The Alchemist

an unexpected encounter

-Daniel-

The journey to Berlin was awful, neither me or my wolf liked the confine of a plane, let alone the faff around border control and transfer...

But I made it. Berlin is crowded. Full of humans, it feels suffocating. I sniffed a few Vampires too, but nothing unexpected there, where there is a lot of humans, vampires follow... The law of the food chain I suppose. As long as they leave my brainy Doc alone, it doesn't concern me how vamps live their lives.

I booked a suite (well, Sharon did, my assistant , wolf as well) at the venue of the conference to have all the chances possible to study my mysterious french nerd. I hope to bump into him at breakfast or during a break and engage in small talks. Unfortunately, not knowing what he looks like is a major hindrance...

After I checked in, I registered myself at the conference and grab a programme. It all looks to be as boring nerdy stuff as expected, chemistry about everything and anything... But then I spot the keynote speaker of day 1... Dr Cam Pesquet is right after the event organiser opening speech, perfect. It will allow me the whole 4 days of the conference to study my prey and make contact with the mysterious Cam Pesquet.

The programme also mentions a reception tonight as a welcome opening party. I had such a terrible journey, I consider attending to have a drink and gather intel from others about this Pesquet guy. But then, it is bad enough to be surrounded by humans for nearly a week, journey included...

I'll go take a shower and unwind before making my mind up. As I head back to the elevator to my suite, I catch a whiff of a scent I never smelt before, it's a mix between lavender and some spice of some sort, it both calms my wolf but entices him at the same time. As I try to follow it, it's gone, just as it came. maybe I'm going crazy, or maybe I'm more jetlagged than I thought, even if wolves recuperate faster than humans... weird.

I can still detect some traces of that amazing scent, even if it is faded. But then I realise I am in a crowded hotel and there must be two or more scents mixing with the footpath of people. I reach my suite, unpack and head for a long shower to unwind.

I hate travelling far from the pack. I have to with my job and to keep the appearance for the humans, but I rarely visit Europe. My last trip was to London just under a year ago. While under the shower, I reminisce about my life so far, my role as Alpha, and how far I came for my pack. I rose to the Alpha position at the age of 30, when my father retired. In our pack, and with dwindling numbers, wolves wait a bit longer than before to meet their mate and start a family. My parents only had two pups, me and Theo, 5 years younger than me. We couldn't be more opposite, me and my younger brother... While I followed my family's footsteps and dedicated my life to my pack, Theo was more of a party animal. He enjoys being in wolf form more than his human counterpart and even roams for days or even weeks in the wilderness. In truth, I believe he hasn't found his purpose yet, but I can't blame him, living in the shadows of the future alpha and seeing his older brother groomed for the role since a young age must not have been easy for him. So, there is Theo, leading a carefree life, mostly in wolf form, returning to his human every now and then to party and have fun with girls, she wolves or humans, he doesn't discriminate. And then, there's me... the goodie-two-shoes Alpha, who always does what is expected of him. It is a burden sometimes, but I understand the gravity of it, especially with this curse issue our pack and whole species is facing. That's why at the age of 33, I am still unmated, too busy saving the world to seek my mate out. I had flings when I was younger, but since the scare of Samantha, I have been keeping my distance from she-wolves for the pack. Samantha was one of my flings in my 20's and we were fooling around but she knew I was waiting for my mate, with the curse looming, strong offspring are essential for our survival. But I guess the role of Alpha and Alpha's mate is a coveted one and she must have thought she would gain status. She tried to trap me with pregnancy, but I wasn't stupid, and always used protection. Her lies died out anyway when she turned out not to be pregnant at all. I was pissed at her for a long time, but the Elders advocated for her being young and silly, and let her stay in our pack. I so wanted to banish her for lying and pulling that stunt to her Alpha, but time has passed and since then, she found her mate in the Alabama pack and left ours. I shudder thinking of that dark moment of my past and sigh. While it would be nice to meet my mate and share the burden of the responsibility with someone I trust and love, I must fix our future first and then I can look for her. I think of this scent, back in the lobby and elevator and let my hand slide down my length, it has been a while since I've been intimate with a woman. I close my eyes and imagine my mate, her touch, her kiss, her moans, and I let my imagination run wild.

After that short release, I find myself having a second wind, so I dress up and decide to head up to the welcoming party. It is only down the main reception room on the ground floor of the hotel, so making an appearance and networking with humans can only help me track my prey. I refocus on my hunt and my wolf bristle. He's eager too.

Downstairs, the party is in full swing when I join. There are too many different scents and smells for my liking and it makes it hard to focus. I know I won't be able to stay in this room for very long.

"_ Mr Anderson! what a surprise to see you here! you rarely visit Europe! "

Dang, a fellow investor from UK I met in my last trip to London, hollers me.

"_ Mr Ward! long time no see, yes I make an effort when it is worth my while.

_ when did you arrive? did you see the programme, you must have, knowing you... who are you after or maybe it is a technology you want? I saw you acquire Genetech, smart move!

_ ah, no-one in particular, just to see what technology and research advances are over the pond...

_ tsk tsk tsk, a man of you caliber wouldn't have travelled himself if it was just for that, come on, spill the beans.

_ let's just say that I'm curious of the keynote speaker.

_ oh the infamous Dr Pesquet! yes I want to meet those brains too, I might have a research proposal for this mysterious french fella.

_ so you haven't met him either?

_ no, no, he's renowned for making very few public appearances, despise being extremely successful in his field. All his collaborators are very tight lipped about him too, but no-one has anything negative to say about him. If you want my opinion, he must be some form of eccentric who hates people.

_ yeah, can't say I blame him... If you excuse me George, I need a drink, I'll catch you up later.

_ sure, you just, see you later, pal."

Urgh, George Ward was a leech but a slimy, overly friendly one. But he didn't know much about the mysterious Frenchman either. But it somehow pissed me off that he was after my french nerd too. God, talking to George and being in this crowded place was starting to give me a headache, time to head to the bar to grab a drink.

I was approaching the bar area when I saw her. The most gorgeous woman I've ever seen, my wolf started to howl frantically in my head. She sat at the far end of the bar, alone, nursing a drink that looked like a whisky on the rocks. She wore a black cocktail dress, classy but nothing flashy. She screamed elegance and class, yet harboured a bored expression like she didn't want to be there. I was drawn to this woman like a moth to a flame. As I approached her, the scent from earlier hit me like a ton of brick, and the word escaped my lips couldn't fall at the worst moment... 'mate'.