Chapter Six

Connor POV

I feel my email tone buzz in my pocket as I climb in my car to pull out of the car park. I'm sure its just confirming the files I had sent over to the Tangled from the past few months that Dorian had me help him with. Some simple checks and balances which proved to be useful for after he passed. my team was able to get everything for the next 6 months, planned and in order with costs coming in low as well. I was pretty pleased to hear they were done today so I could get them handed back over to Rebecca so she didn't feel to overwhelmed coming back to the office, she will only have to approve everything instead of having to do it all alone.

I headed over to Dorian and Rebecca's house with a small box with random things in it from Dorians car, along with 1 of the 3 duffel bags he had in the trunk. she doesn't need to know about the other two. I care about Rebecca a lot more than I'd like to admit mainly because I was forced to keep and eye on her for the last 10 years so in a way this strong need to protect her even if its from her husband has just become a normal feeling towards her. Even in his death he threatens to destroy her like all the countless others he chewed up and spit out.

Pulling up to their house I don't see her car but I park mine anyways hoping Kris took her car for the day. Maybe I can even convince Rebecca to come with me to the Vineyard and she can see her business hasn't missed a beat and is thriving. I grab the box and duffle in my hands and head to the front door. I can hear two sets of heartbeats in the house as I walk up the steps onto the porch hoping one of them is Rebecca. I knock on the door and only one flutters when I hear it getting closer, the door opens to a small woman with short salt and pepper hair, glasses on a sharp nose not hiding a bright set of hazel eyes and a contagious smile beaming up at me.

"Hello Connor! I'm Rebecca and Krishna's mother Malinda we met at Dorian's wake! she has pushed the door open all the way and is just standing a few inches shy of the threshold

"Oh yes hello Melinda!" I smile back at her holding my arms up in a shrug showing her the box and duffel bag

"I brought a few things for Rebecca from Dorians car, Is she here?"

she moves over and ushers me into the house and closes the door behind me

"Bec left a few minutes ago you actually just missed her, something about going to the Vinery and not being home until late"

I can tell that bothered her, from what Dorian said was her mother was very over protective of her girls and always wanted to know where they were always calling and checking in even though both of them are adults. He did says once they got married she backed off a little as far as needing to know where she was at all times but she did call a lot which he didn't seem to mind since he was busy a lot. I guess she helped keep her distracted in a sort.

"Ah I see well I can just drop these off to her room the duffle is kind of heavy" I nod at her and head to the stairs

"sure sure go right on up I'm sure you know this place better than me!"

taking the stairs two at a time I reach the top landing and turn to see all three bedroom doors are closed. There was actually four doors but the one in the middle was just a closet. I had been here enough to know the lay out since Dorians office was the closest one to the stairs I thought maybe I should put the bags and box in there but for some reason my feet kept walking as I slow my steps picking up a slow flutter of a heart beat knowing it must be Kris up here sleeping.

Fuck. I walk past both bedrooms and realize I didn't pass the beating, she must be in Rebecca's room the door all the way to the right. I take in a deep breath and reach for the knob on the door. I was only going to open it enough to put the box and bag near her dresser so she didn't trip over them. I turn the knob slowly and the heat coming from the room was intense almost like the heat was just turned on in the room only, I step into the room and hear slow breathing as I place the box and duffle down. Rebecca's bed had a lump under the covers that was rising and falling until I see it rustle. I freeze not moving hoping maybe she was just adjusting. Kris turns her pulse quickens as she sits up taking in a deep breath the air was so warm I felt a bead of sweat slide down my temple. she stretches' and opens her eyes and I move fast backing out the door way I came, when I hear her call out my name

"Connor?" her voice is heavy from sleep

"Sorry Kris, didn't mean to wake you I only needed to drop off somethings for Rebecca" I close the door and take large strides to the top of the steps and breeze down them fast

Melinda is in the kitchen and I call out to her telling her I'm leaving

"so soon?" Melinda calls back as I hear the swinging door swoosh open

"yeah thank you for letting me in have a good day!" I call back to her closing the front door making my way back to my car

I get in my car and start the drive to the Country club I reach for Fenris who seems to be sleeping? what the hell

"wake up Fenris! where were you just now?

He yawns and stretches shaking out in my head I can feel him move to press on the veil

"where are we?" he mumbles

"we just left Bec and Dorians place damn near got caught up with Kris would have been nice of you to help" I growl at him

"I must have fallen asleep when we got there" he sounds just as confused as I felt

"No shit I figured that out once you didn't alert me of her presence"

"Any chance the house could be enchanted? he is now fully alert and angry

"enchanted?" I repeat to him

"yes idiot, I didn't stutter!" He roars in my head

My face twists at the thought of the house being spelled, but it wouldn't surprise me knowing Dorians involvements

"its possible Fen, very possible"

"what did you smell when you were in there?" he asks me sharply

"Nothing really off it smelled normal but Rebecca's room was really hot, I was sweating and had only been in there not even 3 minutes"

Silence from Fenris, not another word came from him while we drove the street heading to the Country club.

As we took the turn we came up to a 76 gas station and I see Rebecca's car parked at a pump, Pulling in I decide to keep and eye on it.

Rebecca comes walking out of the store doors and stops for a brief second almost like she noticed my car or maybe she was fixing her sunglasses to sit on her nose correctly. I eye her as she is carrying a while bag with what looks like snacks and drinks? I wonder who she is with or going to meet? whey does she need this stuff

"does she know how bad that shit is?" Fenris is also forward watching her and her surroundings.

She unlocks her car, I open my door and head over to her half hoping I startle her. I grab her car door when her scent hits me Orchid, Hibiscus, sandalwood, amber and petrichor? where did she pick up that scent from.

"Connor Hi" Rebecca says turning her head to look up at me

"Bec Hi didn't mean to startle you"

"Oh you didn't scare me haha what's up?" she tilts her head at me

"sure sure" I raise an eye brow at her a smile at the corner of my lips before continuing on

"nothing just heading to Meridian Valley for the week to blow off some steam, what about you?"

"oh I see well um nothing much just heading out to handle some things today"

" Need any help?" I take a deep breath in and let it out slow trying to figure out how that one specific scent got on her, Fenris also coming forward trying to figure out what or who it is, hoping she will take my offer of help since I have a lot of boxes being delivered, I hope she doesn't get pissed but then again if she does its on her I was just doing my job keeping the vineyard going while she was handling herself.

"No ill be okay by myself today, but I appreciate the offer I wouldn't want to come in between you and whoever is waiting on you"

"well if you need me call me I'm never far" I let go of her door Fenris grumbles and walks off to the darkness mumbling something

"I should be able to manage" she chuckles

"if you need help with the winery id be more than willing to help walk you threw some things for it? being part owner and all now" I quip at her wanting to give her a heads up about the files but decide she can find out on her own.

I walk back to my car and pull away, I need to make space between us Ill stop by and check on her later.

"why does she smell different?" Fenris finally comes out of hiding

"I'm not sure did you happen to scent anything else?" I ask him

"no, its almost like her scent is changing" he states

"which we both know is not possible for a human to do, even when they mate they don't take on another's scent they just smell like sex" I rub my jaw while the road way blurs by

"exactly" he mumbles

I pull into the country club, Fenris taking over so he can burn off whatever it is he upset about. I'm not bothered by it since it also gives me a chance to think fully about this next week and how to use my spare time not sparingly. I can tell Fenris has taken us to the edge of the forest close to Covington Creek as I can smell fresh soil, spring water and hear the wind blowing the leaves. Shifting was painless as he stretches' out usually id be more cautious in his form in the daylight but the forest is so thick here that the sunlight is almost blacked out with how thick the trees and foliage is. I relax as I hear Fenris paws thunder on the forest floor, letting him have full control knowing we can handle anything that we may encounter while on our run.

Fenris kills a few deer as we run threw the forest I can smell copper from the animal blood on our fur. Being in the passenger seat so to say gives me a different view of the world things are simple just my wolf and the earth, nothing stands in my way. Ripping and tearing threw anything we come across. Smelling the earth makes me remember the scent on Rebecca when we seen her earlier. Who or what was it from? she was in her car and Dorian's scent would be so faint now that it couldn't be that. Not only could it not be him since he was a wolf, but the only creatures that smelled like that were long gone, I would know if one was in the city. Wouldn't we?

Fen, when was the last time you smelled amber and petrichor together?

I get no response from him. I also notice while I was deep in thought, Fenris had locked onto a scent and was making his was to a medium sized opening. it looked like a cobble stone brick house with a manicured garden surrounding it. being careful not to step out from the tree line he stalks in the shadows along one side of the property. his breathing was deep and focused, he was hunting whatever he picked up on had his full attention, I was deciphering weather or not he meant it harm. Fenris doesn't usually scent for humans, or anything on two legs that is but this scent was familiar. Fenris lays down 50 feet from the small house and I hear a calm thumping of a heartbeat, footsteps, whoever was inside was pulling fabric off of things inside I could hear the flapping of cloth and light coughing from dust. The set of French doors open to the back of the house and a plop sound hits the concrete pad, must be the fabric we heard.

thump thump..thump thump the heartbeat is calm and steady a small hint of emotions but nothing that says they know they are being watched. Fenris's coat is so black there's no way someone with normal senses and smell would know we were here. His nose twitches taking in the smells while his ears listen to everything going on inside and around us. I hear a faint voice talking now, a phone call maybe? it was brief, keys jingle and we hear the front door close but not lock and then crunching of gravel under shoes before the car door opens and closes. the engine starts and the car pulls away.

Fenris gets up before I can even ask him what his plan is, his paws are digging into the ground and we are moving into the back yard to the house following the scent he has picked up. smelling everything as we walk up to the back patio seeing the back doors are still wide open, whoever it was was not a cautious person leaving this place unlocked. walking threw the double doors we clear the door frame but just barely, I could imagine the sight we are right now almost 6ft walking on all fours almost the size of a full grown bear the panic that would ensue. Taking in the smells of the small cottage we don't move in much more since there is not a whole lot of room for him to move around.

"Do you smell that?" Fenris askes me his ears are almost flat against his head

"Orchid, Hibiscus, sandalwood, amber and petrichor...Rebecca?"

"but her scent is a lot stronger in this house, the orchid and hibiscus are mingling with another now" He sounds pissed but I cant sense why

" Humans don't just change Fenris, I'm sure its just from this place, it smells really strong of her"

"I know what I'm talking about. I know what I smell" the tone in his voice I recognize from our murderous past

turning around Fenris walks back out the same way he came back in careful not to leave any prints showing he was here. Once to the tree line he breaks out into a run, I already know where we are going and I'm preparing my resolve whole run back to the Club to handle Fenris and his emotions because he has every intention to confront Rebecca. Even though I'm not sure how she is going to react hearing his voice instead of mine.

Grabbing my jeans, T-shirt and boots I placed just inside the tree line I quickly get dressed stretching the shirt on my arms, Fenris pressing hard beneath my skin making it hard to fit into my clothes. we make the trek back to our car starting it and peeling out of the parking lot sending rocks and dirt flying, I check the rear view mirror and see Fenris's eyes looking back when I speak out loud to him since he has almost shredded the veil separating us.

"Listen we cannot walk up in there looking the way we do"

"Like fuck we cant" his eyes dart to the mirror

"There is most likely humans present, and as much as I don't want to talk you down because I want answers too, we CANNOT go in there with you forward" I state to him forcing him to focus on my voice

"If I give you control do you promise to get answers?!" he is rumbling in my chest, my hands feel like they are going to break the steering wheel

"Fen I promise we will get answers" I don't tell him when we will get them though hoping that he will see reason.

Damn him for making me be the logical one in this situation, he is supposed to be the one keeping me in check, apparently Rebecca also stirs some kind of emotions out of him too, which I will try and decipher later. right now I need to get him to back off before he slaughters everyone when we park the car.

we aren't speaking to each other just going off of feelings at this point and as much as he is pushing forward I am pushing him back. we pull into the parking lot Fenris puts the car in park and just when he reaches for the door handle I make our body freeze

"Enough Connor let us go and find out what the fuck is wrong with Bec!" his eye color is now all I see staring back in the rear view mirror.

"Fen if I let us walk in there with you in control can you guarantee that nobody will get hurt? especially Rebecca? I try reasoning with him

"My intentions are not to hurt anyone!" he refuses to recede

"So if you hurt her can you make us live with it then?" I push harder on him when he grabs the door handle hard enough I thought for sure it was going to break off, Just when I don't think I have anymore left to give I push even harder on him forcing the rest of his energy on fighting me. His eyes snap from the handle to our face when he just lets go completely, and in that moment it felt as if all the air in my lungs had been sucked away. I close my eyes and focus on him once more when I feel him turn his back to me and walk behind the veil willingly.

I don't bother saying anything to him knowing him giving me full control was not easy for him considering the mass hysteria I felt brewing in our chest while he drove us here. it was rare for us to not agree on something and actually fight each other but something told me I needed him to fight me instead or else people were going to get seriously hurt, and Rebecca for some reason was a kill switch for him, he knew as well as I did if he went in there she was not coming out alive. Fenris backed off for her. He cant live with knowing he hurt her, and for him that doesn't happen. We don't get attached like that, so why her.

I opened the door with all these questions running threw my mind. Getting a grip on myself as I walked up the path to the front doors and I pushed everything away deciding I'm not going to ask her anything. my plan is to try and be as close to her so I can on my own figure out what is happening, Dorian would have told me if she was a supernatural being. So I was sure she wasn't aware of this change in herself and I don't want to scare her away before I can figure out what is going on.

The door slide open and the scents and smells of this place are so pleasant. Earth, grapes, coffee and food lingered while the sound of the water fountain lulling in the background. It was no wonder people loved staying here, it was beautiful.

an angelic voice greats me and I can tell its Angela by her scent wafting to me from the back on the entrance. Angela is a succubus and she is very good at her job. I know Dorian didn't tell Rebecca about what she was, and for all intents and purposes she never questioned why Angela was so perfect. Rebecca wasn't even intimidated by her which I found intriguing since Angela was drop dead gorgeous. Any man or woman that walked threw these doors were just enamored with her which made bookings a breeze.

"Connor! great to see you!" Angela was bouncing out from behind the desk making her way to me

"Angie how's business?" She embraced me in a quick hug, even though she is a Succubus she doesn't use her aura of seduction on me, could be because I am pretty close with her Father and uncles.

"its great we are booked up for the next two months!" she smiles up at me

"I wonder who to thank for that" I shoot her a wink and she blushes. I am fond of her which is why when her dad told me she was coming to the city I knew she would need a real job and not one that preyed on her power for sexual favors, she didn't strike me as the type that wanted a job like that. despite her father being a lust Demon he had mentioned her human side was a lot stronger than most of her kind. Dorian didn't turn her away, he was also able to get Rebecca on board some how which I didn't question. I knew she would be a great fit here.

"Rebecca is in her office, Leland was moving those boxes you had sent over for her I guess they just piled them up and moved her desk" she clicked her tongue in disapproval but what sent me into a brooding mood was that Leland was here with her. I basically made it so his job was non existent and made a point to let him know his hours were being cut. I know I should have ran it by Rebecca first before I made it official but I was near the sick fucker a few times and the only thing he had on his mind was Rebecca. His lewd thoughts all undressing her or plotting to get in between her and Dorian. I warned him months ago but he swore if Leland even so much as took a breath in her direction wrong he would fire him. I on the other hand wanted to rip his throat out and watch as the light faded from his eyes.

I followed Rebecca's unique scent past the entrance and instead of heading to her office I followed it to the atrium hallway looking at my phone for the time it wasn't far off that she might actually be eating, and since Mike makes some of the best food around I figured id check just to be sure. The atrium was empty not a single person was in here despite the warm temps outside and the atrium being climate controlled. I frowned when I didn't see her in here, but I walked over to the kitchen door and called out to Mike.

"Mike you back here?" the delicious smells were assaulting my nose making me breath deeper.

"I knew it would take time to lure a wolf back here" He chuckles turning half his body out from behind the two tier steel island

I chuckle at him too, if Fenris was in a better mood I'm sure he would have showed behind my eyes at his prodding, but he was still quiet.

"How are you, you old goblin?" I raise my eyebrow at him smirking at my dig back

"Oh I don't hear anyone complaining! , Rebecca came back here not to long ago and she asked me that same question" he raises his big bushy eye brow at his response not looking at me but at the food he was prepping.

"Just making sure our employees are happy here is all Mike" I raised my hands in surrender at him. Mike may be kitchen staff but he always knew everything about everyone, he was all to happy to listen to all the gossip so it was no surprise to me that he knew I was now the co-owner since Dorian had passed.

"yeah well you should be keeping your eye on that Leland kid instead, Rebecca had already came for her coffee and not long after he came back asking for two cups, one was defiantly for her, I don't like the feel from him if you get what I'm saying" I knew exactly what he was getting at but just because we knew what other people didn't say doesn't give me grounds to fire anyone without proof, who better to ask for this information than him. I lean back on the counter he was working on looking out the window behind him crossing my arms across my chest.

"Have you noticed anything off about his performance lately here?" he starts chopping slower

"I know that he didn't like when you cut his hours and has been making it a point to clock out later than he was advised to.."

"and?" I know he has more information but not all I'm looking for

"He moved Bec's desk around in her room, and has been checking the reports so I'm sure he knows your the one that's been handling his job" He chuckles bringing the knife to his chin and gives it a tap or two

"And I've noticed he's asked damn near every single staff member, more than once a day over the last months if they have herd from Rebecca and to come to him immediately if they do" he goes back to chopping the carrots he has on the cutting board

"well I'll need more than just that mike, you'll let me know if you hear anything more wont you?" I rub my jaw in thought

" Of course Alpha you know where my loyalty lay" he stops chopping to look at me

"also about Bec, its uh well something is off with her Alpha, I do hope you have noticed" and just as he says her nickname I feel Fenris stir and I know he has shown his presence to Mike as he bows his head to me

" Alpha I mean no disrespect, I was only stating what I seen or felt really briefly this morning when she came for coffee"

my voice comes out gravelly and I don't bother pushing Fenris back

"I apricate your concern, But Rebecca is ours" Fenris looks down on him and I do my best not to show my look of shock at Fenris' claim on Rebecca. Fenris recedes and I'm back in full control again

Mike looks up at me with amusement in his eyes

"I'm sure that would have went better if he warned you his intent first?" he turns gathering the rest of the vegetables and putting them into a big bowl walking away to the other side of the kitchen

"Ill catch you later Mike" I turn and walk out. The atrium is still empty so I decide to reach for Fenris but he refuses

"I don't want to talk about it Connor, I cant explain it I only feel that she is somehow ours and I refuse to ignore that feeling" away he went back behind the veil. I walk threw the atrium following the faint scent of Rebecca, we stop at her office and she's not there. Leland's scent is also in here and much stronger than hers. My chest rumbles and I head back out to the hallway following where she went. I turn the corner and I can hear a fluttering of heart beats one is much faster than the other almost humming bird speed.

I reach for the knob and its locked, My stomach turns and our own heart rate quickens. Knob still in hand we crush it in our palm and the knob drops to the floor on the other side. I push the door open and see the roller chair flipped over only the head rest visible from the floor behind the desk.

Fear, arousal and blood is all I can smell in the air of the room. So thick you could choke on it.

Rebecca

Red is all I see as we move quickly into the room