Page 23 of Patiently Yours
Then I start to feel a different type of panic. A panic that my omega is already fighting. If I accept, that means meeting this group of strangers that may or may not be my scent matches will happentonight, and my body screams its unpreparedness.
Am I ready for that? When I reached out, I pictured another chill night with Ciro eating snacks and talking about his pack mates, not actuallymeetingthem. Shit, I don’t even have time to really panic about it either.
I quickly text him back, agreeing and asking what time to meet. Before he responds, I fling my phone down and march out of my room on a mission.
And that mission: getting advice from my best friend.
I knock on her door, feeling frantic. When she finally calls out, I rush in and shut the door behind me like Ciro and his pack might hear our conversation.
Rory is on her bed with her notepad. Her laptop is open and paused on a movie scene. Some eighties classic that she probably has to study for class. When she looks up at me, she smirks teasingly.
“Are you finally going to tell me how yournot-date went?”
I close my eyes harshly and blurt it out before I can convince myself not to.
“I think I met my scent matches.”
I hear silence, which probably means she’s staring at me. With what emotion, I can’t be too sure, so I peek one eye open to see. Her eyes are wide and her hand that’s holding her pencil is levitating right above the paper in a paused state. I think I’ve just rendered Rory speechless for the first time since we met.
“What the fuck do I do?” I ask, emphasizing with my arms to show her the state I’m in. It breaks her out of the stupor she’s in long enough to see my genuine panic. She snaps her laptop shut, slides it to the side, and pats the now-empty spot beside her.
I sit and pull my knees to my chest.
“Tell me what happened. What do you mean youthink? Normally, it’s pretty obvious.”
I take a big breath. “I haven’t met his pack mates, and Ciro is a beta.”
“Oh, you’re talking aboutCiro’spack?” She grins widely. “Holy shit! I was right, it was totally a date.”
I smack her sternly on the shoulder. “Focus!No one cares if you were right. I knew deep down it was a date, but that doesn’t mean I was expectingthis!” I fly my hands around again.
“You’re still not explaining what happened,” Rory huffs. “Did it go okay at least?”
I nod as a small smile finds its way to my face before shaking the joy away. Gosh, even my face muscles are betraying me today.
“I guess it went really well,” Rory retorts, and I look up to see her dumb teasing expression.
“Shut up,” I say, trying to sound stern, but then I release the tension in my shoulders. “Yes. It was so fun. He got every snack on my list, and he told me all about his pack mates and theirlives, and at the end we had a cuddle that I think might be the best cuddle I’ve ever been a part of.”
That’s not even an exaggeration.
“It’s just… their house.” I lean in and whisper, “It smelled like them.”
Rory laughs. “Well, duh. They live there.”
“Be serious and help me, please!”
“Okay, I’m sorry.” She still wears a grin like she wants to laugh. “So, are you positive? Maybe it was because there were a lot of scents at once. That can be overwhelming for anyone. And I know Ciro is a beta, but wouldn’t you know by his smell, too?”
I bite my lip gently, avoiding her gaze.
“What’s that look for? Stacia, have you been keeping stuff from me?”
“No!” I say too quickly, practically admitting my guilt. “I mean, maybe.”
“Are you saying you cansmellCiro?” She puts her hand over her mouth in shock, finally understanding the gravity of the situation.
“Yes,” I admit, rubbing my neck. “And he admitted he can smell me, too. And that he likes it. A lot. And then I smelled his pack mates in their house, and the scents nearly knocked me physically off my feet!” I place my face in my hands. “Gosh, the pack mate that punched Derek smells like fuckingcoconuts, Rory!”
