Page 11 of Her Knotty Alphas

"Shhh!" I whisper-yell, my hands caught in the back of Wren's shirt. "Don't say my name." I peak out from behind her back, catching sight of the delicious ginger alpha again. He's dressed in a buttoned up flannel and jeans, carrying something in a large Tupperware container. Coming up behind him is another alpha and…holy shit.

While Austin is all proper Southern gentleman charm, this other alpha—with both his ears and his eyebrow pierced, shoulder-length black hair and spiderweb tattoos—looks like a bad boy who would spank me and make me thank him for it.

They both trigger something inside my omega, which I promptly shut down. I'm too mortified by what happened thelast timeI was alone with Austin to try to repeat that scenario so soon.

"What's wrong? Did he hurt you?" Concern laces Wren's voice, and I instantly feel bad for making her worry.

"No." I shake my head emphatically, even though she can't see me. "Nothing like that. I just…I really embarrassed myself last time I saw him and I don't feel like doing a repeat."

Even though I'm pretty sure there aren't any dildos here.

"Okay. I'll go distract him, and you can disappear, okay?" Wren stays calm, keeping her gaze pointed straight ahead, while Bethany looks between us like she can't quite figure out what's going on.

"Oh my god, yes, thank you," I breathe.

"What was his name again?" she asks quietly.

"Austin."

"Got it." She takes a deep breath, and takes off, and at the same time I head towards the back door. "Oh my gods! Austin! I can't believe it's you!"

Her voice fades into the rest of the noise, and I slide the back door open, stepping into the crisp night air. The music is muted, and I take a deep breath, setting my wine cooler on the patio table as I walk further into the yard.

What the hell is Austin doing here? Did he start working for Titus at some point? I guess Cady wouldn't have any reason to tell me, since I never explained to her what happened with Austin. As far as she knows, we just didn't click.

But it was the opposite.

I've just reached the far side of the back yard, looking at the flowers growing, quiet air surrounding me, and I close my eyes, thinking back to that night—

"Hannah?" A voice I wasn't expecting has me jumping and clutching my chest from shock. I look up and breathe a sigh of relief. It's not Austin.

"Oh shit. Hey, Enzo." He's right by the sliding glass door, and I'm on the other side of the house. Far enough away that I can't quite tell if he thinks I'm a weirdo for being out here by myself or not. He looks so damn good in a button up shirt that pulls tightly over his muscled frame, though.

"What a small world. What are you doing here?"

He's far enough away that he wouldn't be able to scent the perfume I'm giving off just by being in his vicinity. I can't believe I didn't think to wear scent blocking panties tonight. Though Ialsodidn't plan on seeing the mature client I have a little crush on. The best thing to do is to try not to look at the way his muscles bulge in his button up shirt, or how the salt and peppercoming in on the sides of his head makes him look distinguished, and more than a little sexy.

"Cady's been my best friend since we were kids." I explain, shifting from foot to foot. "What about you?"

"Titus is my brother," he explains, confirming my thoughts from before.

But of course, the back door starts to open again, and I catch a glimpse of ginger hair and Ollie's loud voice. Enzo turns in surprise, and I panic, quickly glancing from side to side, looking for somewhere to hide. Ollie's voice rings out across the almost empty yard. "Yeah, we've got some really cool Halloween decorations to put up this year, Cady's going all out…"

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

Deciding the only place to hide is around the side of the house, I quickly dart in that direction, hiding in the shadows where no light reaches. Except, when I go around the corner, it seems to trigger a motion activated floodlight on that side of the house, and a giant figure wielding an axe over his head.

A scream lets loose from my chest as I fling myself backwards, away from the apparent axe-murderer—and straight on the floor, right in sight of Austin, Ollie, and Enzo.

"Hannah, are you okay?" Enzo rushes to me as I point with a shaky hand at a…halloween decoration. A freaking halloween decoration that made me look like a complete idiot. My cheeks flame with embarrassment as he reaches down, using one hand to pull me up to my feet—

That's when his scent hits me.

Leather and tobacco. Safety. Comfort. Home.

Mine must hit him at the same time, because his sharp intake of breath is audible. His expression is one of utter confusion. Scent match. This has to be a true scent match.

But then…lemon and mint fill my senses.

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