Page 109 of Written in Scent

But right behind the relief comes a quieter grief. The trip I dreamed about, the one I earned on my own, slips away again. Tears prick at the corners of my eyes as the two feelings tangle together.

I press my face back into Adrian’s sweater and let the comfort of his scent keep me grounded while the fever and the emotions swirl inside me.

The pack stays close, their presence a promise that I don’t have to carry any of this alone.

Chase wraps his big arms around both me and Adrian, holding me from behind. His pine forest scent surrounds me completely, like stepping into thick woods after rain. The solid weight of him presses gently against my back, and I feel the measured beat of his heart through his chest.

He lowers his head until his voice rumbles close to my ear, rough with emotion. “I treated your future like something I needed to manage instead of protect. I was wrong. I am so sorry, Elodie.”

The apology sinks into me. I turn in their arms until I can face him properly. Chase’s deep eyes are full of regret, his chocolate brown hair falling across his forehead, and the beautiful black tattoos on his arms flex as he holds us. He looks like he is carrying the weight of every protective instinct he has ever felt.

Before I can answer, Alex’s calm, steady voice carries over us from where he stands close beside us.

“We all did. And the pack will not be making that mistake again. We can’t control anyone’s narrative, Elodie, I wish we could. But we can control our actions and behaviors.”

The words sit with me assuredly. This is exactly what I need to hear. The heavy knot that has lived in my chest for days begins to loosen, unraveling thread by thread.

They see me. They understand what they almost took from me, and they are choosing differently now.

Tears spill down my cheeks, hot and silent at first. I look for Jamie through the blur. He steps forward without hesitation and easily scoops me up into his arms, holding me close against his chest. His golden amber and vanilla scent floods me with reassurance, bright and playful even now, wrapping around me like sunlight on a cold day.

I press my face into the curve of his neck and let the words come. “I forgive you,” I whisper. “All of you. I know you can’t be perfect or control everything, and I’m sorry for having expected you to be able to.”

My voice grows stronger as I finish, firm and sure. “I love you too. And I choose you. All of you.”

Their scents bloom around me in response, warm and relieved and full of love. Dark cedar and heat warmed skin. Rain on stone and crisp paper. Golden amber and vanilla. Pine forest and clean musk. They press closer, surrounding me completely, and for the first time in days the ache in my chest eases into something certain.

I am home.

I curl tighter against Jamie’s chest, my forehead pressed to the soft give of his white t-shirt. The fabric carries his scent, golden amber and warm vanilla with a subtle trace of citrus peel that always makes me think of sunlight and laughter. Right now that scent is the only grounding thing in the world.

My skin burns. Every inch of me feels too tight, too hot, like my body is trying to crawl out of itself.

Another wave rolls through me, this one is sharper than the last, a cramp that twists low in my belly and steals the air from my lungs. I gasp, fingers digging into his shoulders, and the sound that slips out of me is small and broken.

Jamie’s arms tighten around me, keeping me close.

Adrian speaks, his voice stays low and even, the same calm tone he uses when he explains biochemical pathways in the library.

“I need to be clear, this isn’t a spike, Elodie. Your body has tipped into a full heat.” He strokes one slow hand down my spine, grounding me. “That’s why you’re getting the cramps this time. Why the fever won’t ease. Why your scent keeps blooming like this, sweet and impossible to ignore. Spikes can be managed with a good orgasm, usually, but a true heat can’t. It demands knotting to break each wave, to ease the pain, to let your body rest. The waves will come in cycles. It could take days until you’re satisfied.”

I nod weakly against Jamie’s chest, I know how a heat works, but I didn’t realize that it would feel so bad. My throat feels thick. “It hurts,” I whisper, the words breathy and small.

“I know, sweetheart.” His hand keeps moving, each pass pulling a little of the tension from my shoulders. “We’re here. All of us. We’ll stay with you through every wave. You’re safe. You’re choosing this, and we’re choosing you.”

Chase comes back downstairs, I hadn’t even realized he had left. His pine forest and clean musk scent cuts through the haze like a grounding force. His hair is slightly mussed, and there is a satisfied look on his face.

“Nest is ready,” he says, eyes finding mine over Jamie’s shoulder. “Every blanket I could find, all our shirts layered in, pillows fluffed. It’s waiting for you, Elodie.”

Another cramp slams into me before I can answer. This one is vicious, folding me in half against Jamie’s chest. A whine tears from my throat, raw and needy, nothing like the soft sounds I’ve made before. The fever surges higher, burning behind my eyes, licking along every nerve.

I turn my face into Jamie’s neck, breathing him in, and the words slip out on their own.

“Please,” I beg, voice shaking. “Take me upstairs. I need the nest.”

Alex steps closer, his presence commanding without any pressure. His voice is low and formal when he speaks. “Elodie, will you invite any of us into your nest to help you through your heat?”

My answer comes immediately, clipped with fever. “All of you. Please. All of you.”