Tᴇᴛʜᴇʀᴇᴅ

❄︎𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓 18❄︎

•Isadora•

Brielle's sudden panic hits me like a brick the moment I'm unblocked by her, that hypocrite told me not to block her and pushed me away to spend some alone time with our mate.

"What smel-"

Before I can finish the sentence, a rustle from behind one of the trees on the other side of the lake draws our attention there. And that's when I smell it. A pungent, rotten odor—it could be from someone who hadn't showered or cleaned themselves for years—but there's a hidden smell underneath the layer.

A very familiar one, yet I can't quite put my finger on it.

Low, deep growls bubble inside Brielle as she shields Zephyr with her body, so he's out of the view of whoever's watching us.

"Rogue." She grumbles, heavy growls and breaths escaping her sharpened mouth, Zephyr looks a bit scared as he grips my fur tightly.

"It's okay, baby. We won't let anything happen to you."

I use our newly formed pack mind-link for the first time and he startles, eyes shooting up to look at us. Brielle nudges his face and nuzzles along his cheek to soothe him.

"Let's head back for now and report to Cory. We'll check out with the patrol team tomorrow. It's not safe out here for Zeph."

Brielle agrees and gestures for Zeph to get back on her, he does so, glancing around nervously.

As Brielle races back to the pack house, I realize for the first time how fast my heart's beating. It's the first time we've been this alarmed and anxious about spotting a rogue or identifying a foreign presence, it's nothing but a piece of cake for Cory and I solve situations like this.

So what changed? Why am I so riled up tonight?

"We have a mate now. And he doesn't even have a wolf to shift or protect himself if things were to go south."

A painful squeeze of my heart reminds me to keep a close eye on Zeph from now on. The fear I felt earlier was for Zeph, the fear of losing him, seeing him hurt. I can't even begin to imagine how it'd feel if something were to happen to him.

"Stop thinking like that."

Brielle growls at me and I stop, shaking my head to clear off those unwanted thoughts.

By the time we reach back at the pack house, it's way past midnight and the party seems to have finally stopped with an empty backyard and scattered remnants of the bash.

Brielle stops and bows down to let Zephyr slide off of her but she frowns when he doesn't.

"He's asleep." I let her know. "I'll carry him."

I shift back—as slowly and gently as possible after sliding Zephyr down on the ground. Fortunately, he doesn't wake up so I quickly gather my clothes from where I've left them, changing in a rush to get back to my sleeping mate.

My heart swells as I take in his peaceful face, sliding my arms under him and scooping him up in my arms. He mumbles something incoherent and nuzzles his face closer to my collarbone, inhaling my scent and humming contently.

Planting a tender kiss on his forehead, I carry him up to my room—it's better to stay at the pack house for tonight so I can talk to Cory and the elders first thing in the morning.

I lie Zephyr down on my bed and tuck him in under the cover, rounding the bed and climbing on the other side.

My heart and mind still on edge as the scent of that rogue lingers in my nose, sending an omnious shiver down my spine, straining my sanity and I feel a tumultuous sense of fear lurking in the back of my mind.