Scent of A Rogue

Chapter 8 - The Wolf Within

Gideon

Riva’s scent was driving me wild for no reason. I had heard Alpha Robert and Alpha Leon talk about scents making them react a certain way.

It had never happened to me until today.

“What are you waiting for? Go inside that apartment,” growled the bossy creature in my head.

All the years of suppressants and drugs had taken a toll, even if I had been sober for about two of them now. It was probably just my inner self going out of control.

To be fair, my inner demon was right. Riva was an attractive woman. She looked incredibly enticing in her black robe, obviously straight from the shower. Though the shampoo and soap scents were clearly there, her essence was overpowering.

“f**k off,” I muttered.

“Excuse me? You just asked me who I was. Now, you’re telling me to f**k off?” the witch asked, incredulous.

This time, she was not having it. She raised her right hand, palm up. Uh oh. What was she planning to do? Sparks came out of her palm, sparks that immediately made contact with my arm. I howled.

I deserved more. After all, I had bitten her and left her for dead. I knew that my bite alone could not have killed her, but leaving her there in the forest as the rain fell on her was another thing. I was not good with failed missions and changes of plans. All I wanted to do then was to find the other Alphas.

“It wasn’t you that I was talking to, witch!”

“Who was it, then?” she asked, her hands on her hips. Her robe opened a little because of that movement.

“Carry on,” the voice murmured.

“Don’t be such a pervert. What do I call you if I must curse you?” I made sure I did not say it aloud this time.

“Cato,” it growled.

“Well, Cato, I’m not going to go sober and leave my corrupt life only to become a ravisher of women.”

“I didn’t say anything about ravishing her. That was all you. I only said go inside that house.”’

Well, damn. How did I end up with an inner wolf that sounded suspiciously like Robert at his most annoying?

“Wolf?” asked Riva, her arms folded in front of her chest.

“Yes,” I sighed.

A man about my age passed by the hall, glancing at me as he went. He was probably a building resident wondering what was going on. The man even glanced at Riva, maybe asking her if she was alright. She gave a slight smile and a little wave to assure him that she was safe.

“Come inside, Gideon,” Riva exhaled in annoyance. “I don’t want you ending up in jail the first day you are out of the forest.”

“Jail?”

“Well, you just made a thunderous noise in front of my apartment. Then, you looked like you were all glazed over. I could easily call someone for you, pick you up for looking nuts. The stalking part itself would already do you in.”

I strode inside her tiny apartment. It was a place that was not meant to receive visitors. The place smelled of her. I could not detect any other scents. Not human. Not witch. Not wolf. I could not even smell a darned cat.

“You live alone?”

“What do you think?” she asked, her arms making a grand gesture to indicate how small her space was.

Then, she narrowed her eyes and tilted her chin to look at me.

“Don’t tell me you’re moving in?”

“No! Don’t worry about that. I -,” I jingled the keys from the reception. “got a room here on the same floor.”

“Right. It’s not creepy at all, Gideon.”

“I’m sorry. I just need to be here for some reason. I might also need your help at some point,” I admitted. “I could also check on you.”

“Are you offering to be my bodyguard, Gideon? I can take care of myself.”

I had no doubt she could. She had survived my bite in the thunderous rain. After the other wolves pounced on her, I was pretty sure she broke her arm. Then, she tried to move on the same day she was banished. Even after all that happened, she saved my ass. It all could mean that she was not processing her feelings. I was not good at that kind of thing, either. That was why I did not like an inner wolf tickling in my brain.

Wait.

She broke her arm. I was sure of it.

Riva gestured for me to sit on her couch. I nodded as a thank you. She sat across me. Her crossing her legs did not help matters at all.

“Riva, I remember clearly that you broke your arm. How did it just get better?”

“I don’t think it was broken,” she frowned. “I was able to drive myself as soon as I could get up. It was painful. If it were broken, then I would still be feeling it.”

Could it be?

“May I look at the bite, Riva?” I asked as gently as I could. I did not want her alarmed, though this woman did not look like she had any fear in her body.

“Why would you want that?” she asked suspiciously. She unconsciously adjusted her robe. She even tightened the belt.

“I want to see if it’s, um, infected.”

“I thought you were here for questions. Now, you want to play doctor? Are you one?”

“I’m not.”

Unless you could call someone who had access to so many different types of pills one.

“Then, I am not showing it to you,” she snapped.

“You know why you should show me? Because I’m a wolf, the one who bit you. I want to understand what happened to you. I want to understand why there’s something about your scent.”

“There’s that issue about how I smell again,” the witch grumbled, but I could see her easing up. Her hands were loosening the cloth belt. “Come. Look at it.”

I rose from my seat, ambling to avoid being an eager beaver. Riva had opened her robe enough for me to see the area I bit. The pentagram with a dagger greeted me first. I felt a little sorry for her. It was not filled with ink. It was a good thing we had to study the Coven enough for us to defend ourselves from them. These witches had been taking down wolves. Small-time ones. For the first time, someone targeted Hotchkiss, and they decided to send this witch alone.

Curious.

My hand hovered over the patch of skin, not wanting to alarm Riva by touching it. I noticed that I had bitten the side of the pentagram, taking away the edge of it. However, everything seemed so smooth. If I did not know any better, I might have bitten another person. Not this one here. I would have asked if she had a twin.

“What?” she asked, her voice sounding worried. It was almost like I was an actual doctor, and she was a patient anxious about the diagnosis.

“The wound has completely healed,” I said.

“Is that normal?” she asked, covering the skin with her robe as I retreated to where she had initially asked me to sit. She did not have to worry about me. I didn’t want to be too close to her. It was taking away the last bit of my self-control.

“Normal for a wolf. That was why I was asking you who you are. Or maybe the right question is, have you felt like you were shifting? Do you feel any different?”

For the first time, I saw a quiver of fear on her face. If somebody else was watching, they would not have noticed the almost imperceptible shaking of the lower part of her face. They would not have seen the delicate hair standing on end. She was spooked.

“Oh, she is. You should not have told her that because she is about to draw the same conclusions. She’s feeling it. She feels a connection.”

“Hush, Cato.”

“W-what are you telling me, Gideon? That I’m becoming like you?”

My jaw clenched at that. Was she insulting me?

“I don’t know. I know nothing of such things. The Wolfless Pack is not like any other pack. We don’t bow down to any gods or goddesses. We might shift into wolves, heal fast, and have incredible strength, but we do not follow other rules. So, they have not been relayed to me, either.”

“You didn’t mean anything else by the bite than to kill me?”

“I didn’t mean to kill you! I told you that. You should not have jumped me.”

“Yet, you went and bit me. Then, the wound heals miraculously, if I can even use that word for what happened.”

“Yes. I sense you from afar. I don’t know why.”

“But you’re a wolf.”

“Yes, I am. But do you think I’m meant to track every scent I gather? I would be nuts.”

“That’s right,” Cato agreed.

“To answer your question about who I am, I’m a witch. I am descended from generations of witches, tracing our ancestors to the Medieval ages. We have always been elementals. I’ve been an orphan since childhood. So, the Coven has been my home for almost two decades.”

“Descended from your mother?” I asked, noticing that Riva had gotten too relaxed again. Her robe opened a little. I remembered how carefree she was with her loose blouses. She needed to watch what she was wearing.

“Yes,” she said, oblivious to my thoughts. Then, she shivered and fixed her robe again. A sigh of relief almost escaped loudly from my lips.

“What about your father?’

Her face darkened at that. From that one shift in expression, I could tell that it was not a pleasant story.

“I don’t know who he is.”

Somehow, I could tell that she was lying. I did not want to press her because I had asked her far too many questions in one afternoon. Her face also warned me not to ask about that again.

“I’m sorry, Riva. I’m just – confused. You are giving off a scent that we often associate with wolves.”

Her face had shifted from dark to stormy. Her hands were clenched into fists. I would not be surprised if she started pummeling me.

Still, her heartbeat was racing. It was almost as if she was right next to me, her throat next to my ears and her chest pressing on my arm. She was not happy about her past. At all. The flush on her face was partly because of hidden anger tightening inside her. Buried but threatening to explode.

It was fascinating to see someone as conflicted as I was. Like me, the witch held on to her control.

“I’m not a wolf. No offense, Gideon. I don’t know why you’re trying to make a connection that isn’t there.”

I raised both hands in surrender.

“I’m sorry. I’m leaving now, settle into my apartment. If you need help, I’m in room 933. I know. I know. You don’t need my help.”

The heartbeat that I was hearing seemed thunderous now.

“Can we put a stop to that?”

“Ah,” Cato sounded pleased. “Now you’re asking me questions? Look at her and how she is looking at you. She wants you now.”

I needed some suppressants. I wondered which of my pack members I could trust. I thought of my Beta George. He seemed like the best person to call.

My phone rang.

Well, what did we have here? A bunch of psychics.

“You haven’t changed your phone yet - not even your number,” Riva said. It wasn’t a question, and she sounded like a disappointed mother.

I looked at the number and exhaled in relief. It was Stephan.

“I’m okay,” I said.

“We were worried sick about you! What happened?”

“Long story. Robert’s sister was probably too late. Another woman tried getting into the facility. I thought it was her.”

“Really? Well, at least you are out. Come to us as soon as you can. Copy this number and change your phone. Right after this call!”

If I had a mom in Riva, I would have had a dad in Stephan.

He ended the call. I opened my phone and took out my SIM card.

“Satisfied?” I asked Riva.

She shook her head and took the phone from me. Then, she manifested fire from her hands and melted the whole damn thing right there.

“You need this woman,” Cato grunted.

I believed him. I did not need an inner wolf to tell me that I wanted to stay in her apartment.

“Well, aren’t you on your way?” she asked, folding her arms on her chest. She shivered a little, and her face was redder than usual. She would never tell me if she was not well.

“You can pound on my door if you need help. I’m serious, Riva.”

She just stared at me. Emotionless. So, I left.