Page 75 of Written in Scent

“So the way I feel about you,” I say, my voice small and a little vulnerable, “the way I keep wanting to be near you… it is not really my choice at all? Biology is just making the decision for me?”

The fear I have been carrying since the first time their scents wrapped around me finally spills out. It’s the worry that has lived in the back of my mind through every flutter of my stomach, every late night thought about their house, every moment when I realized I was happier here than I had ever planned to be.

That none of this belongs to me. That my body has simply taken the wheel and I am only along for the ride.

Silence rests for half a heartbeat. Then Alex squeezes my hand, his grip solid and grounding.

“No, sweetheart,” he says, voice low. “The scent match explains why the pull feels so strong. It doesn’t take your choice away. It never will.”

Adrian turns toward me on the couch, his green eyes tender behind his glasses. “Compatibility gives us the foundation,” he adds gently, slipping back into that logical tone I love. “It makes our scents interact the way they do. But the decision to stay, to keep choosing us every single day, that is yours. Biology lights the path, but you are the one who decides whether to walk it.”

Jamie leans forward in his armchair, dimples softening into something far more serious than his usual grin. “You still get to choose us, Elodie. Every morning when you wake up. Every time you text us back. Every time you let us take you on a date or tuck you into bed. That part is all you. We’re not here to trap you. We’re here because we want you to want us too.”

Chase shifts in his chair, the leather creaking under his bulk. His deep brown eyes hold mine across the low table, a little rough around the edges. “I will wait as long as you need,” he says, voice gruff but so sincere it makes my chest ache. “Match or no match. If you decide tomorrow that this is not what you want, we will drive you home and respect it. Your choice, Elodie. Always.”

Their words ease over me like they truly do mean them, one layer at a time.

I feel the truth of them in the way Alex’s thumb keeps brushing circles over my knuckles, in the practiced patience on Adrian’s face, in Jamie’s hopeful little smile, and in the protective set of Chase’s shoulders.

They’re not pushing. They’re not demanding. They’re simply offering me the one thing I was most afraid I had already lost.

I take a shaky breath and nod. The fear is still there, quieter now, but it no longer feels like the only thing in the room. I let myself believe that the decision really is still mine to make.

“OK,” I nod, confirming that I will trust them in this.

The tension in the room eases like a held breath finally released. Jamie is the one who breaks it, clapping his hands together once with that familiar mischievous sparkle returning to his eyes.

“Alright,” he says, rubbing his palms like he’s about to reveal the best secret in the world. “Enough heavy stuff. Let’s talk about the fun part. Dates.”

The mood shifts so quickly and so completely that I can’t help the small laugh that escapes me. Alex’s thumb is still keeping its pace, but now the touch feels lighter, playful.

Adrian smiles beside me, adjusting his glasses. “We each get one individual date first. Nothing fancy to start. Just time for you to get to know each of us one on one.”

“This is the fun part,” I joke, leaning back into Alex.

Adrian turns toward me fully, his green eyes bright behind his glasses. “I would love to take you out this weekend, if you’re free. Saturday?”

Jamie bounces a little in his seat. “Perfect. I’ll go second then. I already have something in mind, but I’m not telling you what it is. Surprise rules apply.”

Chase leans back in his armchair, arms crossed over his broad chest, but his expression has shifted into something almost shy. “I’ll take third, then. Whenever works after Jamie.”

Alex gives my hand a gentle squeeze, holding on instead of letting go. “And I will go last. Same rules. You won’t know the plan until I pick you up.”

I look around at all four of them, my stomach doing a fluttering dance that feels equal parts nerves and genuine excitement. The idea of separate dates should feel overwhelming. Instead it feels like opening four beautifully wrapped gifts, each one chosen with care and none of them something I have to figure out right now. And I have experience with that now…

“Surprises?” I ask, my voice coming out lighter than I expected.

All four of them nod at once.

“Surprises,” Alex confirms, his pale gray eyes warm. “We want you to show up and just enjoy. No overthinking, no planning. Just us and you.”

I bite my lip to hold back the smile threatening to take over my whole face.

My heart is beating faster again, but it’s a good kind of faster, the kind that comes with possibility instead of fear. The thought of spending real one on one time with each of them, of discovering new pieces of who they are when the rest of the pack isn’t there to balance things, sends a little spark through my chest.

I nod, letting the excitement bounce around beside the nerves. “OK,” I say, a thread of certainty lining my voice. “I would like that. A lot.”

The room fills with easy smiles and overlapping suggestions about which day might work best around my classes. I listen to them plan around me, and feel that flutter deepen into something brighter, something that feels a lot like hope.