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Morning mist dews on the giant pink flowering vine we pass on the way to my car. Palm trees whisper overhead, swept by a cool breeze that smells of the ocean—the actual ocean, not Tyler. I’ll probably think of him whenever I see the Pacific.

Alden is quiet and distracted. He probably wishes he’d listened to me when I said he should stay with Tyler.

I climb inside my car while he packs the bags of luxury linen into the trunk of my fifteen-year-old Prius. The AC blasts through the vents when I turn the car on. I shiver and crank it down, staring at the path toward the stairway to hell.

Thousand Steps Beach feels like an entirely different universe, like everything that happened there was a dream.

Alden leans in through the driver’s side window. “Are you sure you’re okay to drive home?”

“I’m in better shape now than when I parked here. Thanks to you.”

“Good.” He cups my cheek gently and kisses me. “Text me when you get home.”

“I will. I’ll be fine. Go.”

“Okay.” He shoots me a strained smile and dashes across Pacific Coast Highway.

Waves rumble and fade, then I drive away. When I get home, I open the Heat Seekers app.

Hi, Alden.

I’m home.

Thank you for giving me the best heat I’ve ever had. Your heat plan meant so much to me, but I don’t deserve it. I was never looking for a regular arrangement. I was writing an article about the Heat Seekers app.

I should have been honest upfront. I never planned to fall for you, but I did. As much as I hate saying this, you have way more game than you think.

Any omega would be lucky to have you, and I wish that omega could be me. But it can’t be.

I’m so sorry for dropping into your life only to fuck it up. I’m so sorry for the pain Tyler endured over the last few days. I hope I didn’t cause problems between you two.

Thank you for your kindness. You made me feel safe. You showed me that I shouldn’t settle for the heats I’ve had in the past. I’ll never forget you.

— Elliott.

I send the message, and deactivate my account. Then I start my article.

17 ALDEN

The door to my room is locked. “Hey, Ty?”

No answer.

I knock once. “Ty, unlock the door.”

“No,” he says distantly.

I reach onto the ledge above the doorframe and take the spare key I’ve used a couple times while checking in on him over the last few days. “I’m coming in.”

A nearly unintelligible “Fuck off” is his only reply.

I open the door. Tyler’s scent is everywhere. It’s almost like we’re out there on the waves. My vetiver is only a faint whisper. It’s like he’s masked my scent on purpose, claimed my room as his territory.

Daylight slips between the slats of the blinds, illuminating the mess Tyler’s made of my room. Feathers swirl round my ankles. I’ll be finding them for years. Every time I’ve checked in on him over the last few days, more seemed to appear. Tyler’s lying in a heap on my bed, face pressed into the mattress, fists clenching the fitted sheet beneath him. He must have grabbed ahold of the sheet so tightly, it pulled away from the edge of the mattress.

I’m not going to lie. The fact that Tyler found comfort in my bed and got off to the scent of me was hot as hell when I first discovered him here, but that faded as soon as I laid eyes on him. My heart breaks to see him hurting.

I’ve barely been able to focus on Elliott. I click my tongue. “Ty, I’m so sorry.”