War of the Roses [Book 1]

Yellow Rose

Hey y’all!  Wow this took a really short time to update haha I think this might be a new record for me for updating a story.  Anyways, I’ll let you read.

Quote of the Chapter:
“Calla: Did you just call me an abomination?
Silas: Yes.  Yes I did.”
~Calla Tor and Silas the Scribe
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Chapter 3: Yellow Rose

The embankment was steep and it took a few minutes for Ren and Arya to climb it.  At one point Arya lost her footing when a rock came loose underneath her foot and it was only thanks to Ren that she didn’t tumble down the mountain.

“Thanks,” She said, breathing heavily.

“You’re welcome.”

They continued walking up the slope; now Ren could see the silhouettes of Arya’s pack.  They were downwind so Ren could smell them.  The first scent that hit him smelled strongly of smoke, like a campfire.  It wasn’t unpleasant but it was different.  Another scent that Ren noticed was lavender.  The rest of the scents blended together and Ren wasn’t able to decipher the specific scents, although he could’ve sworn there was something that smelled like maple syrup, but he couldn’t be sure.

“Shiloh is there, at the very top.  He’s the smoky smelling one,” Arya whispered.

“He’s the one I really need to watch out for, right?” Ren asked.  Arya nodded.  He heard the soft whispers of the pack but nothing that he could understand.

“Hello, everyone,” Arya greeted cheerfully; the guy that Ren assumed was Shiloh, since he was sort of stocky with a square-ish face and black hair, instantly changed into a wolf, growling at him.

“Shiloh,” Arya snapped.

Shiloh shifted forms and if looks could kill, Ren would be dead ten times over.  He walked up to Arya; he was at least a head taller but she acted as if she were the same height.

The pack was shifting nervously, Ren noticed.  He couldn’t blame them.  A girl that looked like Brittany Snow, a smaller version, caught Ren’s eye and after giving him a small smile, she turned her eyes back to Shiloh.  She must’ve been Melinda.

“Who is this?” Shiloh demanded.

Still looking at her second dead in the eye, Arya announced, “This is Renier Laroche.”

There was a gasp from the pack; Shiloh paled just enough for Ren to notice.

“Does everyone know who I am?” Ren inquired nonchalantly.

“Yeah,” Arya replied somewhat sheepishly.

“I’ve never been famous,” Ren said to no one in particular.

“It’s more like infamous,” Shiloh growled.

“Do you have a problem with me that I don’t know about?” Ren inquired, meeting Shiloh’s eyes without wavering.

“Yeah, I do.  You being on our property, and you’re the reason Arya went off without telling any of us to save your sorry alpha butt from being killed.”

“Shiloh!” Arya admonished. “That’s enough.”

“Arya, if I’m going to cause problems staying here-” Ren began.

“You invited him to stay here?!” Shiloh barked.

“Yes I did,” Arya retorted.  Turning to Ren, she said, “Ren, you’re absolutely welcome to stay here.  You’ll stay in the guest room in my house, if that’s all right with you.”