Page 44 of Talk About… Trouble

The alpha was much more calm as he got out. Though, he looked just as worried as he rushed forward and pulled her intoa hug. The way she melted into him had jealousy building in me, but I didn’t say anything. What right did I have?

Finally, the other omega looked past her at us, his eyebrows raising as he took in a shirtless Shepherd next to me. Honestly, I hadn’t even noticed he still hadn’t put a shirt back on. We were too busy making sure she was alright.

“Does your boss usually work without a shirt on?” he questioned, wiggling his eyebrows at her.

That had another slightly unhinged laugh bursting out of her.

“Turn around, boss man!” she called back at us. We were still far enough away that she had to raise her voice to be heard.

Shepherd didn’t hesitate to turn around, showcasing the array of colors that now filled in the geometric patterns that lined his back.

“Baby, did you find yourself a living coloring book?” The omega sounded amused. He moved forward, studying her work and dragging her with him.

All that sexy fierceness was gone, replaced by amusement as he took it in. Now that he was this close, I could see the dusting of freckles that covered his face and the warm, molten brown of his eyes. They seemed even more vibrant under the low lighting.

I glanced over at Shepherd, who was frozen, his eyes wide. It took me a second longer to realize why.

Green apple and cedarwood hit me like a punch to the gut, stealing my breath away even as I tried to suck in a lungful of this intoxicating scent.

The edges of the scent were colored with Wren’s much more subtle one, the watermelon and raspberry adding a brightness to the tart and fresh scent of the other omega.

Together, they were irresistible… if only hers was stronger.

“More scent matches,” the omega said, his voice cracking as he glanced down at her, looking terrified now.

Not exactly a great response. Alarm bells were ringing in my head.

“What?” she questioned, glancing from him, to both of us, and back again.

“The alpha coloring book smells like bourbon and blueberry cheesecake. It’s a crazy combination, but honestly, looking at him right now, it totally fits. Then this beta smells like those chocolate chip pancakes you can’t seem to get enough of. Are you kidding me?”

He was laughing now. I was having trouble keeping up with their emotions at this point but my feet stayed rooted firmly to the ground.

Her voice was quiet when she answered. “I thought so, too, but they’re still not…”

“I’m telling you, baby, there’s something about your omega being dormant that masks them. If they’re mine, I’m fairly certain they’re yours, too. We’re a package deal, and I think fate knew what it was doing when it sent you our way.”

“Pack?” Shepherd asked, shaking his head as if he just couldn’t believe it.

It wasn’t a surprising reaction, knowing Shepherd. He was about as anti-people as they come and would do anything to avoid crowds. Picturing him in a pack was almost comical.

But at the same time, he was the perfect protector. The kind of strong and stoic alpha that made sure everybody was taken care of.

Hell, we were only friends, and he fed me almost every time I came out here like it was second nature.

“Why doesn’t everybody come inside? We were trying to get some food in her,” I said as I noticed her shiver. The evening air was cool still.

Her alpha moved closer and I recognized him now that I focused on his face. He was the same one who gave that passionate speech on PackVlog. Nash Whitaker.

It wasn’t just about the bar. He was protecting his omega.

“I’m going to be honest, I feel a little out of the loop here,” I admitted, eyes still focused on Nash.

The omega looked at Wren, as if asking for permission before he answered me. I respected him even more for that move alone.

“Her omega is dormant, which means she doesn’t have the same reactions to scent. As much as she says I smell good, it’s not that steal-your-breath, fall-to-your-knees type of reaction that’s typical in a scent match. At the very least, we’re scent-compatible. My theory is once her omega is woken back up, it’ll all fall into place. I’m Devon, by the way.”

“Braxton, or Brax,” I offered before glancing at Shepherd. I wasn’t going to introduce the alpha to the group, he was going to have to do that himself.

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