Page 60 of The Omega Switch: Part 2

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The drive wasn't long. Hunter drove while Elias rode beside him, leaving Ronan and me in the backseat. I tried to breathe through my mouth, because even though they’d worn a slight descenter, their scents were still coming through. I figured it was intentional, but I didn’t mention it.

I could smell each of them, the notes clear as day - Hunter's deep ocean mist, Elias's fresh cotton and tea, and Ronan's warm cocoa and toasted marshmallow. Separately, each scent was familiar now. Together they blended into something rich enough that my omega side felt like keening. My scent glands tingled, but didn’t betray me. I silently thanked every deity I could think of that I'd remembered to use my calming oil before they arrived.

I looked out the window, trying to imagine where they would take me. In fact, I was trying anything to keep my mind off of what it would feel like to curl up between all three of them while surrounded by those scents.

The moment I saw the sign on the gate, I gasped. "A botanical garden?" I asked, looking at the rolling green hills and the colorful vegetation that sprawled out in front of us.

Hunter smiled. "We thought you might like it." Oh, I more than liked it. I was already loving it. They walked me to the front gates, handing tickets to the staff as I took off, my mind already overwhelmed with everything to look at.

There were rows and rows of flowering herbs, and each section was dedicated to a different climate and fragrance family. I stopped to look at every plant, taking notes in my head as I bent to smell them. Further down, there were pathways that had an entire section dedicated to various roses. I was going to have a field day.

"Oh my gosh..." I crouched beside a bed of fragrant herbs. "They have chocolate mint!" I looked over my shoulder at them. "Do you know how difficult chocolate mint is to find?" The amused Alphas watched me as I practically vibrated with excitement.

I went along, stopping at each plant to read the plaques, smell the fragrance, and let my mind go wild with ideas. I was already thinking of new things I could make, my inspiration running wild. The pack followed behind me, occasionally asking me a question or remarking when I excitedly pointed out a rare plant. My head buzzed with possibilities, from new perfume accords to bath soaks, even a line of botanical room sprays inspired entirely by the plants I'd seen that afternoon. I had been so absorbed in the flowers that I barely noticed Hunter guiding us onto a smaller stone path that branched away from the main gardens.

"Where are we going?" I asked, finally tearing my attention away from the gardens.

"One more stop," Hunter replied, and I followed him, intrigued by whatever they had planned.

The winding path led us toward a glass conservatory tucked in the far corner of the gardens. Sunlight streamed through the panes overhead, and the whole place was filled with jasmine vines and citrus trees. In the center, wrought-iron tables overlooked a pond filled with golden fish.

"Oh..." I breathed. "What is this place?” I asked, inhaling the fresh floral scent of the air.

"We reserved it," Elias said as he walked up to the check-in stand. The hostess led us to a table where a porcelain teapot already waited, along with small cups and a variety of scones, shortbread, fruit tarts, and cookies dusted with powdered sugar. I stared at the spread.

"You planned all this?" I asked. Hunter pulled out my chair before sitting across from me.

"We may have asked Mara what kinds of desserts you like." He said, looking bashful, which was an expression I’d never seen on him before. My mind was still ruminating on our kiss in the rain, and my body certainly hadn’t forgotten. I wanted to feel more, and being around all three of them was like getting everything I wanted at once. I forced myself not to let my imagination run wild. The server poured tea before slipping away, leaving us alone in the peaceful little atrium. So far, I loved being courted.

"So..." Elias said, taking a bite of a cookie. "Do you have a favorite flower?" I took a bite of one of the scones, my mind buzzing.

"I don't know. There were too many to pick from." I said, looking around at the beautiful scenery as I tried to take it all in. "But if I had to choose..." I looked out toward the gardens, watching as butterflies stopped at various buds. "I'd probably say wild jasmine."

Elias leaned in. "Because of the fragrance?" He asked. I nodded.

"Partly. But mostly because it reminds me of my mom." I said the words before I had really thought about them. The three men went quiet.

"When I was little," I continued, "she used to take me out some weekends. We could only go to omega-safe locations, so it was a bit limited.” I admitted, looking around at the space we were in. She likely wouldn’t have been able to bring me here on her own. “We'd visit parks, nature preserves, botanical trails. Really any safe place where there were interesting plants." I smiled at the memory. "She always said that nature was the greatest perfumer in the world. We'd spend hours picking herbs, rubbing leaves between our fingers, trying to guess which scents would blend together. Sometimes we'd come home with little baskets full of flowers and spend the afternoon making perfumes." I smiled at the memory.

Ronan rested his elbows on the table. "Sounds like you take after her in many ways." He said. I nodded.

"After she passed, I stopped coming." No one interrupted. "My fathers wouldn’t bring me. They said there wasn't time anymore. There was too much work at the laboratory." I looked around the conservatory. "I don't think I've been somewhere like this since."

Hunter looked around at the flowers surrounding us before meeting my eyes again. "I'm glad you're back."

"So am I," I admitted. I set my teacup down and looked at each of them in turn. "You know, I don't think I could have planned a better day.” The three of them practically radiated pride. We finished the tea and cookies, enjoying the sounds of the pond and the calls of the birds around us.

Without thinking, I reached across the table. My fingers found Elias's hand. He looked down, then carefully turned his palm upward so I could lace my fingers through his.

"Thank you," I whispered. The words were meant for all three of them. Ronan exchanged a glance with the other two, then grinned.

"We're not done yet." He said proudly. I looked over at him, my curiosity spiking.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

Elias stood, gently pulling me with him. "Come on. The day isn’t over yet." He said with a mischievous smile. I looked between them, suspicion and excitement warring inside me.