Page 30 of Hayes

All the girls looked toward Rylee, eyes wide.

“It’s my best friend, Amber. And if she’s next, I’d bet anything she’ll have a keen sense of sight. She always has.”

“That wouldn’t shock me,” Molly responded. “I wonder what good sight and smell are to the pack?”

Olivia sighed. “I bet we’ll find out soon.”

“What good are any of our abilities?” Rylee asked Olivia. “You possess all of them.”

Olivia shook her head. “Mine aren’t as strong as yours. Before you arrived, I could hear the bears approaching or even scent them, but only a few seconds before everyone else. You and Molly will know those things much earlier.”

“She’s right,” Khloe agreed. “I suspect all of our abilities are nature’s way of preparing us for any number of eventualities in the future. Maybe we’ll be ready for a time when we’re not all available. One of us will know. Either from a vision, scent, sound, or who knows what.”

Olivia nodded. “We’re each adding to the group of abilities. If we hone them, we’ll be even stronger. Khloe might be the first to know when something is going to happen, but as soon as she lets everyone else know, Molly can hear what they’re saying, and when they arrive, they can’t hide anything from me because I can hear their thoughts.”

Rylee frowned. “And I’ll know what they ate for breakfast?”

Khloe giggled. “I bet it’s more than that. You just don’t know what yet. Did you always have a heightened sense of smell to some degree?”

“Yes. And taste. They go together. There are very few foods I can stand to eat. They all taste too strong.”

Olivia giggled. “That’s why your Daddy made a joke about the foods the rest of us might be eating.”

“Yeah.”

“What foods do you like?” Molly asked gently.

“I used to eat scrambled eggs and plain smoothies for breakfast, peanut butter sandwiches and apples for lunch, and chicken and rice for dinner.”

“Does your Daddy cook that for you every day?” Khloe asked.

“No.” Rylee shuddered. “He doesn’t make me eat at all. He said the formula has everything I need.”

“That’s super sweet of him. He’s a good Daddy,” Olivia said. “Is it only foods and spices you can scent?”

Rylee opened her mouth to confirm but then stopped short. Suddenly it dawned on her. “No,” she murmured. “I think I can also scent things that don’t have a smell.” That made no sense. What was she even blabbering on about?

But the other girls took her seriously. They were all staring at her with furrowed brows.

Rylee licked her lips. “I can smell anxiety and stress.” She swallowed hard. “I bet it goes further. I bet I will be able to smell a lie.”

Khloe glanced at the others. “We could test that. We could each tell you something that you wouldn’t know. Some will be truths and others lies.”

Rylee gripped the side of the table nervously. “Okay.”

“I’ll start,” Olivia said. “A year before I was mated, I once snuck out of my house so I could see my Daddy.”

Rylee gasped. “Did you get in trouble?”

Olivia giggled. “How did you know I wasn’t lying?”

“I don’t know. I just did. Was he mad?”

“He understood. I was still losing my vision back then. I wanted to get a glimpse of him in case I lost my vision entirelybefore my mating ceremony. I was afraid I would never get to see him.”

“Wow.” Rylee was stunned. “I can understand that. You must have been so scared.”

“I was. But I was also so very relieved when I found out my wolf can see.”