Page 21 of Strays
The black Chevy Suburban is cramped, filled with us and the MAB officers. The space feels even smaller because of the weight of what’s coming.
The drive is short, less than ten minutes.
When we step inside the hospital, reality slams into me.
This is it.
It’s happening.
Now.
The MAB officers move in sync, their coordination effortless — pack instinct. One of them speaks briefly with the front desk, then we’re led to an elevator.
Third floor.
When the doors slide open, Commander Eneas is already waiting.
He opens the door to an empty medical office and gestures for us to step inside. He doesn’t bother sitting.
“This is a highly irregular situation,” he says, tone clipped. “So I’m not dealing with any bullshit from you three. You follow protocol. Exactly.”
His eyes flick over each of us. “You’ll go in and out. If she rejects you, you return to the MAB immediately. No questions. You don’t speak to hospital staff, you don’t linger, and you sure as hell don’t come back here later. If I find out you’ve come within a hundred feet of this building after a rejection, I will personally see to it that you’re locked in a disciplinary cell at the MAB until the nyra is discharged. Am I clear?”
“Yes, sir,” I answer without hesitation.
Then I pause. “But… if she doesn’t reject us? If she’s our scent-mate, what do we do?”
To my surprise, the commander cracks a smile. “Then you try not to cry in front of her.”
Scent-Bonding in Gregalis: Mechanism, Mythology, and Evolutionary Cost
Excerpt from Emergent Divergence: The Evolutionary Path of Homo Gregalis by Dr. Steve Bureau, Ph.D. (4th ed., West Kempton Institute Press)
The scent-bond is high-fidelity olfactory match between a nyra and a complete aegis triad that results in a form of biological imprinting.
When a scent-match occurs, the reaction is immediate and overwhelming. Within seconds of exposure, all members of the matched pack experience a neurochemical cascade: dopamine and norepinephrine spike, producing hyperfocus, euphoria, and emotional fixation. Oxytocin receptor density surges. Reward-related brain regions — the ventral tegmental area and nucleus accumbens — enter a state of intense activation. Pheromonal entrainment occurs rapidly, driving involuntary proximity and tactile seeking.
The resulting pull between matched individuals becomes compulsive within 48 to 72 hours. The bite bond occurs almost immediately unless externally prevented.
Scent-bonded packs consistently display stronger hormonal synchrony, tighter regulation of aggression, and, in some cases, the spontaneous emergence of comfort behaviors such as humming or purring in response to nyra distress. These low-frequency vocalizations have been shown to reduce cortisol levels, functioning as a nonverbal form of support.
CHAPTER FIVE
Holy Fuck
We cross the corridor, trembling, with the commander leading us and the MAB pack at our backs. I spot the blond human leaning against the wall next to a door. Two steps from her, the scent hits me at full force.
Lilies. Strong. Fresh.
I’ve never smelled anything better in my life. I want to lean into it, bury myself in it. My heart races, and I swear it’s fast enough to give even an aegis a heart attack.
I glance at my brothers. Their nostrils are flared, their expressions stunned.
Does this scent mean she’s our scent-mate? Or do all Prime nyras just smell this good?
The commander steps into the room, and we follow, legs wobbly.
She’s there.
