The True Luna's Kiss

Chapter 7

Gabriel had returned to his room, Marco trailing him closely behind. The Beta watched for his Alpha's reactions. He half expected Gabriel to trash the room as soon as the door was closed. But to his surprise, Gabriel just took a seat on the sofa and leaned back. His expression was neutral, but his eyebrows slightly raised. Marco knew that was his thinking face, and knew better than to interrupt him. So he just moved to the coffee machine on one side of the room and started making a pot.

It was only after he had handed the steaming cup to Gabriel and taken a seat opposite him that the Alpha spoke.

"We need to get into the dungeons." Gabriel said quietly. Marco raised his eyebrows, not at his words but at the fact he wasn't using the mind link. Gabriel just waved his hand. "No one is listening, not with the Alpha's daughter injured. They will all be pre-occupied elsewhere." Marco conceded his point with a slight nod of the head. Gabriel didn't notice. His eyes were focused on a far corner of the room. But his mind was clearly miles away.

Marco took a sip of his coffee, frowning at the bitter taste. The coffee wasn't the worst, but he was definitely used to better. He quickly stood to add more sugar to the cup. Marco had always had a sweet tooth, something Max teased him about relentlessly. In return, Marcus was quick to comment and mock the Gamma on the number of bed partners he had. It was light hearted banter, Gabriel just ignored it.

"If all goes to plan with Max, then we should get access to the dungeons on his arrival." Marco said, stirring the sugar into his coffee and returning to his seat.

"If they take us there," Gabriel c****d his head to one side. "I get the feeling they would take him to their hospital instead of the dungeon."

Marco waited for Gabriel to continue his explanation. When it became clear that he wasn't going to get one, he asked "Why?"

Gabriel turned his piercing stare to his Beta. "Because he's an outsider," Gabriel said, softly but not weakly. "They wouldn't want to reveal their secrets to someone who isn't in their pack. They want to keep whatever they are hiding to themselves."

Marco sipped his coffee. He knew his Alpha was right. Whatever they had going on in their dungeons was not going to be easy to get to. But they had to find a way. It was their entire reason for coming here.

"Seems a bit shitty to me," Marco said, leaning back against the soft cushions. "Leaving someone to suffer so they can hide whatever it is they've got tucked away down there. Either this pack is the healthiest and quickest to heal in history, or they've got a little bit of magic tucked away down there."

Gabriel showed his agreement with a slight nod. It definitely seemed like there was magic at play here. And then there was the orchid scent. Try as he might, Gabriel couldn't keep the sweet scent out of his mind. He would try to formulate a plan but every time he got an idea, the orchid's would swoop in and send him into a scramble. He needed to find the source and soon. He wouldn't be able to ever focus if it kept teasing him like it was.

"We will come up with something," Gabriel sighed, placing his elbows on his knees and leaning forward. He held his untouched coffee in both hands, his eyes fixed on the dark swirling liquid inside. Marco watched him intently.

"You lean much further foward, you're going to dive right into that cup," Marco said, a rogueish smile on his face. Gabriel looked up through his eyeslashes at his Beta and smirked. He was about to respond with a snide remark when a knock sounded at the door. Shadow immediatley pricked up his ears as the faint scent of orchid's sweetened the air. Gabriel's eyes widened and he sat up in his chair. Marco noticed that the coffee cup in his Alpha's hands was shaking. He slowly stood and moved towards the door.

Time seemed to slow down for Gabriel as he got to his feet, ready to meet the owner of the succulent scent. His heart rate increased, his breathing shallowed and his palms began to sweat. Never before had he felt this way. But never before had he come so close to meeting his M....

Marco swung the door open to reveal Alice, standing there perfectly fine, with a tray in her hands. She smiled broadly as Gabriel's heart dropped. She wasn't his mate. He had met her before and the smell of orchid's wasn't there.

"She must have been near mate!" Shadow growled softly, causing Gabriel's eyes to shift black. Alice took a tentative step back at this. Marco stepped in her eye line, blocking Gabriel out. He knew what had made this girl uneasy, and didn't want there to be any problems whilst they were guests. It was his job after all!

Marco let a boyish smile curl up on his lips.

"Alice!" He cried. "Good to see you up and around! How are you feeling?"

She smiled at Marco. "I'm perfectly fine, thank you Beta Marcus. My wolf healed me quickly."

"Too quickly!" Gabriel said to Marco in the mind link. "She should still have marks on her hand and arm. But there are none!"

Alice, unaware of their silent interaction, went on. "I brought you some coffee. I know the one in the rooms is not the best, so I thought you would appreciate a decent roast."

Marco let his smile spread wider and he stepped to one side allowing Alice entry to the room. "That's very kind of you, Miss." He watched as she brought the tray into the room, her steps were steady, her back straight but there was definitely a slight shake to her arms. Gabriel was right. There wasn't a single mark on her.

As she placed the tray next to the coffee machine, Gabriel leaned in and took a deep breath. There was no mistaking it. The scent of orchids clung to her. It wasn't coming from her though, the scent was fading, muted. If it had been her scent it would have been continous, filling the air everywhere she went.

"Plus we would have scented and claimed her immediately." Shadow said, laying back down again. He had waited a long time for his Mate, and this girl was not it! He let out a low growl, which Gabriel did nothing to repress.

Alice looked up at him startled. "Is everything alright, Alpha Ballard?" Her voice was soft, almost stammering. Gabriel just stared at her for a moment, weighing his next words carefully.

"Why do you smell of orchids?"