Knot Happening Again (Claimverse Book 2)

The door clicks shut behind Ophelia, and for a moment, we’re all frozen in place. The air feels thick with tension and unspoken thoughts. I can’t shake the image of her—those piercing blue eyes, the way her raven hair fell in soft waves around her shoulders, the subtle curve of her lips when she smiled.

And that scent…

Rhys is the first to move, clearing his throat and straightening his tie. ‘Well, gentlemen, shall we?’

We file out of the consultation room like zombies, barely acknowledging Samantha’s cheerful goodbye. It’s not until we’re piled into Mace’s massive SUV that anyone speaks.

‘So we all just felt that, right?’ Mace’s gruff voice breaks the silence, his meaty hands gripping the steering wheel like it might try to escape.

I lean back in my seat, trying for nonchalance. ‘Depends on what ‘that’ you’re referring to, big guy.’

Mace’s eyes meet mine in the rearview mirror. ‘The moment she walked into the room, even with all those scent maskers being circulated through the air vents, I felt like I was at the ocean, surrounded by the scent of jasmine flowers.’

I swallow hard, memories of that intoxicating scent flooding my senses. ‘Oh, yeah. That. I felt that.’

Rhys turns in his seat to face us, his expression uncharacteristically serious. ‘We need to discuss what this means for the pack.’

I can’t help but snort. ‘Isn’t it obvious? It means our scent match is an omega who’s dead set against anything but a casual arrangement.’

The words taste bitter in my mouth. Because despite all my reservations, despite my fears about getting involved with another omega, the moment I saw Ophelia, all those worries went out the window. It was like being hit by a freight train of want and need and mine.

But I can’t shake the memory of the last omega I was interested in. The reason I left my life as the lead guitarist for Dark Liaison behind and never looked back.

She was a princess, too.

Granted, I don’t even think I could pick her out of a lineup after Ophelia shook her and every other omega I’ve been with out of my skull, but still. Those old insecurities haven’t gone anywhere, even if I started a new career as a faceless musician and the only people who know my actual identity are in my pack.

‘She doesn’t know she’s our scent match,’ Rhys reasons. ‘That much was clear, and it won’t be obvious to her until we see her again without all the scent maskers and suppressants. We don’t know how she’ll react.’

Mace grunts in agreement. ‘What about the others? Leon and Maddox deserve to know.’

Rhys nods slowly. ‘I’ll tell Leon tonight. He needs to focus on his fight, but he deserves to know what’s happening.’

I lean my head against the cool glass of the window, watching the city blur by as Mace starts to drive. ‘And what exactly is happening, Doc? Because from where I’m sitting, it looks like we’re about to get collectively fucked up by an omega who wants nothing to do with us beyond a quick fuck.’

‘Troy,’ Rhys admonishes, but there’s no heat behind it. He knows I’m right.

‘Look,’ I continue, sitting up straight. ‘I get it. She smells amazing. She’s gorgeous. But let’s not forget about that broken mark.’

Mace’s grip on the steering wheel tightens. ‘That’s not her fault, kid. Some alpha did that to her.’

I wince, feeling like an ass. ‘That’s not what I meant. I just… I don’t want us to get our hopes up. For all we know, she’s still hoping to get back together with the dickwad who did that to her.’

The car falls silent again, each of us lost in our own thoughts. I can’t help but replay every moment of our meeting with Ophelia in my mind. The way she hesitated before taking Rhys’s hand, the guarded look in her eyes when we asked about her job. There’s more to her story than she’s letting on, that’s for sure.Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

And then there’s the way she’d stiffened when Rhys mentioned Leon’s name. It was subtle, but I caught it.

‘There’s something else,’ I murmur after a few minutes.

‘What is it?’ Rhys asks.

‘When you mentioned Leon’s job… she acted weird,’ I answer.

‘Yeah, I kinda picked up on that, too,’ Mace admits.

I know what I saw, but it’s good to know it wasn’t just my imagination.

Rhys frowns. ‘What are you saying?’

‘I’m saying maybe she did her research. Maybe she knows who he is. Who you are.’

‘What does it matter?’ Rhys asks, an unmistakable note of defensiveness in his tone. ‘We gave our information to Temporary Bonds, it’s not like we were hiding anything.’

‘He’s right,’ Mace says before I can respond. ‘Besides, if we’re not just reading into her reaction, it’s not like there were stars in her eyes. She seemed… bothered, actually.’

I clench my jaw, but he has a point. Most omegas see dollar signs when they look at a pack like ours. Rhys and Leon especially. But she didn’t exactly seem thrilled.

‘Look, Troy, I know you’re on edge after everything that happened to you,’ Rhys begins gently, glancing back at me in the mirror.

‘This isn’t about that,’ I snap.

He holds his hands up in defense. ‘Okay. I’m just saying, I’m not asking you to trust her, but she is our scent match. We need to get to know her without any presuppositions.’

‘Yeah,’ I mutter, looking through the window. ‘You’re right.’

Inwardly, though, I can’t help but wonder if Ophelia has a few of her own. But Rhys has a point. If she is our scent match, there’s no way to turn back now. And if I’m being honest with myself…

I don’t want there to be.