Maisie
My scent match just went down on me and then had a breakdown about it. It’s enough to give an Omega a complex, but I’m too busy freaking out about the whole scent match thing.
I could, no, I should have told him the truth about why I acted the way I did, but I couldn’t bring myself to say it.
A scent match.
Never in a million years did I expect I’d ever find one, and yet the broody chef who originally hated me just so happens to be my fated partner.
Nothing has ever smelled as good as his sea spray scent. How could this possibly happen?
My mind shifts to Greer and Lain and my heart sinks.
Will they be upset that I did something with Callum?
Will they be even more upset to find out that Callum is my scent match and they aren’t?
I mean, at least I’m assuming so, right?
There’s no fucking way all three of them could possibly be my scent matches.
Now that the scent blockers aren’t working, I’ll know for sure the first time I see them. Callum hasn’t scented me and neither have they. If I never stop using deodorizers, they’ll never even know.
Every word flipping through my brain rattles my mind and all I really want to do is crawl into that bed and let my scent match hold me for the rest of the night.
I could walk right in and come clean and tell him. But what if he isn’t happy that I’m his match or what if it doesn’t work out and I can’t stay here, knowing his scent match left would break him even further.
Is it even a question of going back to Chicago anymore? My scent match is here, Greer and Lain are here, and if Birdie and Graham locking themselves in the other hotel room is any sign, there’s a good chance my sister is staying here too.
I sit on the toilet and cradle my head in my hands. My chest hurts, and my breathing is a little uncomfortable. Oh, fuck, am I having a heart attack?
It feels like a giant is sitting on my chest and a level of panic I can’t explain is wrapping itself around my throat.
“Maisie?” Callum says from outside the door and I don’t answer. I can’t even open my mouth.
The Alpha opens the door and immediately rushes to me, crouching in front of me. “Breathe, baby, breathe,” he says, touching my forehead before rubbing my back. “One deep inhale. Good. Exhale. Look at me.”
I do as he says, staring into his brown eyes that remind me of the turning of the leaves for autumn with speckles of gold and other shades of brown.
“There you go. You’re okay. We’re okay.”
I nod, trying to regulate my system, which just seems impossible. I’m shaking and still trying to get my breathing back on track.
“I’ve got you,” he says easily, scooping me up in his arms and carrying me to the bed.
My scent match, who doesn’t even know we’re basically soul mates, holds me all night, and it’s only through his comfort that I’m actually able to get any sleep.
This is all such a complicated mess.
The next morning I’m woken up to Birdie knocking on the door to get back in the room. I curse, and peel myself out of Callum’s arms, which feels so wrong.
I glare at her as I open the door and she gives me a watery smile. Her hair is a mess, and she’s wearing her clothes from last night. But that’s not the main thing I notice. It’s her fucking perfume, completely on display.
“Did you stop taking your deodorizers?” I hiss at her.
She doesn’t answer with words, just shrugs her shoulders at me. Birdie glances at where Callum looks to be naked on the bed and gives me a thumbs up as she goes to the bathroom.
I sit back on the bed and try to not rip my hair out. Is that why her and Graham ran away with each other last night, because she isn’t using deodorizers?
Callum must have woken up when Birdie came in. He taps my thigh gingerly, and I take a deep breath, which probably isn’t the best choice, because all I can scent is him.
“You feeling okay?” he asks in a sleepy voice.
“Yeah. Birdie’s here.”
Callum clears his throat. “We should probably hit the road soon, anyway.”
I give him a quick nod, unable to meet his eyes because all I can think about is having him undressed and on top of me again. His scent is thick, embedded in the sheets, and now I’m about to sit in an enclosed space for the next however many hours just scenting him.
“We’ll meet you at the car,” he says, attempting a smile that just looks all wrong.
He doesn’t even put his clothes on, just grabs them and heads out the door. As soon as he’s gone, I burst into the bathroom. Birdie screams in the shower and curses under her breath.
“You scared the shit out of me. Why does everyone keep trying to give me a heart attack when I’m in the shower?” she groans.
“Yeah, well, what the fuck was that last night?”
“Uh, last night was a lot of things. I didn’t mean to put you in that position, honestly,” Birdie says.
“Why aren’t you wearing deodorizers and what do you mean?”
“I forgot, okay? Can I use some of your topical stuff now?” she asks and I make a noise of agreement. Her perfuming the whole car ride back does not seem like a good option.
“Did something happen with Graham and your scent?” I ask.
She’s quiet for a long minute. “Yeah.”
“Yeah?” I question her, all the while not mentioning how I just had the complete shock of lifetime realizing that Callum is my scent match. Is she also coming to terms with Graham being hers? I don’t want to push her any further, because I also need time to process last night.
“Listen, I’m sorry that we ran off last night, I promise it wasn’t planned.
But you’ve gotta admit you and Callum were flirting and giving each other lovey dovey eyes all night, but you were both so clueless.
You clearly like each other, and I’m guessing from how disheveled you look you had a good night. ”
“It—it’s complicated,” I say.
“No kidding. Let me just finish my shower and we can head back. The deodorizers will be good for the way home. I think we both have people to talk to when we get back.”
She’s fully covered by the shower curtain so I can’t see her face, but I wonder if we’re both going through the same thing, just not ready to talk about it.
“Yeah, I need to see Greer and Lain,” I say, as if we haven’t been texting the whole trip. I leave her in the bathroom and pack all my things except what I’m wearing for the drive home. Maybe I could dab some perfume under my nose and that would help with the whole scenting Callum the whole ride.
Shockingly, it doesn’t work. No matter how far away we get from the coast, all I can smell is Callum’s sea spray scent. There’s a very light undertone of Graham’s Beta scent, but it doesn’t matter because I’m so hyper-focused on Callum.
My phone goes off in my pocket and I assume it must be Greer or Lain calling to see when we’ll be back.
It’s an unknown number, which I would usually ignore, but I answer it anyway—a distraction would be nice.
“This is Maisie,” I say, as Birdie glances at me, and Callum adjusts in the seat in front of me.
“Maisie Taylor?” the voice on the other side says.
“This is her.”
“This is Devin Luther from Pure Beauty. Do you have a moment?”
“Of course. What can I do for you?” I ask.
It’s one of the companies I applied to. I just couldn’t sit around and not have something waiting for me back in Chicago. Maybe a piece of me hoped I wouldn’t get any of them and it would push me to extend my stay.
“We love your resume, in fact we’re quite shocked that Dermdes would let a talent like you go. We’re currently trying to fill a position at our main headquarters in London and would like to discuss this more with you.”
“London?” I parrot, because I definitely only applied to jobs in Chicago.
“I know, I understand you applied for the marketing assistant position we have available in Chicago, but we think you would be better suited to work directly under the vice president of the company in London, if you’re interested in potentially relocating.”
I clear my throat. “It’s something I’ve been considering,” I tell her honestly, though not for a job. Just the three Alphas who have seemed to flip my world upside down.
“Do you think we could do a video conference Wednesday?”
I rub my temple, and when I glance up, brown eyes are meeting mine in the rearview.
“Can I think about it and get back to you?” I ask him.
“Of course, I realize that this isn’t what you applied for. If you aren’t open to relocation, we could still discuss the position in Chicago. There isn’t as much of a growth opportunity in that position, but it would be yours if you wanted.”
“Wow. Thank you for the call, Devin. I’ll be in touch?”
“Of course. We’re hoping to hear from you soon.”
I hang up the call with shaky fingers and glance over at my sister, who’s slightly smiling, but it seems forced.
“A job offer?”
“Yeah. Pure Beauty,” I whisper, staring at my phone. They’re far more of a bigger deal than Dermdes. They’re more international, and high end. I should be elated. This is exactly where I saw myself moving in my career. All I feel is sick.
“Holy shit,” Birdie says.
“Yeah.”
“Are you going to take it?”
“I don’t know,” I reply and I swear Callum’s scent is souring. He looks away from the mirror and I stare out the side of the window the rest of the ride.
I need to talk to Greer and Lain and I just need a second of Callum’s scent not choking me while I think. I’m really trying to not have another mental breakdown in the backseat, and Birdie must see that as she squeezes my thigh.
“It’s okay, Maisie.”
I give her a nod, trying to hold back tears. It’s not that I don’t want to stay. I’m just scared, terrified actually, of leaving the safety of everything I’ve ever known.
“I’ll drop you off at Nan’s first,” Graham says, him and Callum aren’t speaking right now. Honestly, there’s even more tension in the car than there was on the way here.
I’ve always been someone who analyzes risk. Thinking about the what-ifs is what keeps you safe. Making sure that you have a backup plan is always the best route to protect yourself. If I bet everything on Scotland I’d have no fall-back plan, no support system, nowhere to go to.
So much for not panicking again, at least this time I’m not full on hyperventilating. Instead, it feels like I’m going to throw up and I can’t stop shaking my leg in the backseat.
“Sorry, Graham, can you pull over? I think I’m going to be sick.”
“Shite, yeah,” he says quickly, pulling off to the side of the road.
I exit the car immediately, and get some ways away from the road before I empty out my entire breakfast while looking at the most beautiful scenery in the world.
“Maisie, it’s not like you to get sick like this on car rides. Is everything okay?” Birdie says, rubbing my back and I shake my head.
I knew when the trip started I was close to burnout, that I hadn’t processed the last couple of months, that I was hopelessly alone and it finally feels like it’s all catching up to me.
“Here,” Callum says in his deep timbre, handing me a water bottle.
“Thanks.” I use it to swish out my mouth first, before taking a few tentative steps.
“Is this because of last night?” He shoves his hands in his pockets, rocking back and forth, hardly even looking at me.
“What? No. Kind of. No.”
“It was the job offer?”
I sit down on the grass, and Birdie squeezes my shoulder, leaving me here with Callum as she heads back off to the car. He takes a seat next to me, and I try but can’t help myself as I lean in closer. His scent and presence are calming to me.
“Two weeks ago, that would have been my dream. I’ve never made an impulsive decision in my life, ya know?
I started looking into colleges freshman year of high school, by sophomore year I’d narrowed it down to two.
When it came time for applications, I only applied to one school.
When it was time to find an apartment, I viewed forty-eight properties and created a spreadsheet of pros and cons until I narrowed it down to one. ”
I pick at some grass, mindlessly pulling it, not looking at Callum.
“I haven’t dated since college, and even then it was nothing serious.
When I went to heat facilities, I had the same Alphas service my heat every time because their scents were just fine, they were average looking, and I knew I wouldn’t ever ask them to bond with me.
My life was a routine, and I thought I liked it, and then I came here and everything has changed.
It feels like one choice dictates the rest of my life and I’m so fucking scared. ”
Callum doesn’t speak. He wraps his arm around my shoulder and squeezes before kissing my hair.
“If my vote counts for anything, I hope you stay.”
Words I needed to hear from Callum, from my scent match, help some of this turmoil in my stomach. I say nothing back, because I’m pretty sure my mind is made up.