Unscentable
Chapter 37

Piper

POV

Piper was just staring out the window of her hotel suite. She still did not know what to make of all she'd heard from Cooper the Pack Beta or Harrison the Pack's Delta. She had no idea at all if any of the words that either of them had stated were true. Though both of their demeanours had matched their words. Concern for their Alpha, she had heard that.

But how could they really know that she had uttered a rejection at all? There was no way that they could know that. So why would either of them say such things if they didn't know? It didn't really make all that much sense to her. Bradley had not known who she was at the time, so how could it have possibly affected him at all?

She herself had not even known at the time if her rejection would work at all, not with only one of them knowing what they were to each other. Piper had known that for a rejection to work normally, both parties had to not only know who they were to each other, had to be face to face and the one hearing the rejection had to verbally accept that rejection.

School had classes on the Mate Bond, so everyone understood who it worked, the meeting of your mate, the scenting of them. How it was supposed to go. The acceptance or rejection of your Mate and the formality if a rejection was made, name and title to be stated along with that rejection though it was frowned upon, most would be encourage to accept their bond.

There however, was only one lesson about rejecting one's Mate. Because most wolves did not reject each other, they were drawn to each other, and couldn't or didn't want to rip that feeling of being with your other half, apart. It was stated it was painful. And it had been.

There had been examples of it. Though usually to do with those two wolves having horrible pasts or hating each other already prior to replaceing out they were Goddess-Gifted Mates, even then some would begrudgingly accept each other and allow their bond to grow and flourish and it was said they could overcome their history and love each other, their Bond strong enough to bring them together.

"Mum?"

Piper turned her eyes on Brandon. "What's wrong sweetie?" she asked him.

"Is what they said true?" he asked her, clearly having been thinking about it himself, he had been right there to hear both Cooper and Harrison's words.

"I don't know to be honest." she sighed. She would not lie to him, she did not know, was actually very confused about the situation right this minute.

He was looking up at her, frowning himself, watched her for a long quiet moment. "That man...he told me, he wants us to be family, all of us, you, me and him, altogether."

It was Pipers' turn to frown now, "When did he do that?" she asked. She had not heard Bradley say that.

"When you went in with Aunt Izzy and told her, he only wanted me, not you. He told me, that's not true, that he wanted us both."

She sighed, they'd obviously talked while she was in the Izzy, she'd missed something. "What else did he say?" she asked him. "That he won't take me away from you."

Piper had heard Bradley say that before. This was not the first time he'd said that, "That is good to hear." she acknowledged. If Bradley had told Brandon that, he wasn't likely to go back on his word, it would only lead to the boy accusing him of being a liar in all likelihood.

So perhaps he did actually mean that he wouldn't take Brandon from her, but she could not see him wanting to leave the boy out in the human world with her, and she did not want to go back to being invisible inside a pack. No, not again. Being constantly bumped into and blamed for not watching where she was going.

She'd had enough of that.

She and Harper would end up, right back where they had started, alone, living in a room all by themselves, to stay away from it all, once more completely none existent. She felt pain touch her at just the thought of it, they did not want that at all. Couldn't deal with that again. It had made for a very lonely childhood and teenage years, not to mention adulthood.

She was likely going to have to work out some sort of agreement with the man. She knew he was going to want Brandon within the pack, his child would be safer inside it. Or at least he would think so. Wondered now how'd he even known who she was?

What she was to him? If he had figured it out, how had he? Piper knew that he could not scent her at all, no-one could. It didn't make any sense to her. She sighed and sat down, she was going to have to have dinner with him, even if only to sort out some sort of custody agreement, where Brandon was concerned.

Looked right at her son, he was restless once more. "What do you want?" she asked him.

"I don't understand." he frowned at her.

"Do you want to get to know him, your father? Go and live with him?" those words hurt, but he did have the right to live inside a pack. It was how wolves normally lived.

"I don't know?" he shrugged.

"Might want to think about that," she offered up.

"It's what he wants isn't it?" Brandon stated.

"I believe so." Piper nodded.

"We live in Portland, where does he live?"

"In Montana." she answered simply.

"That's a long way from our home." he frowned again.

"It is." Piper nodded. The man had already gone so far as to try and pack up her house and move it to his Pack. Not only was it very rude and arrogant of him. It was bloody weird.

"Can I go and look at what a Pack looks like?"

"Yes, in all likelihood." she didn't think Bradley would say no, he was not likely to decline the boy's request, simply because it meant that the boy was not only curious, but also maybe open to the idea of going to his Pack full-time.

"Will you come?" she could see the worry in his eyes.

He knew she didn't want to. She had told him as much.

But the pack did back onto the edge of a human city, she could stay there she supposed, get some agreement out of Bradley to make sure the boy was returned to her.

"I don't exactly know how to answer that Brandon." she told him truthfully.

"You don't want to."

"Not particularly, but I guess if it was just for one day. I could suck it up." Saw him stare right at her for another long minute before asking "Was it really so bad there?"

This was a very hard conversation, it was very bad there, for her. Not for others, he might not be like her, he might fit right in and love it there. Then what was she going to do, if he did? She wouldn't be able to take him away from that, if they could scent him and he could be recognised, he would probably really love it inside the Pack.

"Only for me, not for everyone else." she finally answered him in the end. "Honestly, Brandon, you might like it there, fit in. which is something I never did."

"Are you worried?... about the other woman?"

Piper sighed, there would always be another woman, she knew that, hated it in fact, but it was how it had always been. "There will always be someone else for your father, Brandon." she admitted, heard the pain, couldn't actually hide it all when saying it out loud. "But he said."

"I know what he told you.." she looked at him sadly "It is difficult. He loves you.."

"But not you?" she heard the sadness in her own child's voice, wondered if that was more Aspen's thoughts. Wolves were born with the knowledge that they had a Mate out there.

"Mm." she shrugged, didn't want to voice that one out loud, but it was all she had ever known at the same time. Bradley had never recognised her, never loved her, he had enjoyed one night with her, and moved on, as she had to. "Aspen is very confused."

"I'm sure he is." and Piper did not doubt that for a second, his wolf was likely wondering, why his wolf parents weren't together. Wolves mated for life, usually only produced off spring to their actually Mate. He might be young but, he was born with the knowledge of having a Mate.

"What is a Mate Bond?" Brandon asked her a few minutes later, shocking her a little.

That had to be Aspens' thoughts on the subject and Brandon wanted to understand, "It's when two wolves are drawn together, and belong to each other, they will Mate for life."

"It's broken isn't it?"

"What's broken?" she asked in return.

"You're Mate Bond.. Apsen says its broken."

"Yes, it was." she looked right at him."Aspen." she asked his wolf to come to the surface, better just to talk to the wolf himself, saw him push forward. Smiled a little sadly at him. "My bond was one-sided only. Cursed by the moon goddess herself, to suffer. Only I could feel it, he could not. Can not even now. So broken is actually a good word for it."

"He not know who you are?" his gravelly voice asked.

"No, never did, very painful for me, for many years.

So I left. Harper and I were slowly dying, left to save ourselves."

Saw him tilt his head "But me?"

Piper huffed, he wanted to know how he came about, what did she tell him? What was acceptable to a young wolf? she was not going to tell him he was an accident. Would hurt him, hurt Brandon too.

"I spent one night with him, before | left," she said simply, it was the truth.

"Still he not know?" his wolf not dumb, it seemed, really wanted answers.

"No, a one-sided bond Aspen, only I knew."

She watched as his wolf receded, saw Brandon look right up at her, he looked so very confused "It's very complicated." she sighed and he just nodded without saying anything else. Probably overwhelmed as well as confused, he would have his own thoughts and then he would also hear Apsen's thoughts. He was too young for this kind of knowledge.

She had explained it as best she could without putting either her or Bradley in a bad light, or at least she hoped that was the case. Bradley was not about to just go away, she knew very little of him herself. But no Alpha was about to give up an heir, she knew that much.

"Brandon, why don't you look him up on your phone, he'll have a human profile, might give you some information about him, I have no knowledge of him. I left him well enough alone.

Piper saw him nod his head slowly, but didn't see him do it. Other things on his mind, she supposed.

"I will have dinner with him and try and sort something out, where you're concerned, if you want me to?"

He nodded again, but still said nothing.

Piper encouraged him to play one of his PS5 games, to take his mind off of the situation at hand. It would have been better if the Beta and the Delta had kept their mouths shut with Brandon in the room.

Izzy came into the suite at 3pm, Eddie stopped at the door when he dropped her off, didn't come inside, glanced at Piper for only a moment, then looked down Izzy, smiled right at her, leaned down and kissed her gently on the mouth and told her he would see her later, then stepped away. She watched as Izzy closed the door and came right into the room.

"Hi"

"Didn't expect to see you," Piper commented.

"Edward thought it would be better if I were here with you and Brandon." Shook her head. "told me he would miss me every second I was not with him, but knew you and Brandon were worried about me."

"We are," Piper acknowledged as Izzy sat next to her "You might want to go and shower, you smell like Edward."

"Oh." she stood"I didn't realise."

"It's normal," Piper shrugged.

Brandon was looking up at Izzy, she leaned down and ruffled his hair "Hey kiddo." he smiled up at her, happy to see her, to it seemed.

Piper did note that when Izzy came out of her room, she did not bring a suitcase with her, she was expecting her to stay up in their suite from now on, with Edward.

"You're going to stay here? Not with Edward?"

"I barely know Edward. I told him I'd date him, but I have to have my space too."

"Bet he wasn't happy about that."

"Not the space part, he frowned right at me, like he didn't understand why I needed it."

"He doesn't," Piper informed her.

"What is it with them?"

"That is for Edward to explain, Bradley maybe, considering the circumstances."

"What circumstances?"

"Izzy, they have certain protocols when bringing people to Drake Industries Gated Community. Edward has followed zero of them from my knowledge, supposed to wait for the full moon, then ask you out, date you properly, dinners, movies, you know the regular kind of things, then introduce you to his parents, to Bradley himself. Invite you to stay at their home and see if you like it, and then go from there. Usually takes 1 to 2 months, depending on the relationship and how you progress!

"Oh, so I'm like."

"You're fine, but Edward is rushing everything. I imagine his boss is not too pleased with his behavior, you however are not to blame, and no-one will say you are."

"He already talked about getting married." she shook her head. "It's too soon, I told him, he pouted right at me and then."

"Enough." Piper shook her head "I can well imagine, how he tried to sway you." she had been able to smell Edward on Izzy, seduced her or tried to, in order to get his way. "He's so weird, Piper."

"Hmm, only to you. From what I am seeing, where I grew up, it's normal. It's just how it is...he's your weirdo now." she half smiled "So you'll be sleeping in our suite?" Saw Izzy nod "yes."

"Alright, I don't really want him in this room overnight."

Saw Izzy laugh "I'm okay with that."

"He might not be." Piper shook her head. It was very unlikely that Edward was going to want to sleep in bed by himself, when his Mate was in the same building. It was very clear the man couldn't keep his hands to himself, or any other part of himself for that matter.