SALT #7
My sense of smell keeps getting sharper.
Every day I catch Eliano’s natural scent more clearly, and…
I love it! It honestly makes my head spin.
No surprise here, it’s lemon basil, the same note that was already in his shower gel.
But now I pick it up differently, more intensely, more…
organically. I can smell it around his neck glands, and as the days pass, I can catch it from farther away too.
This whole scent awakening, though… it’s affecting other things.
Other alphas are starting to smell bad to me! That’s one more reason I keep my distance even more than usual. Their scent… dear Fate. Some of them are neutral, sure, but most… it’s like a stench. It literally makes my stomach turn.
Eliano seems amused by my discovery. For him, this is just normal life, something he got used to back in his teens when his own sense of smell fully developed.
He explains how he can tell who’s more or less genetically compatible.
Basically, it comes down to how irritating the scent is.
Neutral usually means average to low compatibility.
Unpleasant means low to complete incompatibility.
Among the alphas here, there's nobody who would even be my half-mate, let alone my high mate.
Bringing it up actually creates a slightly more playful mood between us. Sometimes we sit in the cafeteria and he’ll ask what I’m picking up, and we compare observations like it’s some kind of funny theater.
And my sense of smell isn’t just getting stronger when it comes to Allure. It’s everything. The world is starting to smell more powerfully overall, and noticing when someone’s hygiene is off is not exactly fun.
I guess I’m definitely moving along the scale from a regular beta to something closer to a beta with omega traits.
And interestingly enough, other things connected to our TM status are starting to kick in too.
First of all, we have sex. A lot. All the time. It happens in the morning after breakfast, after lunch, and after dinner. That is the part of our life I cannot complain about. On top of that, we sleep at night in what is called Joining.
And what they say about sex between TMs? It has healing properties.
After the first few days of making love this intensely, I stop feeling the hard ridges on Eliano’s back where his scars used to be.
Soon, his back becomes completely smooth.
One day, I mention it to him. Eliano stands in front of the mirror and twists to look at himself. He stares for a long time.
"I have to admit I was afraid to even think about it, to allow myself to believe that the magic of True Mates could actually work. And yet it does. It really heals the body," he whispers.
"Also, the metal rod you have there, it seems to be pushed out of your body. It appears just under the surface now," I whisper, touching his shoulder blade softly.
Small shivers run along his back. It makes me smirk. Eliano always has a significant reaction to my touch.
"Maybe the body just gets rid of it, expels it." He also checks his ears, and his face splits into a wide grin. "They seem to be better too." Then he glances at me. "I’ve heard that with TMs even piercings can close up and get pushed out of the body."
Automatically, I pull up my hand and also touch my ears. They are still there, but for sure it’s a lot harder to move them around.
"I wonder if the magic has already fixed the damage in my brain," I say quietly.
"It’s possible. The only question is whether the changes are more subtle there. The brain kind of has to reprogram itself."
To know for sure, I would have to have brain scans compared, so I decide not to think about it too much, especially since I do not feel any major change in myself, though maybe slightly fewer things piss me off than before.
I don’t know what more to say more, so I just stare at his muscular back.
"Also, Salt… Your eyes have definitely changed. I noticed it yesterday, but today the dilated pupil seems smaller."
I close my eyes. I noticed it too, but I was afraid to acknowledge it, thinking it might be fleeting.
"The change is slow," I whisper. "The muscle in my pupil has adjusted to the dilation, but I hope it will gradually readjust."
My hands lift slowly again, tracing his back, brushing along his spine. Eliano doesn’t move, he lets me do it. Initiating the first touch still doesn’t come easily to me, but now I really need it. I step a little closer and press myself against his back, embracing him by waist.
I can feel his heart pounding. I press my lips to his skin and whisper,
"I’m so glad you’re back. I want… us."
Eliano lifts his hands and covers mine as they hold him.
"I want the same, Salt, a happily ever after for us."
I close my eyes, breathing in his scent and the stillness around us.
◆◆◆
Another week of our life together rolls in.
The career side of my life takes a new turn as well.
My tattoo sketches have piled up far too high by now, so I decide to set up accounts on a few stock platforms and upload my designs, preparing vector versions of them in the process.
Meanwhile, Eliano writes investigative journalism pieces for several magazines and news sites.
That’s what our additional activities look like, aside from sex.
At the start of the new week, our wristbands go live!
We get a summons from the medical office.
My stress shoots up the second the appointment time pops up on the tiny screen. Eliano and I exchange a look. I already know what’s coming once my pregnancy is confirmed.
He squeezes my hand as we walk into the office. But when we step inside, we both pause. Doctor Lee isn’t there.
Instead, there’s someone new. Doctor Cooper.
Was Doctor Lee removed from his position because he knew about the Drax situation, or did he simply resign on his own?
Doctor Cooper is an older, gray-haired beta, short in stature, wearing thick glasses behind which he peers at us.
He greets us, introduces himself, and explains that he previously worked at another facility dealing with hormonal support.
He apologizes for only summoning us now, saying that first he had to meet with all the pairs who had seniority on the island over us.
He takes our blood samples, and then, unexpectedly, says, "Your case is really very interesting. I would like to take a closer look at it."
I am not entirely sure what he means by that.
When the doctor asks me to get ready for the exam, Eliano stands right next to me, his whole body radiating that possessive alpha energy.
Doctor Cooper shows a lot of understanding when Eliano says that he will be the one to insert the probe into my rectum.
He makes no issue of it at all, perhaps having encountered this kind of alpha possessiveness before.
Of course, it doesn’t take long before Doctor Cooper discovers my pregnancy.
He looks away from the screen displaying my enlarged uterus and says, "Am I correct in assuming that you already know you are pregnant, Salt?"
"Yes," I mumble.
A short pause. The doctor narrows his eyes slightly, waiting for a follow-up, and I turn my head away.
"Eliano sniffed it out, the vanilla scent," I add with a hint of sarcasm. "But I use a spray deodorant Eliano brought from the mainland. I do not want the other alphas to know."
"But that is excellent news, is it not? The program has proven to be a success in your case."
He shifts his gaze between me and Eliano and seems to catch the uncertainty in his eyes. Obviously, he is surprised that we did not come in here practically flying with pride and joy, that we did not announce at the door, Doctor, we suspect a pregnancy!
Our muted, hesitant energy dominates the room.
He removes the ultrasound probe and gestures toward the screen.
"The pregnancy is about six weeks along.
Everything looks good. The gestational sac, the yolk sac…
" He scrolls through something and pulls up a chart.
"Your blood work is also very good. You have high levels of hormones responsible for sustaining the pregnancy.
Excellent. But I would like to talk to you. "
I get dressed, and both Eliano and I walk over to the desk where the doctor is sitting.
There is a moment of silence, and then he speaks.
"All right, I’m listening, because I have a feeling there’s a story hiding here."
Of course, neither of us knows him, but somehow we have to push this forward. So I decide to just let it all spill out.
"Well, Doctor, the main issue is that neither of us wants to leave the program at this point. So even though this is good news, it also comes with a serious complication. Eliano is not safe outside the island right now. Life here on the island worked for us because we were isolated and protected."
Dr. Cooper stays quiet. He turns his pen slowly between his fingers.
"Unfortunately, the program’s rules are very clear.
Couples who are expecting a child are required to leave the island within a week.
The program focuses on fertility stimulation.
There are no family-oriented services here, no prenatal care, and certainly no conditions suitable for childbirth or raising a child. "
Both Eliano and I stare at the walls. I look to the left. He looks to the right.
"I have to admit," Dr. Cooper says, tapping the pen lightly against the desk, his expression thoughtful, "I’m surprised the pregnancy happened so quickly.
It appears conception occurred around the first week, possibly the beginning of the second.
That may suggest our diagnosis regarding your hormonal profile was insufficient," he adds, glancing at me. "You were very likely a beta with omega characteristics from the start, and I don’t know if you’re aware, but such individuals are generally not accepted into the program.
We focus on betas with a classic hormonal profile and work on methods to increase fertility in those cases. "