Scent of a Mate

Chapter 4

Nate
She is gorgeous... Why does she have to be so gorgeous?

I always liked the blonde girls with the sweet girl next door vibe, but her... She was nothing like that.

The first thing that grabbed my attention was her wild, curly hair. It spiraled down her back up to her waist. Her skin was so tan and soft. Her lips were plump and so kissable. Her eyes were a fiery brown that were as wide in surprise as mine were.
She tried to step back but I kept my grip firm. All her stepping back did was allow me to get a good look at the rest of her. She was thin and tall but it was all there and it looked hot. An exotic beauty is what she was.
Now that I checked her out throughly, I was able to ask the question that I'd been wanting to ask her when I first walked in and smelled her.

"You masked your scent didn't you?"

And she did a good job at doing it. When I first walked in with Craig to find the guy named Steve I smelled something strange in the air. The more I tried to identify the smell the more the scent of cheap body spray got in the way but the smell was making the wolf in me restless.

"Dude. What's with the sniffing? The air smells like crap."

I ignored Craig and tried to focus on the smell. When all of the sudden a girl with long curly hair flipped her hair in my direction and the strange smell hit me.

There was a lot of cheap body spray smell but there was something delicious and sweet underneath. It smelled feminine and fiery and kind and caring.

"Dude that's him! He just put a necklace with USBs around that chick." I look and the necklace is adorning my mate while the guy gives her a kiss on her hand and makes a dash for it. Next thing I know I'm running after her only to catch her in the back of the crappy bar.

She quirked an eyebrow and eyed me down then back up.

"Yes. I masked my scent."

I narrowed my eyes at her. "Why?"

She tried to wrench her wrist off my grip only to end up groaning in annoyance.

She's beautiful when angry.

"So that I can stay away from asshole werewolves like you!"

Really beautiful.

I quirked my head to the side and studied her some more.

"What are you looking at? Haven't you stared enough."

I scoffed and rolled my eyes. "Oh please! You act like you're not staring."

Her cheeks turned pink.

Oh God. She's soooo beautiful. Too bad I really don't want a mate.

"Alright well I guess I'll just take the landyard around your neck and go."

Her eyes turned sad and disappointed and she looked away. She could have cried and whined but instead after a few seconds she looked back at me with the most stoic look in her eyes.

"You can't have it."

What?

"This isn't a joke. The fate and safety of important packs depend on me getting the information those USBs have."

She shook her head. "You don't understand I can't give it to you. I-"

I pulled on her wrist and she crashed into me. Her soft body was right up against mine. I figured if she wasn't going to be nice, I could persuade her to be. My hands trailed down her arms and around her waist until they were on her lower back.

I'm a gentleman.

"The landyard is very important to me and my pack. So if you could please just please do me a solid and give it to me that would be great."

Her pupils were dilated, she had goosebumps all over her arms and her breath was coming out in short pants. I had on effect on her and she obviously was having an effect on me. She was just a lot more hard headed than I expected.
She lifted her arm and flicked me on the forehead. I stumbled back in surprise and brought my hand up to my forehead.

"Ow?!"

"Idiot. You're not listening to me! You think I want this landyard just to keep you around? I would give it to you in a heartbeat so that you would go away! But I can't."

I looked at her in surprise.

She doesn't want a mate either.

I'd never been so angry, annoyed, and turned on at the same time. There was something about her not wanting me that made me want her more.

"So why can't you give it to me?"

She ran her hands through her hair in anxiety.

"Somehow that sleazy truck driver, Steve, conjoined the landyard with my life force. I take it off and I die."

Oh hell...

She gave me a long, sad look. She knew exactly what was going through my head. My brain and my heart were at war and trust me this was a rare moment. My brain made 99% of my decisions, and thanks to this girl I just met, my heart was dueling with it.

Am I really going to risk the safety of my pack for a girl?

She let out a long sigh and looked away from me.

"Listen. I'm not going to beg you to let me live because to be honest I don't have a lot to live for. I don't have a family, a pack or even a friend..."

There was nothing but silence between us for a few minutes. She looked at me straight in the eyes before I saw sadness and realization in her glossy,tear filled eyes.

She sniffled, "Nobody will miss me..."

She looked back down and let out a chuckle, while a single tear trickled down her face.

Can I really going to pick her over my pack?

"I guess there's not much of a choice here is there?"

Her hands grabbed the end of the landyard. She looked into my eyes and wasn't angry or sad. Oddly enough she looked relieved.

"It was nice meeting you, mate."

She gave the landyard a tug.

#cliffhangers