12 Scents

After napping like the dead and downing a bottle of mango juice left on my nightstand in one go, I stumbled to the bathroom to clean the dry blood off myself. All the mirrors in the porcelain throne room were covered with sheets. A chandelier over the tub, a fresh set of my clothes next to the waterfall sink, but not one reflective surface. I rolled my eyes. Did the pack really think that I would faint if I saw myself? I could see my arms and wasn't passing out.

Grunting, I reached with my working hand and pulled down a sheet. I took in my reflection as the fabric fell to the floor with a rustle.

"Well, shit," I said, stepping back. My heart drummed and my stomach churned.

I tried convincing myself that I looked like a rock or metal album cover. My smeared heavy eyeliner and gray roots growing out from my black-dyed hair fit right in with the mental image. But it didn't help.

I wasn't allowed a shower. According to the med students, it would "increase the chance of infection." So, I turned on the sink and dunked my head under the stream. My blood mixed with the water and swirled down the drain. I fiddled with my multiple ear piercings, cleaning them. Moving my left hand was slow and painful, but I pushed through.

When the water ran clear, I stood up and changed into the fresh set of clothing waiting on the counter. Plaid cargo pants, boxers, and a black T-shirt with lace over the shoulders. I smiled with a nod. Mom probably picked them out for me. While she complains about my style at times, she gets it. Gets me.

I'm lucky in that regard. Not all kids have that acceptance.

Once dressed, I chucked the bloody clothes in the trash and walked into the hall. No one waited for me outside the door, so I decided it was time to hunt down the avians. I sniffed the air and listened as I walked through the winding halls.

Pups ran around the estate, playing and grumbling. The scents of a few horney bodies - mostly teens - reminded me how much a freak I was. Being intersex, I'm not sure if anyone will want me physically. And I'm not certain I'll ever be comfortable enough in my body to find out.

The thought was a hand around my throat. I stopped mid-step and hugged myself with my left arm. It was lonely.

But it was not the time to think about that. I shook my head and continued marching through the mansion.

Adults stopped me, asking what happened in the woods and why I still smelled like blood. I brushed them off, saying that I was fine. A few mentioned that my parents were looking for me, but I didn't think much of it.

My cell phone was back in the RV and without it, I had an excuse for not being found.

No signs of the avians though. Not even in the guest rooms.

I felt out of place in the giant house. While I was always welcome in the common areas, I don't spend much time there beyond the occasional pack-wide event. While the pack was mine, Mom was right in the sense that

I wasn't really a werewolf.

"Soren," Konrad - a tall man whose only fashion option seemed to be suits - called, stopping me in a hall. "Go back to your guest room."

I frowned up at him. While his eyes were the same shade of yellow as his mother, Lin, they somehow lacked the intensity of the alpha. "I'm allowed to walk around, Sir." My voice growled at the last word.

"Let me rephrase. Stop looking for the avians."

"What makes you think I'm looking for them?"

"You're in the main estate."

"Is that a problem?"

"Yes. It is."

"Rude." I shrugged. "You have no way of proving why I'm here."

I tried to step around Konrad, but he blocked me. "Your parents are speaking with the med students at the moment. They're looking for you."

"Fine. I'll look for them," I said, trying to escape the wall of a man, but he followed me.

"No. I'll escort you to them," he said, pulling out a phone and sending a text. Probably to my parents.

"Where are they?"

Konrad's cell buzzed and he glanced at the screen. "Back at your RV. Do you want to meet them there or in the guest room?"

I thought for a second. I couldn't smell the avians in the estate. Perhaps I'd have better luck outside. "RV," I answered.

Konrad nodded and sent a text. "Follow me."

I grumbled but followed Konrad. Pack members greeted Konrad with waves and short bows, showing respect. I sniffed on the way, trying to catch the scents of the avians, but there was nothing.

Where were they hidden?

As we walked out into the front garden, I told Konrad, "I can make it from here."

"No," he answered. "I'm making sure you make it home."

For a moment, I considered running. But that was stupid. There was no way I could outrun the man. So I continued on in silence but froze when we made it to the forest. My body turned to ice and my heart raced. The trees were sinister. In the dying light, their branches were talons reaching to cut me open as the lady-avians had. Chirping birds laughed at my pain.

"Soren?" Konrad's voice seemed to echo. "What's wrong?"

"I... I can't..." I shook my head. "Can I go back to the guest room to wait for the med students?"

Konrad paused and looked me over. "Are you aftra-?" He cut himself off. "Of course. As my Mom said, it's yours as long as you need it."

My shoulders slumped. What sort of werewolf - or part werewolf - is afraid of the woods? It's stupid.

As we walked back to the estate, the wind picked up and I caught the garden's floral along with a familiar raptor-like scent. Predators. The hair on the back of my neck prickled. The scents wafted from the main estate, but not the guest or common wings where I'd been searching. The avians were being held in the alpha's wing.

I had to break in.