“Oh my God. Does Mom know?” She glances at her bedroom door.
“No, and I don’t want you to tell her.”
“Have you kissed her?” This is my little sister, and she’s asking me if I’ve kissedthe omega I’ve fallen for.
“No. It’s… complicated.”
“Why?” It’s an innocent question.
“Because there are other alphas involved.”
She tilts her head to one side. “Have they kissed her?”
That stings. “Yes.”
“Then what are you waiting for?” Her face comes closer to the screen. “Go out there and kiss her!”
I thank her for her invaluable advice and end the call. Then I write a succinct note on crisp paper and hand it to Lila Chen when I pass her in the hallways. “Can you give this to Elowen please?”
She slants her eyes at me and grins. “I thought you’d never ask.”
Walking away, I wonder if I should’ve written more, but it’s done now. Elowen will know when she reads it.
Library. 7pm. I need your expertise. -J
I avoid the others.
Six forty-five, I’m waiting in the library when Elowen comes in. She carries two scents now, and it feels right. Like they complement her own honey-green scent instead of overwhelming it.
She spots me almost immediately at the table in the far corner.
"You came." I imagine Pen rolling her eyes at me if she were here.
"You asked."
I stand and gesture to the chair beside me. Wanting her close.
She glances at the books spread across the table, old herbal texts. Historical references. "What did you find?"
I open one to a marked page. "Your surname. Rowan. It appears in historical texts about traveling healers." I’ve been sitting on this information since yesterday, waiting for the right time to share it.
She leans closer to read.
Among the notable practitioners of scent-based herbal medicine, Asha Rowan brought traditional knowledge from distant lands, integrating methods previously unknown to the northern valley healing practices.
Her breath catches. "That's?—"
"Your great-great-grandmother." My chest swells with pride; I’ve given her something she had no knowledge of. "I traced it through multiple sources. She wasn't just skilled. She created a documented methodology."
"My grandmother never mentioned academic recognition."
"Perhaps she didn't know. Or perhaps she valued the practice over the documentation." I turn to another page. "But it matters. This isn't just family tradition. This is a historical contribution."
"You researched this?" Elowen studies me closely. "For me?"
"I wanted to understand your lineage. What shapes you." Pause. "And I was curious about scent-based medicine. The methodology is fascinating."
We work through the texts together for the next hour. I’ve marked passages, cross-referenced sources, built a timeline of Asha Rowan's documented work.
