Page 16 of Scent of Sanctuary

MacNCheese – And that’s why you talk to them. If they truly love you, they’ll listen. And if they don’t, it might be easier to find that out before your heat.

Strawberrybubbles – Don’t remind me. I had a spike earlier. I never have spikes.

Suddenly, they’re all typing again, asking what happened and how things played out since they knew the Alphas were over tonight.

Strawberrybubbles – It was embarrassing. One of them helped me out and no I’m not giving you details.

ClassyO – I can tell you from experience that your Alphas will absolutely beg to be part of anything that has to do with your heat. I don’t really understand it but they say it’s an honor. I just think it’s messy.

I snort at the newcomer in the chat, wondering when he showed up. MacNCheese helps explain.

MacNCheese – Classy over here owns a club. Popped up here spewing hate for the Alpha hierarchy and whatever. Somehow we adopted him.

ClassyO – Well most Alphas are bullshit, Cheesy. They want to control everything. I just want to have my baby and be left alone.

My brows furrow as I try to understand a conversation I wasn’t part of. I scroll back up, searching ‘ClassyO’s’ name and finding several messages from a few days ago that I missed. He’s an unmated Omega and pregnant andhappy.

Strawberrybubbles – I have questions but I don’t want to be rude.

ClassyO – Everyone always has questions. I want to be a daddy but I don’t want someone to dictate my choices. Unfortunately, none of the doctors would inseminate me so I did it the old fashioned way. Now, I’ve got my baby, no Alpha trying to claim him, and I’ve still got my club.

Strawberrybubbles – I wish I had your confidence.

Coolblue – To go have a baby on your own?

Strawberrybubbles – no! To accept the Alphas who just confessed to me.

Razorfox – If anyone can do it, you can.

Strawberrybubbles – I hope so. Goodnight. Nice meeting you, ClassyO.

ClassyO – of course, you should come visit the club sometime. I’ll get you all a private table.

There’s another round of emojis as I click out of the app, ignoring ClassyO’s invitation. No doubt MacNCheese will loop him in on the fact that I don’t leave the house. But it’s nice all the same to be included. A smile forms on my lips at the goodnight text from Callum; I really should give them a chance. After tonight, I can see that they won’t charge like those bastards did. Even if my head doesn’t believe it, my heart wants to. God,Iwant to.

Lyle

Achucklerumblesthroughme as I slip on my jacket, my shift finally over. It’s barely 6 am but I’m more than over being in this place at the moment. Rodriguez catches me walking toward the main area, ribbing me about my beard, claiming it’s a fire hazard, and Carter tosses a foam stress ball that I dodge with a grin.

“Y’all are just jealous,” I say, swiping a blueberry cinnamon bagel from the counter before heading for the door. Rodriguez hollers something about stealing, but I wave him off. The early morning sun hits me as I step outside, the May warmth a relief after the station’s stale air. I’m eager to get home, to crash in my own bed, but there’s a stronger pull in my chest—calling my baby girl, making sure she slept okay in her new nest.

I climb into my truck, the bagel tucked in a napkin on the passenger seat and check my phone for anything I missed overnight. Callum texted earlier to remind me not to smother her, yet another thing I have to remember. Where Ambrose is impulsive, I can just be… too much.

And now that we know she’s ours, not just a hope but biologically, it’s fucking hard to hold back. The memory of knotting her last night is all I’ve been able to think of, her wild berry scent clinging to me like it belongs there. I want to drive to her place and pull her into my arms as I purr for her, but she’s got her own shift soon, and that’s the only thing keeping me from flooring it to her apartment.

Halfway down the road, I dial her number, hoping she’s got a minute to spare. She picks up on the third ring, her voice adorably sleepy, a soft mumble that makes me grin. “Hey, baby girl. Did you sleep okay?”

There’s a rustle in the background, like she’s shifting in bed, before she murmurs, “I’m still curled up with my pillows.” I can picture her in her new nest, her dark hair spilling over the new ensemble, sleepy blue eyes looking up at me.

“I’m glad. I hated leaving without saying goodbye, but you were a little tied up.”

A nervous giggle comes through the phone and my chest warms, a purr starting low in my throat. “I’ll have to apologize to Ambrose,” she muses, my mind drifting to when she slid right into Ambrose’s hoodie. “I ended up in it and he didn’t take it back before he left. I’m not sure I would have let him.”

I let out a quiet chuckle, merging onto the highway. “Don’t worry about it. He loved it. He’s probably framing that memory as we speak.” I pause, glancing at the bagel, the scent of cinnamon filling the truck. “What’s for breakfast?”

She hums, a sleepy sound that makes me want to crawl through the phone and hold her. “I don’t know. I’m not up yet.”

“Baby girl, your shift starts in fifteen minutes,” I say. “As much as I love your sleepy voice, I’m not sure anyone calling for an emergency would appreciate it as much as I do.”

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