Chloé! She will be expecting me backstage.
She even got allocated her own room because she’s so, so special, so she will be waiting on her own. Unless Aunt Rose and the others get to her first.
Now I think I finally understand why Alexander was here. He was on the lookout for an Omega, and my beautiful little sister just happened to be prancing around the stage at the moment he arrived.
I bite the inside of my cheek. I thought it was too good to be true. He was probably just interested in her. I bet there were traces of her lemon frosting on my clothes.
No wonder his pupils dilated when he sniffed me.
Alphas love Omegas, after all. Just as they’re biologically inclined. Figures.
Well, back to reality.
Chapter two
Alexander
Ican’tgetRenéeout of my mind as I search backstage for my little sister.
The amount of Alphas lingering around makes me sick, and they have another thing coming if they think they can take Judith home tonight.
Judith had her debut along with all the other Omegas, and she had trembled like a baby deer when she walked down the runway. It was hard for her to refrain from shaking. My sister does not like to be in the limelight, but our parents insisted.
It’s not every day a young woman gets to debut her Omega. In fact, not all young women get to become an Omega. Just like the beautiful little creature that I bumped into just now.
I had mistaken her for an Omega at first. I could have sworn she smelled of lemon cake frosting for a moment. But when I leaned closer to get a deeper sniff, I realized I had been very, very wrong.
They were just traces of an Omega’s scent. One that had no effect on me whatsoever. Just like most Omegas I encounter.
Renée had smelled much better than lemon cake frosting... I couldn’t even put a name to her fragrance. It was just there, buried under the surface, begging to come out.
It was as if her scent was beckoning me...
I’ve heard of scent matches. Even my own parents were scent sensitive, and in the end, they fell madly in love and had three children. I’m the oldest at thirty-five. Then Henry was born after me at age thirty-three.
Judith came sometime after Henry.
She’s only twenty-one. Which is why I am very protective of her. I was almost fourteen when she was born.
Even though I came backstage to find my sister, I kind of hope to run into Renée again. I had never seen such an intelligent pair of gray eyes. So full of depth, but also pain.
Someone broke her heart once, and I would give anything to take her pain away...
Focus now, Alex. You can’t have feelings like this about a woman you met in passing. It’s ludicrous.
So why can’t I get her mysterious scent off my mind?
I’m met by a potent cloud of various Omega scents when I walk through the throngs, searching for the shiny black head of my baby sister.
Could it have killed the organizers to use some scent cancellers in here? It’s stifling. I’m pretty sure some scents strengthen when several Omegas spy me, and it’s just a shame I am not interested in finding an Omega tonight. Or ever.
There are plenty of other Alphas on the prowl, and it makes me more determined to get to Judith.
I finally spot her, sitting alone at her station all despondent. She gazes around with pure disdain, and it breaks my heart to see.
She’s never been able to make friends. None of the other Omegas seem to know that she exists. I’m aware some of them made life hard for her at Blossoms.
Our parents couldn’t come tonight since they were busy on the West Coast, so it was up to me to be her chaperone. She even modeled a dress from my own collection. I’m a man with a taste for a fashion. What can I say?