Page 18 of Knottily Ever After (Crescent Lake Cozy Omegaverse #1)

Chapter Eighteen

Quinn

W hen Vaughn sends Ben and me a text, explaining that Vi doesn’t believe in scent matching and said some crazy shit about it, I’m at my wits’ end.

If a suppressant can do this to an Omega, no wonder there are so few packs outside of small towns like ours.

This is absolutely infuriating. How can this shit be on the market?

I’m still raging in the living room when Vi enters the apartment, her laptop bag on her shoulder. She stops short when she spots me pacing the floor.

“What happened?” she asks, her brows drawing together with concern.

I don’t even feel bad when I dive right in. “Are you on suppressants?”

It’s a stupid question, one I already know the answer to, but I need her to walk this path.

Her brows rise now, suspicion in her green eyes. “Of course, I am. Why would you ask something so silly?”

Ignoring her question, I plow on. “Which one?”

“Excuse me?”

“What’s the name of the drug you’re taking?”

She squints at me, the silence surrounding us thickens. I can feel anger in her energy from across the room, but I’m angry too. And I’m done with this bullshit.

She raises her chin and says simply, “ Supprex.”

My phone is already in my grasp, and I pull up a search on the drug. I ignore all the official mumbo-jumbo and go straight to third-party sites with real patient feedback.

It’s a pill taken once a month, and those prescribed list dozens of side effects, including dulled senses and extreme scent suppression.

I look back up at Vi who has let her laptop rest on the floor where she stands. “Did you know your pills suppress more than heats?”

Her brows twitch.

“Did you know that they not only suppress your scent, but dull your ability to scent others?”

She huffs in annoyance, her auburn hair swinging side to side with her head. Somewhere in my mind, I realize I’ve never seen her upset before. Either she was already in a bad mood, or she’s feeding off my frustration.

Like if we were a pack.

“I can smell people just fine.” Her tone is clipped.

“I know what you smell like, what Vaughn smells like, even Ben. I caught Lilly’s scent when I met her, and everyone else I pass by.

” Her jaw sets before she continues. “It may be easier for me to pick out scents in this small town than in L.A., where scents are overwhelmed by environmental smells, but there’s nothing wrong with my senses. ”

She picks up her laptop and swings it back onto her shoulder.

“I don’t know what your and Vaughn’s obsession is with scents and the fairy tale of scent-matching, but don’t push that shit on me.

I’ve had enough of men telling me what to do or how to feel.

It’s manipulative, and I won’t stand for it ever again. ”

Then she’s gone, her bedroom door shutting with not quite a slam, but close.

Well, fuck.

Way to go, Quinn. Always a master of reading the room.

I go slump down into the couch cushions with a drawn-out sigh, letting my cell sit on the arm.

Maybe Dee was right after spending three years with me. I guess I’m just a selfish prick.

Another sigh, and I frown.

I was really mad, and I can’t really remember why. And still, I chased Violet away.

Was my line of questioning selfish?

I mean, I didn’t ask just for me. I did it for Vaughn and Ben, and even Vi! Just imagining how happy we could all be together makes my chest ache with a longing I’ve never known.

Not with Dee, not with anyone.

But how is that dream supposed to come true if Vi can’t scent us properly? Sure, she said she could “smell” people, but there is a huge difference between recognizing a scent and… well, feeling it in your every atom.

I get just a touch of that euphoria every now and then when Vi’s wildflower scent increases, usually when she experiences heightened emotions.

Especially if she’s turned on.

Like when I help her stretch at the gym. Or when Vaughn fed her ice cream.

I snatch my phone again and change my search parameters.

Huh. It looks like the effects of the pill wear off within a couple of weeks of a missed dose.

So there’s hope, then.

But how the hell are we going to convince her to stop taking her suppressants?