Page 74 of Knot Your Romeo
“Tell me why you were leaving,” Eli says.
“My stepfather…” I take a deep breath, feeling more certain than I have about anything in my life. “Mom is a good person, really. She saved me from Blake, and I’ll always be grateful for that.”
“Your stepfather,” Beck whispers.
“He wanted to breed me.”
“Fuck! No wonder you ran,” Eli hisses.
“I did. And I’ll always be grateful, but I can’t let fear control my future.”
“Then why did you come to Jude and not me or Beck when your heat started?” Eli asks.
Jude bites his lips as he looks from me to Eli and then Beck. A look of contemplation crosses his face, like he is worried to say something. Then I realize it’s because he wants to know why I went to him first. Not Beck. Not Eli. But an Omega.
I take his face in my hands. “I trusted you. I know we’re both Omegas, but we’ll figure it out as we go, make mistakes, fight sometimes, and then remember why we chose each other in the first place.”
“What did your scent profile show?” Eli asks like he has just put two and two together and worked out why my stepfather wanted me so much.
I consider lying. Because if I tell him the truth, I don’t know if Eli will run and protect his heart from me. “It’s complicated.”
Beck laughs, the sound rich and genuine. “Everything is complicated about you, Emmie.”
I curl deeper into the blanket, feeling my scent shift. This time to something melancholy and clean. I can see the way Beck and Eli are watching me, their concern barely contained, and it makes my chest tight with anxiety.
“She doesn’t understand what she is,” Jude says quietly, and my head snaps up. There’s something in his tone that makes my skin prickle with unease. “Emmie thinks she doesn’t have scentmatches because she’s never experienced the traditional Omega scenting process.”
Beck’s brow furrows. “What do you mean?”
“Most Omegas and Alphas have a primary scent—lavender, vanilla, pine, whatever. It’s consistent, identifiable. But Emmie...” He gestures toward me, and I feel exposed, like he’s seeing right through me. “She doesn’t have a primary scent. Her hidden scent determines what Alphas can smell depending on her emotional state. Her true scent changes constantly based on her mood.”
My heart races. How does he know this? How could he possibly—
“That’s why she’s always seemed different,” Eli murmurs, understanding dawning in his eyes.
“But why does Romeo think you smell of honey?” Beck asks, his eyes narrowing.
“It was the best scent enhancer for my blood type.” The words come out like I’ve been caught lying.
Jude continues, “But you have scent matches, despite what you believe. Yes, it’s rare because your scents aren’t traditional perfume notes—they’re descriptions, experiences, moments in time.”
Eli looks at Beck, something soft and knowing passing between them. “Like sunshine breaking through clouds.”
Beck nods slowly, his voice rough with emotion. “Or when it first rises after a stormy day.”
My eyes fill with tears, but panic is rising in my throat. Jude knows too much. This is exactly what I’ve always been afraid of—someone figuring out my secret, understanding what makes me different.
“How do you know all this?” I whisper, my voice barely audible.
“It’s what I study,” Jude tells me gently. “Rare Omega presentations, genetic variations, anomalies that most people dismiss as impossible.” He pauses, his eyes meeting mine directly. “Sometimes these Omegas have a deeper sense of connection than others. A bond that goes beyond scent, beyond the physical.”
“That’s not—“ I start, panic making my voice tight. “I’m not that rare. It’s just—” But I can’t explain without giving away everything, without admitting to the voices in my head, the way I sometimes know things I shouldn’t know. “Can we please not talk about this?”
But before he can answer, his voice appears in my head, warm and reassuring:It’s okay, Emmie. Your secret is safe with me. I understand what you’re afraid of, but you don’t need to be scared. Not with me.
I stare at him in shock, my mouth falling open slightly. He’s like me. He can do what I can do.
You’re not alone.His voice continues in my mind, gentle and understanding.And you’re not broken. You’re extraordinary. You’re an Aurora Omega.Jude says in my head, his lips not moving.One of the rarest types. Your scent is like the northern lights—constantly shifting, impossibly beautiful, and utterly unique. This Omega type is so rare that only five have ever been documented in modern history.
