Bella didn't wait for another cue this time.
Didn't ask.
She moved in, lips barely brushing Krishna's skin as she inhaled, slowly, deeply, against her neck, down to her collarbone, then behind her ear.
There it was again.
Stronger.
It spread like silk across her nerves. A warmth. A weight.
But it wasn't enough. Not yet.
It didn't burn. Didn't make her pant. Just stirred something low and slow.
She pulled back just slightly, her breath steady but eyes sharper now. "What were you thinking," she asked, voice low, "back at Michael's hotel room… when you looked at me like that?"
Krishna didn't blink. Her voice came quiet, unbothered. "I wanted to make you crumble."
Bella's lips parted a little. "Then maybe," she said, "your scent's tied to that. To intention."
Krishna stilled, processing it.
"Hm," she mused. "Aaron always sniffs me, but unless I want him begging… he doesn't break. Same with the twins. When I want them playful, it hits them harder."
Bella nodded once, sharp. "Then do that."
Krishna's brow lifted.
"Whatever you want me to feel," Bella said clearly. "Do it."
A pause.
Then Krishna leaned back, one leg folding under her as she turned to face her fully. "If you're doing this," she warned, voice dipping lower, "you better know it's not going to be halfway. I don't do half."
Bella didn't flinch.
Didn't second-guess.
"I won't back down," she said. Calm. Sure.
Krishna held her gaze. Thought about it. Really thought about it.
What she wanted.
She looked at Bella, quiet but certain, and let the thought form clear in her mind.
I want to see how Omegas rut. No hold backs. Until your heat is satisfied.
That's when Bella caught it.
A shift in the air, barely a pulse, and then,
She inhaled.
It hit her like smoke under her skin, sinking deep, warm and impossible to ignore. Her lungs trembled around it. Her legs went a little weak.
"There it is," she whispered, staggering forward. "That same feeling."
She panted. Slowly at first, then sharper. One inhale, then another.
Her hand gripped Krishna's thigh, not for balance, but need.
Bella's mouth hovered just above Krishna's skin, breathing her in like she could live off it.
"The more I inhale you," she murmured, voice rasping, "the more I lose it."
Her body buzzed, the inside of her thighs pulsing with heat. She shuddered and laughed, almost breathless.
"It's stronger than any dominant Alpha's scent. I've never had it this good. Never."
Her body reacted instinctively, hips swaying forward, eyes glazed, teeth clenching just to keep control.
"Your scent… it triggers everything. My instincts. My body. My senses." She shivered. "It rewrites me."
Then she looked up, really looked at Krishna, and something in her gaze steadied, like clarity rising through the haze.
She breathed out, hard.
"I'll work with you."
Krishna's eyes narrowed slightly, reading her, waiting.
Bella nodded once. Firm.
"I'm stepping down. From being heiress. I've spent years on edge, on guard, fighting for a claim I'll lose anyway."
Another breath. A softer edge in her tone.
"I found something better."
She leaned in, voice low.
"Rather than fight you, I want to work with you."
Krishna didn't waste time.
"If you're serious," she said, voice steady, "you'll announce your withdrawal from the heiress title."
Bella met her eyes. No flinch. No bluff.
"You'll back Aaron again. Publicly."
Krishna stepped closer, firm now.
"You've got a week to clean it up. Settle everything. And when you're done-"
She paused, deliberate.
"-you'll bring Aaron to the next board meeting. Make him sit in your spot. And with every board member present, you'll announce your support."
Bella's expression didn't falter.
Krishna watched her for a beat longer. "Do that, and you're allowed around me. For the sake of... discovering these 'new things' about me."
Then her voice dipped, cool and clear.
"I'll even let you live with me."
Bella blinked. "What?"
"You heard me."
There was no teasing in Krishna's tone. Just a steady challenge, daring her to hesitate.
But Bella didn't.
"I'm moving in tonight."
Not a beat missed. No second thought.
Krishna raised a brow.
Bella didn't look away.
"I said what I said. I'm done playing for a title I don't want. If this is where I learn what you are-" she gestured to Krishna, to the heat still humming in her blood, "-then I'm not wasting time."
Krishna nodded once.
"Good."
Bella whimpered.
A soft, trembling sound, barely there, but impossible to miss.
She didn't touch Krishna. Didn't touch herself.
Just sat there beside her, shoulders taut, letting the scent crawl like fire under her skin.
It moved in waves, curling inside her lungs, sliding through her bloodstream like heat-tipped needles. She gasped, chest rising, but still, she didn't move closer.
Krishna leaned back against the headboard, arms crossed.
"Interesting," she murmured.
Her eyes swept over Bella, now visibly trembling. Skin flushed. Pupils wide.
"You're in heat. But you're not begging."
Bella let out another whimper, shuddering as she exhaled. "I can feel it… everywhere."
"Of course you can," Krishna said, leaning in just enough to let her voice brush over Bella's jaw. "That's what real pheromones do. Not that processed garbage those Alpha heirs wear like cologne."
Her voice dipped. Low. Curious.
"But you… you're still enduring. You're not on your knees. Not touching. Just taking it."
She tilted her head. "That's rare."
Bella blinked, her lashes wet. Her lips were parted, soft, glossy with breath.
Krishna smiled faintly. Not cruel. Just intrigued.
"Even your heat is proud."
And with that thought, Krishna pushed a little more.
Let it roll off her in thicker waves, richer, deeper, something primal that only Bella could register.
Not enough to flood the room. Just enough to flood her.
Bella inhaled sharply, like her body recognized it before her mind did.
Her eyes fluttered. Her knees buckled, just slightly.
Then she moaned. Quiet, like she wasn't ready to hear herself make that sound.
Krishna's gaze sharpened. Watching.
And Bella?
She welcomed it.
Her eyes met Krishna's, half-lidded, dazed.
Like the world outside that scent didn't matter anymore.
Like this was all she needed now.