Chapter 8
TYLER
The greenhouse door creaks softly as I push it open, the familiar scent of soil and green life folding around me.
The tables are clear, seedlings arranged neatly along the propagation shelf Calder built.
The tray he sanded last night holds its first pots, each one spaced carefully, room left between them to breathe. Methodical, just like Elowen.
Calder stands near the back wall, adjusting a light over one of the benches. He turns when he hears me.
"You’re early."
"Yeah, it’s that magnetic thing working its magic again."
He nods. Sandpaper is spread out across the workbench in front of him. His corner, the one he inhabits like a comfortable sweater. “I never met anyone like Elowen before.”
I wasn’t expecting that. “I don’t think any of us have. She’s…”
“Special.”
I smile. “In all the best ways.”
“Look,” we both say together.
“You first.” I indicate for him to take the spotlight, something I thought he was good at last year, but I now realize was merely the aura he carries around with him without even knowing it.
“I think about Elowen a lot. All the time in fact.” He inhales deeply. “I never expected to meet someone here at the Academy. I never expected to meet an omega I was attracted to. It didn’t feature on… It wasn’t something I was looking for.”
“And now…?” I prompt.
“Now, I’m simply telling you how I feel.”
My turn to nod. “I think about her too. I look for her in the dining hall. The library. Classes. If she wasn’t here, the greenhouse would be just another project that didn’t gain much traction.”
“She brings it to life,” he agrees.
“It’s those green fingers.” I smile. Time for the punchline; this whole conversation has gone way more smoothly than I anticipated.
Calder and I weren’t that close last year.
We probably wouldn’t be close now if it wasn’t for Elowen and the greenhouse.
“I won’t put any pressure on her. You know, to choose. Between us. When the time is right.”
He inclines his head. “Fair enough. If she chooses you, I won’t stand in your way. I won’t… make my feelings known.”
“I think she already knows.” I navigate the tables and shake his hand. “Her choice?”
“Whenever she’s ready.”
We return to our jobs in comfortable silence. I feel lighter. I hadn't realized how much it was weighing me down until the words were spoken out loud.
I pick up on Elowen’s scent before she appears shortly after with her russet and gold bag over her shoulder. Different. Thicker. Not quite enough to alert all my alpha senses, but enough for me to take notice.
Her face is flushed.
Calder’s gray eyes linger on her for a fraction longer than usual. Then, "You feel okay?"
"Yes.” She sets her bag down on her workbench. "Just… different."
He nods once. "Good different?"
"I think so." She considers it for a moment. "More aware. Of myself. My surroundings." Her eyes meet mine and more color rises to her cheeks. “Of… everyone else too.”
“Everyone else?”
She lowers her eyes, her lashes casting a shadow across her rosy cheeks. “Well, certain people.”
She literally has no idea how that makes me feel.
I glance at Calder and even though his hands are still working, I know he feels the same way from his deliberate movements and the way he keeps his eyes fixed on the sandpaper.
I’ve been aware of Elowen since I first saw her in town and made a silent promise to myself to take this at her pace.
Now, I know that Calder and I are on the same page, I can lower my shoulders from around my ears and relax a little.
She rolls up her sleeves and teases lemon balm shoots free from their pots, cradling them in her hand before tucking them into larger containers with a mix of loam and sand. She presses the soil gently around each stem, checking moisture levels, making sure none are waterlogged.
"That's the one that helps with sleep, right?" I ask.
"Among other things." She glances at me, a small smile tugging her lips upward.
"Seraphina mentioned she's been having trouble sleeping lately. Stress from her thesis. Would it help?"
She thinks about it. "I could make a blend. Chamomile, lavender, a touch of valerian if she doesn't mind the scent." This is where she really comes alive. “I gave some to Olivia when she was sick.”
"I arrest my case, your honor.”
Elowen laughs, and every instinct is pushing me in her direction, telling me how soft her lips would feel if I kissed her.
“Elowen, the whole academy knows this is what you’re good at.”
“Okay.” She steps back from the table, her hand fluttering over her chest like she’s trying to cool herself down.
Calder notices at the same time. "You want to take a break?" he asks.
"No." She shakes her head. "I’m fine, just paying more attention."
The door opens before the silence fully settles.
Julian.
He's carrying a book, thick, leather-bound, with frayed page markers. He doesn't announce himself, just steps inside with that careful, measured stride.
"I thought you might find this useful," he says, setting the book on the table near Elowen. "British Isles herbalism. Chapter seven covers heat-soothing blends, traditional formulations, not modern pharmaceuticals."
She blinks at him while the words sink in. "How did you—"
"Your scent's different,” he says simply. “Warmer. Not uncomfortable yet, but present."
She swallows, her eyes fixated on the book, and I want to go to her, tell her that it’s good we’ve all noticed because we’re all here for her in our own way. But I don’t.
No pressure. Calder and I shook on it.
"The book's from the archives. You can keep it as long as you need." Julian glances at Calder, then me. "She should have options. Knowledge helps." He turns back to her. "If you need anything else, library access, specific texts, let me know."
Then he's gone, the door closing softly behind him.
I stare at the book cover as Elowen opens it carefully.
Herbal Support During Biological Cycles: Traditional Omega Preparations
"He's right," Calder says quietly.
"You all noticed?" Her gaze hops between the two of us.
"Yes."
"Is it that obvious?"
His jaw tightens slightly. "We want you to feel safe. Supported."
“We want you to know that we’re here for you,” I add.
She peers at Julian's book, open in front of her as he reappears in the doorway, all movement and brittle energy.
“I forgot to mention there has been another omega death. At Thornwood Academy. I don’t know all the details yet, but I thought you should know.”