I came to a halt when I noticed a glint of eyes from afar, the smoke blurring the light. With a sinking feeling, I took a step forward to get a better look. My heart started racing, and the cougar stared at me, unfazed by my human form. I didn't have my bow on me for some reason. Other than a tiny pocket knife, I was also missing all of the other weapons I usually carried. I waited with increasing trepidation, hoping it would leave me alone and spare my life. The cougar took a slow step forward, and I took a cautious step backward, never breaking away from its gaze. The cougar charged after my shoe cracked a twig. I jumped to the side and shifted into my wolf form, allowing the cougar's leap to fly high above my runt wolf form. This form was even worse; a cougar is at the advantage of our chase and would not hesitate on chewing my back paw. There were no bushes or rabbit burrows to be found. The cougar turned and leaped once more. I darted to the side, shifting back and grabbing a l
Tiffany was discussing a fancy dress she was trying to get a store to bring in for her. I mostly ignored her because dresses didn't pique my interest. My fashion sense was along the lines of ‘if it keeps me warm and dry, it's good.' She froze in mid-sentence, and I sensed a wave of disbelief wash over her. When I looked at her, I noticed she was staring at me with wide eyes. Nix, Chloe, and Greg were all staring at her, perplexed.Tiffany leaned over and gently yanked the wide strap of my tank top to the side, exposing the mark on my shoulder. Her pupils dilated."And when did this happen?! I thought Nix seemed strangely relaxed, but I didn't expect this yet." She took a deep breath and a wave of frustration passed through her mind. "I can't even pick up your scent under Nix's to see if it's changed now that you are marked. Did you roll in a pile of leaves again? You seem to smell pretty strongly of the forest again," she grumbled.Chloe and Greg both look
"Are you ready? Do you need any help setting something up?" Nix asked."I got everything done this morning, and it's all waiting in that meadow," I replied. "I'm looking forward to this.Nix let out a soft chuckle. “I was surprised at how many people were interested. We had to turn people away to keep the class small enough. You could do this a few times."I shook my head. "I have no objections to doing this again if it’s going to be successful. It will be easier with a maximum of fifteen people. More than that will just create a flurry of scents as they experiment.”Nix planted a kiss on my hair. “Let’s go?”We made our way to the meadow, where I was going to demonstrate how to mask one's scent. I had set a limit of fifteen people but offered to let them take the class as many times as they wanted. Since Tiffany had taken off as quickly as she could yesterday, a couple of pack members had helped me set everythin
I trotted down the road. I could tell how close others were because of my senses, but I was more interested in their scent trails. They could cross the area in about 15 minutes if they trotted in one direction, but they weaved around in random directions as they tried to hide their scent while locating other people's scent trails.The group was currently sharing one separate group mindlink, mostly discussing whose trail they had encountered as they shared feedback. "Jones, you have too much pine in your scent; try diluting it with dandelion, oak, and some grass," I said via mindlink, sniffing the ground.His shocked voice returned. "How do you know it's me?"I sent some levity down the link. "Since we started, you've had some pine sap stuck on your back right paw."People's amusement or surprise sent ripples through the mindlink. They'd gotten a lot better over the course of the afternoon, and their progress was quite noticeable. They were more effective
In disbelief, I looked at her. "I'm not sure if I heard you correctly, but do you want to go mushroom hunting with me?" Ruby was unfazed. "Yes." It was incomprehensible to me. She had approached me and asked if we could go mushroom hunting. I knew she hadn't had a good time the last time we did that. In fact, she had grudgingly agreed to it, as if it were an unpleasant guard assignment. Nix had asked her the previous time, enlisting the help of an old and powerful friend to persuade her to agree. I knew Nix wasn't going to be involved this time. Ruby appeared to feel compelled to press her case. "The cooks haven't had mushrooms in a while, and I know Nix doesn't want you going deeper into the forest without a fighter nearby." She was looking at me as if what she was suggesting was a simple everyday task that she didn't mind assisting with. But I could tell she was intensely focused, excited, and determined. For once, she didn't have the obvious look of intense concentration of a fi
I sat on a patch of grass, staring at the mushroom pile in front of me. Ruby's annoyance could be sensed off to the side. When I first ran with Nix, I was running through unfamiliar territory and doing fairly well. This time, I was already familiar with the terrain.Ruby had been attempting to catch me for several hours with no success. I'd lost her at least a dozen times, only to appear from the side and yip at her before fleeing again. She was having a hard time with it. She had prided herself on being a top fighter, so finding out she couldn't catch a runt was not a pleasant surprise.To be honest, I had used every trick I had up my sleeve for this exercise. She assumed I was simply running and hiding, but I had been collecting mushrooms while evading her. It was good evasion practice for me and using my size as an advantage, but the pile of mushrooms bigger than me was going to slow me down.I could feel her relocating my scent. I hadn't paused long enough t
Nix looked up, surprised, as Ruby and I walked in, carrying bags of mushrooms. Due to her superior strength, she offered to carry both of the larger bags, leaving me to carry the single small bag.Nix received a long-suffering look from Ruby. "You're lucky to have Enforcer stamina because your little mate is a pain to keep up with once she enjoys being chased around."Nix began to laugh. "How did she persuade you to go mushroom picking again? I thought you despised it."She moaned as she tossed her bags to the floor. "I don't like picking mushrooms, but it allows me to talk to her about masked scent trails without being distracted – at least, that's what I thought. The most difficult challenge is simply keeping her on track. You can be in the middle of a conversation when she disappears behind a bush or abruptly changes the subject if she smells a truffle or an unusual plant."Nix looked stunned. He had obviously never heard Ruby talk so much in one
I sat in a rocking chair on the porch, trying to knit a slipper while listening to those just in front of the pack house. Alpha Kalil had just finished his customary tour of the town and recent changes. The Alpha and Beta visitors appeared to be quite familiar with this location and must have visited on a regular basis. Everyone was at ease because it was a fairly informal visit. Any visit meant Nix would be busy. One of his roles is if a fight broke out within the Starblood pack territory, an Enforcer would step in, regardless of which Alpha or Beta or any wolf was involved.Alpha Kalil invited the Alpha inside for business talks, and the visiting Alpha advised his Beta to take a break for a while. I looked up as I saw the larger man follow Alpha Kalil inside, while a leaner man sat in a lawn chair, admiring the view of our town. I blinked slowly and reached out with my senses before returning my attention to the man inside Alpha Kalil’s office and the relaxed one stil
‘Alpha’ Trevor and ‘Beta’ Mike had left in good spirits a few days before, with the assurance that we would not blow their cover. As the days passed, I began to learn more about the pack I was in. I was surprised by how much I liked being a part of a pack.I took a break in the trees behind the pack house and relaxed in the sun. I climbed one of the trees with a bulky branch and lay on top of it. Nix's face appeared in my mind as I allowed my thoughts to wander. His smile and scent continued to captivate me. I found myself loving Nix more and more with each passing day, and I smiled happily at the thought. I knew he was training the fighters today, so I debated going over to observe them or walking around the town.After a few minutes, I finally made a plan to just walk around the town and then visit Nix on the training field. When I looked down from the branch, Tiffany was kissing a guy in a remote corner of the garden. They'd only returned the night before, and I hadn't yet met Nath
Nix and I have been keeping an eye on the kids while we are traveling. They are inside a basket so they won’t have to run along in their wolf forms. Nix was the one who carried Garox in the other basket while Mua offered to carry Etheal. Etheal was scared of Mua but overcame her doubt when Mua handled her with care.As a previous rogue and Omega, all of my passive senses were open and sharp. With painted wolves running with us, I doubt that any wild animal or wolf would come closer. I looked to my right and felt Alpha Kalil’s overpowering aura. Even if you are meters away from him, you would instantly back off and avoid confronting him. The Betas and fighters stayed in our pack with reinforcements from Alpha Trevor and Beta Mike in case an ambush would erupt.Nix has been having those darkened eyes from time to time whenever he senses something dubious from afar or a rustling sound within the forest. It’s always like this whenever we travel. And I am starting to regret taking the kids
Nix and I tried to smell the air once more; testing if there was an odd scent closing to us. But then the scent was gone. I mindlinked Nix and he said that maybe it’s nothing. I believed him and was about to take a seat with our kids around the table until we heard a sudden knock. It was a heavy one knock like throwing a stone onto the door.“Mom? Dad?” Garox called over our mindlink. “Someone’s at the door…”Etheal blinked, puzzled by our reaction. “Should I open it?” Etheal asked, unaware that we couldn’t smell that person knocking.“No, don’t…” Nix warned.As I slowly stood up, Nix held my hand. Nix mindlinked me privately that he’ll open it with me. I smiled and nodded. Nix and I walked carefully towards the door and once we reached the knob, we slightly opened it and crane our necks to see who it was.The person who knocked furrowed her brows at us and crossed her arms in annoyance.“Mua!?” I exclaimed. “Goodness, welcome back!”Nix let out a chuckle, relieved to know that the od
5 years later.“Nix… Nix! NIX!” I hollered his name, trying to wake him up. “I can’t find Garox and Etheal in their room...”Nix faced the other side of the bed and groaned. “Love… it’s the middle of the night.”I scoffed. “Did you hear me? Garox and Etheal are gone!”Even if I yell close to his ears, he wouldn’t wake up so I had to pinch his nose. Seconds later, he felt like drowning in his dream and had to jump awake at me. We hit each other’s forehead and Nix quickly apologize and kiss the spot where it got hurt.“I am fine, Nix, but the kids are not in their room. I knew I heard something come out the door so I had to check them. When I got there, I saw pillows arranged to guise their absence.”Nix groaned because he is still half-awake and gave me squishy hug. He stood and yawned, stretching his body before he says, “Come on.” He then extended his hand to reach mine. “Let’s look for those two.”We started looking for Garox and Etheal inside the house until we decided to go out an
Eventually, Luna Mary told us that the banquet is ready and we should head to the dining hall and continue the conversation with the other pack and tribe members.Nix and I walked behind them when Nix suddenly mindlinked me. “How about we skip the celebration and dine inside our room instead? I am certain that you won’t like the noise and strong smell of beer.”I had to give him a skeptical look. “And why would we skip this? They will be leaving early tomorrow. And I will never miss this chance to witness the painted wolves celebrate with our pack.” I raised a brow at him. “Besides, who said that I will hate the noise and smell of beer? You are out of excuses, aren’t you?”Nix grinned and shook in disbelief. “Alright, you win.”That made me smirk and then give him a quick kiss on the cheek. “Don’t frown, love, it’s a jovial celebration.”***We enjoyed the stories and how open the painted wolves have become. Two of them are in their wolf form since they have just arrived here and not
Nix mindlinked me that the ambush of feral wolves failed. They weren’t able to infiltrate the pack borders because painted wolves have killed the feral wolves before they got close. He also told me that one painted wolf was injured but his wound quickly healed on its own since it’s just a wolf scratch.Later on, Evan announced over the pack wide mindlink that we can go back to the town and respective houses as they have confirmed that we are safe. After a while, Luna Mary has called all the cooks to go back to the kitchen and prepare for the welcome feast and victory celebration.Nix told me that I must go back to our room and wait for him. He emphasized that I shouldn’t stray or leave the room unless I am with him. But I am also a cook, I have a duty to fulfill. So, I followed the cooks to the large kitchen and helped them.“I am glad that we were able to survive this night,” Sylvia said out loud so the other cooks would hear it while grabbing the clean plates out of the cabinet. Eve
Nix’s POVAlpha Kalil sent a messenger to Alpha Trevor and Beta Mike, requesting for reinforcements. We have sent fighters on every side of our pack borders. There are fighters guarding the town and the safe houses. Ruby was designated to guard the town but I had to mindlink her to guard the first safe house to ensure that Etheral stayed inside. Ruby was kind enough to obey my order since I already sent a fighter to replace her spot.“Etheral?” I mindlinked her since I can feel her apprehension flowing through the mate bond. “How are you?”“Ruby is with me right now; some pack members will be sleeping in their own house as it is close to the safe house. Majority are cramping here on the first safe house. The other safe houses are fully occupied as well.”I heaved out a relieved sigh. “And you? Are you safe?”“Nix, I am. I am going to send you an image of Ruby.” Etheral sent an image of Ruby’s cold and stone face. “I am safe.”“Good. These feral wolves aren’t coming out yet. It’s getti
Once I woke up, Nix wasn’t on my side. He must’ve gone to patrol the pack borders or help Alpha Kalil. Since I reek of Nix’s scent, although his smell is quite comforting, I still need to go to the bathroom and take a shower before going downstairs. I went to find Ruby but she was on duty while Tiffany is nowhere to be found, she must be shopping right now.After a while, I decided to look for something to eat in the dining hall. And there I saw some of the painted wolves. I was about to sense their inner emotions out of habit but decided to withdraw my senses from touching their minds or else, they might take it as a provocative action. Talking to them might be the easiest and only way to understand them.One of the painted wolves I can name is Mua; she is currently busy grabbing food. “Hi,” I said, approaching a little closer. “Mua, right?”Mua gave me a quick glance before returning to her silver tray. “Aye. Good day to you,” she replied.“Thank you. Good day to you as well. I am E
Nix was surprisingly early today and quickly dragged me out of the room. Tiffany greeted us once we went downstairs and handed me a handkerchief. I said I don’t want to wear a blindfold but Nix insisted that it wouldn’t be a surprise without it.Obviously, I couldn’t see where we are going, but I used my senses to smell the surroundings. Cheating but I dislike the suspense I am feeling. In the first few minutes of our walk, I smelled the scent of some pack members busy in town and heard a lot of noise. Then that noise faded and the smell was replaced with forest and mushrooms. Nix and Tiffany weren’t answering my questions and they simply guided me on what I am stepping on. I tried to reach Nix’s surface emotions and I can sense his excitement with a tone of protectiveness still. I didn’t want to ruin his mood so I try to act as unaware as possible.Slowly, I can smell the faint scent of Ruby, next to her are Raphal and Nathan.“We are here,” Tiffany said, holding back her anticipatio
Mua and Ren stayed beside Alpha Arva’s side while Kyi, Pau, Koe, and Lea dine with us. Koe and Kyi are basically twins and Lea and Pau are mated with each other. Everyone in the dining hall seems surprised to see the tribe staying in our pack territory for a while. My Omega senses are open and have been receiving positive emotions from the pack, some are in doubt and fear but most were fascinated by their human form. This is the first time I have seen them in their human form too. When in human form, they seem approachable and innocuous. Painted wolves rarely shift forms on land, only when sailing that their human forms took over. That is to keep the enemies at bay.I had a dream of joining their expedition once when I was young and fond of reading history books but history says that only their tribe member could accompany them in voyaging the vast ocean. I even believed that they own the ocean.“I assume that Ren is the Alpha’s mate?” Nix asked, still irritated by the presence of pai