The earth after it rains.
Cloudy nights spent looking under the stars.
Piper’s eyes widen. “Oh, Blair,” she whispers. “Oh, shit.”
I glance at our reflections in the mirror, meeting Piper’s sympathetic look.
“Oh,shit,” I repeat back, reality slowly sinking in.
“No way.” Piper looks dumbfounded. “Is this really happening to you, right now?”
I nod stupidly. “I think it is.”
Scent match.
“Oh my god,” Piper repeats. “Holy shit, you found your?—”
“Don’t say it,” I hiss, stooping low and opening the cabinet door. I grab the bottle I’m looking for and, without overthinking it, spray it all over my clothing.
“What the hell are you doing?” Piper sputters. “Give me that.” She tries to reach for the bottle of pet odor eliminator, but I keep it out of reach and continue spraying myself, landing some on her in the process.
“I don’t want him to smell me,” I argue. “I don’t need to make this worse than it already is.”
“So, you’re spraying yourself withpet odor remover? I can pick you up other things to mask your scent with at the store! Have you lost your fucking mind?”
Yes.
Yes I absolutely have, because I cannot handle a scent match right now.
And what about Travis? a small voice asks.
Part of me, a tiny part that would never see the light of day, is slightly disappointed that it’s not Travis.
Then again, I’ve never been alone with just Travis. Other Alpha scents layer with his, even when I’m greedily inhaling him at the bar.
Finally, Piper yanks the spray bottle out of my hand and slams it on the sink counter. “This is insane. You’re smarter than this. You’re better than this.”
Shame colors my cheeks. “Am I, though?” I mutter. The chemical smell of the cleaner sticks to my clothes, andthankfully, most of the intensity of the Alpha’s scent has dissipated.
Piper sighs. “Yes, you are. You can do this. I can send him away. Send him somewhere else to adopt a cat.”
I frown. “That’s ridiculous. No. I won’t let whateverthisis,” I point to myself, “interfere with the rescue.”
“You mean the fact that you just found your scent match?”
I nod slowly. “Yes. You’re right. I’m smarter than this.”
“Yeah,” Piper says, kneeling to place the cleaner back under the sink. “So, what’s the plan?”
I force my breathing to slow and sit on the toilet lid, putting my face in my hands. “I need a minute to think,” I admit. “To plan out what to do.”
As ridiculous as it is, the odor spraydoeshelp.
“It’s a gift, Blair,” Piper says softly. “Some people never find their match.”
“I know,” I huff into my hands.
Too bad this didn’t happen to Maeve.
