“Make sure your scent is spread evenly,” Gamma Finn whispered while patting Marlow’s shoulder. “Nightshade Hunters can distinguish a single drop of scent from twenty meters away.”
Delta Marlow nodded as he spread the dark liquid across his neck, wrists, and behind his ears.
The Nightshade Pack scent—a mix of cedar smoke, bitter roots, and a faint trace of dark magic—stabbed his nose, making him slightly nauseous.
“This is disgusting,” Marlow muttered under his breath.
“Better disgusting than dead,” Finn patted him again. “We split up from here. Remember, don’t talk unless necessary. Don’t stare at anyone for too long.”
Marlow took a sharp breath, then the two went their separate ways, slipping into the routines of the cold-faced Pack members.
**
Gamma Finn walked steadily through th
