Another silent exchange passes between them. This time, it's Dmitri who speaks, his voice low and deliberate.
"When we met you at restaurant," he says, those piercing blue eyes holding mine, "we all recognized something in you. Something unexpected."
I frown. "What are you talking about?"
"Your scent," Zayn says bluntly, leaning forward with his elbows on the table. "Pumpkin spice."
I blink, momentarily thrown by the non sequitur. "My... what?"
"You're our scent match," Jax says quietly, the words landing in the center of the table like a bomb.
The room goes silent. I stare at him, certain I've misheard.
"I'm your what?" My voice comes out higher than intended.
"Our scent match," Aidan repeats, his green eyes wide and earnest. "All of us. That's why we freaked out at the restaurant. It wasn't because we didn't want you there, it was because we were completely blindsided."
I look at each of their faces in turn, searching for signs that this is some elaborate joke. But all I see is sincerity, and a hint of vulnerability that seems out of place on these confident, powerful men.
"That's not possible," I say finally, shaking my head.
"Statistically improbable," Dmitri agrees with a small nod. "But not impossible."
How do I tell him I don't mean it's impossible for a beta to be their scent match, or for us to have connected through an app? I mean it's impossible forme.Things like this don't happen to me.
"It happened," Zayn adds as if somehow reading my thoughts, his dark eyes intense. "Trust me, none of us were expecting it either."
I turn to Darren, who's been suspiciously quiet throughout this revelation. "Did you know about this?"
The guilt that flashes across his face is answer enough.
"You knew," I say, unable to keep the hurt from my voice. "And you didn't tell me?"
"I didn't know until after," he says quickly, his hand tightening around mine. "I swear, Lexie. They told me the day after we... after I came home from your place."
"But you've known for days," I press, pulling my hand from his. "And you didn't think to mention it before bringing me here?"
Darren flinches. "I wanted to, but I didn't know how. And I was afraid..."
"Afraid of what?"
"That you'd run," he admits, his blue eyes meeting mine with raw honesty. "That it would be too much, too fast. That you'd think I was only interested in you because of some biological quirk."
"Are you?" The question slips out before I can stop it, voicing the fear that's already taking root.
"No," Darren says firmly, no hesitation. "I was drawn to you before I knew anything about this. I can barely smell anything on these suppressants. But I still felt a pull toward you from the first moment we met."
"It's true," Aidan interjects, his expression earnest. "He was completely gone on you before any of us even met you."
"But it explains a lot," Darren continues, his voice softening. "Why I felt so comfortable with you so quickly. Why you smell so incredible to me, even through the suppressants, when I barely notice anyone else's scent."
"Like a pumpkin spiced latte you'd sell your soul for a single sip of," Aidan mumbles, smiling shyly when he catches me staring.
The comment startles a laugh out of me. "That's what you meant at the restaurant," I realize. "When you asked if I liked pumpkin spice?"
Aidan's cheeks flush again. "Yeah. Not my smoothest moment."
"None of us were exactly smooth that night," Zayn drawls, though there's a hint of self-deprecation in his tone. Considering the shock the others are looking at him with, I'm going to guess that isn't usual for him.
