Page 21

21

Lucas

The dining room fills within five minutes, and I’m happy the guest house has air conditioning; otherwise, the room would have become stuffy with thirty-three wolves inside. Carolyn had only gathered the rogues the Council had brought, but the room still felt cramped.

The scent that has bothered me since entering the guest house is strong here. I know the wolf is nearby, but I can’t find him with so many scents from the other wolves blending together. If Kaylee were here, she would have pinpointed it accurately and pointed the wolf out to all of us.

“Welcome, everyone,” Uncle David begins as soon as the wolves settle down. “You have all been here for about four days now, settling into the guest house and meeting with many of our warriors, hunters, and omegas to see where you would best fit into Ivory Fangs. Today, we would like to discuss with you all the upcoming initiation ceremony and the plans for where you will all live once you’re full members of the pack,” he continues, his eyes scanning the crowd of wolves.

I watch as he takes a deep breath, his eyes widening slightly in surprise before he resumes smiling. Something must have caught his attention.

[Lucas, is the scent you smell something spicy, like cloves?] The link between David and me opens, and I consider his question. Taking a deep breath and focusing on this familiar scent, I note that I do smell cloves with a hint of pepper.

[Yes. That’s it,] I respond.

[I know this scent, too. I just can’t place where I’ve smelled it before,] my uncle responds.

[I’ll walk around the room while you speak. Explain to everyone that I’m the beta in training and just trying to size each wolf up for their next role while I try to find the owner of the scent,] I suggest, and my uncle nods slightly.

“As I explain what to expect, my nephew Lucas will walk around the room. He’s my beta in training, and I’ve tasked him with sizing you all up so we can have a vague idea of what role you will each take when you join Ivory Fangs. Of course, your input will be considered—this is just an initial impression,” David says after I have taken a few steps.

The rogues watch me warily as I breathe slowly, taking in many scents—pine, lily, chocolate, fern, and citrus. They start to overwhelm me, and I pause. I can tell that many of the nature-scented wolves would be great for warrior or hunter positions. The sweeter scents would be best for working within pack businesses or human towns.

But that’s not what I’m looking for. The familiar spicy scent of the wolf has evaded me so far, but I can feel their eyes on me in the crowd.

“We have a group of sixteen wolves who will be initiated into the pack in three days. These wolves came from a pack destroyed by our enemy, Oak Fur.” Kurt is the one to step forward and speak this time, a smile on his face.

All eyes turn to Kurt, and the feeling of being watched disappears. Taking a deep breath, I focus hard on the cloves and pepper scent, finding it easier to scent the wolf now that all the focus is off me.

“Aren’t you and Lucas from Oak Fur?” a she-wolf asks, raising her hand as her voice trembles with slight fear.

“They are, Christa,” Uncle David answers calmly. “But they escaped the pack when Ramos and Marilyn became increasingly tyrannical.”

The group sighs with relief, their wariness of me dissipating. The eyes that had been watching me earlier return, and this time, I can pinpoint who the wolf is.

Sitting beside the auburn-haired Carolyn is a male wolf. His hair is as black as night, and his eyes are dark brown. I link my uncle that I’ve found the owner of the familiar scent.

Uncle David continues to discuss how everyone here will witness the initiation ceremony for the Harvest Willow wolves so they understand what’s expected when they join the pack. He also informs them that we’ll check with them to see if they wish to live in the dormitories in single rooms or in pairs.

Finally, Kurt steps in, stating that we’d like to know their preferred roles in the pack so we can pair them with a warrior, hunter, or omega to train under and learn how each role is performed.

The wolves soon file out, Carolyn leading the black-haired wolf away as I rejoin Kurt and Uncle David.

“You found the owner of the scent?” Kurt asks before I can say anything.

“I...I did,” I answer, looking to my uncle, who raises his hands in surrender.

“I didn’t tell him. Kurt figured it out,” he says quickly, making me laugh.

“I wasn’t saying you told him. I was going to ask if you know him,” I laugh, shaking my head at my uncle.

“Oh...well, no. I have no idea who he is, but I swear I’ve seen him before,” Uncle David answers, crossing his arms over his chest as he looks out the window behind me. I then begin to describe the wolf to Kurt, watching his eyes light up as he turns to where Carolyn and the man sit.

“If I’m not mistaken, that’s Carolyn’s friend, Devon,” Kurt answers with a frown. “He seems harmless, but I agree that there’s something wrong with this situation,” he adds, looking at David. “Think we can gather a few of our own spies to watch him?”

“Spies?” I blurt out in shock. “We have spies?”

David and Kurt look at one another before sighing. It seems I wasn’t supposed to know this.

“Kaylee and Amelia came up with the idea of training a select few wolves who can blend in with a crowd the way this Devon can blend in. We can’t tell you who they are, but know that we never had any tailing you,” David explains, giving me a sad but reassuring smile. “As much as Kaylee hated you, she would never agree for us to spy on you.”

For a moment, I feel hurt that my aunt and uncle would even think about placing spies on me. Then I felt happy knowing Kaylee never thought to do that and never agreed to it. But there’s still one thing on my mind.

“How do you know about them?” I ask Kurt, getting a sheepish smile from him as he scratches the back of his neck.

“I helped Amelia and David train them while you went off to save Kaylee,” he admits, making me scoff. Of course Kurt would know how to train spies. He kept his niece and the remainder of his birth pack hidden for years.

“Well, let’s put a few on Devon and see what he does. Something tells me our peaceful life is about to change with him around,” I state. I’m sure I’ll learn more about the spies in this pack someday—I see no reason to worry about them now.

With more to do today under Uncle David as his beta in training, we leave the guest house and make our way toward the meadows and greenhouses. With each step we take, I feel Devon’s gaze watching us. I turn back once to see if I can spot him hidden behind a window, but he seems talented at concealing himself. The unease inside me grows, and I decide that once I’m done with my training for the day, I’ll talk to Kaylee about my concern and make sure she knows not to be alone with Devon.