Page 11 of Scrum Heat

“Wait, did I saystimulation?I meantwellness support!” Theo smirks. “Completely non-sexual. Like yoga. With towels.”

“I added my pillow spray,” Finn offers, appearing beside Theo.

“…What scent?” I ask, fearing the worst.

“Cinnamon swirl!” he beams.

“Finn!” I hiss. “That’s amating trigger.”

“Oh.” He goes still. “Ohno.I thought it was… festive?”

I sit on the bed. Or maybe collapse. It’s hard to tell.

My hands cover my face. My skin’s too hot, my brain’s too loud, and my scent blockers are holding on by a thread at this point.

“I’m going to die here,” I mumble. “In a towel nest full of mating triggers, surrounded by emotionally constipated gym rats.”

Jax appears in the doorway, calm and blessedly normal.

“Nah, you won't. We’ll take shifts, and keep an eye on you. We’re not complete idiots.”

“That…remains to be seen,” I sigh. “Besides, I don’t need babysitting. I’mnotin heat.”

Theo raises a brow. “You sure about that?”

“Yes, I’m sure aboutmy own body,Theo,” I snap. “Despite the hoodie cuddling and the cinnamon-scented booby traps, I’mfine. Overwhelmed? Yes. Feral? Possibly. In heat?No.”

Finn lifts a hand. “But you purred.”

“Because I’moverstimulated.”

“So you’re saying you’re just...sensitive,” Rory says as he folds his arms.

“I’m saying I've been practically attacked by pheromones and at least one hoodie since setting foot in this room.”

Theo grins. “So dramatic.”

“Don’t start with me,” I warn. “You built me a scent nest with gym towels andan oven mitt. If anyone’s dramatic, it’syou.”

“Hey,” Finn mumbles, “I thought the oven mitt made it homely.”

Jax nods, straight-faced. “It did.”

“Look, I get that everyone’s a little… keyed up.” I take a breath. “But thisisn’ta heat spike. It’s just scent overload. I’m in a newplace, surrounded by new alphas, and my brain short-circuited. That’s it. I just need to decompress.”

There’s a moment of silence, then Rory mutters, “I'm still gonna install some scent blockers.”

“That… would be great, actually. Thank you,” I sigh, collapsing back into the pillows. “While you’re at it,pleasekeep Theo away from anything lavender-scented or remotely pillow shaped.”

Theo throws his hands up. “One hoodie. One helpful, slightly sexy hoodie; and suddenly I’m banned from home goods.”

“You’re banned frommegoods,” I mutter.

Finn lets out a high-pitched sound that might be a giggle or a wheeze, and I look up.

Yep—they’re still there. Theo smirking, Finn nervously adjusting a blanket, Jax already planning emergency evacuation routes, and Rory, hands on his hips and glaring down at me as if he can scowl my hormones into submission.

“Why,”I groan into the pillow, “are you allstillhere?”

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