Page 32 of Power Shift

I tense, sorting through the caramel to find a sweet bite of peanut butter and chocolate weaving around it. I shiver at the combination, in awe of how perfectly the scents complement one another.

Pack. They’re pack.

Jolted at that realization, I pull out of Ronan’s arms and blink up at the man who’s just joined us.

He’s so . . . vibrant. And as I let my gaze wander, I realize how much smaller he is than Ronan. Not in a bad way, just different. He’s still far taller than me and without a doubt could hold his own with the bigger man. It’s more of a subtle difference. A slimmer build, less prominent bone structure, and compared to his packmate, he has a much better hold on his instincts. Even his scent is softer and a bit hard to separate from Ronan’s.

He’s a beta.

Instead of coming to me the way Ronan did, he hesitates, blue eyes wide and thoughts busy. His wavy blond hair droops down over his forehead, and he makes no move to push it back.

“Are you . . . You too?” I whisper.

He swallows, curiosity blooming across his face. The bottoms of his sneakers scuff the sidewalk when he comes forward, opening and closing his hands where they hang by his thighs like he wants to reach for me but can’t.

Ronan lingers close, not touching me again without permission. Now that I’ve stepped out of his arms, his energy has shifted, becoming sharper. My first instinct is to soothe him, so I take a chance and lean against his body, hoping he doesn’t shrug me off now that we’re not alone. He sighs, relieved, and strokes a hand up my back, fingers splayed as if to touch as much of me as possible.

It’s absolutely crazy to be this at ease with a stranger so soon. So why does his touch feel so incredible? I don’t want him toeverstop touching me. Maybe that makes me a fool. Nothing changes the fact that I’ve been searching for this connection my entire life.

We might have only just met, but there’s no mistaking who we are to each other. Fated, scent matched, they’re the same thing in my eyes. We were meant to find each other, and this beta might be meant for me too.

An echo of a pull is there, but it’s not as strong as the one I feel with Ronan. Like maybe there’s something blocking it. I’m positive the blockage isn’t coming from my end. He sure smells like he could be mine. With a clearer mind now that my nose isn’t an inch from Ronan’s throat, I’m able to think through my actions a bit more.

“I’m Dash,” the beta says, sounding a bit airy. “And you’re Briar.”

I roll my lips, trying to avoid smiling so quickly. “Hi, Dash.”

“You’re an omega,” he blurts out.

Ronan might still be stiff, but the noise he releases almost sounds like a rough laugh. “Fuck’s sake, Dash.”

“Have you never seen one before?” I ask with a tilt of my head.

Dash’s eyes bulge. “I have. But you—you’re not like the rest of them.”

I blush, my cheeks on fire. Focusing on his peachy lips, I take a step in his direction. The loss of Ronan’s touch is almost painful. Like the first splash of cold water on a fresh burn. Every bone in my body aches with the distance between us.

Chest tight to the point of discomfort, I stand in front of Dash and slowly bring my eyes up to snag on the ones already watching me. There’s a connection between us. A mutual desire like the one I feel with Ronan. He may be a beta, but that hasn’t changed anything other than a slight stifling of his scent.

Up this close, I can smell it better. It calls to me. There’s a rightness here, a confirmation that he’s supposed to be someone to me, even if he’s not exactly a scent match.

“How do you know that already?” I ask.

He glances at Ronan briefly. “For one, I’ve never seen Ro react like that to anyone before.”

“Like that?” I repeat.

“I thought I was going to have to call the rest of the pack to come help me get him off of you.”

Ronan all but lunges back to my side, planting himself in a position that semi-blocks Dash’s view of me. The rumble in his chest is a low warning, more animal than man.

“Yeah, you’re one of a kind, Briar,” Dash says with a crooked grin.

“What’s wrong with you?” Ronan snaps at him.

“You mean, other than being incredibly confused by all of this?”

A small nip of rejection follows his question.

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