The Scent Only I Can Smell

 

"You definitely stole my socks!" Jay argued, making me roll my eyes.

We'd just gotten off a two-hour flight, one that came with a small care package — socks, a toothbrush, toothpaste, and a cookie. Jay had misplaced his socks somewhere in the first twenty minutes, and he was convinced I'd taken them.

I'd spent the entire flight dealing with his whining. I'd even begged a couple of the pack members traveling with us to trade seats. None of them wanted the job of sitting next to their moody future Alpha.

I'd been looking forward to this day since Magnus gave us the green light last week. It wasn't until the plane actually landed that the nerves hit — a low, steady hum under my ribs that hadn't been there an hour ago.

"I set my socks down right in front of me, went to the bathroom, and when I came back they were gone. Who else would take my socks besides you?" Jay pressed, heading toward the baggage carousel.

I sighed, debating whether it was even worth responding.

"I already told you — I never even saw your socks, let alone took them," I shot back, spotting my suitcase on the carousel.

The other four pack members spotted their bags too. Four — yes, four. Usually only two travel with me to another pack's territory, but Kaitlyn had been firm about the number this time.

I glanced over to check whether Jay had found his suitcase. A moment later he pulled a black one off the carousel and joined us.

The six of us made our way through the airport to the main arrivals area, where a BlackShadowed Pack member was supposed to be waiting to take us to their territory. We stepped into a huge lobby full of people holding signs with names on them, the air thick with the smell of coffee and jet fuel drifting in from the doors.

A wolf's scent cut through the crowd of humans, and I tensed instantly. Jay and the others reacted the same way.

Jay moved ahead of us, tracking the scent to a red-headed man holding a sign that read Jayden Steel. One of his arms was fully tattooed, sleeves rolled up, and he stood a head taller than everyone around him.

He stepped back out of the crowd to give us room, clearly having caught our scent and confirmed who we were. With a curt nod, he turned and led the way out, not saying a word. Jay and I exchanged a confused look and followed.

He helped load our bags into a large black jeep, then slid behind the wheel, waiting patiently as we picked our seats before pulling off.

Silence stretched for a while — the kind that felt too heavy to break. I ended up just staring at the back of his head, at hair so dark red it didn't look natural. I'd never seen a wolf dye their hair before, so maybe it was a BlackShadowed thing.

About fifteen minutes onto the highway, he finally spoke. "My name is Kobi," he said, catching my eye in the rearview mirror.

"Oh — you speak!" I blurted, surprised.

I meant it as a joke, but the second it left my mouth I felt the tension spike — our pack members visibly stiffened. The rumors about this pack had me half-convinced they didn't tolerate jokes at all.

So I was more than relieved when Kobi burst out laughing. "I'm just not that social," he explained, finally exiting the highway. "Especially not around wolves outside my own pack."

I nodded, relaxing a little. Jay spoke up next, dropping the cold front he'd been holding since we met Kobi — Jay always tenses around anyone outside the pack.

"What's your rank?" Jay asked, holding his eyes in the mirror.

I was curious too. Kobi carried himself with a quiet kind of power — not Alpha or Beta level, but close. My guess was a high-ranked warrior, maybe even Gamma.

"I'm the Gamma of my pack," he said, confident. Jay nodded, satisfied.

"We're on our territory now," Kobi added, and I turned to the window, watching.

We were on a long, wide road lined with tall trees on either side, their branches meeting overhead in a dark, rustling canopy that broke the afternoon light into thin gold ribbons across the road. Even here, it was beautiful — I nearly missed the flicker of movement in the treeline. Border warriors, probably, already notified of our visit. I told myself there was nothing to worry about, but the deeper we drove, the more on edge I felt.

The town came into view as we descended a hill, and I leaned forward to take it in. It was massive — practically a city, and I wish I were exaggerating. Actual skyscrapers stood in the distance, catching the light, ringed by lower rooftops that spread out for what looked like miles. Kind of an eyesore, honestly, but it made the whole place feel legitimate.

"Fuck… this place is huge," Jay said through the mind link.

As if reading our minds, Kobi said, "This is just the main pack town — the central hub, basically. There are a few smaller towns a few miles out."

I nodded, not sure what to say to that.

"Fair warning — you'll probably get some shocked stares today. We don't get many outsiders on our territory," he added as we entered the heart of the town.

"That's fine," Jay said, frowning slightly as he stared out the window.

Confused, I looked too, and saw a crowd trailing the jeep — a woman with a stroller stopping mid-step, two teenagers breaking off from a corner to stare, a man setting down his grocery bags entirely. Guessing they really weren't used to visitors — I already knew barely anyone had set foot on this territory in decades.

I turned my attention back to Kobi's hair. I really wanted to ask about it.

"You think he dyes it?" I asked over the mind link.

"Obviously. There's only three natural wolf hair colors — brunette, blond, ginger. I've never seen red like that on anyone," one of our pack members said.

"Do you dye your hair?" Jay asked outright, and I gaped at him. Well — that answered that curiosity for me.

Kobi glanced at the mirror, clearly amused. "Wondered when someone would ask. Usually the first thing people notice about me."

"It is a pretty unusual color," I admitted with a shrug.

"Very cool, though," one of our pack members chimed in from the back.

"No, I don't dye it," Kobi said. "Genetic mutation, runs in my family. Had it since birth."

"That's actually really cool. Great mutation to end up with," I said, genuinely interested.

"I think so too. If you ever see me shifted, you'll spot me instantly," he added, chuckling.

"Why's that?"

"Red streak down my back. Impossible to miss in a pack of wolves."

Just as he said it, we slowed in front of a massive golden gate, four guards posted at it, their eyes tracking the jeep the entire time it idled. Two approached, inspected each of us, then waved the gates open with a groan of old, heavy metal.

Kobi drove up a long driveway toward what looked like a palace. Alpha Houses are always built to impress, but this one had clearly been designed with real intention — a pearl-white fountain out front spilling water in slow, glassy arcs, manicured hedges lining the drive in tight geometric rows, and steps that seemed to glisten in the sun. The whole building was cream and pearl, with gold trim on every window catching the light like it had been polished that morning.

"So I'm guessing this is the Alpha House?" I laughed, climbing out of the jeep, the gravel crunching under my sneakers.

"We call it the Alpha Manor here. Alpha lives here, along with the Beta, Beta Female, the Gamma, and a few top-ranked warriors. Same setup at your pack?" Kobi asked, heading for the door.

"Pretty much identical, actually," I said.

Alpha Houses are always oversized for exactly that reason — too many important people to fit otherwise. We reached the front door, and Kobi hesitated, hand on the knob.

We stood there, luggage in hand, waiting. He finally turned around, looking sheepish.

"Beta just told me the Alpha's at one of the other pack towns right now, so he won't be able to meet you today. But the Beta and Beta Female are happy to get you settled."

Jay's frown deepened at that, though he stayed quiet.

We stepped into the entryway, unsurprised to find it just as extravagant inside — marble floors that threw our footsteps back at us in sharp echoes, a staircase curling up along the far wall, a chandelier hanging so low I could've reached up and touched it.

Then I caught it — cinnamon and chocolate.

Is someone baking? How did they know that was my favorite combination? The smell was strong, almost overwhelming, but I loved it. Addictive, even. Where was it coming from?

Before I could ask, footsteps sounded on the stairs.

A man and woman came down hand in hand, both wearing wide, welcoming smiles — a relief, honestly, since the Alpha's absence had been the only sour note so far. Common courtesy says the Alpha should greet visitors personally, but something important must've come up.

"Hi, welcome to the BlackShadowed Pack," the man said, shaking our hands. "I'm Julian, the Beta here."

The woman stepped up next, beaming. "I'm Leona, Beta Female. So nice to meet you all." When she got to me, she shook my hand with visible excitement. "I honestly can't believe I'm meeting you. I've heard so much — you're amazing."

I laughed, shaking her hand back. "Nice to meet you too." She had this warm, bubbly energy — I had a feeling we'd get along.

"Okay, let's get you to your rooms — you must be exhausted," she said, clapping. "Lucky you each only packed one bag. Follow me!"

She led us up the stairs quickly, and we reached a second lobby-like landing. The cinnamon-and-chocolate smell was even stronger here.

"Let me walk you through the layout," she said, stopping in the middle of the space.

She pointed right. "That way leads to the East Wing — that's where you'll all be staying."

Then straight ahead. "That leads to the North Wing, where the Alpha stays. I'd steer clear unless you're looking for trouble." Julian and Kobi both laughed at that, though I noticed one of the maids passing through the landing with an armful of linens slow her steps at the mention of it, eyes flicking toward the corridor before she hurried on. Probably nothing. Staff got jumpy around Alpha territory, same as ours did.

"West Wing is me, Julian, and Kobi. Come by whenever," she continued, pointing left.

"Except early mornings. Please don't wake me up," Julian added. "I'm not a pleasant person before noon, trust me."

"Sounds like we'll get along fine," Jay said, laughing for the first time since we'd landed. "What about the South Wing?"

"That's the warriors' quarters — they live on-site for security," Julian explained, smiling at Jay.

Ah. There's a bromance starting. Good — that would make things easier.

"So — East Wing, us. North Wing, big bad wolf, stay away. West Wing, you three. South Wing, warriors," I summarized.

Everyone laughed at the phrasing. We agreed to meet downstairs in thirty minutes to eat.

After a round of bickering over rooms, we finally settled in and unpacked what we could. My room faced the back gardens — a long stretch of clipped lawn giving way to trees at the property line, a stone path curling off toward what looked like a training yard in the distance. Jay gave up on unpacking after ten minutes and wandered into my room instead.

"If you ever want to say something inappropriate here, just use the mind link," he said.

"What could I possibly need to say that's inappropriate?" I replied, rolling my eyes.

"I don't know — maybe that the Alpha couldn't be bothered to greet us on day one? The disrespect," he complained, sprawling across my bed.

"You do have your own bed, you know," I said, shoving at him. "Get off — you're sitting on the outfit I want to change into."

"You're changing?" he asked, rolling off.

"Yes, because I want to. You changed earlier, why can't I?" I said, already pulling my shirt off.

Changing in front of each other has never been a big deal between us — wolves get used to it fast, considering you have to strip down to shift anyway.

Once I'd changed into something more comfortable, we headed downstairs, our footsteps echoing off the marble in the empty stairwell. Twenty-five minutes in, and I was starving.

At the bottom of the stairs, Kobi stood glued to his phone, thumbs flying across what looked like a piano tile game. I used to be obsessed with that game myself — I smiled to myself as we approached.

"Julian and Leona are in the kitchen, probably arguing about pizza," he said, not looking up. "Just follow the voices."

Jay and I laughed at his focus and headed toward the kitchen — easy enough to find, following the noise, the cinnamon-chocolate smell thinning the further we walked from the stairs, like it belonged only to that upper floor.

Leona had the pizza menu in hand, Julian on his phone, both of them mid-chase around the kitchen. Two of our pack members were already seated at the table, watching the show.

"I'm ordering this time!" Leona shouted, waving the menu overhead. Julian lunged for it and missed as she hopped onto the counter.

"You always over-order, complain you can't finish it, cry happy tears when you realize it's breakfast, then cry guilty tears over an unhealthy breakfast. I'm trying to spare you the cycle," Julian sighed.

"Not happening this time — six extra people to help me eat it," Leona shot back, clearly proud of that comeback. Julian just stared, deadpan, then shrugged.

"Fine, babe. Go wild." He tossed her his phone. She caught it without even looking and hopped down.

"So what's everyone want?" she asked, delighted. We mind-linked the other two pack members for their orders and relayed everything. Once the order was in, we headed to the living room to pick a movie.

I couldn't get over how easy it was to click with all of them. Kobi, I learned, is basically married to his phone and barely talks — except for the occasional deadpan joke that catches you off guard. Julian and Leona might be the funniest pair I've ever met. I made a mental note to ask how they found each other — I love a good mate story.

But that smell still nagged at me. Cinnamon. Chocolate. Mouthwatering, and constant. Judging by the state of the kitchen, no one had actually been baking.

"Why does this whole house smell like cinnamon and chocolate?" I asked, sitting up straighter on the sofa.

Julian and Leona were flipping through a DVD collection in front of the TV. They both looked up, confused.

"It's really strong. Is it a candle?" I pressed. I would've bought that candle on the spot — it smelled incredible.

"I light candles around the house sometimes, but I don't think I've ever had a cinnamon or chocolate one," Leona said, frowning. "The one burning right now is lotus. Floral."

Jay looked at me, equally lost. "It doesn't smell like anything in here to me."

I looked between them, confused. Were they serious? The smell was overwhelming.

Instead of pushing it, I just said, "Oh — my bad."