Inseparable

Chapter Two: Do You Smell That?

Byron

I really wasn’t into pack politics, but Wyatt insisted we had to keep tabs on all our neighboring packs. “Keep your friends close and your enemies closer,” had always been our father’s motto. So, quarterly, we made an effort to visit one of the surrounding packs. We came under the guise of trade agreements and alliances while we kept tabs on all of them.

It had been a couple of years since we had bothered to visit the small White Pines pack. They were so insignificant, it hardly seemed worth our time. Even Wyatt admitted they were primitive and unevolved.

We told them we would be arriving on Wednesday morning. Which is exactly why we showed up Tuesday evening. If you really wanted to see how a pack operated, you needed to appear unexpectedly. So we smoothly pulled up to the gates and gave our fake apology for coming a day early.

There was a mad scramble of wolves scattering as we pulled up to the yard and disembarked from our vehicle. Wyatt raked his hands through his hair and took a deep, fortifying breath. “Show time.”

I grunted in reply. We strode together up to the pack house door, which was flung open by a flustered-looking luna. Her hair had worked loose from its bun and was flying around her slightly flushed face. “Alpha Wyatt, Alpha Byron… welcome. I’m sorry you’ve caught us by surprise. We weren’t expecting you until tomorrow.”

I flashed her my sweetest, apologetic smile. “Forgive us, Luna. We arrived early, and we didn’t want to book a night in a human hotel… I hope you don’t mind if we crash here?”

“No, no, of course not. Please, come in. I’ve linked my husband, he’ll be here as soon as possible.”

Two girls, non-identical twins, were hovering around their mother. They seemed to be about twelve or thirteen, still in that awkward pre-pubescent stage of development. One had white-blond hair, while the other had flaming red locks, but both were plastered with freckles. I smiled at them, feeling a sort of kindred spirit. After all, Wyatt and I are also twins. Identical twins.

They blushed and giggled and whispered to each other.

The Luna scowled at them. “April, get the girl out of the guestrooms now.”

The redhead looked blankly at her mother.

“The girl is cleaning in the guestrooms.” She growled. “Get her out so that we can show the alphas to their rooms.”

“Oh…oh yes.” The girl grabbed her sister by the hand and dragged her away toward the stairs.

The luna gave us a smile, “Can I offer you gentlemen a refreshment before I show you to your rooms?”

I would have opened my mouth to ask for a cold beverage, but Wyatt cut me off. “No, thanks. I’d like to put my things in the room, now.” He put a little extra emphasis on the word “now”, his voice taking on the alpha command.

The flustered luna glanced up the stairs. She was hiding something, and my brother had already picked up on it. Wyatt was like a bloodhound when it came to digging up secrets. The luna turned on her heel and headed to the stairs, graciously bidding us to follow her. Just as we reached the top of the stairs, I saw a brown shadow dart out of one of the rooms, swerve down the hall, and disappear down a back stairwell.

Do you smell that? Wyatt asked me through the mind link.

I sniffed deeply. Yes, yes, I did smell something. It was faint and lingering, like peppermint and chocolate. I quirked an eyebrow at my brother.

“All of the guestrooms are empty,” the luna was saying, trying to be pleasant and polite, “But I’m not sure the maid has finished all the rooms. I think these are ready.” She motioned to adjacent doors.

The guest rooms were utilitarian, with basic furniture and sparse décor. It was evident that they weren’t used much. And no wonder. Who would want to visit this inisignificant s.hithole.

I flashed her a smile that was meant to put her at ease. “Thank you so much, madam. What time is dinner?”

“Dinner? Oh yes, dinner is at 7:00. I’ll send someone up to call you when it's ready. There should be clean towels in the bathroom. Is there anything else you require?”

“Thank you, I think we’ll be fine. We appreciate everything, Luna.” Wyatt smiled benignly, but his eyes watched like a hawk’s as the two young twin girls hurried from the back bedroom to follow their mother down the front stairs. He dropped his duffle bag on the bed. With a glance at the front stairs to make sure that the luna was actually gone, he strode down the hallway to the last bedroom. I was right behind him as he pushed open the door.

It was just another non-descript guest room. Indeed, we seemed to have interrupted someone who was cleaning because there was still a bottle of glass cleaner and a roll of paper towels on the desk by the window. The room smelled faintly of cleaning chemicals…and candy. I gave Wyatt a questioning look. “You don’t think…?”

He scrubbed his hands over his face. It’s a handsome face if I do say so myself. After all, we are mirror images of each other. “I want to shower before dinner,” he said tersely. “Maybe we’ll find out then.”

I lingered for another moment in the room. Was that sweet smell a mate’s scent? And if we were both smelling the same scent, did that mean we had the same mate? I looked at the roll of paper towels. Could our mate be the housemaid? It seemed strange and unlikely that we would be partnered with a low-ranking wolf. I wasn’t sure if Wyatt, with his stiff pride, would accept such a pairing, even if the Goddess had ordained it.

I went into my own room. I sprawled across the bed and stared at the swirls on the plastered ceiling. We were twenty-five, and still mate-less. It was a frustrating thing to know you could have any woman you wanted, but the one woman you needed has eluded you.

Was I worried that there might be only one woman for both of us? Not really. Wyatt and I were two halves of the same whole. We had separate personalities, and we were individuals, but like yin and yang, it took both of us to balance the circle. We had shared everything from the beginning, starting with our mother's womb.

Why should it now be any different?

Anyway, it was such a vague, subtle scent. I was sure I was getting my hopes up for nothing.