Sold to a Wolf Pack did NOT make the Wattys2018 award longlist. I'm going to break out the Ben & Jerrys, watch a sappy movie on Netflix, and grab some tissues... maybe even give my stories a makeover. If you entered but didn't make it either, I'm really sorry. Take a moment to grieve, but please never stop creating stories. There will always be people who don't think you're not good enough, but you need to believe in yourself and keep doing what you love.
And those of you who made the longlist: congratulations! I'm extremely happy and excited for you! Just let everyone know in the comments so we can celebrate. And you'll have my full support: shoutouts, reads, votes... Anything I can do to help one of my readers get through!
And for anyone like me who didn't make it (or who just didn't apply) your stories deserve some love! So feel free to promote your stories in the comments here, read each other's stuff, and keep writing.
And now, the chapter (with special thanks to my advanced readers for helping me edit and to lazejr for the end of chapter questions)!
"Mrs. Jones?" I call out in surprise. "What are you doing out here?"
"Logan?" Amaryllis's Mom's head snaps up. "Thank the Goddess! Did you get my text? Rylie's missing. I couldn't reach your parents, or Beta. I didn't know what else to do."
"Rogues," I spit, and her face goes pale. I quickly sum up everything that's happened, then add, "The challenge starts at sunset."
"Oh no. We don't have much time." She falls to her knees. "These scents, are they the Rogues? I'm really hoping it's just some pack kids."
I think she's having some sort of nervous breakdown until her words register. I bend down next to her, grimacing when Daniel's jeans dig painfully into my belly. I take a tiny breath, trying not to inhale too much air, and the disgusting smell of Daniel's sweat wafts in. It's on the tank I'm wearing and masks everything else. There's also Saf's Dad's scent on my shoes, but below that, on the gravel, their scents repeat. They were here. "No. It's them."
"They have Rylie." Mrs. Jones jumps to her feet.
"How do you know?"
"Because she left clues. There!" Mrs. Jones points at something on the other side of the road. She breaks into a run, hair and skirt flying, and my flip flops click with each step as I race in pursuit.
We stop in front of a crudely drawn arrow, etched in the dirt by a wolf's paw. It points north, and Mrs. Jones bends down to give it a sniff. After a moment's hesitation, and a curse aimed at Daniel's jeans, I do the same.
"It's Rylie's scent," Mrs. Jones confirms. "We have to go."
She breaks into a run, jumps inside the SUV, and starts the engine. I barely have enough time to climb inside before she peels away. A cloud of dust forms around us as she veers onto the highway, and I slide sideways, crashing into the door.
"Seatbelt," Mrs. Jones yells, snapping hers in place.
I barely manage to do up mine before the car suddenly swerves into the adjacent lane.
"Hold on," Mrs. Jones cries, hitting the gas. We race down the highway, before she suddenly slams on the brakes and pulls onto the shoulder. "There it is."
"What?" I race after her.
Mrs. Jones heads toward one of the trees and points at a series of broken branches just above eye level. Then, she breaks one off. She gives it a sniff, and holds it up for me to smell.
"Amaryllis?" I ask before the scent reaches me.
"Yes, and it means we keep going north." Mrs. Jones runs back to the SUV.
"How do you know?" I ask once we're back on the road. "Wait, does this mean the Rogues didn't take her? I thought she left that arrow when they grabbed her."
"No. She's following them on foot, leaving clues. It's part of a game we used to play."
"What game?" I frown as Mrs. Jones suddenly veers off the highway again without signaling and slows the car to a crawl.
"Kind of a scavenger hunt, hide and seek..." she says absently as her eyes scan the trees.
"Look!" I shout when I spot another series of broken branches. "Is that it?"
"Good eye." Mrs. Jones brakes and we jump out of the car and race toward them.
"North," she cries, smelling one of the branches to confirm it has Rylie's scent.
Then, we're off. We repeat the same pattern three more times before we reach city limits. Factories come into view, and smoke fills the air. There aren't many trees around, just paved roads between abandoned buildings, and Mrs. Jones pulls into the nearest lot.
Mrs. Jones grabs her phone from the car mount and we jump out of the car.
"Are we looking for another arrow?" I ask.
"Yes we—there!" She runs up to a line in the dirt, a crudely drawn arrow pointing toward one of the buildings. Next to it is a paw print. Rylie!
We make sure the arrow has her scent before following it down an alley that leads to a second arrow, and then a third. Finally, we reach a closed metal door. The dirt in front of it has been smoothed out, like there had once been an arrow there that someone erased. We lean down to smell it, and then both simultaneously gasp.
The ground reeks of Rogues. Not just Daniel, but others, too. I count a total of five scents, and Mrs. Jones turns to me with wide, panicked eyes. She points at the door handle, and I shake my head no.
We're in front of an abandoned looking one-story warehouse. The windows have been boarded up, and someone has spray painted swear words all along the walls. It looks harmless, but my gut tells me it's a trap. Someone—or multiple someones—grabbed Rylie, and we're next.
The scent also means that there's a good chance that Saf's here. There's no other reason for Amaryllis to follow the Rogues all the way here and leave us clues. And if my mate's in there, then I'm going after her.
I raise a finger to my lips, gesturing for Mrs. Jones to be quiet, and then point at the cell phone she's got clutched in her hand along with her keys. "Send the Wolfsbane Luna an S.O.S. with our location," I whisper. My heart thumps in my chest as I get to my feet. "I'm going to look around."
Mrs. Jones nods, eyes wide with panic. She hunches over her phone and unlocks it with trembling fingers. Leaving her to it, I walk silently alongside the building and then turn a corner. Just in time, too, because a split second later, I hear shouts.
"Over there," a man shouts. "Hand me your phone. Now!" I know he's talking to Mrs. Jones, and I pray to the Moon Goddess that she's had enough time to send that S.O.S. "Now on your feet."
I can hear her getting up, but then there's just silence. I can't see what's happening, but I don't dare peek around the corner. Not when there's a chance I'll be seen. So I hold my breath and wait.
"Who's Rylie?" the man demands.
"My daughter," Mrs. Jones replies, her voice quavering.
Must be the red wolf we captured earlier, another guy says over the link. Don't worry, you'll join her soon.
My gut clenches at his ominous tone.
"On your feet. Is there anyone else with you?"
"N-no," Mrs. Jones lies. "It's just me."
She's telling the truth, Sir. I'm not picking up any other scents, the second man adds, and I picture him in wolf form, sniffing the ground for clues.
Except, if he is in wolf form, shouldn't he be able to smell me? I knelt on the ground right next to Mrs. Jones and my jeans are coated in grime and dirt to prove it. I stare down at them in confusion when it suddenly clicks. Everything I'm wearing reeks of Daniel. Which means that the scent I left behind isn't mine—it's his!
❀Questions?❀
❀Comments?❀
✿What did you think of this chapter? 👍/👎?✿
❁ What are the chances Saf, Logan and the others will be able to escape?
❁ Do you still think Amaryllis is an Omega? Do you think she's acting, same as Saf?
❁ Do you think Logan and Saffron will make it back in time to stop the challenge?
❀Prompt Game:❀ Comment with a place, a person & an object. Reply to other people's comments by turning them into stories. (feel free to continue other stories too!)