Page 3 of Scent of Sanctuary
I shrug, but it feels forced. “No, I don’t but she wouldn’t tell us if she wasn’t. She doesn’t like burdening us. She asked me about finding a family again.” If we don’t tell her how we feel soon, she’s going to draw further into herself and I’m not sure I can handle her tears, especially when we’d be the cause of them. “I think it’s been a little bit since she’s been herself. The bare fridge is definitely worrisome, but she’s also not cooking like she used to.”
Lyle points to the stack of ramen he picks up every time he swipes by the gas station. It’s a very specific flavor but Seraphina’s favorite. They only ever have a few so he grabs them whenever he can. “Went over there last week and she was a bit frazzled. Those bowls were piled up in her trashcan. Didn’t strike me as strange at the time because she told us that she fixates on foods sometimes, but I don’t know, it doesn’t seem right now.”
So, we all see it. The subtle change in Seraphina, a woman who’s crept into our hearts, an Omega we want to call ours. I let out a heavy sigh, chugging down more water before discarding the bottle in the trash. “We’re supposed to head over at seven, but I think I’m going to go over there now. I can’t sit here without knowing what’s going on.” Ambrose chews on the ring through his bottom lip, obviously fighting a retort but he’s smart enough not to say anything. “Ambrose, you’re on grocery duty. Don’t forget the chocolate almonds. Lyle?”
“Need to stop by the station but I’ll grab a ride over. Don’t want her buried in cars.”
I throw them a nod and trudge back toward the door, slipping on my shoes, a strange weight in my chest. Not having Seraphina close to us, upstairs tucked away in her nest is eating away at me because I never know how she’strulydoing. If she wasn’t working as our dispatcher, I might actually go a bit crazy. I dial her number the moment I get into the car but she’s not answering.
Panic flares in my chest as I call her again and a third time, my thoughts taking a turn for the worst. Nothing has happened since her brother died. It’s been mostly sweet moments with a few off days where she’s curled into herself, feeling her brother’s loss. But she’s never not answered the phone.
“Come on, Fi,” I mumble to myself as I pull into the parking lot, rushing up to her door seconds later. There’s a light coming from the kitchen and maybe also the living room but it doesn’t soothe my worries. My fist hovers at her door, but I choose to punch in the code instead, shoving it open. The mudroom is the only thing that separates the outside from her apartment and as I hurriedly step inside, I catch Seraphina just past the threshold.
She’s frozen, eyes wide with shock, my beautiful Omega clutching a spatula like it’s a damn sword. Wet hair clings to her shoulders, dripping into her baby blue dress that hugs every last one of her curves. Her gaze darts past me and then to my face. “Callum?”
“You didn’t pick up,” I blurt, kicking my boots off fast as they thud against the wall. “I was worried.”
She tilts her head, her brows furrowing with confusion. She has absolutely no idea what she does to me, how she worries me, how she makes me feel. “Oh? I didn’t hear it.” Music spills out from the living room, some bouncy pop track that feels wrong against the tension in her stance.
I grab the descenter spray from the shelf and blast myself with it. The mist stings my eyes, but I keep going until my oakmoss fades to nothing. One Alpha wrecked her years ago, one of many reasons she refused to leave this fortress. It took us a while—Felix included—to figure out what would work. The absence of scents made it easier for her to stomach things from outside. It’s a whole damn process, erasing that piece of us but for her, I’d do anything. I’d bathe in this crap if it meant she’d stop jumping at shadows.
Stepping into the living room, I give the place a onceover. The couch is neat as it always is, a small speaker the culprit of the music. The kitchen is off to the right, a brief hallway just behind the couch. Felix’s room looms deep into the left, a room none of us are allowed to enter. Seraphina hasn’t ventured in there since her brother died, since she found him passed out on the floor. The one and only time she’s left this house since she curled into it for protection.
The guest bedroom is in the middle of the hallway, just a few steps behind the couch and then her bedroom, her nest, her safety. Another room we’re not allowed in. Except for tonight, the door is cracked open just a sliver. Something that never happens. Through the gap, I catch a glimpse of her paradise but it’s nothing like I’d pictured.
I always imagined soft blankets, pillows piled high, maybe some fairy lights she’d string up for comfort. A little haven soaked in her wild berry scent that she hides away. Instead, it looks like a damn bulldozer tore through it. Blankets are shredded, flung across the floor in twisted heaps. Pillows lie gutted, stuffing spilling out like snow.
Seraphina catches where my attention has drifted, tears glistening in her eyes as she bolts over to close the door. “I just forgot. Don’t worry about it.” Her voice wobbles, those gorgeous eyes filled with terror and suddenly I realize what must have had her upset. I just don’t know exactly what caused this.
I step closer, keeping my tone gentle. “Sweetheart, was someone here? Did they destroy your nest?”
“No. None of that. I… I’m just on edge right now. There was something in there and I got mad.”
I’ve never heard of an Omega trashing their own nest. Not like that. Not the way it looked—chaos and ruin where safety’s supposed to live. I reach out, cupping her cheeks in my hands, the warmth of her skin bleeding into mine. If I concentrate hard enough, I catch the faint notes of her scent beneath the descenter, Seraphina leaning into my touch like a part of her craves it. A gentle purr rumbles through my chest, attempting to calm the Omega before me, Seraphina melting just a little bit more.
“Hey,” I murmur, thumbs brushing her jaw. “We don’t have to worry about that. Show me what you’re making. Let me help.”
She hesitates, her lids fluttering closed as she nuzzles into my hands before a grin takes hold of her lips. “Okay. I… can you chop the vegetables?” Seraphina slips from my hold, grabbing my hand in hers and then leads me to the kitchen. She points to the cutting board, shoving a pile of onions and bell peppers my way.
“Yeah, I think I can handle this. It smells good in here, sweetheart.”
That puts a full smile back on her face before she turns back to the counter by the sink, vigorously working on something that smells like a myriad of spices and pork. With her attention turned away from me, I drag out my phone to warn the guys.
Tread carefully when you get here. She destroyed her nest.
Lyle’s reply buzzes fast.
What for?
No fucking clue. She’s not happy about it.
Ambrose chimes in next.
Was someone in there?
Not sure. Maintenance isn’t due ‘til tomorrow.
I type, glancing at her again.
