Page 37 of Written in Scent

Elodie nods faintly, clearly trying to cling to logic even as her body trembles. Alex gently cups her cheek, turning her face toward him.

“You need to tell us what you want while you are still lucid enough to choose,” he says. “Do you want one of us to help you through this?”

Elodie looks around at all four of us deliberately. Then she burrows deeper into Jamie’s chest, inhaling his scent like it’s oxygen. After a long moment she nods against him and whispers, so breathily I almost miss it.

“I would like Jamie to help me… if he is willing.”

Jamie’s arms tighten around her instantly. “I am more than willing,” he says without hesitation. Then, softer, “Just me?”

Elodie’s cheeks flush deeper as she nods again, shy and overwhelmed. “Yes. Just you. I… I know you. Sort of.”

I carry her straight down the hallway to my bedroom, one arm locked under her thighs and the other banded across her back so she stays pressed tight against my chest.

Elodie clings to me like I am the only solid thing left in the world, face buried in my neck, little breaths brushing my skin with every step. Her scent is everywhere, bright peach and sweet strawberry and that sharp lemon zest that makes my alpha instincts roar.

I shoulder the door open without setting her down. The room is dim already, but I keep her held close while I reach out with one hand and yank the blinds shut. The late afternoon light disappears behind heavy fabric, leaving only the muted glow of the bedside lamp. I turn the dial on the wall twice until the overhead lights drop to their lowest setting.

Shadows settle around us. The space feels smaller, safer, more like a nest. Exactly what her omega senses need right now.

A quiet knock sounds on the door.

I turn us both toward it without letting her go. Alex stands in the doorway with a stack of pillowcases in his hands. He holds them out, voice low and hesitant.

“These are from our beds,” he says. “Adrian’s, mine, Chase’s. Figured she might want them.”

Elodie makes an eager sound and reaches for them immediately. I shift my grip so she can take the pile while staying in my arms. She buries her face in the first one, inhaling deeply, then moves to the next, and the next. Each one pulls a contented sigh from her throat. Her whole body relaxes against me, the tension bleeding out of her muscles as she scents them one by one like precious treasures.

Alex watches for only a second, then steps back. “I will leave you two.”

The moment the door clicks shut behind him, Elodie lets out a heartbroken little whine, head turning toward the closed door like she can’t understand why he left.

“Hey, sweet girl,” I murmur, pressing my lips to her temple. “He’s not rejecting you. You only consented to me, remember? He’s just listening to what you asked for. He’ll be right outside if you need him. All of them will.”

She turns those big blue eyes back to me, still hazy but coming through.

I carry her the last few steps to the bed and sit down with her in my lap, keeping her close while the pillowcases stay gripped tightly in her arms.

Her scent is already thicker in the air. My heart is hammering so hard I can feel it in my throat.

This is really happening.

And I am going to take care of her the way she deserves.

Elodie shifts in my lap, her thighs straddling my hips, her weight hot and perfect against me. The pillowcases from the other guys are scattered around us like a makeshift nest, and her little sighs as she keeps inhaling them make my chest feel too tight.

She lifts her head from my neck and looks at me. Those usually inquisitive blue eyes are hazy with need but also strangely trusting.

My heart stutters.

This is our first real moment alone, the first time she is choosing me with even a fraction of clarity. I don’t want to rush it. I want her to feel precious and cherished.

I slide one hand up to cup her cheek, thumb brushing gently over her freckled skin. “Hey,” I whisper, voice low. “I’ve got you, Elodie. Just us right now. Just this.”

Then I lean in and kiss her the way I have wanted to since the first time I bumped into her outside the dining hall.

Slow and sweet and deliberate.

Our lips meet like a question and an answer at the same time. She tastes like strawberries and sunlight and something uniquely her. I take my time, savoring the plush give of her mouth, the tiny hitch in her breath when I tilt my head just a little.