Page 35 of Written in Scent

I barely hear him. Melody is already pulling me back into another kiss, and the rest of the world fades until all that exists is the sweet press of her body, the addictive taste of her mouth, and the overwhelming knowledge that everything is about to change.

The drive feels quick and hazy, like time has folded in on itself. One moment Alex is pulling out of the parking lot and the next the familiar turn onto our street is already sliding past the windows.

I lose myself in Melody again and again. Her mouth is insistent against mine, her small hands tugging at my hair, her hips rolling in needy circles that make my thoughts fracture into pure sensation.

Her scent is everywhere, bright strawberry and peach and sharp lemon zest wrapping around us until the inside of the car feels like a shifting storm. I kiss her deeper, one hand sliding up her back to cradle her neck, the other gripping her hip to brace her. Every soft whine she makes against my lips pulls another low groan from my chest.

Up front, Alex’s knuckles are white on the steering wheel. I catch the tension in his jaw in the rearview mirror every time I manage to surface for air. His scent, dark cedarwood and black pepper and heat-warmed skin, is bleeding into the car despite his obvious effort to stay controlled. It’s the first time I have ever smelled him this close to the edge.

Melody notices too.

She breaks our kiss with a needy sound and leans forward, drawn toward the front seat like a moth to flame. Her nose twitches as Alex’s scent reaches her, and she starts to shift toward him.

I gently catch her chin and guide her back to me. “Stay with me, sweetheart,” I murmur against her lips. “I have you.”

She melts into the kiss again, but it happens twice more during the drive. Each time her attention drifts toward Alex’s scent, I pull her back with pretty words and deeper kisses until she’s whimpering against my mouth once more.

It takes every ounce of willpower I possess.

My body is screaming to give in completely, to let her grind against me until neither of us can think, but I hold the line. Barely.

When the car finally slows and the tires crunch over our gravel driveway, relief and dread twist together in my chest at the same time.

Alex cuts the engine and gets out fast, as though he can’t stand another second inside the scent filled car. The moment his door shuts, Melody whines, a sharp, heartbroken sound that tugs at something deep in my ribs.

The back door opens before the whine can even finish.

Alex leans in, his broad frame filling the doorway. His gray blue eyes are dark, pupils blown wide.

“You two smell incredible,” he says, voice rough and low. “It’s taking everything I have not to lose it right here.”

I manage a strained nod. “Same.”

Melody reaches for him instantly, arms stretching out with another needy sound. Alex doesn’t hesitate. He slides his hands under her and lifts her from my lap as though she weighs nothing.

She goes to him willingly, legs wrapping around his waist, nose pressing straight to the side of his neck. She scent marks him on instinct, rubbing her cheek along his skin with a contented sigh.

I climb out after them, legs unsteady, and follow as Alex carries her toward the house.

My mind is still spinning, trying to catalog every detail, every biological marker of what is happening to her. But one thing is crystal clear.

This is our omega.

And the pack is about to meet her for the first time.

Alex carries Melody toward the front door with long, purposeful strides. I stay right behind them, my mind racing to process everything that has happened in the last twenty minutes. Her scent is still blooming in the air around us, sweet strawberry and peach and sharp lemon zest mixing with Alex’s dark cedarwood until the combination makes my head spin.

“Alex,” I say, voice still rough. “She’s completely out of it. This isn’t a normal reaction. She’s having a heat spike.”

He glances back at me, jaw tight. “Explain.”

He knows all this already, but I think he needs me to confirm it. I fall into the familiar rhythm of analysis even as my body still burns for her. “From what I can tell, her heat blockers failed the moment she came into close contact with a scent match. A heat spike is a sudden, intense biological override. It’s not a full heat cycle. It’s more like an emergency response from her body when it detects a true compatible match. The pheromones become overwhelming, scent blockers lose effectiveness, and the omega experiences rapid onset of symptoms: heightened arousal, scent flooding, emotional dysregulation, and loss of lucidity. It’s usually a one-off event rather than a prolonged heat, especially if it’s triggered by a pack’s scent match. At least that’s what the biochemical literature suggests.”

Alex nods once, processing the information with the same sharp focus he brings to everything. “And you are certain she is our scent match?” His voices carries a sense of hope, and I know that he can barely let himself believe that this is real and happening.

“Positive,” I say without hesitation. “There’s no other explanation for this level of reaction.”

We reach the front porch. Before Alex can even adjust his grip on Melody, the door flies open.