Page 86 of Knot Their Starlet

Is it because he’s a beta?

The alphas—well, I guess technically alpha, since Ezra was my first and only real boyfriend—I’ve been around never make me feel like this.

Or is it just him?

That thought leaves a bitter taste at the back of my throat.

Traditionally, nothing serious can ever really happen between a beta and an omega. The omega will have to be on heat suppressants for the rest of her life. Even though sex toy companies are coming up with new knotted products left and right, it doesn’t change the fact that beta pheromones aren’t the same as alpha ones.

“What’re you thinking about?” Leo murmurs.

I immediately shake my head, burying my face in his shirt to avoid meeting his too-sharp gaze.

“Nothing,” I mumble. “It doesn’t matter.”

The last thing I’d want to do is point out his designation if that’s something he’s sensitive about. With the amount of time I’ve spent around Stuart—who wants nothing more than to be an alpha so my mom will finally look his way—I know exactly how deep that desire can run. If there was a surgery that involved breaking each one of his limbs in multiple places to change him into an alpha, Stuart would take it.

“It matters to me. Why don’t you want to tell me?” He runs a soothing hand up and down my spine. Even though he’s touching me through my sweatshirt, the touch still grounds me enough to keep me from spiraling into a panic attack. “Is it because you’re worried about upsetting me?”

I nod, my face still buried in his shirt.

“I won’t be upset. I promise. I just want to know because I care about you.”

I swallow hard past the lump in my throat.

There’s something about Leo that makes me want to believe him.

“You’re not lying?”

“No. Not at all.”

I finally find the courage to lift my head from his chest.

He offers me a small smile when my gaze meets his. And that smile breaks my heart. Because in it I see a future where this thing between us, whatever it is, ends up being real. I could get used to us making food together in my kitchen. To his calm demeanor. To the feeling of never being overwhelmed because of him.

“You know nothing serious can happen between us, even if we want it to, right?” I blurt out.

I expect the soft smile on his face to falter. For him to pull away.

But he doesn’t.

If anything, the soft smile shifts to a grin.

“So you want it to?”

I let out an incredulous snort of laughter, pushing gently at his chest.

“That’s not the point!”

“I mean, it’s definitely the point I’m paying attention to the most.” His expression sobers. “It’s because I’m a beta.”

It’s not a question for him. Just a statement. And that breaks my heart even more.

“No,” I rasp. “It’s because I’m an omega.”

My hands fall away from him, and I avert my gaze to the floor.

He takes the opportunity to step back towards the stove, picking up another piece of sliced meat with a new pair of chopsticks and swishing it through the non-spicy broth. He looks deep in thought in a way that leaves me feeling anxious, especially without the grounding effect of his touch.