8. Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven

Theron tried to break his neck getting to Rome. He’d been his leader since he was little, but now he was his alpha. The thought of something happening to him struck a chord of fear deep inside.

“Rome, what happened?” He took another look around but didn’t see a threat.

“There’s an incredible scent in the air. Can you scent it?” He waved Theron off, knowing he needed to take more of that scent in, to have it penetrate his body, allowing it to become part of his being before he could stand.

“I’m fine. It’s the scent. It threw me for a loop, physically.” He chuckled, easing some of Theron’s fears. It was only after he sat there for a few minutes that he realized that he and Theron were no longer wolves.

Theron sniffed at the air, and then he changed into a wolf. He sniffed the air again, shaking his head. “I don’t scent anything different.” This forest was their home. If something had changed, he should scent it.

“It’s marvelous,” Rome told him. He scented the sweetness of honey and vanilla mixed with the salt of the ocean. It’s sweet along with being fresh. With a whiff of pureness. It’s like the two scents balance each other to form a scent of its own. It doesn’t have a name, but it needs one.”

Theron moved further away and scented the air. There was nothing there. Rome shifted, he took off running with Theron on his hind legs. The further he went, the slower he moved. He was scenting the air, following the trail that had been laid for him. Who or what was on the other end? Could this be another trick of the goddess Black Night? She tried several times in their past to sever the immortality that she gave them. Realizing that making them live forever might not be the curse she originally thought it was.

He slowed down even further as he realized the source of the scent was ahead of them.

“Whoever this scent is coming from is right ahead.” Rome took a deep breath as his wolf gave a subtle growl, not wanting to scare whoever was there.

“I’ll go first.”

“How will you identify what you cannot scent? I need you to have my back.” Rome slinked his way through the thick undergrowth. He headed towards the bench that he placed in the woods years ago with the vain thought that one day he would take his mate here and make love under the ancient tree.

There was a white wolf lying on the bench, asleep. A beautiful white wolf. His heart pounded as he looked at her. He knew, every sense he had screamed, she was a female. There were no white wolves in his pack, and there were no natural wolves in his forest.

The wolf woke and took one look at him before falling off the bench. It howled in confusion. When she tried to walk, she fell. It was obvious the wolf had never walked before. She scooted back, panting in fear.

She was afraid of him. Rome realized he’d make three of her. His wolf had been prowling silently closer. The need to scent her was almost uncontrollable. Never had he been more grateful to Luna for allowing him to be clothed when he changed. He became a shifter and crouched low, trying not to add to her initial fear of him.

“Hi, my name is Rome, and you’re in the forest my pack runs in. We won’t, my friend and I won’t hurt you.” He pointed to Theron. “His name is Theron. I just want to know who you are. I’ve never seen a white wolf before.”

Her head came up and those incredibly beautiful eyes went wide. She stuck out a limb, looking at it.

“See, you’re white. I’m not lying.” She stood again, this time managing not to fall. “The minute you get the hang of it, you’ll love it. Watch me.” He changed back into his wolf and exaggerated walking until she took a few steps on her own. He walked faster, and she followed him. Until he was racing at her pace across the ground.

She followed his every move until he took her to their small town. That’s where she stopped on the border.

“Good instincts.” He had changed back into his shifter form. “I wouldn’t follow an unknown shifter into his town, either.” Rome sat down across from her, his back to the town. He watched as Theron moved around them before he took off. He gave a tilt of his head to let Theron know he saw him.

“That’s my third. He’s going to make sure no one comes out here. It would be easier to talk if you would shift back.”

“Bring me a shirt from my room,” he told Saul. “My second is going to bring a shirt out for you. I know it may be uncomfortable to shift around someone you don’t know.” They sat in silence until Saul handed him the shirt and left.

“I’ll turn my back, and you can shift.” He turned around and then she howled. That howl sparked a memory. It was buried so deep that he hadn’t thought about it in centuries. He turned back around.

“You don’t know how to shift back.” She placed her head under her paws. “There’ll be none of that now. I remember it’s been a while, but I had no idea how to shift back and there was no one there to help me. It seems hard, but it’s easier than you think.”

She looked up at him, a modicum of trust in her eyes and lots of hope. He smiled. He couldn’t help it. If his pack saw him now, they’d make sure he saw their pack doctor.

“Picture yourself in your shifter form. Your hair, that I presume is as white as your beautiful coat, and those amazing silver eyes. Picture your whole body and then think of transforming from one to the other. In time, you won’t have to do this, you’ll transform with a thought. The wolf in front of him closed her eyes, and he could see a shimmer start, then end. After about five minutes, she changed. She was a beautiful wolf who became a beautiful young woman.

“You did it.” Rome closed his eyes and handed her the shirt blindly. What he saw was gorgeous. He’d never seen a female as beautiful as her.

“You can look now.” Her voice was as sweet as honey, and he wanted to roll in it. His wolf wanted to scent and claim her.

“My name is Amelia Dumas. Nice to meet you. I didn’t realize another pack claimed this land. I didn’t mean to trespass. In the morning, I’ll move on.”

“No, you’re not trespassing. How long have you been in Huntsville and where are you staying?”

“I’m staying at Roland’s motel. I just pulled into town today and thought it might be… not a nice place, but a place I can lie low.”

“Roland and his small clan are good people, and they are experts in lying low. So, it was a good call on your part. Things would have been much different if you stayed in the bed-and-breakfast. They are also good people, but they like to know what is happening in their guests’ lives.”

“I got that impression.”

“I would love it if you stayed here. We have room. I couldn’t allow another shifter to pass through without offering hospitality. Before you say no, come into town with me and look around. I think you’ll find there is nothing to be worried about there. Consider it a safe zone.”

A safe zone? Amelia couldn’t imagine finding one of those among wolves. When they scented her, they would want to kill her like her pack wanted.

She snapped her teeth together, looking for a way to tell him politely she needed to leave. There was no thump of her heart telling her to run, and her boots that she kind of took signals from were content.

“I’ll guarantee your safety. Nothing will happen to you in the village.”

Could she trust him? She wanted to. If she thought the trucker’s voice was sexy, his was the sexiest voice of all voices. This male sounded like sex on a stick. What did that phrase mean? Forget it, all she could think about was the male in front of her. He was tall with skin that was naturally tanned a beautiful bronze color. He looked like he was part of the land. His black hair was long and right now flowing around his shoulders, untamed. She took a minute to scent the air, thinking she might be wrong. He smelled of the smoke from open fires and the hunt for game. She scented him again, taking the scent into her being. Her eyes closed against her will as she swayed in his direction.

“You give me your word?” She wanted to laugh as she thought about the traitorous wolves she knew.

“You have my word. No harm will come to you here or in Huntsville.” She nodded her head and stood. She wanted to walk behind him because she needed to see if his ass was as beautiful as his face. Wait, she meant… Forget it. It’s not every day she saw a man that made her pant. If he was going to keep her safe, she was going to indulge for a moment.

“Where are you from?” She stayed silent. Nothing good could come from that line of questioning. He was quiet, as she ogled his back. She could see his muscles through the t-shirt he was wearing. His thighs were thick, and she could see the muscles bunch as he walked. And his ass. Mamma Mia. His jeans cupped it like they were worshiping it. She wanted to join his jeans.

What was happening to her? After so long without being attracted to any male, she was sure she was a spinster or frigid. Now she could feel her body warming up the more she was around him as his scent flowed through her.

Could it have something to do with the fact that she turned into a wolf? Oh, my goddess! She turned into a white wolf. The desire to dance after waiting so many years was making her feet tap and her ass sway exaggeratedly. She wished her father were here and Nicole so she could share the news with them. Maybe Luna would turn up in her dream and she could tell her. She wanted someone to know what happened to her today.

Rome took her to a small town that looked beautiful from where they were standing. There were streets and houses with nice yards. She could see businesses. There was also what looked like an open market. Even though it was later in the evening, there were still people walking about. Some were calling children and others were watching teens play. There was even a section where it looked like young wolves were being encouraged to play fight. They walked down the street where people were sitting out on their porches. Everyone they passed called out to Rome. She quickly picked up the fact that he was the Alpha.

Should she be staring at the alpha, practically drooling over him? He probably had a mate, and she should leave, but she was helpless to do anything but stare and follow him.

He stopped at a porch where a woman was sitting in a rocking chair holding a baby and her mate was sitting next to her.

“How is Ariella?” Rome asked, stepping onto the porch.

“She’s perfect. Do you want to hold her?” Rome held the child eagerly, cuddling her into his thick arms.

“Amelia, this is Janice and Mark. Janice and Mark, this is Amelia.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Amelia said.

“It’s nice to meet you, too.” Mark held out a hand, which she took.

“I’m all about the hugs. It’s nice to meet you.” Janice hugged her tight and gave her a friendly smile.

It was hard for Amelia to keep the look of shock off her face. No one was calling her an abomination, and they weren’t overly dramatic, scenting the air. What was going on here? Was she still dreaming and would wake up in the motel? There were no mentions about her hair or eyes except the ones that Rome made. His were all complimentary.

Amelia looked at the baby in Rome’s arms. She was a cutie pie. She’d never thought of having children. The thought of a male touching her gave her the creeps. What would a child with Rome’s hair and her eyes look like? She’d gone from zero to one hundred in no time flat, and it was scaring her.

“Your baby is beautiful,” she told the couple.

“Thank you,” Janice grinned. Rome handed the baby back, and they left.

“I’m going to take you to the pack house,” he said when they were far enough away not to be heard. “Then I’m going to ask you what’s wrong. Don’t tell me nothing, I can scent the confusion and the fear coming from you.”