Apparently, I didn’t rid myself of all my glitter from my shift at Scents.
I took my suppressants, which keep my Heats regulated.
But for some reason, I’m extra floral today.
Even with my scent blocking deodorant, my sweet violet fragrance emanates from my pores more than usual.
At least, to my nose it does.
“Hey, so I have a weird question for you,” I tell Piper as I wipe the sparkles from Alvin’s fur.
“No question is too weird. I live with Maddox, remember?”
I snort. Maddox is Piper’s unhinged packmate who always says outlandish things that have both Piper and me whipping our heads to him in shock.
“Am I…smelly, today?”
Piper swivels her chair to face me. “…smelly?” she repeats.
“Yes. Like…” I wave my hand in front of my neck and chest, “like a strong scent.”
She scrunches her face. “Like, body odor?”
I sigh. “No, I mean, am Iperfuming?” I lower my voice to a whisper. The only other people in the rescue besides me and Piper are Maeve and Mari, but the latter would likely have something to say about my love life if she heard me.
Mari is an older single Omega who loves to be in everyone else’s business. Not in a malicious way, just a nosy way with good intentions.
Piper purposely sniffs the air. “I think you’re fine. I don’t scent anything different. You’re taking your suppressants, right?”
“Of course. Haven’t missed a dose and haven’t been late taking them.”
Which is why I’m concerned. Last year, Piper purposely abused her meds so she could put off her Heat—and one of the side effects was her scent would fill a room almost immediately.
It took her a while to find the right suppressants after that, and it had been painful to see my best friend suffer just so she wouldn’t have Heats.
I want to figure out why this this happening so I can nip it in the bud—no pun intended.
“I don’t smell you,” Piper says. “I think you’re fine, Blair.” She grabs her phone off the desk. “Let me check something for you, though.”
Before I can ask what she’s doing, Maeve walks in from the cat playroom, balancing cases of canned cat food in her arms. “Hey, look! We got more donations—oh whoa, it smells like a flower shop in here.”
I put my face in my hands and groan. “Shit,” I hiss. Then, I turn to Piper. “You told me it wasn’t that bad!”
Piper shakes her head. “I can’t scent you!”
“Damn, that’s the strongest you’ve ever smelled,” Maeve says nonchalantly, placing the cases on the counter. “Did you find your scent match or something?”
My chest aches.
“No,” I say slowly. “No, I haven’t.”
And I never plan on it, is the unspoken part.
“That could be a reason,” Piper says as she looks at her phone. “But uh, since you haven’t, maybe you’re just having an off day?”
But when Piper’s eyes meet mine, I can tell she doesn’t believe it.
I sigh. “Just say it, Pipe,” I murmur.
