The Scent of Seduction (8 page)

Kenneth had told her he could read people's minds. She'd been sceptical until he'd demonstrated his ability to her one day a few months after her arrival. That kind of power was a tad scary, in Nicole's opinion, but Kenneth had quickly explained that he'd never use it to hurt her. He was such a sweetheart, always eager to help everyone. A fact that Adam exploited for his own gain on a regular basis.

Kenneth had confided to Nicole that he wasn't the only non-shifter with special talents being held at the compound, and Nicole wondered just what other talents existed in the world. Nicole was worried that if Jaryn and the council were able to take down Adam's organisation that the hostages who'd been there the longest wouldn't be able to readjust to the world out from underneath Adam's thumb. Adam kept most of his ‘pack’ locked in cells in the buildings on the far side of the property. They were released during the day to do whatever tasks Adam and his goon squad had assigned them, but in the evenings it was back to the custom-made prisons.

During her dinner with Jaryn, Nicole hadn't got the feeling that he controlled his pack members’ lives. Instead Jaryn talked as though he was more of an advisor. Nicole knew enough about shifter communities that there was always a leader and a small group of executives—for lack of a better word—that kept everything organised. Each species structured themselves a little differently, but the overall premise was the same. She'd met a couple of eagle shifters back in Wisconsin. There were a few coyotes, some black bears, and at least three jaguars. They mostly kept to themselves, but the wolves were by far the most social and friendly of the bunch.

When the shifters had first been exposed to the world, there'd been much bickering between human officials in the government and leaders of the shifter communities. Initial talks of having all the shifters register with the government had sparked heated debates and protests worldwide for several years.

Eventually, everyone calmed down enough to realise that the shifters had always lived among the human population, and there really was no need to rock the boat. Outwardly, a few things did change. There were now awareness groups for shifters and ambassadors who worked with governments worldwide to act as liaisons between the government and shifter councils. What most people had seemed to forget for a time was that shifters were people, too. They'd been productive members of society from the beginning of time—earning income, paying taxes, voting for leaders and in general living their lives. The fact that they had a genetic ability to change shape was only one part of their existence.

"Here you go, sweetie! One order of pancakes with strawberry topping and fresh OJ. Say, do you know when Jaryn going to have a pack meeting to announce your mating? I guess it would make sense to do it the night of the Harvest Moon. We usually have a big to-do out at the pack lodge."

"Well, the thing is...we're not actually mates."

Gillian sat in the booth across from Nicole. “What do you mean you're not mates? I heard from Mia, who heard from Kris, who's friends with Amanda—Landon's mom—that Jaryn checked his mate into their motel two days ago. Now see, the thing is I know for a fact that none of these women would lie about something as important as our Alpha finding his mate. Seeing as how you're the only newcomer in town, it must be you."

"Wow. That's...how did everyone... Geez..."

"Oh, honey, we're a small town. Everyone knows everyone.” She leant forwards and lowered her voice. “And it's hard to keep a secret in the pack. Us wolves are notorious busy-bodies. Now tell me about this not being mates bologna."

To stall for time, Nicole took a bite of her pancakes. The fluffy layers melted in her mouth and Nicole moaned. She hadn't had anything this good in years. The strawberries added the perfect touch of sweetness, and when she took another sip of coffee Nicole's belly felt as though it'd met its new best friend.

"Told you it was good,” Gillian said, smiling.

Nicole nodded and eagerly took another bite. Gillian continued to sit at the booth, and it made Nicole a bit self-conscious to eat in front of a woman she didn't know—which was probably Gillian's tactic all along. Nicole slowly placed her fork on her plate then twisted her coffee cup around. The heat from the ceramic warmed her hands and the scent of the freshly-ground beans scattered the last of Nicole's lingering tiredness.

"The thing is, Jaryn and I haven't actually mated.” She knew the heat on her cheeks had nothing to do with the cup of steaming coffee in her hands.

"Shoot, sweetie, that doesn't change anything. If our Alpha says you're his mate, I believe him. Not that he has, mind you. Jaryn is a gentleman, so there will be no spreading of gossip from him, but like I said, this is a small town. The word is out, so in the eyes of our pack whether or not you've done the deed won't matter a lick."

"But...I don't know if I want to be a shifter's mate."

"Darlin', want has nothing to do with it. When we find our mates, it's a true blessing from above. All those silly questions a person asks themselves during a relationship of whether or not their partner is the right one for them go right out the window. A true mate match means that the couple of has the blessings of the universe. That they've found the one perfect soul to complement their own from the population of the world over."

"So you're saying that Jaryn and I are destined to be together? That fate, should I choose to believe it, has decided how I'm supposed to live my life?"

Gillian covered Nicole's hand on top of the table. “Now, I'm not sure why you weren't raised in a pack, because you should have been taught about the mating bond from the cradle, but that's neither here nor there. Instead of thinking about a mating as your choices being stripped from you, think instead that you've been handed the perfect set of tools with which to create your life. It's up to you and Jaryn what shape it takes from here."

Gillian was now the second person to say that they detected at least part shifter blood in Nicole. She really had no idea what gave these wolves that impression. She assumed that, had that been true, her parents would have said something when she was young. Gillian's advice did actually make Nicole feel better, though. It wasn't that she'd found fault with Jaryn, at least not yet, but she really didn't know him. It was a tad disconcerting that all of a sudden she was supposed to trust in the fact that some great cosmos had dropped her into the arms of the man who she was blindly supposed to accept was ‘the one'.

"I know you have a lot to think about, sweetie. So I'll leave you to your breakfast. Know that you can always come to me, if you need anything. I'm kind of the resident den mother around here,” she said smiling.

"Thank you, Gillian. You did help. Be sure to tell Clint thank you as well for the delicious breakfast."

"I would, but it'd probably make his ego larger than it already is. Can't have that now, can I?” she said then winked.

Nicole leant back to see a man, presumably Clint, in the window cut between the kitchen and the dining room. He lifted off his chef's hat and took a bow. Nicole smiled.
I guess what they say about shifters having good hearing is true?

Nicole tucked back into her pancakes and orange juice. Maybe all this would be easier if Nicole
was
a shifter. Then not only would she have the history of her people to back her up, but she also feel the pull towards Jaryn—the need to mate with him, instead of his solitary need to mate with her.

But didn't that pull exist already? If she was honest with herself, from the moment Jaryn pulled her into his arms, she'd wanted to be there. When her head had rested against his chest, all she felt was peace as his warmth and scent enveloped her. Each time his lips brushed against her forehead, she longed to tip her head up and make them land instead on her lips. So, okay...physically she wanted the guy. Who wouldn't? He was gorgeous.

On top of trying to decide if she wanted to spend the rest of her life with a man she'd met forty-eight hours ago, she'd promised to help in the investigation against Adam. She figured she and Jaryn would probably be spending a lot of time together. Hopefully that would give her the chance to really get to know him. Maybe then she'd be able to figure out if all they shared was animal attraction or whether she would come to want the man himself.

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"Alpha, wait up!"

Adam spun around and growled at Jasper. “What?"

Jasper came to a sliding stop. “I found her. She's in the small town of Stonepass, Montana. At least she was as of two days ago. That's where the withdrawal on her account originated."

"Two days ago! You're supposed to be able to track anything, anywhere, anytime, remember? I should have had this information that very same day. Now she could be anywhere."

"There has been no transaction activity on her credit—"

"Of course not, you idiot! I took her identification card away when she came here. She now has a handful of cash and can disappear. Hack into the NSA and put her on the watch list, make the government work in our favour for a change. I really don't give a shit how it's done, I want her found!"

"Yes, Alpha,” Jasper slowly backed away then turned and ran back towards the house.

Adam clenched his fists. His claws came out, poking into the skin of his palm. His vision wolfed out. The acuity allowed him to track a rabbit darting through brush. In the blink of an eye, Adam shifted and charged after the prey. He needed to maim, kill, destroy. The need for violence rushed through his blood stream. If he couldn't get his claws on Nicole, he'd decimate whatever came in his path. Adam tore apart the small animal and left its carcass lying on the forest floor. Nature would take care of the remains.

He raced across the field, letting his legs eat up the distance. He'd run all the way to Montana if he had to. Nicole belonged to him, and when he got her back in his possession, there'd be no denying that ever again. He'd scribe his name over her entire body if necessary. Adam knew he had the perfect control device secreted away in the labs, but he didn't want to show all his cards until he absolutely had to.

Adam stopped suddenly as a strange scent caught his attention. He turned his head, trying to pinpoint its location. Intruder! Adam knew the scent of every individual in his compound. This was not one of them. He took off, following the trail. His anger increased as he realised that the markings in the forest were that of another shifter, not a natural wolf. How dare someone come on his land and try to stake a claim. If the interloper wanted to challenge Adam, he was all for it. Adam knew he was stronger than anyone in the area. He'd rip his challenger apart and prove once again his superiority in the Northwoods.

Adam sat back on his haunches, surveying the forest. The wind blew through his fur and he caught the intruder's scent once again. Adam snarled, his ears flattened and the fur on his back lifted. Silently, he trod through the forest, determined to identify the owner of markings that soiled his land.

There was a howl in the distance, taunting Adam. He let out his own howl to let the other wolf know that he was onto the game. If the intruder thought he could trick Adam into chasing him, he had another think coming. Adam knew how to keep the game in his favour. He'd leave now and return when he was no longer on the defensive. Let the bastard stew in his juices out here for a few days. Adam would take the time to organise his attack.

He made his way back to the house. When he broke through the clearing, there was a group working in the vegetable garden. They all froze at the sight of him. Adam made his way across the field, carefully eyeing each shifter to determine if there was a traitor in his midst. Most of them cowered and Adam heard a few whimpers from the wolves of the group, but there was one. One whose eyes flashed with challenge for a few seconds before his gaze dipped in submission. He pulled back his ears, narrowed his eyes, and his tail pointed straight out, parallel to the ground. Adam let out a low growl in chastisement before turning his back and walking away—a purposeful insult.

Adam entered the house after the recognition software opened the door for him. He went into his office then shifted. He quickly dressed and was about to set off in search of Jasper for an update when there was a knock on his door.

"Enter."

Jasper pushed the door open and stepped inside. “Our sources indicate that Nicole Holland is still in Stonepass."

"Good. Take Kenneth with you and bring her back."

"Kenneth, sir?"

"You don't expect me to believe you have trouble hearing, do you, Jasper?"

"No, Alpha. Your choice was simply a surprise."

"I want you to keep an eye on him. I think he's up to something. Ever since Nicole left, I've seen flashes of defiance in him and I won't have it. If he tries to warn her in any way, take care of him. I'll not have traitors in my midst."

"But Kenneth is about the least combative person alive. He'd never go against you."

"I've recently discovered that there's an intruder on my land. I suspect that Kenneth may have something to do with allowing whoever it is out in the forest access to the compound. I've caught Kenneth sneaking around a few times in the last several months. My plan is to flush the intruder out."

"But with Kenneth gone, how can you achieve that?"

"Simple. By spreading around the word that I killed him. And if fiction becomes fact, due to unforeseen circumstances, then I'll simply have one less problem to deal with. The little telepath isn't producing satisfying results. I'm at the point of ordering his disposal, anyway. You'll leave tonight after everyone beds down. Contact me when you arrive in Stonepass."

"Yes, Alpha."

Adam watched as Jasper left his office. There'd been some kind of cleverly concealed emotion in the wolf's eyes there at the end, but Adam didn't have time to deal with petty drama. He was confident that the wolf shifter would do his job and bring back Adam's wayward mate. Until then, Adam would be busy instigating the hunt for the wolf who'd dared to tread where he didn't belong.