From Princess To Queen
Chapter 21

Where is that Smell Coming From

It takes a few meals for the stench to filtrate the people of the camp. Now the King and Felix cannot eliminate it and are starting to smell like rogues. The longer they stay in the center, the longer it will take for the smell to dissipate from their skin. The clothes can be thrown away since they have a load of clothing available at any given time.

“Did you let Clara know what we did?” Max chided.

“Yes, she cannot wait for her father and Felix to return, so now they can identify Felix. Both will continue to be rogues as often as they visit the camp. King Matthew will have to stop coming if he no longers wants to smell like the rest of them. When Felix takes his men and fighters, the other packs can smell them miles away.”

“How did you get the smell to linger that far away? Normal rogues do not carry that powerful of a smell.”

“Powerful potion that will last for several months. The only way to break it is when they take the oath to become a pack member.”

Issy and Max started laughing until they cried but knew they would also smell like the others. They volunteered as hunters outside the compound to bring meet back in for the so-called pack. But they had their motives for doing this, too; they could spend time together and get to know one another. This also allowed them to cloak themselves, return to each other’s packs, and let them in on the news of replaceing their mates.

Clara and Xavior were excited to hear of the news but told them they could complete the mating process at the castle or in his pack, which they did, and then took back some meet to the compound. Issy and Max still hid their scents from others. They did not want the rogue members to know they were true mates and had mated off the land. They acted normal when they walked back to the compound but asked to get a truck or tractor to bring in the game they killed as it was too much for the two of them to bring themselves.

They were granted to use an all-terrain vehicle that could haul wild game, and they left to pick up their kills. They dressed them before bringing them back to the camp so that the cooks did not have to bother to do that gross job. When they returned to the compound, they had a bear, three deer, an elk, and a few more minor game dressed. The only thing that had to be done was to skin animals, let the skins dry and make pelts out of them, gloves, and other items needed to survive the weather elements. They make their money by selling skins and other things they make from the animals they kill. Nothing goes to waste.

Max and Issy are very resourceful and will show the rogues how to be that way to survive against the elements and other people. They also wanted to ensure they could be an autonomous group to make money for themselves and become a good pack and one of the alliances with others. They needed to feel belonging and not have a bad rap like most rogues have. But there were always those that would remain as mean and unbearable idiots as they are. There is always a reason why some are separated from their packs.

They were taken over by other packs and sent on their way, thrown out because they tried to overtake the alpha due to his brutal ways, or the groups were wiped out, and they had no place to go. That is where most of these rogues are at today. In this pack of rogues, they wanted to belong as a unit as a family but not under Felix or his mother. Those are the ones that wanted to escape and could not do so. Their hands were tied, so they had to stay and bare the crap that was happening. Now the nasty stench that was seeping through their pores just because of the three meanest people and some of their guards.

“Chris, I am going to show you how to skin these animals and dry the pelts so that we can make pelts to sleep on, clothes out of the skins, and so on,” Max tells him.

“Thanks, man, I never knew how to do this. Next time you and Issy go on a hunt, I want to go with you; I used to hunt all the time for our pack before Felix dismantled us. He does not know that I am the only survivor of my old pack.”

“Really? How did you manage to get away?”

“I was on a hunt for our party when they attacked our pack.”

“I heard it through the link from our alpha, and he told me to stay back and not to come to our aid; we needed people to stay alive.”

“You mean there are more of your pack out there alive?”

“Yes, they are outside these grounds about twenty miles east of here.”

“Ok, listen carefully; I need you to link your people and get to my pack or the castle. Ask for Princess Clara. She will get your pack members set up.”

“I don’t know what to tell you. Thanks so much for your help.”

“No problem, you will get there next time. I will get you there somehow, do not worry.”

“Why is everybody so stinky?”

“Long story but not right now. We all must be this way which will be explained later.”

“Got it; Felix needs to be put down for good and his mother.”

“I know, and it is being worked on, but that is between us.”

They keep skinning the animals laid before them. They take and butcher the meats and wrap them to put them in the freezers for the pack dinners for later use. It will take a little while for them to go through the meat since there are over a thousand rogues in this group. There was still meat from the last kill, Max and Chris moved the older meat on top of the new kill so they could use that first.

Dinner was cooked, and some meat was from the hunt that day. The drinks that were served did not have a taste, but it was starting to seep through the pores of the people in the camp.

“Has anybody noticed how you all stink?” someone questioned.

“Yeah, but this is coming from you and others.”

“But everything tastes fine; water tastes fine, nothing wrong.”

“If you say so, but it could be the water we take baths, wash clothes in, and all that.”

“Yeah, well, we are rogues, and once a rogue, you have a distinct smell.”

The others continued not caring, but Max and Issy couldn’t help but to hide their grins. Only she knew how to get rid of their stinky selves, but they had to play the parts for the time being until they finished their task.

“Felix, what did you bathe in, shit?” Matthew asked, holding his hand to his nose.

“If I did, then you did the same as well, ’cause dude, you STANKY!” he is laughing.

“Mom, you bathe with Matthew too? You stink as he does; you be gross.”

“Shut up, son; you’re just as bad as the rest of these bastards here.”

“I am not a roguelike; you are.”

“Not my fault; you are the one who threw me out of the pack house.”

“I am not the one who cheated on Father the entire time. So tell me, Mommy dearest, who is my father?”

Matthew excused himself from this conversation and walked out of the house. He walked around the grounds where other rogues were doing their evening chores and decided to talk to them and get to know them.

“What’s your name, son?” Max questioned a young boy.

“Chris Ingle, sir, what may I get you?”

“Nothing Chris. May I help you with your chores?”

“AH, sure, I will just put these scraps over here where we have our composting area. We don’t like to waste anything around here. We return it to the environment. It’s good to use as mulch for our vegetables and flowers. We try to up-cycle everything we have.”

“Wow, this is amazing. Please teach me this. What else do you do?”

“We make our detergent with soap, perfumes; you name it, we try to make it.”

“Why would you do anything like this? You guys are rogues and do not care what you take from packs.”

“Well, that is not all of us. Ninety percent of us want to get out of here and belong to packs, but we cannot leave due to the ‘queen’ and her son Felix. But you are a rogue too, sir.”

“Ouch, why can’t you guys leave?”

“Look, it’s a compound that is fenced in, and our lives are threatened. We leave; we are hunted down, brought back, and murdered. We must watch our backs, like in the old days of the seventeen hundreds.”

“Barbaric characters, I am so sorry that this is happening. I had no idea this was going on here.” Max states in disbelief.

“What are you going to do about it?” Chris asked.

“I will do something, but you have to trust me. I cannot do anything right now, but it will get better. Just keep doing what you are doing; I promise you all will have your pack. You will know when you can do that. You have to trust me right now.”

Chris shrugs, and Matthew returns to the house where Felix and the King sat. He does not know what is happening between these two but knows it is not good. The Kinv retires to his room that he shares with his mistress, showers, and gets ready for bed when she walks in. She goes and takes a shower as well and joins him in bed, and starts kissing him.

Suddenly he feels disgusted by being with her. He pushes her off him, and she growls at him. Her eyes looked a little wild, unlike before.

“What the hell do you think you are doing to me, you bitch?”

“I am kissing you love; that is what I am doing.”

“I do not want your filthy stinky hands or body on me, I am happily married to my wife, and I have four children that I am not very close to you. What have you done to me, you bitch?”

“Oh darling, now come on, you don’t mean those words; we have been with each other since our first-born sons’ births.”

“What does that have to do with the price of eggs?”

Before she could say anything, he got up, dressed, and packed his clothes. He left the bedroom, went outside, and took one of the cars back to the castle in the middle of the night. When he came in, some staff got up and ready to cook breakfast for the palace members. He said his hello’s and went straight to Clara’s room.

“Clara, wake up; we need to talk now.” He yells through the door as he knocks on it.

She looks at her phone and checks to see what time it is, then looks at Xavior, who sleeps soundly with light snores. She kisses him before leaving the bed and dressing, going to the door to open it and seeing her father standing there.

“Uh, Dad, you stink like a rogue; go get it out of your system, please.” She is holding her nose and breath; that is how bad he stinks.

Clara does not understand why he is there. She and Xavior were not expecting him back for a while and did not understand what had happened. Her father turns and heads to his wing and showers.

“Xavior, love, wake up. We have a problem; Father is back.” She lightly kisses her mate to wake him up.

“What are you talking about, baby?” Xavior questions rubbing his eyes.

“He stinks like the rogues at Issy’s camp. I sent him to his wing to shower. He wants to talk to me.”

“Shit, I will let Dunken know. Something must have happened. Find everything that you can. We will have the conversation taped, do it in the office.” he kisses her as he gets up and dresses going to their secret spot and meeting Dunken there.