Chapter 2 The Scent of Her

Blake

Today started like any other. I went to school, played hockey, came home, and let Lex out for a run. A typical day, right? Wrong. Something’s been off all day. Lex has been twitchy, restless—fidgeting like a dog on a leash he doesn’t want to be on. I keep waiting for something to jump out of the shadows and bite me. I don’t know what it is, but the feeling gnaws at me, like an itch I can’t reach. I can’t shake it. 

I couldn’t focus in class. My puck handling felt sluggish; every shot I took in practice, I was half a step too slow. Then, when I shifted to let Lex run, he nearly threw me off balance and tried to take control of the run. He wanted to drag me out of town, away from everything. It took all my strength to yank him back, to stop the pull of whatever it is that’s got him riled up. Now I’m sitting in the backyard, a half-done barbecue spread in front of me. The smell of steak and sausages should’ve had me diving in by now. Hell, I should’ve been fighting my dad for the biggest piece, like any growing alpha would. But today? It just makes my stomach twist in a way that has nothing to do with hunger. “Everything good?” Dad asks, holding out a plate of meat. His brow furrowed, eyes scanning me like he’s trying to figure out why I’m not tearing into the food like usual. But I can’t focus on that. Not when this damn feeling won’t leave me alone. I shake my head, scrubbing a hand over my face. “I don’t know. Something’s off.” My voice sounds thick, like I’m trying to swallow it all down but failing. Dad doesn’t press me further; he sets the plate down on the table and pulls up a chair. The usual chatter from the rest of the family fades away as he lowers his voice, just loud enough for me to hear. “What’s going on? What does it feel like?” I rub my chest, as if that might make this feeling stop, but it doesn’t. I can’t shake the restlessness. The gnawing frustration. “It’s… I don’t know. It’s this thing that won’t leave. I can’t sit still. I can’t control Lex. I can’t…” I take a deep breath, frustrated, and throw my hands up. “I can’t think straight. It’s like I’m missing something, but I don’t know what it is yet.” Dad watches me with a thoughtful frown crossing his face. He’s never been one to jump to conclusions, but I know him well enough to see the worry brewing behind his eyes. Whatever this is, it’s bigger than just a bad day. Something’s coming. I just don’t know what.

I watch as his eyes glaze over and his focus shifts inward. There’s a subtle change in his expression telling me he’s linking with the pack. His voice cuts through my mind, clear and commanding, as he relays the message. “Be on alert,” he says, his tone steady but urgent as the alpha in him takes charge. “Blake feels something’s off. I want a full rotation of the pack border and a report. Don’t leave anything unchecked.” I catch the quick glance he sends my way, an understanding between us—his quiet way of saying he trusts me, even if I don’t fully understand what’s going on yet. I give him half a smile, a nod to acknowledge the order, though the unease that’s been gnawing at me doesn’t quite ease. He returns the gesture, but there’s something in his gaze that lingers, a thread of concern, before he shoves the plate into my hands, his grip firm but not too tight. “Eat,” he says, the command softening into something more like reassurance. “We’ll figure out what it is soon enough.” I stare at the plate in my hands, the weight of it holding me still for a moment, but I can’t shake the feeling that something's coming. That whatever’s out there is closer than I realise. I nod again, more to myself than to him, trying to focus, trying to ignore the buzzing in the back of my mind. The pack’s on alert, and it’s only a matter of time before we figure out what’s really happening. 

A response comes back through the link after just ten minutes. “Two rogue scents in the eastern woods. The trail’s all over the place, though, there's no real structure to it.” I press my hand to my chest again. Rogue scents? This close to town? I glance toward the trees lining the eastern edge of the property. They're quiet, but even that silence feels too loud now. Rogue scents don’t just appear, not in our territory. I pull my eyes away from the trees and meet my dad’s gaze. He’s leaning against the doorframe, one eyebrow raised. “You want to go check it out?” he asks, his tone clipped, voice dropping just low enough so no one else can hear. I’m on my feet before he can even finish the sentence. I push through the treeline and let Lex take over. Track them. I tell him.

Lex's paws hit the ground with a quick rhythm, his energy crackling under my skin. The moment we hit the eastern woods, the scent slams into my soul with its sweetness: strawberry and cream. My chest tightens. It’s like I can taste it on the back of my tongue. Lex stops dead, lifts his nose to the sky and lets out a deafening howl, desperate to claim her. Mate. Mate, mate, mate. Lex chants the word over and over, his mind so loud I almost can’t hear my own thoughts. His paws dig into the earth, nose to the ground, tracking the sweet, intoxicating scent. My heart pounds, a furious beat that matches the rhythm of Lex’s stride as he follows the trail. My senses are sharp, but the scent is twisting in ways that don’t make sense. The tracks loop back, veering in and out, like a maze I can’t solve. On top of that, it’s mixed with another scent, a male scent. I try not to linger on that fact; I'm sure my mate would have waited for me. I strain, trying to keep up, but Lex’s excitement is too much, pulling me in every direction. My chest aches with the pull getting stronger, but every time I think we’re getting closer, the scent disappears into another confusing loop. The frustration burns through me, but there’s a certainty settling deep within, pushing all doubt aside. My mate is here.

I turn back to the house after hours of following an intoxicating scent I can’t track, the feeling in my gut undeniable. There’s no mistaking it now. She’s close.