Page 52 of The Knotheads Next Door
The word hits me like a slap. Omega. Is that what I am now? Is that all I am to him?
"I'm not an omega," I say, the words automatic, defensive. "I'm just—"
"You're not 'just' anything," he interrupts, frustration evident in every line of his body. "And denying it doesn't change what's happening."
He turns away, busying himself with cleaning up tools that don't need cleaning. The dismissal is clear.
"Fine," I snap, hurt making my voice sharper than intended. "Message received. Sorry to complicate your life by existing."
I storm out of the garage, my earlier contentment replaced by a churning mix of confusion, hurt, and something dangerously close to desire. If this is how Jasper reacts to my changing scent—Jasper, who's been the most resistant, the most determined to keep his distance—what does that mean for my interactions with Theo and Wells?
What does it mean for me?
In my room, I pace, too agitated to sit still. Gerald watches from his perch on the windowsill, tail twitching as if sensing my distress.
"This isn't happening," I tell him, gripping my hair at the roots. "I'm not presenting. I can't be. I'm twenty-eight years old, for god's sake. If it was going to happen, it would have happened a decade ago."
Gerald yawns, unimpressed with my denial.
"And even if I am... changing," I continue, unable to stop once I've started, "it doesn't mean I have to act on it. I'm still me. I still make my own choices. I don't have to be defined by... by biology."
But even as I say it, I know I'm fighting a losing battle. My body is changing, whether I like it or not. My scent is evolving, becoming more distinctly omega with each passing day. And the three alphas I live with are responding to it, their reactions ranging from Theo's gentle protectiveness to Wells's controlled interest to Jasper's frustrated denial.
All of which would be complicated enough without the inconvenient fact that I'm genuinely attracted to all three of them, for entirely different reasons that have nothing to do with biology and everything to do with who they are as people.
Theo, with his kind heart and steady hands, who sees the best in everyone and treats a tiny abandoned kitten with the same care he'd give any creature in need.
Wells, with his ordered mind and hidden depths, whose rigid control masks a sensitivity I'm only beginning to glimpse.
And Jasper... stubborn, grumpy, talented Jasper, who rebuilds broken things with such care and passion that it makes my heart ache.
I'm so screwed.
My phone buzzes, pulling me from my spiral of panic. A text from an unknown number. I open it, expecting spam or a wrong number.
Instead, I see:
Rowan, it's Pops. Your mother and I are coming to find you. James contacted us again. It's important. Please don't run.
I stare at the phone, my blood turning to ice. How did they find me? What could possibly be so important that they're tracking me down after I made it clear I needed space? And what does James—my biological father—have to do with any of this?
Whatever it is, I have a terrible feeling it's going to make my current problems look like a walk in the park.
Chapter 15
Jasper
Ican't sleep. It's past midnight, and I'm in the garage, aggressively sanding down a piece of oak that doesn't need sanding. But I need the repetitive motion, the physical exertion, something to burn off the frustrated energy coursing through my veins.
When that doesn't work, I move to the kitchen, figuring I might as well finish installing the under-cabinet lighting I've been putting off. Anything to keep my hands busy, my mind occupied with something other than Rowan.
Rowan and her scent that's been driving me slowly insane. Rowan and the way she looked at me in the garage earlier today. Rowan and how close I came to kissing her.
I slam a cabinet door harder than necessary, wincing at the sound in the quiet house. This is exactly what I was afraid would happen when Theo first suggested renting out the room.
Exactly why I insisted on no omegas.
Because once an omega gets under your skin, they're impossible to ignore. I learned that lesson the hard way with Julia.
