Page 3 of Ember

I took the opposite hallway and rounded the corner for the lobby, ready to start my day. Another flash of sorrow hit me, and I ignored it.

It was okay to be happy that life was going well and still miss that my parents weren’t here to see any of it. It was a part of life, and if that meant I wanted more than I could have, I was an omega. It was basically the price of admission.

Biology would argue that my pack would give me all the things I wanted and more, but I didn’t have a pack and biology could stuff it. It was up to me to make my life what I wanted it to be. Alphas had done nothing but let me down. I didn’t need that sort of disappointment in my life.

I had plenty where that came from.

Chapter 2

Ember

My morning went smoothly. I checked in with Pack Gray. They had been here a few times, looking for the beta of their dreams. I also onboarded three new clients, two of them belonging to a pack and one solitary alpha who was sweet and shy.

Stella poked her head into my office. “Your two o’clock is early, but they said they were fine waiting.”

“No problem, I’ll grab them.” They were twenty minutes early. I’d head over to the reception room, make sure it was ready, and come get them out of the waiting room.

The Cosmic Bonds welcome center was laid out like the spokes on a wheel. People could get to the center from several different hallways, and the colorful bohemian scheme never failed to soothe me. Blue, brown, purple, and teal curtains in paisley patterns covered the windows, the walls were pine wood that shone with natural beauty, and the rugs were soft blues and greens.

I headed down the main hallway, hooking a left to the reception area. Stella and Zephyr had found a local artist to do a lot of soft and warm abstract art for the walls.

I paused. Something smelling amazing. Maybe Luna was burning a new candle. The tiny hairs on the back of my neck rose up, and for a moment it felt like I was taking a walk through the woods at night, the thought cozier than it sounded.

I kept going, getting closer to the scent along with my actual destination, the reception room.

The door was half-open, and the scent stronger. I found the source of the scent and it wasn’t a candle.

It was an alpha.

I sucked in a breath, resisting the urge to turn around and flee. But I didn’t run from anything, not even alphas who smelled too good.

He was lounging on a blue couch. He had sandy blonde hair that was tousled, and clear blue eyes.

This close, I caught a sharp fruit note under his spicy woods scent, and I almost kept going until I buried my face in his neck.

“Hi,” I said instead, pleased I didn’t sound like I was ten seconds away from jumping him. “I’m Ember.” I looked down at my files. “Are you Philip?”

He gave me an easy smile, one that warmed me from head to toe. “If I say no, does that mean you’re going to leave? Because you can call me whatever you want.”

Shivers danced over my skin, and I swallowed hard. “So that means I’m in the wrong room.”

“Or the very right one. You must work for Cosmic Bonds?”

“I do.” I poked my head out into the hallway. It was empty. “I can stay until your coordinator gets here.”

“Or you could switch andbethe coordinator,” he said, without quite looking me in the eye. “I’m Ben, and you smell amazing.”

“You too,” I said. “But I’m not the one up for matching.”

“Me and my omega,” he replied. “We’re open to whatever designation.”

“See, this is what happens when I don’t have my files.” I laughed, walking over to a small countertop. A coffee machine and hot water dispenser sat next to boxes of herbal tea and single-serving coffee. “Would you like some coffee or tea?”

“Coffee, please. Rian, my omega, should be back any minute. He wanted to look around.”

“Of course.” Ben’s attention stayed on me, and it was unnerving. He lounged on the couch, and I had to stop myself from curling up next to him. My skin felt hot and tight, and I had to pull in a slow breath. He wore a Sleeping with Ghosts T-shirt, faded gray and stretched nicely over his toned body. Anyone who knew about the obscure indie band clearly had excellent taste in music. “Milk or sugar?”

“Two sugars, please.” His gaze on me never wavered. “I must say, I wasn’t expecting a beautiful omega for a client coordinator.”

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