The One 10
Chapter 10: Scent
Hunter
Lucas and I head to my office after morning warrior training. We walk in, ready to look over the
patrols and everything else that we need to tackle today. I sit down at my desk, and he sits across
from me. I noticed something different about him this morning, A spring in his step, but didn’t want
to ask in front of everyone. Now, however, it’s just the two of us.
“Something’s different. What’s going on with you?” I ask.
He gives me a smug smile. “Why would you say something’s different?”
“Besides the fact that you’re my Beta and my best friend, I’ve known you for a long time. What’s
up?”
“Kinsley invited me to sleep in the bed with herst night.”
I look at him a moment, not exactly sure how impactful this is. They’ve been together over a year.
“Was that…”
“After I marked her, I told her she could have the bed and I would sleep on the couch until she
invited me to sleep with her. Last night was the first night that she finally invited me. Nothing
happened and I’m okay with that, but she let me hold her all night. I haven’t felt this calm since I met
her.”
“Congrattions, Lucas. Seriously, I’m happy for you.”
“I think you were right about giving her choices. It seems the
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more that I’m giving her options, the more open she is to including me in her life. We still have a
long way to go but we took a step in the right directionst night.”
“Good. I’m d to hear it. And I hope you continue to make steps in the right direction.”
We begin going through the work for the day, making sure our patrols are scheduled properly,
making sure we ount for our she-wolves who are no longer able to shift because of pregnancies.
Unlike ranked members, the warriors and the omegas don’t im their mates publicly. So, generally
speaking, once they’re mated, they begin having pups right away.
It’s getting close to lunchtime when Kinsley knocks on the door. I’m about to tell her toe in, but
Lucas is up and heading to the door before I have a chance to. He opens the door, smiling
at his mate.
“Hey Kins,e on in.”
She returns the smile, and a soft blush flushes her cheeks. She
looks down a ment before looking back up at Lucas. “I needed to speak with you and Alpha Hunter
for a moment,” she says, stepping into my office.
“Hey Kinsley, what do you need?” I ask.
“I need to go into town tomorrow. I usually go once a month, just to make sure that our grocery bill is
paid and there aren’t any problems. It’s never been an issue before, however, now it means I won’t
be able to leave food for the she-wolves because I’ll be in town. I was wondering if one of you would
be willing to go and leave the food and water for the she-wolves. I don’t know if word has gotten out
or if perhaps it’s the same person
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coming back multiple times, but the food is gone every day now. I’d hate to think that somebody’s
going hungry just because I had to go into town,” she says.
“Don’t you normally go in the mornings?” I ask her.
“I do, and I know that that won’t be possible for you. That’s why I was wondering if maybe it would
be Lucas that would go.
instead,” she says.
“Actually, I would like to go. I’d like to see how you have it set up, and I’d also like to check to make
sure that there are no Alphas around. If we’re just getting the word out to she-wolves on the run, I
would hate to think that the Alphas have started staking the ce out. I don’t want us to
inadvertently leave a trap for these, she-wolves,” I say to her.
“I’m d you said that, Alpha. I’ve been thinking the same thing, wondering if we shouldn’t change
the spot where we’re putting the food. My only concern with that is will they know how to find it if weCopyright by N?v/elDrama.Org.
move?”
“Let me check it out tomorrow and see. I won’t be able to go in the morning, but I’ll go in the
afternoon. Hopefully if it’s a new person every day, the time of day won’t matter. I hope, anyway.”
“I can take you this afternoon, show you where the ce is, where I leave the food. How I hide it,”
Kindley suggests.
“Perfect. Let’s n to go after lunch. You usually drive right?”
“Yes. That way I can clean up if there’s anything left behind and then I can leave the food and
secure it.
“OK, let’s go this afternoon then. We may as well bring another
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supply of food since we’re going anyway. That way if someone doese in the morning, it won’t
be as fresh as when you leave it, but there will be food and water there for them.
“That’s a great idea, Alpha. I’ll have another food basket put together and then I’ll have lunch sent
up for both of you?” she asks, looking back and forth between us.
“I think we’re done here,” I say to Lucas, giving him the opportunity to invite Kinsley to have lunch
with him.
“I’ll get the patrols posted, Alpha,” he says before turning to his mate: “I’ll take lunch in my office,
Kins. If you have time, you’re wee to join me.”
She looks down and blushes again. “I have time,” she says softly.
“Good. I’ll see you in a few then,” he says, gently kissing her cheek as he passes her.
She turns her head and watches as he walks out the door. Before he steps out, he turns and winks
at her making her blush an even deeper shade of pink.
I feel jealousy for their rtionship flowing through me again. I want a mate. I want a rtionship
with someone, someone who I can grow old with, someone who I can love and dote on, someone
who loves me in return. I get angry all over again about the process that we have for iming
ranked she-wolves which is impacting my ability to find and take a mate.
“Alpha?” Kinsley asks and my head snaps up to her.
“I’m sorry, did you ask me something?” I ask, not having heard
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her if she did.
“You were growling Alpha. Is everything okay?
“It looks as though you and Lucas are finally finding your way together. I’m happy for you, but it
frustrates me that our process has caused the problems in your rtionship that it has and that it’s
impacting my own ability to take a mate. Sometimes I feel it more strongly than others. My
apologies. I didn’t mean to startle you.”
“You’re a good Alpha, Alpha Hunter. I have no doubt that you would make a great mate. But
speaking from experience, no matter how good your mate is, that initial iming makes everything
so much more difficult.”
“Which is why I’m working hard to try and change it. I want to find my mate, but I don’t want to find
her only to lose her.
“I hope that you’re able to make changes to the process Alpha Hunter. Truly, I have no desire to
raise a daughter in this environment. To know that she would have to go through what I went
through… And I was lucky enough to be mated to Lucas. He’s been more patient with me than I
ever expected. Many others aren’t as lucky as I am.”
I nod, knowing she’s right. “Come get me when you’re ready to go.”
A few hourster, we’re in the car driving up into the mountains.
“I intentionally chose a spot that’s difficult to get to and requires someone to be smaller than an
Alpha. It’s going to be hard for you to get into this space,” Kinsley tells me.
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“I’ll manage.”
When we park, I grab the supplies and begin following Kinsley up an unmarked trail. I make note of
where we are, breathing in the air around me, making sure I can find this ce on my own
tomorrow.
As we climb, I sniff the air, happy and a little surprised that I don’t smell any Alphas or other ranked
werewolves in the area.
“You chose a ce that’s in bear territory?” I ask Kinsley.
“Yes. It’s a risk for the she-wolves, but they’re out here on their own anyway. The bears are at least
a deterrent for the ranked wolvesing after them.
I give my Beta female an appraising look. It was smart of her. She’s right. The ranked wolves would
b**s the area once they smelled the bears, not wanting to risk an attack. Being a hunting party, they
would be in small groups and bears have been. known to take on up to ten wolves at a time, even
werewolves.
She begins ducking through rocky areas, ces that are very small. She helps me through, both of
us making sure that I don’t scratch myself to the point of bleeding. If my scent is here, the she-
wolves won’te. As it is, just having me here is a risk, but it’s one I’m willing to take if it means
that we might be able to feed a starving female.
After maneuvering through several small openings, I see the spot where Kinsley leaves the food
and water. She’s found a perfect area. There’s a small little pool here with water dripping from a
lake or river nearby. The she-wolves could take the opportunity to wash themselves off while they
eat and drink before leaving again. In truth, they would probably be safe to
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spend the night here, but I doubt that any of them would do that.
I lift my nose in the air, smelling the scent of multiple she wolves who havee to take the food
and water that we’re offering. There’s another scent more potent in the air.
‘Fear,’ Shaw confirms.
“I’m rethinking you moving this ce, Kinsley. You found a nearly perfect ce here. My only
concern is that they have to get in and out, and there would be ways for the Alphas toy ambush
for them.”
She shows me a note, one that she reces with one in her -pocket. The note says that the food
and water are for anyone. who is hungry or thirsty. It gives an update on thetest that we’ve heard
about where the Alphas are hunting, and then it gives directions on how to exit a different way than
we entered.
“Are you sure you’re not part fox, Kinsley? I say, yet again impressed with her.
She chuckles at that. “No. I just have an idea of what they’re feeling, what they’re trying to escape
from. I’ve used that to guide my notes and my ns for them.”
“Start looking around, see if you can find a ce that’s as good. or nearly as good as this one. I
would hate to give this ce up just because we’re nervous about Alphas being around. Worst case
scenario, maybe Lucas and can begin patrolling here, trying to keep the ce safe.”
“We’d need to be careful with that too. We wouldn’t want your scent to be too strong or they won’t
stay.”
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“Agreed. Okay, let’s head back the way we came. I don’t want to know the secret exit.”
A
Kinsley chuckles again. As we make our way back out to the main area, there’s a moment where
the breeze blows in our direction, and I suddenly get the scent of orchids. I stop, lifting my nose in
the air and taking a deep breath, wanting desperately to go find the source of the scent.
“Alpha?” Kinsley asks, and I realize that I’ve taken a step in the direction of the scent. I stop, looking
around, seeing nothing. I’m pretty sure I know what this scent is though.
‘Shaw is that…?’
‘Yes, that is the scent of our mate.’
I’m not sure how I feel about that. If she’s here, she may be hungry, she may need water and don’t
want to scare her off. I’ll be back tomorrow. Maybe I can catch her and at least try and talk to her, let
her know that I’m not like the others, that I won’t im her publicly, that she can trust me.
I take one more look around, lifting my nose in the air, trying to catch the scent one more time.
“It’s nothing, Kinsley. Let’s head back.”
I turn and walk away, getting in the car and looking around as we begin to head back to the pack. I
don’t see her, but I know she’s there. My mate.