“That’s why we needed to have this conversation in private, away from our fathers,” Lavinia provided. “If you and your pack want to try it, we’ll all help you.”
“Just be certain you want to risk it first, OK?” Mira placed a hand on my forearm. “Once we find Benjamin, we could also get him to pack up with your guys and then keep him alive in some prison cell. Then you have the mates you want, but you don’t have to risk your life.”
I would also have to deal with Benjamin’s black hole in my head, forever.
Taking the ninety percent chance of complete freedom was a better option.
If my alphas would agree to this… Being in a pack with someone so horrible wouldn’t be pleasant. They’d feel his emotions almost as much as I did, because god knew he wouldn’t let them have any peace either.
Would I be worth that much to them?
I thought about how West and Conrad were blaming themselves for everything that had happened, despite none of it being their fault. I’d thought they wouldn’t want me after this, but ultimately they did.
Maybe I should stop doubting them. Regain some of that optimism I’d had when I read the articles about second chance scent matches.
“What’s the plan to find Benjamin?” I asked. “I’m assuming he hasn’t been easy to track.”
“Emilia is looking into his associates and tracking his movements through town after he left you. It’s a process, but she’ll find something.” Lavinia’s words were full of confidence.
“If he has some nefarious associates, wouldn’t our fathers have dug that up ages ago?”
Mira shrugged. “Maybe he’s been extra discreet about it. And the guys they had looking into him can’t be as good as Emilia. She’s the best.”
We’d never had any reason to be suspicious of my scent match. Benjamin was a lawyer, and we’d met by chance. The background checks could have been surface level enough to miss things.
Although… we’d metby chancedirectly outside of Jurah’s office.
“Why was Benjamin walking by Jurah’s office the day we met?” I asked out loud.
Mira and Lavinia blinked at me, confused.
“I was visiting our father, but what was he doing there? His office isn’t close to that street. Can you have Emilia look into it?”
“Of course, but why?” Lavinia asked. “He can’t have manufactured the scent match.”
“No, but if he’d been outside that office in an attempt to get close to our family, he might have just gotten really fucking lucky.”
And I might have been the unluckiest girl in the world for meeting him; for having the worst possible scent match lock into place.
Mom might have a really solid point about scent matches being fated to have an impact on your life. Benjamin’s impact wasn’t at all what I’d expected or hoped for, but it was certainly large.
“I’ll get her on it right now.” Lavinia stepped out of the room to make the call.
With Mira and I alone in the nesting room, I slumped over and rested my head on her shoulder. Her sweet scent of magnolias and cherry blossoms tickled my nose, bringing some of the comforts of home to this unfamiliar place.
She wrapped an arm around my shoulders and loosed a huge sigh. “I hope I’m not this unlucky when I meet my scent match. No offence.”
I laughed. “I’m not sure how much of it was luck and how much of it was me being stupid. A mix of both, for sure.”
“Luckily, I’m not stupid. Won’t have that problem.”
Snorting, I punched her lightly in the arm. “Talk to me again when you meet your scent match. All those pheromones in the air sure as fuck don’t have you makingsmartdecisions. You’re not an exception.”
“Nah, I’m exceptional.” She giggled. “I hope I match a pack, though. Even if it’s a pack of asshats like Benjamin, there’s no way three or four alphas are all going to be successful pathological liars and master manipulators. I’d be able to see the flaws.”
I wouldn’t tell her that I wasn’t super confident in that strategy. My faith in alphas was… well, severely shaken.
Before, I’d felt lucky to have found Benjamin. A stand up alpha. A fated scent match.
