Page 57 of Knot Your Romeo

My stomach clenches. “I’m taking the bus now. I know my way around now and I like the independence.”

“Independence.” Mom repeats the word like she’s testing its flavor. “Yes, I suppose that’s important, too. For someone your age.”

I glance up from my book, catching the worried expression she’s trying to hide. “Mom, is everything okay?”

“Of course, darling. I just...” She sets down her knife, wiping her hands on her apron. “I just want to make sure you’re being careful. This is a good situation for us. We can’t afford to complicate things.”

“I’m not complicating anything,” I say, a defensive edge creeping into my voice. “I go to school then I come home. Afterward, I help with dinner. What’s complicated about that?”

“Nothing, if that’s all you’re doing.” She sits across from me, her expression growing serious. “But if you’re developing feelings for anyone in the Silver family—“

“I’m not,” I interrupt, the lie bitter on my tongue, but I know she thinks it’s Romeo, so it’s not really a lie.

“Good.” Her relief is palpable. “Because Alphas like the Silvers, they don’t see girls like you as anything more than temporary entertainment. They might seem kind, might make you feel special, but in the end, they’ll choose someone from their own world. Someone with the right connections, the right background.”

“I know that, Mom.” And I do know it, but hearing it stated so bluntly still stings.

“Do you?” She reaches across the table, covering my hand with hers. “Because you’re a beautiful, intelligent young woman, and men like Beck Silver have ways of making you forget your place in the world. They make you think you’re different, special even, and that the rules don’t apply to you.”

My breath catches. “Beck Silver?”

Mom’s eyes narrow. “You seem surprised that I mentioned him specifically.”

“I just...he’s barely spoken to me,” I stammer, which is technically true even if it omits significant details.

“Hasn’t he?” Mom’s voice carries a skeptical note. “Because someone mentioned seeing you in his car the other day.”

Heat floods my cheeks. Of course, someone had noticed. Nothing happens on this estate without the staff knowing about it. “It was probably the day he took me to get my hair fixed.”

“But why did he do that?”

“He was being kind. After what happened with Cerise and her friends.”

“Kind.” Mom repeats the word like it leaves a bad taste in her mouth. “Men like Beck Silver aren’t kind without expecting something in return. The sooner you learn that, the safer you’ll be.”

“He’s not Blake, and he expected nothing,” I protest, but even as I say it, I remember the electricity that sparked between us in that car, the way his touch had made my entire body respond.

“Didn’t he?” Mom’s expression grows knowing. “Then why do you smell like him?”

I freeze. “What?”

“Your scent,” she says quietly. “It’s been different lately. Layered. Like you’ve been around Alphas whose pheromones have affected your biology.”

Panic claws at my chest. If Mom can smell Alpha influence on me, if she knows I’ve been intimate with someone... “I don’t know what you mean.”

“Don’t lie to me, Emmie.” Her voice hardens. “I’ve been dealing with alpha manipulation my entire adult life. I know the signs. Your scent has changed and there is only one reason, and that is your suppressants are failing.”

The book slips from my nerveless fingers, hitting the floor with a soft thud. “Mom—“

“How many?” she asks quietly. “How many of them do you feel?”

“It’s not what you think—“

“How many?” The question hangs between us like a blade. I can see the fear in her eyes, the terrible certainty that her worst nightmares are coming true.

“Three,” I whisper, the admission torn from my throat.

Mom’s face goes white. “Oh, God. Oh, Emmie, what have you done? This is why I asked you not to get close to Alphas.”

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