Page 67 of Written in Scent

Sophie completely loses her mind, even louder than before. She lets out a high pitched squeal that makes Noodle’s ears flatten and sends her darting under the bed for safety. Only banging on the wall from the room next to us shuts her up.

I groan and throw myself face first onto my bed, grabbing the nearest pillow and shoving it over my head. The fabric is cool against my burning cheeks and muffles the world just enough that I can pretend none of this is happening.

Sophie dramatically sighs from somewhere above me. “I’m so happy for you, Elodie, I really am. But I’m also jealous as hell. You didn’t even want a pack and now you are being courted by the most eligible pack on campus. Life is so unfair.”

I mumble something unintelligible into the pillow.

Sophie yanks it away without warning, her face appearing inches from mine. “What was that?”

I squeeze my eyes shut. “I didn’t actually give Alex an answer.”

Sophie’s eyes go wide. “WHAT?!”

The panic crashes over me all at once. My eyes sting and then the tears are there, hot and sudden. I press the heels of my hands against them, voice cracking as the words spill out. “I think I made a huge mistake. I don’t know what I am doing. I don’t know anything about any of this.”

Sophie’s expression softens instantly.

She pulls me into a tight hug before I can spiral any further, her arms wrapping around me with that perfect omega warmth that always feels like coming home. She strokes my hair in soothing strokes, easing the sharp edges of my panic until I can breathe again.

Noodle jumps onto my lap with no warning, demanding belly rubs with an insistent little meow. She curls up contentedly the second I give in, her purring vibrating against my lap like a tiny engine.

“I don’t think I’m cut out to be an omega at all,” I confess into Sophie’s shoulder, voice small and shaky. “I had no idea what real pack life could even be like. One night with the Whitmore pack has completely upended everything I thought I knew.”

Sophie holds me a little tighter, her cheek resting against the top of my head. “Pack life can be beautiful for an omega,” she says gently, her voice easing me a little with its calming cadence. “It doesn’t have to be what you saw with your friend’s family. You should seriously consider Alex’s offer of courtship, Elodie. From what I saw, that kiss was incredibly hot, and I don’t want you to miss out on real happiness just because you don’t fully understand pack dynamics yet.”

She pulls back just enough to meet my eyes, her expression unusually serious. “And they’ve already started decorating a nest for you. That’s a huge sign they mean business. They somehow already understand your tastes perfectly, and they barely even know you. That isn’t something alphas do lightly.”

I let her words sink in, my fingers still absently rubbing Noodle’s belly while my heart beats too fast in my chest. Everything feels bigger and scarier and somehow more possible all at once.

Sophie sighs dreamily when I remind her that I still have to get ready for my study session with Adrian.

“I love how cute and nerdy he is,” she says, flopping back onto her bed with a happy little sigh. “The glasses, the way he looks at you like you hung the moon. He’s perfect.”

I can’t help the small smile that tugs at my lips. “He really is,” I agree, the words feeling true even through the swirl of everything else in my head.

I hesitate for only a second before the question slips out. “What do you think about Chase? Like… honestly.” I tell her what Alex explained in the car, how Chase’s protectiveness is an alpha urge he’s fighting because he wants to keep me safe in ways he thinks I might not like yet.

Sophie nods, her expression turning thoughtful. “That’s actually a totally natural alpha response,” she says. “And it’s kind of admirable that he’s been fighting it so well. Most alphas wouldn’t even try to hold back like that.”

I huff a laugh and push myself up from the bed.

“He could fight it a little harder sometimes,” I mutter, but there’s no real heat behind the words.

My mind is still turning everything over as I head toward my closet to find something clean and normal to wear for the library. The weight of Alex’s question, Sophie’s excitement, and the pull I feel toward all four of them follows me across the room like a shadow I can’t quite shake.

I arrive at the library a few minutes early and spot Adrian before he sees me. He’s standing just outside the main doors, bathed in the soft afternoon light filtering through the tall trees.

His brown hair is slightly tousled, like he’s run his fingers through it while thinking, and his wire-rimmed glasses sit perfectly on his nose. He wears a crisp white button-up shirt, a cozy gray cardigan hanging open over it, and those cream colored slacks that make his legs look long and lean. A worn leather satchel rests against his hip, and he’s absently turning a mechanical pencil between his fingers while he waits.

My stomach does a small, fluttery flip. I really like him. More than like him, if I’m honest with myself. He’s so attractive in that unaware kind of way… a handsomeness that sneaks up on you because it’s wrapped in kindness and intelligence rather than flash. The thought makes my cheeks flush as I walk toward him.

Adrian looks up the moment I get close, green eyes lightening behind his glasses. He straightens a little, clearly unsure how to greet me. His hands hover awkwardly at his sides for half a second.

I take the lead without overthinking it. I step into his space, stretch onto my toes, rest my hands lightly on his shoulders, and press a soft kiss to his cheek.

He relaxes instantly. His hands find my waist, gentle and sure, as he pulls me into a hug.

I breathe in his scent, the familiar rain on stone and paper and ink, cool and crisp. I resist the urge to scent mark him.