The Lesser of 2 Evils

KRISTINA, BELLA

For the first night in several I sleep uninterrupted and without pain – it is blissful. When Beta Scott brings me my breakfast the next morning, he isn’t alone. Seeing Alpha Xavier with him is unexpected and immediately puts me on edge.

“Kris…” a faint voice whispers in my mind as Bella attempts to communicate. The silver cuff around my ankle keeps her weak and distant, my senses dull. After one brief attempt to speak, she goes quiet again from the effort.

Beta Scott is tense and I can’t decipher the look on Alpha Xavier’s face at all which makes me tense. They must be here to tell me they’re either setting me loose in the free zone where I’ll be on my own against the other rogues or even worst, back to my home pack. Why else would everyone look so serious?

“Kristina, we need to uncuff you but I need your word that you’ll behave and not try to run away again,” Beta Scott says. Alpha Xavier says nothing, simply watches as I give my word and breathe a sigh of relief when the silver cuff is removed.

“Kris…” the timid whisper echoes again in my mind, already growing stronger. I stay sitting on the edge of my cot in an effort to appear non-threatening so I reassure Beta Scott and Alpha Xavier that they can leave the cuff off. Even if it means living in the cell, as awful as it is – it is still preferable to going back to my home pack. I just don’t want the cuff on anymore – getting my Bella back brings a feeling of completion.

“I imagine it’ll take a while for your she-wolf to return to full strength,” Beta Scott says as he and Alpha Xavier move to exit my cell. Still unsure why Alpha Xavier is here, I silently watch them leave.

“Kris,” Bella repeats again, slightly stronger. The scent of pine wafts toward me out of the blue – not the air freshener type of pine but the forest first thing in the morning pine, or the forest after the rain. The smell is both heady and soothing at the same time and I lift my nose into the air to try and get a better fix on where the incredible odour is coming from.

“Something wrong, Kristina?” Beta Scott asks me from the other side of the silver bars where he stands with Alpha Xavier. The smell is coming from outside my cell so standing slowly, I approach the bars while trying to act casual. I don’t want to alarm them or give them cause to cuff me again.

Inhaling deeply, begging Bella to use whatever energy she has available to help me, I take in the pine scent again. The deliciousness of the smell tugs at something in my abdomen and I feel my body respond to it. My nipples grow hard and I feel the joint between my thighs grow damp – a sensation I’ve never experienced before but I know precisely what it is – sexual arousal. I also know that Beta Scott and Alpha Xavier, being shifters, will be able to smell my arousal since neither one is my ma—

“Kris,” Bella calls me yet again, her voice almost full strength. With her growing stronger, so do my enhanced senses and the pine scent grows almost overwhelming – but in a wonderful way. If it were something I could eat, I’d be binging on it but since it is an odour the best I can do is continually inhale as much of it as I can without alerting the Beta and Alpha watching my every move.

I step back from the bars to put distance between me and the two men in a pointless attempt to keep them from detecting what is taking place in my body while still inhaling deeply. I glance at Beta Scott to see his eyes following me like a hawk, not missing a thing. I crawl back onto the cot and take my seat again, as far from the two men as I can be while still looking as casual as possible.

Moving my eyes from Beta Scott, I look over at Alpha Xavier. His body language betrays his tension as he stands with his arms crossed, his feet spread wide. As my eyes make their way to his face, I notice that his jaw is set firm – almost clenched. I then look him in the eye.

And change my world forever.

Seeing no sign of recognition on his part, I quickly look away and say nothing. Unsure why but believing it to be honest, Alpha Xavier shows no signs of knowing who I am to him. Is he doing it because of who and what I am – a rogue with no prospects, or does he truly not see, smell or feel it? How does his wolf not know?

Then it hits me.

I’m a rogue – I likely stink like one. What if Alpha Xavier can smell nothing but rogue on me? And considering I have no idea how to remedy that situation, I’m not sure how or if I can do anything about this new one.

“Everything is fine, Beta Scott. Thank you for the food,” I manage to answer in response to his question. I keep my gaze down in an effort to block Alpha Xavier but his scent continues to lure me in with thoughts debauchery I would like to perform with him which doesn’t help me with my arousal problem. The two men exit after that, leaving me alone with my thoughts and breakfast.

I have found myself in a unique predicament that I don’t know how to move forward on but the simple fact of the matter is that Alpha Xavier is my mate. He clearly has no idea because he did not respond when our eyes met which was the moment I knew and I doubt he’s that good of an actor. If anything, his wolf should have responded but didn’t – the eau de Rogue I’m putting out being too powerful.

At least it covered up the scent of my arousal.