Page 146 of Heat & Deceit
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On my days off, I don’t bother with the scent-suppressing lotion. Now that I have mates, I don’t like hiding my scent from them. Normally, the claiming happens during a heat, but given the circumstances, I don’t think any of us were comfortable waiting for my next one. We already missed one heat together, and while I hate how painful it was, it made me realize how hard it would be to go through it alone for the rest of my life. Especially now that I know what it’s like to be with alphas who are good to me.
I clean up and meet Javi in the kitchen on a Wednesday night. He sweeps me into his arms and kisses me until I’m breathless. My stomach rumbles, and despite some desperate attempts to get him to fuck me, he gives me a stern look and starts making dinner. I’m in the middle of chopping onions, helping Javi, so we can get to the fun part, when the doorbell rings.
He looks at me and I shrug. “It’s not my house.”
“Yes, it is. This is your home,” he says before heading to answer the door.
Home? The knife slips from my hand and clatters to the ground. I jump, relieved I didn’t impale my foot, and bend down to scoop it up. I’m still bent over when a shrill voice cuts through the house.
“—who is she?”
Who am I? Who isshe? My hackles rise and I stand, dropping the knife into the sink and marching toward the front door, trying to temper the wild part of me that wants to run in there and lick Javi.
A woman wearing a form-fitting black dress stands in the foyer with her hands on her hips as she berates Javi. I catch her scent, angry and wholly omega, and it makes me stumble. A soft growl tears from me, and she and Javi whip their heads in my direction.
Javi glares at her, then moves for me.
I take a step to the side, avoiding him. “Who the fuck is this?”
“Well, she has a mouth on her,” the omega says with a sardonic grin.
Is she making fun of me? My growl deepens. “Javi?” He better not make me repeat myself.
“This is Georgina, my cousin.”
Georgina’s gaze sweeps over me, and she hums. “I can see why you like her.” She inhales, eyebrows jumping. “She’s an omega?”
Why does she seem surprised by that?
“What do you want, Georgina?” Javi appears behind me and yanks me into his chest, his scent calming my initial spike of surprise. His scent wraps around me, blocking most of hers, and I breathe it in. She’s his cousin, but my omega instincts are still ready to fight over what’s ours.
“Are you jealous?” he asks me.
Yes. “No.”
“You’re so hot when you’re possessive, mentirosa,” Javi whispers into my ear.
“You know the whole world knows about this now, right?” Georgina says. “The famous Pack Gray finally found love.”
My spine stiffens and Javi’s hold on me tightens. “What’s she talking about?”
“Oh.” Georgina opens her purse and retrieves a glossy magazine, holding it out to me. “Page twelve.”
I extract myself from Javi’s hold and snatch the magazine. The cover has a thumb-size picture of me withWho is the mystery lover of our favorite billionaires?scrawled across it. My stomach drops, and I flip to page twelve, taking in the full-page picture of me and Ly. I’m pressed against his chest, but we’re both looking straight at the camera. We’re at the coffee shop. There’s a small article on the other page, mostly speculations and a few scathing comments about me, the purported beta, screwing my way to the top. So, that’s what came of the cameraman Ly never caught.
Wait. Georgina said the whole world knows? Shit. That’s not good for my fake identity. A small population of people in Dolin knows exactly who I am, and it’s not Carmine the beta who’s screwing her way to the top.
Javi reads over my shoulder, chest rumbling in disapproval. “Why would they publish this?”
Georgina sighs. “I wondered the same thing and made a few calls. Apparently, Lycus pissed Caroline off.”
How do I know that name?
“The omega who threw her drink at him,” I say when it dawns on me. “They went on one date.”
“Well, I’m sure you know as well as I do that omegas don’t like someone creeping on what they consider their territory.” Georgina rolls her eyes. “Caroline takes personal slights to the next level, especially when her date picks a beta over her.”
