15. Elowen
ELOWEN
"Elowen!"
Lila rushes from her room, still in pajamas, eyes wide as I leave early to head to the greenhouse before breakfast. She grabs my arm, pulls me into her room, shuts the door.
“Do you wait behind your door for me to leave my room?” I ask, grinning.
But she isn’t listening. "Oh my god. OH MY GOD."
"What…?" I narrow my eyes.
"Your scent." She's practically vibrating with excitement. "Elowen, your scent changed."
I flinch. "I know."
"Which one?" Then immediately: "No wait—" She leans closer, actually sniffing. "Intense, powerful... Calder?"
I can’t help the small smile.
Lila squeals, hands flying to her mouth. "I knew it. The way he looks at you, I KNEW it was coming. Sophie Parry eat your heart out."
I laugh and wave my hands for her to turn it down a notch even though no one can hear us. "Lila, it was… "
“Did you have to change your panties after?” She slants her eyes suggestively.
I bite my bottom lip. “Ye-es?”
“Good girl. Do the others know yet?"
"Do you realize how early it is?" I counter.
"They will. Alphas can smell this from across campus," she says, oblivious. "Are you happy?"
That’s an easy one to answer. "Yes."
"Then that's all that matters. And I'm here for you." Her grin returns.
I hug her even though I’m not a hugger. "Thank you."
"Now go, before they smell you and come looking."
The dining hall is half-full when I arrive. I help myself to my usual tea and toast, morning light streaming through tall windows.
The door opens.
Tyler walks in, scanning the room. His gaze finds me, and he starts over immediately. Then he stops, mid-stride, understanding crossing his face.
He knows.
Crossing the rest of the distance, he slides into the seat across from me. "Elowen." His eyes search mine, but he’s still the same Tyler he was yesterday.
"Hi." I hide behind my tea taking the cowardly way out. For now.
"Calder?" Gentle. No accusation.
I nod.
His smile is genuine. "Good." He reaches across the table, tucks hair behind my ear. "I'm not going to lie. I wish it had been me. But whatever Calder did, it was right for you."
The door opens again.
Calder enters. Even from across the room, the moment he catches my scent is visible; his gray eyes sharpen, find me immediately, then shift to Tyler.
Tension ripples through his shoulders for half a second.
Then Tyler turns, meets his eyes, smiles, and Calder's tension dissolves. He crosses to our table and sits down.
Calder's gaze shifts to me, intense. "You told him."
"He could smell it." I glance around the dining hall. Some people look away; others are studying their phones while they eat. It’s just a regular day at Elderwood Academy.
For everyone else.
For me, it feels like stepping onto the yellow brick road, excited about what I’ll find at the other end.
"Are you worried about Julian?" Calder asks.
"A little."
"He'll understand." Calder pauses. "We talked. During your heat. We agreed we wouldn't compete."
"You discussed it?" I blink the words into focus, my gaze hopping between the two of them.
"We agreed to support your choice. Whichever one of us you chose first." His thumb brushes across my knuckles. "We're not rivals. We're building something together. With you."
“Even if you chose one of us, period,” Tyler adds. “We’ll respect that.”
My throat tightens again. "Thank you." It’s all I can manage. I feel like a walking talking ball of emotions right now.
"Julian will be here soon,” Tyler says. “He had early library hours."
"How do you know that?"
Before he can respond, the door opens again.
Julian walks in with books, scanning the room. He sees me, starts over, then stops the same way the others did. Processing. Then he continues, sets his books on our table, sits beside me with careful precision.
"Your scent has changed."
"Yes."
"Calder."
"Yes."
He's quiet for a long moment, pale eyes studying me.
"Scent shift indicates successful pair bonding initiation. The sweetness suggests positive emotional association. The integration is... harmonious." His fingers tap against his knee. "May I?" he asks suddenly.
I furrow my brow. "May you what?"
"Scent you properly. For... data."
"Data?" I glance at Calder who shrugs. "Okay."
Julian leans in, breathes deeply at my neck, and goes very still. When he pulls back, his pale eyes are darker. "Not just data."
"No?" I half-smile.
"No." He looks away briefly. "I'm not good at this."
"What do you feel, Julian?" I ask.
Long pause. His pale eyes meet mine directly. "Want." He breathes deeply. "I want you, but I'm not ready yet. And you're still processing this." He stands abruptly. "I can wait."
"Thank you for being honest."
"I don't know how to be anything else with you." He gathers his books, nods to us, and leaves.
Calder exhales slowly. "He'll come around. On his timeline."
"I know. It’s okay, I get it."
"I should go," Calder says. "Workshop in fifteen minutes."
He stands, then pauses. Cups my face briefly, rests his forehead against mine for three heartbeats.
“Wow.” Tyler makes his eyebrows dance. “Quite possibly the most intense breakfast meeting I’ve ever had. Do you think they even realized they didn’t eat?”
I laugh. “You’re obsessed with food.”
“I’m obsessed with you.”
Classes pass in a blur of half-attention. I’m no longer anxious, I realize with sudden clarity, I simply want to spend time with them.
Olivia finds me in the quad between classes. She sits beside me on the bench and produces Mira’s tin from her bag with a smile. “I’ve been meaning to return this to you, but we never seem to cross paths.”
“Thank you.” I study her closely. Her eyes are bright; her red hair is pulled into a messy bun that looks effortlessly stylish in a way I never learned to do. She looks… well. “How are you feeling?”
I’d completely forgotten Gideon’s request to find out about Olivia’s heat. Too much has happened. I’m not the same person I was when I met him in town, but the situation hasn’t gone away simply because my life is changing.
“Good.” She shrugs and her expression folds. “I heard about the omega at Thornwood. It makes me wonder if I got lucky.” Tears well in her eyes. “James said I shouldn’t dwell on it. I didn’t get lucky, I got better.”
I smile. “Perhaps he’s right.”
I could leave it there, but the pressure of trying to help Gideon find closure is too great. I need to help him for my own peace of mind too.
“I don’t want to pry.” Which sounds like exactly what it is: a precursor to prying. “But do you recall anything happening while you were in heat. Anything… out of the ordinary?”
“No.” She shrugs. “Lauren checked in on me like I requested. Patrick said that security stopped by. Routine check apparently. I don’t remember, but I was pretty preoccupied at the time.”
“Did you take any medication?”
“No. Not during my heat. Nurse Hollis gave me pain relief in the infirmary. Oh, and I used your chamomile tea.” She smiles.
I’m trying to remember the patterns Gideon spoke about. “This is going to sound insensitive, and you don’t have to answer, but did Patrick stay with you?”
She swallows hard. “Yes.” Pause. “I heard that your alphas waited outside the suite. You were brave.”
It’s my turn to smile. “You were braver.”
Lunchtime approaches, and the greenhouse calls like it always does. The path there is familiar: across the quad, past the academic buildings, through the small woods.
Tyler lingers near the door as though waiting for me. He takes my hand, pulls me inside, and closes the door behind me with his foot.
“You’re happy.” It isn’t a question.
I smile and hold his gaze. “I am.”
His warm hazel eyes hold mine. "You know what that means."
"It means you can kiss me." No hesitation.
He grins, folds his arms around my waist. Then he leans in and kisses me, slowly, his tongue parting my lips. I breathe in his summer grass and honey scent and kiss him back.
When we finally part, we're both smiling.
"Worth the wait?" I ask.
"So worth it." He's grinning. "You taste like happiness." Then, "Your scent just changed again."
"I know." I sensed it when he was kissing me.
"Does it bother you?"
"No. It feels right."
And, just for a moment, I can forget about Gideon Stockwell and his investigation. Because perhaps he is wrong after all.