holster I glimpsed beneath his coat...

But more importantly, why did that brief touch feel like destiny?

I’ve been so lost in various written works of fiction that I may dream of obtaining such a unique first connection with an Alpha who’d change my world.

But unlike fiction, things like love at first sight and instances of immediate lust and connection don’t happen in the real world…

The venue's lights appear in the distance, but my mind stays with the mysterious Alpha. The way time seemed to stop when our eyes met, how perfectly his hands fit around my waist, the electric current that passed between us at that whisper of a kiss...

Focus, Kamari! You have two minutes to get inside before they lock the doors!

Still, as I race toward the building, I can't help but wonder if this is how the heroine in my book felt.

That singular moment when fiction becomes reality is when fate steps in and changes everything.

But this isn't a romance novel…

I’m forced to remind myself sternly.

Mysterious Alphas emerging from dark alleys are more likely to be dangerous than dreamy.

Yet his scent lingers in my nose, and my lips tingle with the memory of that almost kiss.

Goddess…I wish I could manifest such a reality so I no longer need to keep running away.

5

A DETECTIVE'S FORBIDDEN ALLIANCE

~EZEKIEL~

The scent hits me first – delicate jasmine mixed with hints of rose and something deeper, more exotic.

Cardamom perhaps, or saffron. Hints of vanilla and wild berry add to the mix, the combination only further enticing my nostrils. It's distinctly feminine, undeniably Omega, and so uniquely intoxicating that my cock immediately stirs to attention.

Fuck.

I take a steadying breath, but that only makes it worse.

The aroma seems to wrap around me like silk, making my Alpha instincts roar to life. Three years on the force, countless drug busts and violent takedowns, and nothing has ever tested my control quite like this unexpected burst of perfume in the night air.

Stepping out of the alleyway, I try not to think about the three unconscious men I'm leaving behind. They'll live –barely.

A reminder that even the most hardened criminals should think twice before trying to mug someone in my city.

Especially on my patrol route.

The thought barely forms before something small and soft crashes into me at full speed.

My reflexes kick in instantly, hands moving to catch the falling figure before they can hit the ground. The scent intensifies tenfold as I realize I'm holding the source — an Omega wrapped in yards of crimson fabric that shimmers gold in the streetlight.

She looks up swiftly, just as I lean down to check if she's hurt, and our lips brush in the lightest of touches.

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