Rumor says has 100 sex slaves in his chamber.

 Rumor says has 100 sex slaves in his chamber.

My fists made contact with the leather of the focus mitts in rapid succession.

"Again." My coach yelled for the umpteenth time. He would drill me on a combo until it felt like my arms were going to fall off. But that was fine with me. Better to know how to fight and protect myself than be one of those defenseless girls out there.

"Hyaah!" I yelled out as I threw the last punch in the combo he had just taught me that morning. I had thrown my all into the final blow to signify that I was done with this current lesson, at least for now.

"Damn Trinity, that hurt." He growled at me, but instead of looking upset, he was actually smiling. The pride I saw in his eyes made me happy.

"Sorry, Jim." I laughed, a small giggle crept into my voice, it was nice seeing how strong I could be.

"If you weren't so little then I'd say there was no way you were really a girl." He laughed when he spoke this time.

"That was mean, Jim."

"It's a compliment and you know it." My complaining had only made him laugh harder, that or it was my pouty look. "You fight better than most of the guys in my gym."

"That's not hard to do. Most of them think they need to be the biggest to be the best, but that just typically leaves them with less speed and more places to hit. And most of them have no brains at all and can't put those muscles to good use." Plus, most of them don't have the added advantage that I have. I added in my head. At my words, Jim practically had to hold on to the wall to keep standing.

"That's why I like you kid, you got spunk, and definitely brains. Now go on, get changed, or you'll be late for your next class." Looking up, I saw he was right. I had to squeeze my training sessions in between my classes at the local college ever since Grandfather had stopped paying for my previous instructor.

"Alright Jim, I'll see you next week." I told him before running to the empty and very seldom used ladies' locker room.

I hurried through a shower like I usually did before I pulled my long brown hair into its customary high ponytail, leaving the tresses to hang and dry into their natural wavy curls. I dressed in jeans and a t-shirt and topped that with a hoodie. Normal college freshmen, especially girls, probably put more effort into their appearance before they went to class, but I just didn't have the time. Especially not at that moment, I was seriously running behind.

It was at times like these that I was glad I actually ran somewhat faster than most people. Maybe not as fast as everyone else in my family, or everyone else in the pack, but definitely faster than a human. I had to actually make a conscious effort not to run too fast as I hurried back to campus.

I made good time and got to class before it started, thankfully. Though it helped that I could sense when someone was coming up in my blind spot or when there would be something in my way up ahead. It was a sort of preternatural gift that all werewolves seemed to have that was granted to us by the moon goddess. Not that I actually counted as a werewolf technically, but whatever.

The professor came in and started her lecture. This class was a per-req and therefore a total snore for me. I had wanted something that was going to challenge me and make me think, but they had yet to teach me anything beyond what Grandfather's tutors had taught me when I was growing up. I had quite the high-class education and upbringing, but that all ended when I turned eighteen. And while Grandfather still supported me financially, to an extent, it was definitely significantly less than it was when I was a kid.

That was fine by me, though. I'm much happier now that I am out here doing things on my own. I don't have to live my life by his strict rules anymore, not as much anyway. The only rules I really had to follow were those of the pack, and that was fine by me.

~~

You see, my name is Trinity Whitton, and my family was once very high ranking in the hierarchy of the Red Springs pack. My grandfather actually used to be the Beta to the previous Alpha, however, that Alpha was killed in an attack just a few years ago and his son took his place. But even being the Beta wasn't enough to keep my family from losing face in a massive scandal.

We wolves are a proud people. Those are the words that Grandfather would tell me every day since I was a little girl. As far back as I can remember. But that pride hadn't stopped my mother from disappearing for a weekend when she was fifteen and coming back to face her father's fury. And then, to make matters worse, they found out she was pregnant. She refused to tell them who the father was. They naturally assumed that the father was not a wolf, which made me an abomination in their eyes.

Regardless, I was still part of the pack, and the previous Alpha had ordered that I was to be treated like any other member of the pack until it was certain that I would not shift like everyone else. Our wolf forms usually show at any time between the ages of thirteen and eighteen.

Many think that the sooner you shift the stronger your wolf will be, but that's not always true, but boys will be boys and they still compete however they can. Now here I was, nearly nineteen, and I still haven't shifted. But I still had every other aspect of being a wolf. I had the speed, the strength, the heightened senses, the fighting instinct, everything. I was very much a member of the pack. I was clearly not human, but as of yet, I was not a werewolf either. I just didn't belong anywhere.

I couldn't ask my mother about my father myself. If she was just too scared to talk to her father or if she might be less scared now after all these years. The ridicule and shame heaped on my family when she was pregnant and right after she gave birth was too much for her to handle. She ended up taking her own life when I was less than a month old.

The only thing my mother left behind for me was a pendant that she had asked to be given to me when I was old enough. I honestly can't believe that they followed through with it, and if it were left up to Grandfather, they probably would not have, but after my mother's death's I lived primarily with my Uncle Wesley and his wife Eve, they had two boys who treated me just like a sister and were the best part of my childhood.

Honestly, life would have been pretty good if it hadn't been for Grandfather. I swear he hates me. He had ridiculously high standards for me. Always telling me things like I would never be allowed to make the same mistakes that his poor excuse for a daughter had made.

I had every one of his rules drilled into me every day for years. I was not allowed to attend public school with my cousins and the rest of the kids in the pack. I was made to train and learn many different things. I was taught etiquette, martial arts, ballet, boxing, fencing, foreign languages, musical instruments, and a ridiculously hard curriculum.

Grandfather paid for it all, hoping that I would shift by the time I turned eighteen and he could at least marry me off to a good family and use me to regain some status in the hierarchy. But then my birthday came and went, and it became more than abundantly clear to everyone that I just was not going to shift. I had no wolf. I was an abomination, a freak of nature, something that shouldn't be mixed in with the rest of the pack.

Yet I still had to follow all the pack rules. I still had to attend all the pack gatherings. I still had to bow my head and bend my knees when the alpha gave the order to kneel. His words were like a compulsion to the pack, and we were simply unable to defy them. And even with all that, I was still treated as an outsider by most of the higher-ranking families. As someone who just didn't belong with all the cool kids.

I could tell the lecture was coming to an end, Professor Thompson's tone of voice always gave her away, so I pulled myself out of my daydream and paid attention enough to get the homework assignment for the class. The composition we were to write would be all too easy for me, again. It had been a little over a month since classes had started and I was still bored. I was taking four classes, and the only one even remotely interesting was the Intro to Criminology class. I hope this gets more exciting soon. I told myself again as I was leaving the room.

"Hey Trin, I see you were spacing out again." I heard a man's voice call out to me from behind.

"Yeah, Astro, can't you keep yourself grounded for a single class?" Another added.

"Ignore them Trin." Juniper sighed smacking the two of them on the arm while the four of us walked to the side of the hallway, so we didn't block anyone walking past us. These were the only friends I had ever managed to make in my entire life.

Juniper and her twin brother Cedar both had light ash blond hair, bright green eyes, and sharp angular features. They were both tall, but Cedar was still half a foot taller than his sister at least, he was well over six feet tall. The other man was her mate Paul. He was shorter than Cedar by a few inches, yet taller than Juniper, with hazel eyes and jet-black hair. They were also werewolves, which meant they were also part of the pack. But they were so low ranking in status that they said they didn't care what anyone had to say. They would form their own opinions about me.

The day I had met them had been both a terrifying and happy one. I didn't know how they were going to react to me, but when they accepted me, it was like one of the biggest victories of my life. I had only known them for a little over a month, but that didn't seem to mean anything to them. They treated me like I was one of them, similar to how my cousins treated me at times, and it made me happy.

"Paul, could you not call me Astro please? It has nothing to do with my name."

"No? I think it's very fitting for an astronaut that spends the entire class floating through space." He guffawed at his own joke as soon as he had spoken it.

"Honestly." Juniper laughed at him as she smacked him again. "Why do I bother to deal with you again?" She asked.

"Because the moon goddess said that we were destined to be together forever and therefore you're head over heels in love with me and find me irresistible." He recited, his usual come back to her exasperated question was very practiced. Probably because she asked it so often.

"Oh yeah. That must be it." She giggled as she stretched up on her toes and pulled him toward her so she could give him a quick kiss.

"Blech, can you wait until I am not around to do that?" Cedar complained. The four of us laughed at our typical daily routine.

"Hey Trin, want us to give you a ride home today, or is your cousin here?"

"No, Carter is probably already waiting for me, so I should hurry up. See you guys next week." I started to run toward the door.

"What?"

"Don't you mean tomorrow?" I heard Paul and Cedar yell after me, causing me to skid to a halt and turn back to them.

"What are you talking about?"

"The Harvest Moon Gathering." Juniper spoke flatly, like she was talking to a child, or someone slow.

"Oh My Goddess! I can't believe I forgot about that." I exclaimed, slapping my hand to my head.

"Good thing you have such good friends who will remind you, that way you can be prepared at least a little in advance." Paul laughed at my surprised response.

"Har-har very funny." I told him with a biting edge to my voice.

"Ouch, rein it in Astro." I growled at him, half playfully half not.

I ran toward the parking lot, weaving through the throngs of people on my way. I could see Carter standing by his Jeep 4x4 waiting for me. He was as close to a doting brother as I was ever going to get, and most of the time it made me really happy, though I would never admit that to him.

"You're late." He barked as soon as I was close enough for him to growl at me.

"Sorry, I was talking with a couple people after class. Good thing too, because they reminded me of something." I answered, my voice filled with annoyance that was only partially aimed at his impatience.

"Oh yeah? What did they remind you about?" He questioned with a laugh. He obviously thought it was something trivial.

"The Harvest Moon Gathering tomorrow night, I had completely forgotten about it."

"Seriously Trinity, how could you possibly forget about that?"

"Well, it's the first time that we are gathering for the harvest moon, we usually only gather for the hunter's moon, not both. It's not my fault I forgot a break in tradition, especially when I am usually kept out of the loop, anyway." Honestly, could he really blame me? Since my eighteenth birthday, most of the pack acted like I didn't even exist. If it wasn't for the monthly allowance and tuition, I would think that Grandfather had forgotten about me as well, but I guess he could just be having his secretary handle it and not even know what's going on.

"Come on, Trin, let's go." He told me, climbing into the Jeep, a smile on his face, and a laugh in his voice told me that he would always be there for me like any brother I could ask for.

"Why is there a gathering tomorrow, anyway?" I asked him while he was driving out of the city and toward the compound. Now I say compound because that is what the pack calls it, but the truth is, it's actually just a gated community where a large number of pack families lived.

The compound was bordered by the forest on the north and west and backed up to the mountains. A river snaked along the south side of the compound and around the base of the mountain. Using the Elements around us, we had created a literal fortress for us to live in. All but the exiled, those who left by choice or just those who wanted a bit more freedom (typically new adult males) lived at the compound. It was the safest way for us to protect ourselves from the humans and them from us.

"The Alpha has to find a mate, so he has to hold as many gatherings as possible before the year is over. If he doesn't find his Luna in our pack, then he needs to start traveling to other packs to look for a mate there. But since there is the chance that other pairs can form their mate bonds at the gatherings as well, every non-mated pack member has to go. And mated members can go because it is a gathering so it would be wrong to exclude anyone."

"Well that explains why Juniper and Paul are going, they're already mated." I mused. "But, honestly, why do I have to go? We all know that I am not going to be his mate. I don't have a wolf, so I can't form a mate bond." I whined indignantly.

"You don't know that, Trin." He told me automatically. He would always tell me this when I would get depressed when I was younger. Back when I actually got mad at myself, or at my mother, for me not having a wolf. There's nothing I can do now though, so I am just going to do the best I can with my slightly enhanced life.

"I am not human, and I am not a wolf. I don't belong anywhere. Just ask Grandfather." I snapped, a little more anger dripping from my voice than I had intended.

"Yeah well, sometimes I would like to tell ol' gramps where to shove that holier than thou pride of his." Carter snapped, causing me to laugh. He had always hated the way Grandfather treated me the most. Probably because of my two cousins he was closer to my age at only two years older than me, unlike his brother who was six years older than me. They both loved me, but Noah grew up and moved on with his life. He had even found a mate recently, got married and moved into his own home in the compound.

"Still Carter, we both know that no one is going to mate with me, and even if they did, they would just reject me, anyway."

"You can't reject a mate bond, Trinity. You know that." He sounded shocked by my words.

"Oh, I know, but that doesn't mean they wouldn't try to reject me. They'd probably rather go unmated for life. They'd start the first order of Buddhist Monk wolves." I chuckled, laughing at my own joke.

"That's not funny." He growled.

"Actually, it is, and you know it. There isn't a single man in this pack, who would take me as a mate." I told him firmly.

Reece

~~

I was sitting at my desk listening to the reports from my personal assistant Noah. He was highly efficient at his job, which meant that the reports always lasted longer than absolutely necessary. He could convey all the information in less time, but there was no telling what the extra info would provide in the long run.

He reported on the restless independent wolves living in the next city over. He informed me that the pack whose territory bordered ours, but had significantly less land than us, was causing a bit of a stir with talks of a possible attempt to overthrow me and take my land and people. There was talk of a rogue coven of magic users, witches and warlocks, that had decided to settle in our area. We haven't seen the likes of them in nearly twenty years, according to the elders and the record books.

Noah was so thorough and good at his job that I had considered making him my Beta, his grandfather had been my father's Beta after all. But there was all that unpleasantness that his family had following them. And it wasn't like they could escape from it, the girl was still there as a constant reminder of what had happened. I felt bad for the guy, truly. And he was smart as hell, he really was the best wolf around to be my assistant, I just wish he wouldn't drone on for so long. Ugh!

"And lastly, all of the unmated females have been assigned to their groups. You will spend your time at each of the Full Moon Gatherings looking for your mate among the women assigned to the group number for that gathering." Noah stood straight as a pin as he recited the information from memory. Standing there with his clean-cut features, dark hair and eyes, he seemed to only be missing the penguin suit to make him look like an old-fashioned butler. The thought was enough to almost make me laugh, which made me mad. I was supposed to be indignant and angry right now, I don't want to go to these damned gatherings.

"I will not need an entire night just for that. I will know within five seconds if anyone in the group is my mate." I grumbled.

"The Elders seemed to think you should spend some time alone with each one of them if possible, but as much time with the group as a whole if not."

"If they're not my mate, then spending more time with them won't make a difference. These glorified speed dating traps they've set up for me won't change anything at all." I yelled.

"Hey, don't snap at me, I'm not the one who set all this up, alright." Noah commanded, dropping his work facade for just a moment as he smiled at my frustration. I had to remember he was my friend, and this wasn't his fault.

My anger was getting the better of me. I had been on edge for weeks now, and things were likely to get much worse with what was to come. Throw me into a battle with another pack and tell me I might not come back alive, and I'd jump in with both feet. Tell me that a rogue is challenging me for my position as Alpha and needs to be put into his place, and I will knock him down a peg or twenty. Tell me that a warlock has kidnapped a human child and needs to be dealt with stealth and precision, and I will be first on the scene.

But tell me I need to be made to socialize with a gaggle of giggling she-wolves that think they have a chance to be the next Luna, or think they have a chance to be the next one to warm my bed for a night. That they think they might have a chance at my money, or the status I could offer. Whatever the reason was, it would always be the same. They would always be the same. Women were shallow, useless creatures that used you to their own end and then just left you without so much as a word.

That's why I don't want a mate. Women only care for themselves. There may have been a few exceptions, like his mother. Before the incident, she was the greatest woman in the world, without a doubt. But now, now she was just a shell of her former self. She just sat there, day in and day out, in a catatonic state, like a vegetable. She sat staring out the window and drooling on herself. She hadn't moved, spoken, showed any kind of life at all. Not since the betrayal seven years ago that had led to my father's death. The betrayal of a woman who only cared for herself and no one else. I couldn't let someone like that ruin my pack again, I simply wouldn't allow it.

The first thing I noticed when I got home was that my Aunt Eve had made my favorite dinner, Honey Garlic Pork Chops. The second thing I noticed was that Grandfather was there. I hadn't noticed him first because his car wasn't there and the food overpowered his scent, otherwise I would have smelled him long before I had seen him. No matter the circumstances, Grandfather used them against me, pointing out my lack of tracking his scent as further proof I was not one of them. I wish he would stop it already; I already knew I wasn't a wolf.

"I see you are the same as ever, Trinity."

"It's nice to see you too, Grandfather." I lied, with just the slightest hint of sarcasm in my voice. "To what do I owe the pleasure of having you visit me today?" I asked him. He grimaced. Grandfather knew I was forcing myself to be polite to him.

"I have come bearing warnings for the upcoming full moon gatherings. And I have prepared your attire for tomorrow's event."

"That is very kind of you Grandfather, but I already had something picked out." I told him. I had not expected him to buy me an outfit for the gathering.

"Did you buy it new for this occasion?" He asked, already seeming to scoff at my answer as if he was predicting an unfavorable response.

"No, but it is something that I have not really worn before."

"Then it is unacceptable. This is too important of an event. You must have a new outfit for tomorrow night and each of the subsequent events. There is still a chance you will meet your mate and be bonded from there onward. You must make the best first impression possible. For what other purpose did I spend my time and money training you?"

"I wouldn't know?" I told him, sounding annoyed. This was typical behavior for Grandfather, of course, but I had expected it to end when I turned eighteen and proved to be useless to him. But apparently, he was still hoping to marry me off to someone dumb enough to mate with a girl who had no wolf.

Grandfather had his secretary show me the dress that I would be wearing to the gathering tomorrow. It wasn't too bad, thank the Goddess. It was a dark midnight blue that would complement my pale complexion nicely. It was made of silk and felt wonderful to the touch. The hidden undertones in the blue were shining as the light hit it.

The front was cut a little low for my taste, but from there it went up into three straps on either side of the bodice, the straps went over the shoulders to connect and then fan out in the opposite directions. The straps connected to the sides of the dress and another purely decorative set of three straps came out across the lower back connecting in the middle.

Altogether, the straps created an elaborate design across the back. And with the bodice going up so high with the straps, the plunging line in the middle didn't seem so bad, but time would tell when I tried it on. It must have been either specially made or hemmed to be perfect for my height. Compared to the other women in the pack, I was short. Like, really short.

The average woman in the pack was around five-foot-nine. Some were taller, and some were shorter by only a margin of a couple inches. Me on the other hand, I was five feet five inches tall. Almost half a foot shorter than all the women. And considering that all the men were taller than the women, that made them all tower over me.

There were the few rare cases where a man was closer to the height of the women, but none was shorter than five-foot-ten in the entire pack. That was another reason I was considered a freak among the pack. But the height could have been overlooked if only I had shifted into a wolf by the time that I was eighteen.

"It is very lovely, Grandfather." I told him, which was the truth. "But you did not need to go through the trouble of getting something so obviously expensive." I told him, reminding him that he was supposed to have cut me off. How am I supposed to go on in peace if you show up at random like this?

"I most certainly had to. Who knows what kind of monstrosity you would have chosen for tomorrow evening? You are the only unwed female in our family, we must put our best foot forward." He was of course slipping into his old ranting again. Couldn't you ever just do something because you love me or cared for me, Grandfather? Is that too much to ask for? I asked myself while consciously trying to hold back the emotions that threatened me. Emotions had no effect on Grandfather, I had learned that long ago.

Grandfather had apparently decided to stay for dinner, which was unusual to say the least. But once he was gone and life was back to normal in the house, we were all able to relax. Even uncle Wesley got tense when Grandfather was around. But soon, the night was over, and the day of the dreaded gather had arrived.

I was so nervous about that damned Harvest Moon Gathering that I couldn't sleep and was awake before the sun was even up. I went for my usual morning run earlier than I typically did so instead of just running the streets of the compound until I got to the exit and then running either to town or half way, depending on my mood, I decided to run out of the gates and then into the woods.

The ground there was more difficult to run on, but it also felt so invigorating to run in the woods. Having grown up with the forest nearby had given me a deep love for running among the trees. The dark canopy of leaves above me, the musty earthy smell of the dirty churning beneath my feet. The smells of the forest were so familiar to me that I would recognize them anywhere.

I was running at nearly top speed when there was something in the way the forest smelled that I didn't recognize. Something that stirred something deep inside of me. Something that made all the hairs on the back of my neck stand at attention and all my senses go on high alert. They simultaneously screamed danger and I want more at the same time. I knew whatever, whoever, it was that I should not stick around.

There was someone else in the forest, or they had recently been there. Someone who smelled like chocolate, coffee, cinnamon, and the forest after the rain. It was sweet, spicy, and robust, and mixed with my favorite smells of the forest. It intrigued me to no end, but something told me that I needed to get away from that area, away from that scent, right away.

I turned around and ran as fast as I could back to the road. I ran back through the gate of the compound and didn't stop until I got back home. By the time I got there, my heart was about to burst out of my chest.

After I was finished being primped and pampered by Aunt Eve and put in the dress that Grandfather had brought, I was ready for the dreaded gathering. Juniper and the others were going to pick me up on their way, it would be easier for me with them there.

When we left my house, which was located in the upper section of the compound thanks to my family's status, or previous status, we headed to the northernmost road. I had lived in the compound my whole life, but even so, I had never actually been to the Alpha's house before. I had gathered with everyone at the clearing where important meetings and events were usually held, unless the weather was too bad. But I had never actually been to the Alpha's residence, and judging by Juniper's response, neither had she.

"This is actually exciting." She exclaimed as we drove up the long, long driveway that led up to the Alpha House. At the back of the compound there was a small road, but this road was actually a driveway. All the houses in the compound stopped before the forest started. All except for the Alpha's. The Alpha House was at the end of a two-mile-long driveway, weaving between the tall, thick trees as the road sloped ever upward. The farther into the forest you went, the higher into the mountains you went. The Alpha House wasn't very high, but it was still impressive to see.

I noticed several strings of lights strung between the trees. I was pretty sure that they had been hung just for the gathering tonight, but how was I supposed to know for certain. Whatever the reason for the lights, though, they gave off a beautiful yet eerie glow. It was strange, we had only left at a quarter to seven, but it looked like it was full dark outside now. The sun shouldn't have set that quickly.

As we got closer to the house, I saw that several men about my age were directing people where to go. Cedar pulled the car to a stop and a man asked who would be attending the gathering as an unmated pack member.

"I will." Cedar and I both said at the same time.

"What is your name?" The man asked me, ignoring Cedar.

"Trinity." I told him, sounding a little confused.

"Last name?" He asked me, a stern tone in his voice. As far as I knew, I was the only pack member named Trinity.

"Whitton." I told him, now feeling annoyed. I noticed his jolt in surprise when he heard my name, I see my legacy is well known among the entire pack.

"Miss Whitton, you are in group number three. You will be having your one on one and group meetings with the Alpha at the gathering in two months' time if he has yet to find a mate by then. Please, use this time to mingle with the other pack members. Should you happen to find a different mate among the pack, the Alpha would consider this gathering to be quite the success." I had no idea what-so-ever what he was talking about, but I nodded my head anyway and Cedar drove to the parking space that the man indicated for us.

We followed the lights further up the path. Soon, we came to a huge stone mansion. It looked like it had been there since the start of the 1900's, but had been beautifully restored and well maintained over time. It was easily 10,000 square feet, if not more. The place was massive. I could even see a tower sticking up in the roof, a tower of all things, like it was a castle. This is like a whole different world.

The gathering was being held outside. That was fine with me. I was overwhelmed just looking at that house, actually going inside it would be too much. There was a dance floor set up among all the dazzling lights. A beautifully decorated, yet somewhat tacky, screened tent was where all the food for the evening was being held. It was beautiful because someone had tried their best to make it look amazing, tacky because try as you might you just can't hide those bug screens.

The gathering was apparently a buffet-style dinner, where we would all mingle, talk, dance, and do whatever. I just wanted to go home already. Granted, the food did smell very delicious.

The party, as everyone around me was calling it, was just getting into full swing. Juniper was dragging me around to all her friends to introduce me. Most of them seemed like they wanted to be friends, but that they couldn't go against what they had been told or taught for years. The end result was every single person I was introduced to sneering at me and asking why I even bothered to show up.

"I'm so sorry, Trin." Juniper was close to tears when the last of the people she had wanted to introduce me to had snubbed me.

"Don't worry about it, Juniper, I'm used to it by now." I told her with a reassuring smile.

"That makes it worse." She almost cried.

"It's really fine Juniper." I told her as I rubbed her arm gently.

"I'm going to go give them a piece of my mind, and you can't stop me." She began, seeing as I was about to try to do just that. She hurried away from me. I knew it would just end in failure for me to try to associate with so many different pack members. I was happy just having the few that I called friends now. It was more than I ever thought I would have.

I didn't want to join the party. Not to mention Juniper would have more fun with Paul and her other friends if I wasn't around. I could just stay out of everyone's way, and Grandfather would never know that I had completely blown off the party and ignored everyone there. It was a win-win for me.

I had just decided that I was going to ignore the party when I caught the faintest trace of that intoxicatingly dangerous scent from this morning. Whoever that scent belonged to, he was here at the gathering, and I definitely did not want to see him!

I ducked under the string of lights and followed the line of trees a little further into the forest. I could tell that whoever it was I was avoiding had been in this part of the forest as well, but the scent was very old so it was not likely that I would run into him now. I found a tree that looked as if it had fallen down in a storm a very long time ago. It was half buried in the forest floor, making it low enough that I could sit on it easily, and the bark had been smoothed down, making it less rough for me to sit on. Feeling confident the tree wouldn't ruin my dress or feel uncomfortable against my legs, I settled in for a long wait.

Unfortunately, I hadn't been there for long before the scent started to get stronger. Much, much stronger. He was coming towards me and he was coming fast.

❤