Page 91 of Daughter of Garnet

Nausea unrelated to the heat overwhelms me as the realization hits. "That's when you started being nice to me."

He has the audacity to shrug. "I mean, yeah. You're my scent match. Of course, I'm going to treat you well."

"Were you ever going to tell me?"

"I wanted you to see I'm not a bad guy. It explained why I thought you were wearing an Omega perfume. I just wanted you to know the real me."

I shove to my feet, and Cliff stands behind me, the silent support I need right now. "You manipulated me. You weren't nice to me because you felt bad for how you behaved. You were nice because you wanted to get your knot squeezed. I thought you were my friend."

He looks affronted. "I am your friend! I just wanted you to get to know me and fall for me before you knew. I was worried you wouldn't give me the time of day if I didn't."

"How did you picture this going, Ray? Did you expect me to thank you for withholding this from me? You would've kept being an asshole to me if I weren't your scent match."

"But you are!"

Another sharp pain has me crying out, and he takes a step forward as if to support me. I hold my hand out to stop him. "You need to go. I can't deal with you right now."

Ray looks as if he's going to say something else, but Cliff steps in, grabbing the Alpha by the forearm and guiding him to my door. He says something in a low voice that has all the fight leaving Ray. He unlocks the door and pushes Ray into the hallway.

"I'm sorry, Zoe."

And then Cliff shuts the door in his face.

CHAPTER 44

Zoe

"I don't know how much help I can be." Cliff wrings his hands as he walks back to the bed. I've got my knees pulled to my chest in an attempt to squeeze out the pain, but it's not working.

Not that I expected it to.

Now that I've accepted that I'm going into heat, it's silly that I ever thought I was sick.

"Please just touch me."

He sits beside me and soothes his hand down my back. It's not enough. "I don't want our first time together to be when you're like this."

"Why not? I want you. I've been wanting you; there's just been so much going on."

"Maybe I should get Cameron or Dominic." He knows better than to suggest Ray.

Fucking Ray.

I feel so manipulated by him. He would've continued being an ass to me if I weren't his scent match. I can say a lot of things about Dominic, but at least he's not let the fact that we're scent matches change how he treats me. It hurts to know that Ray has only been spending time with me to endear me to him.

"I don't want them. I want you, Cliff."

"I don't have a knot, Zoe."

"I'm aware."

He pulls one leg up on the bed and turns sideways to face me. "Omegas in heat need to be knotted."

"We'll figure something out. Maybe it's a heat spike. All I know is that I want you."

I wouldn't be opposed to Cameron joining us, but Cliff would have to leave to go get him, and the idea of being left alone right now makes me want to scream.

Unable to wait for him to make the first move, I throw myself at my Beta. He catches me with a grunt but doesn't bother trying to deny me anymore. Our lips come together in a fevered kiss, his beard and mustache surprisingly soft against my skin, and I'm probably imagining it, but the pressure in my abdomen eases up a little at the contact.