It Started With a Scent

Three Knocks

She woke up gasping for breath, lungs burning, eyes watering and throat raw. 

She couldn't remember much of her dream, but what she did remember was enough to send her huddling into a ball underneath her duvet. She remembered falling into a pit, screaming for help, being deserted, forsaken, liquid filling up her windpipe, coagulating, hollow emptiness.

She woke up again a second time, squinting her eyes against the sunlight that poured through her thin curtains. The ray gave no warmth to her freezing body and she wondered if she was coming down with the flu. 

Ever since the altercation at the diner, she had been feeling all out of sorts, too big for her skin. 

The pang of loneliness had grown into a large black hole that threatened to swallow her up and it was with a curse that she realised that the reason she was feeling so fragile, so needy, was because she had taken a large inhale of a scent compatible alpha.

They were stupidly scent compatible.

Stupidly.

It wasn't as if she'd never met a nice smelling man before. She'd met plenty. However, none of her previous encounters even shone a candle to the fire that was Jason's scent. Oddly enough, in the past she had met some guys that smelt great, but she really wasn't attracted to. Jason was like the full bundle. Attractive and absolutely mouthwatering smell-wise.

Nobody else had ever reduced her to a sniveling pile of hormones.

In fact, the last time she felt so pathetic was the day before she had started her heat. She had been sixteen. A late bloomer, much to her dismay at the time. Most of the other girls had started their heats at thirteen or fourteen and she had hoped and wished and prayed for years that she would start hers. Something about being womanly. Attractive to the many high school, knothead alphas.

She should have enjoyed her heatless freedom while she had it.

Just like she should have enjoyed her peaceful singleness while she still had that.

Now, she had found somebody who she was highly compatible with and her ridiculous body had gone and formed a bond.

She was just glad that it was a bond, and not a mating. The way she had been feeling the previous day, she was ashamed to admit she would have probably let him bite her if he wanted to. She would have put up exactly zero fight, even if the two hadn't one conversation beforehand and he was obviously slightly unstable if the response of the pack was anything to go by.

Bonds could be broken. Enough distance and her body would get the program that a mating wasn't on the cards.

With that in mind, she rolled out of bed and ambled into her kitchen, grabbing her dressing gown off the door on the way. A quick rummage through the cupboards and she found a knock off brand of cereal- it would have to do. It seemed as though she was all out of the good stuff. As soon as pay day arrived, she vowed that she would treat herself to some good food for once.

There were three sharp taps at the door and Rachael looked up in confusion. She wasn't expecting anyone today.

She walked to the door and unlocked it, cracking it open inch by inch until she saw the bright and cheery face of Tina. Her blonde bob was pulled back into a short ponytail and her lips were covered in a shiny pink gloss. Rachael also noticed the fact that she was dressed in a matching pink coat and heels and was carrying a very hyper toddler. 

As she opened the door wider for the two to come in, Graham walked into view and she had a vague recollection of offering to babysit Liam while the two of them went out.