Page 110 of Knot So Lucky
"The opposite. The car was originally set up for Dante—he likes it freezing before races, AC on full blast. Aurora was racing in near-arctic conditions, and her body temperature still spiked."
We all share a look—understanding passing between us with uncomfortable clarity.
Aurora isn't just tired or overwhelmed.She's going into Heat.Her first Heat in possibly years, triggered by stress, adrenaline, and the presence of multiple potential pack mates whose scents her suppressants can no longer adequately block.
And she's alone in a public restroom while her biology stages a full-scale rebellion.
"Where the hell is she?" Luca demands, his Alpha instincts clearly screaming at him to find and protect despite the fact that he barely knows her.
"I said washroom," Cale emphasizes, but his jaw is clenched with tension that suggests he's not satisfied with his own answer.
"Let me go check," Jenna offers, already moving before anyone can respond. "Make sure she's not unconscious on the toilet or something."
She disappears into the women's room, leaving the rest of us standing in awkward silence.
Luca's pacing—aggressive strides back and forth that eat up the narrow hallway. Adrian's typing furiously on his phone, probably coordinating logistics for whatever crisis management we're about to need. Cale's still staring at his watch, but now his other hand is in his pocket, fingers clearly wrapped around something.
I lean against the wall, forcing myself to remain calm while my Alpha instincts want to tear through the building until I find Aurora and confirm she's safe.
Scent match means protection. Means my biology demands I ensure her wellbeing regardless of logic or social conventions or the fact that we've known each other for less than twelve hours.
The door to the women's room opens.
Jenna emerges, and the expression on her face tells us everything before she speaks.
"She's not there."
The hallway erupts into controlled chaos.
"What do you mean she's not there?" Cale's voice is deadly calm in a way that's more terrifying than shouting.
"I checked every stall, the lounge area, even the maintenance closet," Jenna explains rapidly. "She's not in the bathroom."
"Why would she leave?" Luca demands, looking between Cale and me like we're personally responsible. "Did you two piss her off somehow?"
"No," I say firmly, reviewing our last interaction for anything that could have triggered flight. "She was out of it, yeah, but not angry. Just overwhelmed. She said she needed the washroom and would be right back."
Cale's already pulling out his phone, fingers moving across the screen with practiced efficiency.
"What are you doing?" I ask, watching the rapid-fire typing.
"She has a tracker," Cale says without looking up.
Luca frowns.
"You're tracking her phone? She probably turned that shit off if she wanted to leave."
"Not her phone." Cale's voice carries an edge that makes everyone pay attention. "Her. Aurora has a tracker embedded in her body. So does Roran. Lane family policy."
He looks up, meeting Luca's eyes with challenge implicit in his gaze.
"If you know anything about the dark side of their lives, you understand why."
Luca says nothing, but something shifts in his expression—recognition, maybe, or acknowledgment of the kind of wealth and danger that makes subcutaneous tracking devices a reasonable precaution.
Adrian's already pulling out his own phone, fingers flying across the screen.
"Requesting a driver to the back entrance. We need mobile capability now."
