A Shifting Love

Chapter 7: Common Scents

I stumbled around in the woods, hopelessly looking for clues that would lead me to Nicholas. There were no signs of civilization, only miles of trees. Where would a gang of murderous creatures be hiding? I peered into the branches above me as a squirrel ran along a trunk. They obviously weren't hiding up there. I thought, facepalming. How goofy of me.

Then it occurred to me that no one had ever spent much time in the woods. I used the dirt path as a shortcut from campus whenever I walked home in the afternoon, but I never thought to explore. When my sisters and I were growing up, we spent a lot of time training in the fields behind our house and studying at school. The woods were just there and nothing more.

I thought about the conversation I had with my dad. When I told him that I had heard rumors about the Night Stalkers, he acted like the story was common knowledge in the pack. I shook my head in disbelief, realizing the truth. Everyone in the pack knew about the Night Stalkers except us. That's why I rarely saw anyone during my walks.

I reclined against a tree, aggravated. Maybe Dad kept the secret from us because he knew we would do stupid sh*t like I currently was, wasting my time. The Night Stalkers didn't seem to care about breaking the curse, and my dad hated them too much to make peace. Besides, I wasn't sure how I would find Nicholas when I didn't even know what he looked like as a human.

At least the trees shielded me from the blistering sun; I thought as a breeze moved past me. Along with the wind, there was a familiar smell in the air. Pine! Nicholas had to be close. I looked in the opposite direction of where the breeze came, using my nose to guide the way.

***

My nose led me to a cabin located deep in the woods. I could see others located beyond it. I was in the right place, but it seemed odd to knock on his door like he was expecting me. Before I could think about it any longer, the front door flew open.

“What the hell are you doing here?" A young man hissed. He was shirtless, and his bedhead was evidence that he had just woken up.

“I-I'm looking for someone," I stammered, mesmerized by the half-naked olive-skinned man in front of me. He had light green eyes that reminded me of the shadow wolf I met the night before.“Nicholas?"

“D*mnit, Autumn," he growled. “Get in here before someone sees you."

“Is this where you live?" I asked, stepping inside the dark cabin.

He locked the door and stood in front of it with his arms folded, glaring at me. “Why are you here?"

It stung that he didn't even pretend to be happy to see me. “I found out some things and needed to talk to you."

“So you put yourself in more danger by coming into our territory where you're trespassing?"

I narrowed my eyes. There was no way I would obediently sit through another lecture from a man who thought they knew what was best for me. “I was careful," I replied. “Besides, I'm sure everyone is sleeping as you were when I got here."

He sighed. “We have a group that watches for intruders during the day. They didn't see you if you made it this far."

“I told you I was careful, Nicholas," I scoffed. “You know, I trusted you enough to leave my territory without getting caught by any guards on night patrol."

He opened his mouth to speak but closed it when I put an index finger up, signaling him not to interrupt. “And it's not a different situation, so save it. I'm here and will leave once I've told you what I heard."

He moved away from the door and motioned me to sit on the living room furniture. I sat in the middle of the couch; he took the spot on my left, which was closest to the door.

“How did you even find me?" he asked, rubbing his eyes. “Does your dad have a database with all our information or something?"

“I'm not aware of any database," I replied, frowning. It had never crossed my mind that my dad was probably keeping tabs on the Night Stalkers. How else would he know there hadn't been any attacks, well, until last night? There was suddenly an uneasy feeling in my stomach.

“So, how did you find me?" Nicholas asked again, interrupting my thoughts.

I blushed, knowing if I told him the truth, we would both get embarrassed. “I followed my nose."

There was a confused look on his face, and he lowered his face to sniff his armpits. “Hey. I smell," he shrugged.

I shook my head, laughing. “It's a shifter thing."

“Well, shifter,'' he said, grinning. “What did you want to tell me?"

He had such a beautiful smile. It was unfortunate that the news about his father would wipe it away. Sigh.