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The place was crowded, every table full and people were waiting at the counter, but the gaze of every male in the room was on me, and they looked ravenous. My eyes went wide as a few men got to their feet; their fangs exposed as they walked in my direction. My mind flashed to a scene from a zombie movie as I backed up a few steps and reached for the door handle behind me.
Just as more men stood to their feet, Ty was suddenly by my side. He stood in front of me and let out a loud growl of warning that stopped the other men in their tracks.
He turned to face me and lightly grabbed my arm, pulling me out the door toward his car. I was in such shock that I couldn’t stop watching the men who continued to scan my body up and down as if I were a piece of meat, and they were ravenous. What the fuck was going on?
Ty put me in his car, then walked around the hood.
Were those men going to attack me?
I had never seen anything like this before. I didn’t know what to do. I only knew for sure that I hadn’t liked being ogled like that.
Ty slid behind the wheel and slammed his door shut, finally snapping me back to reality. He started the car and drove away from the coffee shop as if we were being chased, but when I checked the mirror, I didn’t see anyone following us. He drove in silence, shaking his head and breathing erratically.
I was too stunned to ask if he was okay as he opened the window. Inhaling deeply, his shoulders curled in, then back out. He was relaxing in increments. One breath at a time. He let out a deep sigh.
After taking a few minutes to compose himself, he glanced over at me and spoke for the first time. “Are you aware of what you smell like, Liza?”
He was blaming me for their reaction. I bit my lip as a black hole formed in my stomach. I shifted in my seat nervously, staring down at my hands. “I take pills to mask it. They’ve never failed me before, so I don’t understand what’s happening.”
Ty gripped the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles turned white. He glanced at me, confusion darkening his gaze. “How long have you been on them?”
This wasn’t exactly the type of conversation I’d had in mind. Discussing the hormone pills was one thing. Talking about this was something else. It was bad enough I had to tell him I was a virgin, now I had to tell him about my first period, too?
But if Ty was going to trust me, I had to be vulnerable. He had just witnessed a whole room of men preparing to rip my clothes off. He deserved answers.
“I’ve been taking the pills ever since I started my period when I was thirteen.” I stared straight ahead, too embarrassed to make eye contact.
He took a moment to digest my answer, then cleared his throat. “Have your doctors ever explained why your pheromones are so strong?”
I froze. I never wanted to lie to Ty, but I was afraid to tell him the truth. Though, since I was being vulnerable… I shook my head. “They assumed it was something genetic, but since I don’t know who my biological parents were, they didn’t even know what to test for.”
I folded my hands together, hoping Ty wouldn’t see them shaking.
He remained silent as he drove us down a road that led to the state park, then pulled into a parking area that didn’t seem too crowded.
I watched him closely. His chest expanded and contracted, and deep lines furrowed his brow.
He was tense, and I couldn’t blame him. What was meant to be a nice breakfast filled with good conversation had suddenly turned into a scenario where Ty had to rescue me from a room full of horny shifters.
I twisted my body to face him and spoke softly. “Ty, I’m sorry for what happened back there. I know that wasn’t easy for you.”
He stared into my eyes.
“I’m going to the doctor first thing in the morning to see if they should up the dosage of my medication.” I sighed. Of all the ways I’d expected to start my Sunday morning, this wasn’t it. “I’m fully aware of what my pheromones can do. I feel awful that I triggered those men back at the coffee shop. It wasn’t my intention at all.” I knew things were haywire right now, but I didn’t know how haywire they had gotten. The last thing I needed was a repeat of what happened to me when I was younger. I pushed the thought away. Thinking about that now would do no one any good.
Ty rubbed his forehead. “You don’t need to apologize for something that’s beyond your control, Liza.” His voice was calm and gentle, but still heated and harder than I’d heard it before.
“Are you upset with me?” I swallowed hard, trying not to cry. I didn’t want him to see how weak I became when I thought of how my life had been upset by the pheromones and my being unable to control them. Crying served no purpose. Yet, I couldn’t hold back the tears. It was just one more example of things I couldn’t control.
The whole morning had been humiliating, but I couldn’t stand the thought of Ty being mad at me. I was already feeling defeated enough without carrying the weight of his judgment.
“No, Liza.” His smile was soft when he glanced at me. “My frustration isn’t with you.” He rested his arm on the steering wheel and shifted his weight so he could look at me. “Do your parents know anything about your biological parents?”
I shook my head. “As far as I know, they’re just as in the dark as anyone else about my life before Presley Acres.”
“Haven’t you ever been curious?” Ty leaned forward, and I thought he might reach out to touch me, but he dropped his hand. “Sorry to pry, but if I had been adopted I know I would’ve had a ton of questions for my parents.”
I laughed softly. A ton of questions wasn’t the half of it. “Honestly, I spent most of my youth wondering who my biological parents were. It helped me cope by picturing them as horrible people who lived in poor conditions, unable to care for an infant. But as I get older, I find myself with even more questions than before.” That I hadn’t really worked up the nerve to ask didn’t speak to how kind and open my parents had always been.
