“She masked her smell. And I,” I looked to the ceiling realising how easy it had been to trick me. “I lost my sense of smell ten years ago, which she didn’t know until recently. Dammit, but she pretended to be herself to woo the countess for me. A farce. She played me for a fool.”
“Orley, do not think you are the only one,” Fordom interjected. His usually carefree attitude gone. “Beatrice cares nothing for her personal safety. She chases one thrill after another, heedless of her dynamic. So your Hartwell is savvy enough to attempt to protect herself with a false alpha scent. I presume you will be making her your mate and duchess?”
I gave him a stiff nod. “She is already my mate. I’m not so stupid as to let her—“
I froze. I had not made Viola my mate—she’d not been in the thrall of her heat. Too furious, too embarrassed that I had been made a fool. My pride… I shook my head. I had left her.
“Relax, Orley,” Paxton took his own advice and shook Fordom off. “As Jack said, Her future Grace has a much better sense of her own safety than her sister. I think we can agree the Miss Hartwells are a menace to society?”
I had not felt any sympathy for the other two alphas until that point. But it seemed they had been dealing with Beatrice far longer than I had been entangled with Viola. “Get out of here,” I growled. “Go catch yourself a Hartwell of your own.”
“Horne,” I shouted. “We stop by Weymouth Street.”
I was going to claim my omega and bring her with me to Ayleigh, whether she willed it or not.
* * *
“She will not see you,” Iris snarled. “Whatever you did, it was enough… You made my sister cry!”
I snarled at the younger alpha. Viola had twice the spirit and all the blood lust. “I will see her. She is mine.”
“I won’t let…”
“Let?” my fury made my voice drop to a deadly stillness. “Let? You presume to decide what I do with my property.”
“Viola isn’t property! No omega is.”
“She is my jewel. I will not let you lock her up. I will have her shine. Now get out of my way this instant before I—“
“Orley! Get out of here, Iris,” Viola’s aunt pushed her niece aside. She scowled but knew to go.
“Mrs Florey,” I bowed.
She looked me up and down with a sneer. And I saw Viola in her disdain.
“Leave her alone. She… She does not need you. No omega needs an alpha. Do not think I will permit you to force yourself on her. I won’t let that happen. Not to her. Never to her.”
“She is mine.”
“Only if she wants to be.”
I clenched my jaw unable to argue with her. Viola my violet-eyed secretary was her person. Regardless of her dynamic, because of her dynamic, she deserved more than my feral need to rut her into heat.
“I’m gone to Ayleigh. If she wishes to see me, send her there.”
“Arrogant ass!” the omega screamed and slammed the door in my face.
* * *
I drank on the journey to Ayleigh—the stuff was foul but it drove away some of my darker thoughts. On arriving at the one place I’d called home, I fell into my bed and woke only to drink again. I wanted to chase away every dream of Viola. Not just the ones of an intimate nature with her hand on my cock. Her lips wrapped around it as I fucked her mouth. I wanted to erase the memories of her, dark curls catching the light as she bent over letters, or more likely one of her speeches.
On the third day, Timms insisted on pushing back the curtains. I squinted in the light, he was holding something out to me as if it would cure all my ills.
“What is this Timms?” I asked.
“Why... It is the omega’s gown which you kept in the duchess’ nest,” my valet hedged. “The one Your Grace has been spending so much time with. We, that is Horne and myself, thought it might give you some peace of mind to have something of hers near while you must be separated. We sent a parcel of your unwashed shirts to Weymouth Street for the omega…”
The delicate fabric of Viola’s gown still gave off the faintest hints of her scent and I damned my servants to hell and back for thinking this would bring me comfort. I’d not be admitted to her company again. Her scent would only drive me mad, not bring comfort as the beta had hoped.