Scent of a Scandal (Chronicles of Eorthe Book 3)

by Annie Nicholas

  Scent of a Scandal

  By

  Annie Nicholas

  Awe and Isnay have been secretly flirting, but they can’t be together because their wolf packs have been rivals for ages. Neither of their alphas will bless the union.

  Is desire to follow pack law stronger than their desire for each other?

  Note to Readers

  Hello beautiful people. This short shifter story comes from the Chronicles of Eorthe series, which is based in an alternate world where humans have never existed. The wolf shifters are a brutal, feral, passionate society. At the end of the novella, I’ve included a very short story that I sent out via my newsletter, which goes along with Scent of a Scandal. It can be read before or after.

  I love to hear from readers so feel free to drop me a line. annienicholas@ymail.com

  To receive notices of new releases, free reads, sales and giveaways, join my mailing list

  Chapter One

  The leather necklace held a turquoise pendant the same shade of Isnay’s eyes. Awe had bartered with some vampire traders for the gift. He bit his bottom lip as he rubbed the smooth stone with his thumb. Would she like it?

  “Very pretty. Maybe you can borrow a dress from Leilani to match?” Vendu sat cross-legged next to Awe. The hunter’s sense of humor got him in more trouble than not.

  “No.” Awe stuffed the necklace in his bag.

  “You’re right. It would be too tight across the shoulders. Maybe Rain has something that will fit better?” Vendu spoke of the young omega male who had been caught wearing his sister’s clothes over the winter.

  Awe shoved Vendu hard enough to lay the other hunter onto his back. “Shut it.” He didn’t have to explain himself to the other wolf shifter. Vendu was above him in pack hierarchy but not by much. He wouldn’t challenge Awe over something as minor as a push. If Vendu lost the fight, he’d have to submit to Awe, so he would pick his battles wisely.

  The other hunter rolled on his back. “Fine.” He twisted onto his side, resting his head on his hand. “Who’s the female?”

  Awe glanced around. The Apisi den was in a dead end ravine and only had two levels dug into the cliffs on each side. Individual caves were used as homes, mostly shared by families. The sandy main corridor was filled with the laughter of pups playing wolf and rabbit, the same game he and Vendu had grown up playing. Some of the mothers watched over the chaos, and all shifters had excellent hearing. He didn’t want them gossiping about him, or worse, a scandal.

  Vendu followed his gaze. “Not someone mated?” His whispered sounded outraged.

  Scowling, Awe restrained punching some sense into his friend. “No.” Like he would touch another hunter’s mate without fighting for that right. “Not here, Vendu. There are too many ears.” He rose to his feet grabbing his bag. His secret was worse, but no matter how he tried, he couldn’t stop seeing her. How could something be so wrong when every instinct in his body said it was right?

  The other hunter jumped to follow. They could talk more freely in the forest.

  “Awe!” A gruff voice bellowed from the common pack room.

  Both he and Vendu flinched.

  “What did you do?” asked his friend.

  “Nothing I would admit to.” Awe hated the quiver in his answer but the alpha made all the hunters tremble when he used that tone of voice. Was it possible his alpha knew he’d ignore a direct order not to see Isnay again? The door to the pack room suddenly appeared much bigger and the distance impossible to traverse.

  Vendu slapped him on the shoulder. “Good luck.” The coward jogged off, leaving him to face Sorin alone.

  Crossing the main corridor, Awe entered the large cave that acted as a pack gathering room. Once there had been only a few threadbare rugs on the ground and a plain fire pit. Not long ago, the Apisi had been so poor they couldn’t afford any comforts.

  Since Sorin had taken control of the pack and mated with Susan, things for the Apisi were progressing. Vampire traders came more frequently since Susan had created a new cure she called penicillin. She came from another world where humans existed instead of shifters, vampires, and the multitude of creatures populating Eorthe. With her came valuable knowledge.

  Now thick carpets covered the dirt floor and plush cushions surrounded the more elegant fire pit. The alphas had gifted the omegas with paints to decorate the cave walls in a riot of colors and also bought instruments to fill the den with music. At the moment, an older couple played flutes in a duet. The song slow but piercing with joy. Things were better, enough that Awe wanted to convince Isnay to leave her pack and be his mate. She could possibly be happy here. Maybe.

  He approached his alphas, his gaze to the ground in submission.

  Susan patted the cushion in front of them. “Sit.” Her twin pups slept in a basket next to them, curled together in their furry feral form. They were cute at this age, until their teeth came in then they would being chewing on everything. Including ankles.

  Awe did as he was told. That was what hunters did – provide for the pack, protect the pack, and obey their alphas. He set his bag, containing the gift for Isnay, next to the cushion and he ignored his guilt. That last oath had some gray lines and he might have crossed one a little too far.

  Today was laundry day for the Ohneka pack. Isnay would be by the river that separated their lands with other omegas from her pack, doing the wash. Their packs had disliked each for as long as he’d lived. Well, everyone disliked his pack. Except Isnay. She didn’t seem to mind. He wanted to give her the necklace and if he didn’t hurry she be gone for another six days. She couldn’t wait for him. The hunters of her pack guarded their precious omegas. They’d usher her home once her chores were done.

  Sorin cleared his throat. Even sitting, the alpha still loomed over him. “We have a task for you.”

  “Today?” Awe’s heart sank. He’d have to wait for the next time the Ohneka did laundry to give Isnay her gift.

  Sorin’s brow furrowed. “Of course today. You’re the only hunter off duty.”

  Next to him, Susan sighed and set her small hand on Sorin’s thigh. “Did you have other plans?”

  Awe shook his head. If he voiced a denial, they would smell his lie. It was difficult to have an affair without lying, but not impossible. He’d learned his lesson. A few moons ago, he’d asked Sorin if a cross-pack mating were possible for him and Isnay. His alpha had outright refused and banned him from seeking her attention. The Apisi had plenty of unmated females from which Awe could choose.

  “You’ve heard the story of where I came from?” She continued petting her mate. Awe watched as Sorin visibly relaxed and ignored his own pang of envy. He too searched for a mate who could ease the ever-growing violence in his soul.

  “Yes.” Who hadn’t? She’d fallen from a blue light in the sky from another world.

  “I’ve been tracking the portal – the blue light – across shifter lands. We need to make sure no one else falls through from either side.”

  “What can I do?” What did this have to do with him? He guarded Susan while she was pregnant as she trekked all over temple lands with Peder, figuring out how to track the portal. Awe didn’t know anything of math or science. He was of no use to her.

  Sorin sat straighter. “According to Susan’s calculations, it’s going to open on Ohneka lands this afternoon.”

  “Dark moon.” Awe rubbed his face. What if another human fell out? What if Isnay wandered in? “We have to warn them.”

  His alphas shook their heads in unison. “They wouldn’t understand. Braek will think this is some sort of attack. We need to keep this quiet.”

  S
usan handed Awe a stone with a message skin tied to it. “We want you to search for the portal. I can give you an idea of where but not an exact location. Make sure no one stumbles in and toss this message to my people through the light.”

  Awe weighed the heavy stone in his palm. “I thought Peder had already done this.”

  “Yes, but I want to make sure my message is clear. It’s imperative they not send anymore humans through the portal or they’ll get infected like me.” She could never return to her home. His mother had been one of the first to die of the illness that had struck the Apisi before Susan’s arrival. Many more would have followed if Susan hadn’t sacrificed everything to save his pack. He’d do anything she asked.

  “So you want me to trespass onto Ohneka land?” If he was captured by the other pack, he could kiss his hairy ass good-bye.

  Sorin nodded. “You’re my best scout. Stay low, stay quiet, and get out.”

  “And if I’m seen?”

  Sorin leaned forward and poked Awe in the chest. “Don’t get caught.”

  The other side of the slow-moving river belonged to the Apisi pack. Isnay stared at the thick brush lining the bank but she didn’t see any sign of Awe.

  For moons he’d been pursuing her attention. Every laundry day he waited for her on the other side of the river. Sometimes, if she arrived before her pack hunters, they could speak. Last time, they’d met mid-river and he brought her a piece of honey cake. She’d been terrified of crossing since she couldn’t swim, but when Awe stood in the middle waiting she saw the gentle currents only reached his mid-thigh. Shallow enough that she could safely stand.

  Today, Awe didn’t come at all.

  She tried to ignore the aching emptiness in her chest. Had she been too bashful? Her gaze wandered to the other omegas from the Ohneka pack. Most of them didn’t have a shy bone in their submissive bodies but she wasn’t very experienced at flirting. Her father kept the hunters on a tight leash when it came to his daughter. In his eyes, she’d be a pup forever. Maybe if she’d stolen a kiss or given Awe more encouragement he would have returned today.

  Isnay dragged her gaze from the other shore and gathered the dry clothes hanging from the branches.

  Siya, another omega, helped her. “You stayed late.”

  Not all of the omegas stayed to watch the laundry dry. Isnay usually returned to the den to help cook the midday meal. She shrugged and betrayed her broken heart by glancing at the Apisi side of the river.

  “Your hunter didn’t show,” said Siya.

  “No.” Isnay kept her head down so the other female wouldn’t see the tears pooling in her eyes. Stupid of her to feel so hurt. What had she expected when their packs were sworn enemies? Neither of their alphas would ever agree to let him court her, let alone a mating.

  “He might have had to do something for the pack.” Siya folded the clothes and set them in baskets as Isnay passed them to her from the trees.

  “Probably.” He most likely found a female in his pack that could spend time with him every day instead of a simple omega who was too shy to do more than blow kisses.

  “Don’t worry. He’ll be back next time. I’ve seen the way he watches you.”

  Her throat constricted, aching from unshed tears. She nodded, afraid to betray the depth of her hurt by speaking. They gathered their full baskets and waited on the other omegas to finish.

  The Ohneka hunters tasked with their protection stirred from their posts. Both hunters were in feral form, the bipedal beast shape used to hunt and fight. The forest was a dangerous place. Normally they would all be in feral form but washing laundry was difficult with claws so their alphas assigned guards.

  With heavy feet, Isnay followed her pack mates along the trail to their den. An invisible rope pulled at her soul the farther she walked from the river.

  “Forget that Apisi dog,” a male omega called out. “You can do better, Isnay. They’re nothing but animals in that pack.”

  A few others made agreeing noises, but she knew better. Awe had a chance to steal her away at their last encounter. They’d been alone and she’d all but crossed the damn river. He could have tossed her over his shoulder and taken her to the Apisi den. Omegas had been stolen for as long as there’d been a pack history, but he’d let her go. She didn’t think he meant her harm. His pack, though, gave her doubts. Everyone knew the stories of rape, murder, and cruelty of the Apisi. Some even whispered they ate their young.

  Dragging her feet, she allowed everyone to walk ahead. She wanted to be alone with her heartache. If Awe did return the next laundry day, she promised to do her best to cross the river to see him. Maybe Siya would help by distracting the hunters. Her friend was good at seducing males into all sorts of trouble.

  Isnay would pull Awe behind the bushes and kiss him. Then what? She was silly. He’d want to lay with her but she didn’t think she could out in the open wilderness. What if one of the hunters noticed her missing and found them? She’d die of embarrassment when they told her alpha of her indiscretion.

  Looking up from the trail, she didn’t see anyone ahead. They’d left her behind. She sighed. One of the hunters would come for her soon.

  A whisper of branches moving to her left reached her sensitive hearing. A rabbit? She could only hope. Her heart raced as a branch snapped.

  “Who’s there?” She clutched her basket to her chest. It better not be one of the hunters playing a mean joke. She’d had enough foolishness for one day.

  The bushes parted and a great silver and black beast stepped onto the trail. “Miss me?” Awe gave her a sharp toothed grin, his ears up and bent forward.

  She dropped her clean laundry onto the dirt and rushed him. Wrapping her arms around his narrow waist, she buried her face into his soft fur. “You came.”

  Chapter Two

  Time slowed as Awe held Isnay. Her scent drifted around him, so delicate and sweet, like her body. He ran his hand along her spine and buried his muzzle in her hair. “Nothing would stop me from seeing you.” Not even orders from his alphas.

  Luckily for him, everyone’s goals aligned. He wanted to see Isnay and they wanted him trespassing on her pack’s lands.

  She rubbed her cheek against his fur and clutched him even tighter. If he held her any longer, he’d have trouble controlling his body’s reaction to her proximity. As if reading his mind, Isnay released him. A lovely shade of pink painted her cheeks. “Sorry, you surprised me.” She kept her gaze pinned to his clawed feet. “I didn’t even smell your presence.”

  He held out the wolfsbane around his neck. The leafy garland was woven tight into a necklace.

  She moved closer. “Where did you get that?” The plant was rare and somewhat illegal to own, but Sorin had produced it to help mask his presence. She blinked and retreated from him. Doubt tainting her scent. “What are you doing on this side of the river?”

  He raised his hands, making sure to retract his claws. “It’s not what you think. I’m doing something to keep you and your pack safe.”

  She narrowed her eyes. If she were in feral form, he imagined her ears would be back.

  Pressing his palm over his heart, he met her suspicious glare. “I swear. Come with me and I’ll show you.”

  She eyed him from head to toe. She tilted her head to the side as if listening to an internal argument. Her shoulders relaxed and a small crooked smile curled the corner of her lips. She glanced past him. “The hunters will come looking for me.”

  “Then we better hurry.” He gathered her basket of laundry in one arm and her with the other. “The wolfsbane should lessen your scent as well. They’ll have trouble tracking us.” He half-carried her off the trail.

  She didn’t struggle and only looked back once. He understood her wariness. A somewhat strange male from another pack showed up in the forest with a promise of good intention. Yeah, he wouldn’t trust himself either.

  He set the basket down and took a deep breath. “I don’t mean to scare you. I’m not trying to steal you away t
o Apisi lands.” He toed a small fern growing by his feet with a claw. “I saw you on the trail and couldn’t resist stopping. I don’t want to force you to spend time with me.”

  She sighed and rested her hand on his arm. “I know. You’ve had ample chances to snatch me away to your den. I trust you, Awe.” She smiled and it was as if the clouds had parted so the sun could shine on his face. Her words were even sweeter. Awe knew trust was a hard-won thing. “What do you want to show me?”

  “You won’t believe me until you see it.” He sniffed the air, following the currents of scent on the wind. The forest canopy was thick and made following the sun’s direction difficult. Sorin and Susan had given him general directions to where they hoped the light would appear.

  “A surprise?”