Scent of A Rogue

Chapter 4 - Abandoned Plans

Present – After the Alpha’s Bite

Gideon

The witch ruined everything.

I should have known. She smelled different, not like a wolf but not really anything much at first. She must have applied something to her skin. It was only when we got close that I saw the pentagram with a knife on her shoulder. The tattoo stirred my rage, which I had always believed to have control over. The Coven of Vengeful Witches was known for killing many wolves, and not just ones from our pack. They were assassins.

There was no plan to kill her, though. I was only meant to show my dominance, drive away my wolves to supposedly keep her to myself. From afar, she seemed like Robert’s sister: black ponytail and even the full-on black gear. She did not have my Alpha friend’s almond-shaped eyes, and there was no amused look on her face as I would expect from someone in on the plan. It was a different girl, and I knew I had to leave her there on the forest ground. She seemed like she could take care of herself.

Then, she pounced at me, stabbing me in the neck with her dagger. I knew then that I must be dealing with one of the Vengeful witches. She had the tattoo and the fighting prowess. The knife in her tattoo was faint, though. The witch was an initiate, slightly older than the usual from her Coven’s new entrants - but powerful. She smelled like an elemental up close.

When I bit into her flesh, it was only meant to be a painful warning. As I sank my teeth deeper, however, there was a shot of pleasure. Bloodlust, I thought. I wondered how far I had fallen – into a deep mire of corruption. However, there was more. It was almost painful to unlatch myself from her, but I had to. I had to leave before the other wolves realized what I was planning to do.

The plans had gone to s**t. After letting the witch go, I had to run as fast as I could to where I should meet with Robert and the rest of the Alphas.

“What the hell?”

They were not there. What time was it? The sun was right above me. High noon. Damn it! I was not checking my watch when I shifted. I knew that the wolves were already in a frenzy when they heard an intruder. They smelled her blood and nothing much else, but they also felt that she spelled danger.

I was too early. Who thought being too early meant trouble? My getaway bag waited for me in a dense part of the forest. There, I shifted back into a man. Through the years, it had gotten easier, no longer as painful. However, I still felt how fur made way for hair as my body shrank into my human self. Bones rearranged, and muscles stretched to make way for my two-legged form.

Crouched on the ground, as a human, I could still feel the tingle on my neck. The witch had stabbed me and gave it all she got. She could have well been on her death bed, but she somehow fought it off and jumped on me. The wound had healed quickly, but I could still feel her knife inside digging deep. It was spelled. I groaned.

Her scent seemed to linger through the forest, somehow distinctive over the pines. She smelled like jasmine and water flowing over the rocks on a creek. She also smelled of fresh blood, which made sense given her wounds. It was strange that the witch smelled so much like what I would expect from an Alpha female even though she was also peculiarly not a wolf. Strange.

But what did I know about these things? I was comparing a witch to a wolf. I should have been focused on the smell of her sweat and blood, but something else sprang from her, making me wonder if she was more than I thought she was.

I picked up the duffle bag that I had prepared. It did not have much. After all, it would be suspicious to pack so many clothes. I dressed quickly in T-shirt and jeans. I even had a clean pair of sneakers tucked into the bag in plastic. Used to wearing slacks and dress shirts, I would have to get used to dressing down. I was headed for my new life.

It would be an uncomfortable start, with my dad controlling most of my money. I would have to make do with the cash I stole from yesterday’s collection. Dirty money. It should last me for a little while, perhaps two months. After that, I had to do something, work outside the city.

Leon’s pack is the closest, merely on the forest’s edge. I did not want to go to him. I did not want my Alpha friends to be blamed for my escape or disappearance, in whatever manner my father decided to interpret this. So, I went in the opposite direction, sprinting through most of my journey. Then, there it was. The scent. A low growl escaped my throat as I saw a house right in the middle of the woods.

Witch.

She was the witch in the woods.

While I was a wolf, the monster everyone feared in Oak City, there was a particular danger in the mystical gift of a witch. The human citizens sometimes praised them. They were vigilantes, killing off criminals left and right. However, I knew that some of them had blood on their hands and not the kind they were supposed to shed. I wondered if the witch in the woods was just as corrupt.

I knew she was wounded, but I did not know how badly. I crept closer, feeling more like an intruder than a man who merely wanted answers. There was a force around the house. It was like a heavy, invisible cloak was upon it. I had to push through the heaviness to get close enough. I could imagine how difficult it must have been for a mere mortal to push through the weight.

Inside her gate, I tested the perimeter of the house itself. It was difficult to get past a certain point. Again, it seemed to push me back at every turn. I wondered how secure the protective spell surrounding the house was.

I went to the side and checked how the generous glass panels almost taunted. It was like a little peekaboo house. In front, it looked like an ordinary log cabin in the woods. The sides had glass panels, giving a glimpse of what was going on inside – if anything was going on inside.

The lights were off, which was not much of a wonder. It was still daytime. I sniffed. There was only one scent coming from the house. She was alone. The only barrier she had against me was this thick, invisible blanket.

Then, I saw a figure walk, visible through the glass. It was her. I was still several feet away, but I could tell it was the witch. She was naked, a quick flash of flesh as she ran. What was she doing running inside her house – the house that had protected spells?

There was only one reason she would do that. She had sensed me.

I bid my time. I pushed a little more. It was like pressing on a heavy boulder, much like Sisyphus did in his eternal punishment. I was probably headed for the same damnation because what in the hell was I doing here when I should be several miles away from the forest attempting to leave the city?

I growled in frustration. It might have been louder than I intended because I heard her scrambling for the door. She was about to open it.

It was the opening that I had been waiting for. The witch opened the door. She looked clean, freshly showered. Her shirt was a little loose, and I could still see the tattoo I had attempted to obliterate. She was no longer bleeding, but she shivered while her cheeks were hot pink. She was reacting to the bite, and the mark I left was evident on her shoulder. I sprinted to the side of the house swiftly and stealthily. Suddenly, I felt a give. The protective spell had diminished, somehow. I was able to push closer to the house.

The witch looked left and right, spooked that she did not see anything. I knew she heard me growl. When she was about to close the door, I ran towards it. My hand gripped the door hard so that she could not close it.

“Good afternoon, witch,” were the first words I said to her.

It could have been something else, but somehow those were the words that came out. It revealed so much. It showed I knew who she was. A mortal man would not have known because she seemed enticingly fragile. I knew better.

“It's you," she breathed, nose flaring and eyes flashing.

I pushed the door wider. She staggered from the force, but I was ready. I held on to her arm so that she would not fall.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, pushing my hand away.

Her green eyes showed more anger than fear, which I was not quite used to. I was dealing with someone who was not afraid to die. However, she was furious. That same anger had made her stab me in the neck even when I retreated.

"I want some answers," I growled at her.

"You don't get to ask questions. You bit me, and I could have bled to death."

"But you're here, unafraid," I said.

"I'm not afraid of you," she snarled. "You may be stronger. You may kill me now, but you will not find fear here. It was long gone."

Long gone? What kinds of experiences had this witch had? She could not be older than in her mid-twenties, about a little less than a foot shorter than I was. Her body was athletic, with slim limbs but a generous pair of breasts. I found myself staring. It was when she somehow got hold of a dagger and slashed at me.

The first s***h almost hit my cheek. I was able to jump back to avoid it, but she was not finished. She slashed at me again. I was ready for that one, intercepting her wrist and pressing hard. The dagger clattered to the floor. However, she was relentless, kicking me hard on my groin. I hopped on one foot in pain. No woman, mortal or wolf, had done that to me before.

Then, I heard a click. She had a gun.

"Witch, unless you have silver bullets, you will only tickle with that," I reminded her, straightening myself as the pain subsided. I held my hands up, palms facing her. "I’m not here to fight. I meant to leave you, but you came at me with your dagger.”

Something flickered in her eyes. She knew I was right. However, I also knew that the bite was painful and traumatizing even.

“You were meant to leave? Aren’t you Hotchkiss’s guard dog?”

I scoffed at the insult, shaking my head. It was why I wanted out of the pack in the first place. Since my father had found himself drowning in greed and in the questionable friendship with the scumbag politician, things had not been great, to say the least. I was nobody’s dog. I was supposed to be the pack's Alpha, and my father did not even care about my ideas. The only thing that he shoved towards me that I was grateful for was Suzanne. Every time I planned to go against his rules, my mate had to come and appease me.

“It’s for our future, Gideon,” I could still hear her soft, melodic voice.

My heart twisted at the thought of her lovely face, long gone. My father had been a bundle of contradictions. He was godless, yet he told me that Suzanne was my mate. Young, foolish, and in love, I accepted it fully. Dad said that the witch he had under his thumb had shown him the image of my mate. Long black hair. Green eyes. Who else could it be but Suzanne?

However, looking at the witch up close made my heart hammer in my chest. Long black hair. Green eyes.

It could not be.

There was no affection in her eyes. I could only see pure hatred.

“I’m not Hotchkiss’s guard dog. I wanted out. My friend’s sister was supposed to make a diversion as I escaped, but you came along and ruined the plan.”

“Ruined your plan? What about mine? I failed my second initiation. I was banished.”

So, she really was an initiate for the vigilante witches.

“I’m sorry about that. Whether or not I was there, one of the wolves will find you. Your Coven had done you an injustice by sending you on an impossible mission, alone. Are you sure they aren’t trying to get rid of you?”

She sighed, possibly seeing the truth in what I just said. She narrowed her eyes at me.

“Well, f**k. Here I am talking to a wolf. Why are you here, though? If you’re meant to escape, why are you here?”

“I don’t know. I was drawn to this house. To your scent.”

I saw her turn pale at my words. She probably felt marked, stalked, and I could not blame her.

“I will leave you alone, but may I stay for one night? Your house is protected. Keep your anxiety low, and nothing or nobody else can pass through. Can you disguise my smell?”

“You’re asking for too much for someone who had almost killed me not too long ago.”

“I know. I know. But I’m telling you again. I don’t mean to hurt you. You can tie me up with – s**t. I don’t know. I promise not to hurt you. That’s all I can give you for now.”

“Okay. I’ve got nothing to live for, anyway,” she sighed. “I’m Riva, by the way.”

She held out her hand. I took it in mine. It was a strange combination of rough and soft. She was a trained assassin, with calluses and hard ridges on her palms.

“Gideon.”

“You don’t have a choice but to leave tomorrow. I’m heading to the city, back to my apartment. I’ll have to go back to my old job. I can help you disguise your scent.”

“Job as what? A bouncer?”

She laughed.

“Accountant.”