Filed to story: The Alpha’s Pen Pal Book
“Seriously!” I replied, laughing even harder.
She shook her head, but a small smile teased on her face as she turned back to the food. “Is that why you smell so good to me, then? Or is that just your cologne?”
“I don’t wear cologne,” I said. “Most shifters don’t. It interferes with our scents and our ability to smell properly.”
“Oh,” she muttered. “Well, you smell fantastic too,” she said.
“What do I smell like?” I asked her, curious to hear her answer, to know how much of my scent she could distinguish.
“Hmm… like… something sweet, smoky, spicy, and woody all at once,” she mused, her brow furrowing as she thought about what she’d said. “Bourbon!” she exclaimed. “You smell like bourbon,” she concluded in triumph, then asked, “Can you grab me some eggs?”
I pulled away from her, regarding her with curiosity, as I walked to the fridge and pulled out the carton of eggs to hand to her. I wasn’t sure how much of the bond a human normally felt or how distinctive our scent would be to one if they were our mate. That would need to be a question I asked Dr. Russo or my dad.
After I handed her the eggs, I picked her backpack up off the floor, and she caught me out of the corner of her eye, her cheeks tinting pink. “Sorry,” she murmured. “It’s just a habit. To have some things ready just—just in case.”
She tucked her hair behind her ear and avoided looking at me.
“I’m not upset,” I said, walking over and touching her shoulder. “I understand why.” She gave me a weak smile and covered my hand with hers. “What do you usually keep in it?” I asked. “And where do you want me to put it?”
“Just in the closet is fine,” she replied. “I keep a change of clothes or two, usually some toiletries and my baby blanket in there,” she told me.
“The one they found you in?” She nodded. “Can—can I see it?” I asked in a quiet, hesitant voice.
“Of course,” she said, turning to look at me with a soft smile.
I smiled back, then unzipped the bag and looked inside. I knew instantly which piece of fabric was the blanket because it was soft and worn and smelled the most like her.
I pulled the purple blanket out of the bag and let it unfurl naturally as my breath caught in my chest.
The purple quilted fabric was embellished with gold and white embroidery of stars and phases of the moon. It had her name, “Haven Kenway,” stitched into one corner.
The center of the blanket had three concentric circles. The smallest was dark purple with stars, the second was white with embroidered moons, and the outside was light purple. The positioning of the circles mimicked an eclipse.
It was a beautiful blanket. And the symbol in the center was familiar. I had seen it before but couldn’t remember where or when. But it was definitely a symbol I’d seen somewhere.
“This is what they found you wrapped you in?” I asked her breathlessly.
“Yeah.”
“It has moons on it.”
“I know,” she replied as she continued to move around the kitchen and work on our food.
“Haven,” I said, and she froze at the tone of my voice, her head turning to look at me. “Moons are like—our symbol,” I told her. “And this one, this specific design,” I continued, pointing at the middle. “I swear I’ve seen it before. I’m almost positive.”
“Where?”
I groaned out in frustration. “I don’t know. It’s right there, right at the front of my brain, but I can’t pinpoint it,” I said, pressing my fingers into my forehead. “But I’m sure I’ve seen it before.”
She furrowed her brow, then shook her head and laughed. “It doesn’t mean anything. It’s just a blanket. Moons are a common motif in baby stuff. You probably just saw it in a store or something. And besides, wouldn’t I know if I was a werewolf too? Wouldn’t I have changed into one at some point?”
I pressed my lips together for a moment. “I guess so, yeah. But other supernaturals use the moon in their symbolism and lore, too.”
“Other supernaturals?”
“You know, witches, vampires… they’re the others who use the moon, mostly.”
“Did you just say vampires?”
“Well, obviously, you’re not a vampire. You don’t have the desire to drink blood, and you can be outside whenever you want,” I mused.
“But vampires are real?”
“Yeah. You know a few, actually.”
“What? Who?” Her eyebrows raised along with the volume of her voice.
“Peter and Ramón.”
“Wait, what?” she sputtered. “Peter and Ramón are vampires?”
“Haven, I am a lycan. You watched me shift into an animal. And you’re surprised that vampires are real, too?”
She blushed. “Well, when you put it like that…” she muttered. “Okay, we’ll put a pin in the whole ‘vampires are real and my ballet director is one’ thing. But seriously, Wesley, wouldn’t I know if I was something special or magical? That wouldn’t stay hidden or dormant for twenty-one years, would it?”
I thought about what she said. She had a point. But between the symbols on the blanket and the way she could feel the bond between us and the fact Lennox went through all that trouble to try to mark her—even if it was in his lycan form—well, I was having a hard time believing it was all “just a coincidence.” And if there were scent blockers made by witches that we could take, then surely there was a way they could block a shift or an aura.
“I’m going to call Dr. Russo,” I said, grabbing my phone off the charger in the kitchen where I’d left it the night before. “You’re probably right, but he can run tests on your blood just in case. Just so we can know for sure.”
“I mean, I think it’s going to be a waste of your time and his, but go ahead,” she shrugged.
I sighed. She was probably right, but I dialed Dr. Russo’s number anyway. He preferred phone calls since mindlinks could interrupt his concentration if he was in surgery or something.
New Book: Veiled Desires of the Alpha King Novel
Dayson was the alpha of the largest pack in North America. Powerful figures from other packs sought to offer gorgeous girls as potential mates for Dayson. He steadfastly rejected these advances, he was not a pawn to be manipulated. But eventually there came a mysterious girl he could hardly say No. Who was she?