Page 28 of Daughter of Garnet

That warm wine-drunk feeling I got when I first touched him hasn't gone away. It grows with every smile he's given me over a meal, with every door he holds open for me.

We don’t speak as we gather our breakfasts, an omelet for him and a pastry and coffee for me. I sit across from the Beta, admiring the angles of his face, the rich tone of his skin, and the way he fills out his shirt, wondering what to say to him. I’m sure that I made it awkward bringing up Warren and his extracurricular activities.

My best friend warned Cliff away from me, and I still can’t understand why, but I haven’t brought it up to him. Maybe I should just lay it all out there because I like spending time with Cliff.

And I think I’d like to do more of it.

“I heard about the bonfire.” Cliff’s statement takes me by surprise. “Viv’s brother was yelling at you?”

I had completely forgotten about the kiss that melted me as sure as a flame. Reading Fate of the Fire and the fable within knocked that out of my brain.

“Oh, yeah. It wasn’t a big deal. He was drunk.”

“A drunk Alpha yelling at a Beta is always a big deal. And he just got his beast a few weeks ago. What if he lost control? You could have been hurt.” Cliff folds his napkin on the top of his plate and leans across the table, propping himself up with his elbows. His arms flex, the muscles straining the white fabric of his shirt, and I get a little distracted by the view until he continues talking.

“What was he yelling at you about?”

How much of this do I want to tell Cliff? He knows about Cameron. I doubt the possessive way he attacked Cliff just for speaking to me would be easy to forget. The gossip mill got to him about the fight. Should I go all in and tell him what Ray said, then ask for his advice on how to deal with Dominic as well?

What would he say if he knew that, since I got here, three Alphas have shown an interest in me, for better or worse? I may not have seen Cameron since that interaction in the library, but I know to my bones that it won’t be the last time. Alphas aren't known to give up easily when they want something.

“He thought I was wearing pheromone perfume to attract Alphas,” I mumble into my coffee cup. Why am I embarrassed by this? I’m not wearing it, and I can't find it in me to shame those who do. Yet I feel like I’ve broken an unspoken rule. The perfume is legal, but it’s seen as desperate to wear it because of the way Alphas react to Omega pheromones.

"But you’re not.” It’s not a question. Cliff knows I'm not, because he’d be able to smell it too. Betas can’t smell Alpha or Omega pheromones, but if they were synthetic, he’d be able to. Everyone could.

“I’m not.”

He gathers up our trash, then holds out his hand to me. I stand and take it, barely hiding the way I melt into the warmth of his touch, and after he tosses our trash, he guides me through the back of the Hub toward the academic buildings.

He doesn’t speak again until there are no people around us. “I don't like that Ray felt that wearing perfume would be an offense worthy of talking to you like that. Why did he think you were?”

“He said I smelled like pomegranates and honey.” It’s an oddly specific scent, one that I’m not sure I’ve ever encountered, but it doesn’t sound unappealing.

It’s on the tip of my tongue to tell Cliff about the kiss. I’ve kept it to myself because I have no one to tell. Warren and I don’t talk about this kind of stuff, and Ray is Viv’s brother. I worry she won't believe me and thinks I am being vindictive toward him. I don’t want to be responsible for damaging their relationship.

And what would I tell Cliff? That Ray kissed me because he thinks I have Omega pheromones, and he’s not the only one? That my Alpha Aide keeps whispering in my ear that I smell like an Omega and that I’m hiding it from him?

One Alpha is a fluke.

Two is a coincidence I'm not sure I can ignore.

But would Cliff see it that way? Would he think this is all a fluke, or would he assume I actually am an Omega?

Maybe I should test the waters a little.

"Does that happen often, Betas wearing perfume to attract Alphas?"

The Beta rests his back against the exterior wall of one of the academic buildings. My stomach swoops, and I'm unable to pull my eyes away from the way his denim tightens around his big thighs. The man is built with just enough softness to make me wonder what it would be like to snuggle up against him. "It's not uncommon. I don't know how any Alpha falls for it. You know when you're in the presence of Omegas."

I jerk my eyes to his. Does he know I was staring? "You've met one before?"

He nods stiffly. "Yeah. One came into the bakery."

Cliff is silent, offering nothing else, but I have to push. "How could you tell?"

"It's hard to explain. I just knew."

I twist the bottom of my shirt in my hands. "So someone would know it was perfume because an Omega is impossible to miss?"