Julian didn't answer immediately. His thumb brushed across my inner wrist, a touch so light it might have been accidental, but the contact sent a current of awareness through me that made it hard to breathe.
"Very good," he finally said, his voice low enough that only I could hear. "Extraordinarily good."
He released my hand slowly, reluctantly, and stepped back. The loss of contact felt like stepping from warmth into cold, and I had to resist the urge to reach for him again.
"Christopher," Julian said, his voice carefully controlled. "Would you like to confirm?"
I glanced up, startled. I hadn't expected the others would want to scent me as well, though it made sense—if I were to join their pack, compatibility with all of them mattered.
Christopher approached with a gentle smile that eased some of my nervousness. "Only if you're comfortable," he said, echoing Julian's earlier words. "No pressure."
I nodded, extending my hand to him. Christopher's touch was different from Julian's—lighter, more playful, but equally warm. When he brought my wrist close to his throat, I caught his scent and felt another wave of recognition wash over me.
Where Julian had been warm earth and spice, Christopher carried notes of cedar and something bright like citrus, with an underlying warmth that reminded me of honey. Not overwhelming, not demanding—just welcoming. Safe.
"Mmm," Christopher hummed softly, a smile tugging at his lips as he caught my scent in return. "Julian wasn't exaggerating."
Miles was next, approaching with less of his earlier wariness. His scent was the most surprising yet—clean and fresh like pine forests after snow, with something wilder underneath that spoke of freedom and open spaces.
As Miles's scent wrapped around me, I felt a curious lightness—like taking a deep breath of mountain air. His eyes widened slightly as he caught my scent in return, the green in them brightening to something almost luminous.
"Well," he said, a genuine smile replacing his usual guarded expression. "That settles it."
Nicolaus approached last, his clinical detachment giving way to cautious curiosity. When his scent reached me—complex and layered like aged bourbon and leather-bound books—I felt my mind sharpen rather than relax, as if his presence clarified rather than soothed. Something about it made me feel more aware, more present in my own skin.
His blue eyes studied me with new interest as he caught my scent. "Fascinating," he murmured, more to himself than to me. "Having an appealing scent is a good thing, but not something that has to happen…but it is something important to our pack.”
"Complete compatibility with all four of us," Nicolaus explained, his clinical tone softening with something like wonder. "The statistical probability is..." he paused, shaking his head, "extraordinarily low."
I remained seated, feeling strangely anchored yet weightless all at once. The room seemed both sharper and softer—colors more vivid, sounds more distinct. My skin tingled where each of them had touched me, as if their scents had left invisible marks.
"Is that unusual?" I asked, finding my voice. "For an Omega to be compatible with an entire pack?"
Julian returned to his seat, but his eyes never left mine. "Very. Most arrangements involve primary compatibility with the Alpha and acceptable tolerance with others. This level of harmony across all four of us is... rare."
"I've never experienced anything like it," Christopher admitted, his expression thoughtful as he settled back into his chair., “Usually someone’s scent is something to help calm pack members, I have seen packs where scents bother one another or make one on edge…it didn’t end good for the pack in the long run.”
“It is important to be compatible with a person, personality wise, but scent is important. It should be something that calms one another.” Miles spoke up, eyes on me.
I absorbed their words, trying to process the magnitude of what had just happened. The scenting had felt so natural, so right, that I hadn't considered how unusual it might be. But as I looked around the table at their expressions—surprise, wonder, and something deeper I couldn't quite name—the significance began to sink in.
"What happens now?" I asked, my voice smaller than I intended.
Julian leaned forward, his elbows resting on the table. "That depends on you, Lilianna. How do you feel about what just happened?"
The question caught me off guard again. How did I feel? The scenting had awakened something in me I hadn't known existed—a sense of rightness, of belonging, that went deeper than anything I'd been taught to expect. But beneath that recognition was something else; fear.
"Confused," I admitted honestly. "I've never felt anything like that…”
Julian's expression gentled. "That's understandable. What you just experienced is what scenting is supposed to feel like. What your parents have been denying you."
"Why would they do that?" The question slipped out before I could stop it, raw and confused. "If compatibility is so important, why would they prevent me from experiencing it?"
Nicolaus's blue eyes hardened. "Control. If you don't know what you're missing, you can't demand it."
The truth of his words hit me like a physical blow. All those years of supervised interactions, of being told that my preferences didn't matter—it had all been deliberate. A way to ensure I would accept whatever arrangement they made, regardless of how it felt.
"Your parents know that if you experienced true compatibility, you might refuse an incompatible match," Christopher explained, his voice gentle but firm. "They've kept you ignorant to keep you malleable."
