Untouchable

Chapter 8 – Sweet Scents

“To burn with desire and keep quiet about it is the greatest punishment we can bring on ourselves.”-Federico Garcia Lorca

Third Person POV – One Week Later

The day of Celeste’s birthday party had arrived. Excitement buzzed in the air of the Onyx Moon Pack as the members tried their hardest to hold their silence about the party set to liter that evening. Neron and Nuria stood on the vast grassy curtilage, watching their mother be escorted out of the house by a grinning, long-haired gentleman by the hand. Nuria hopped in place with an excited grin while Neron scowled, raised a wary eyebrow.

“I can’t believe involving Ezekiel was your genius idea on keeping Mom out of the house.” He reprimanded his sister via mind-link. “He seems a little too excited.”

“You, big brother, are too oblivious for your own good.” Nuria rolled her eyes. “I know you can see that he has a big crush on Mom. Look at that charming smile on his face.”

“No one is good enough for Mom, not even that Alpha

“Former Alpha.” Nuria corrected. “Those two have been ogling each other since the day the Iron Stone Pack welcomed us here. I’m sure that he’ll treat her right. I’ve already sent him instructions to not let Mom come back until eight o’clock tonight.”

Neron sighed, staring at the scene in front of him. His mother’s smile warmed his heart, but it didn’t soothe the ache t i ts apex. Ezekiel Ferro was the former Alpha of the Iron Stone Pack, presently in rule by his son Wystan. Ezekiel was a good man with a heart full of honor. But it didn’t ease the worry in his heart. Neron watched as the older couple hopped into his vehicle, bid him and Nuria farewell, and drove out of the territory. If his mother found true love with him, Neron’s heart will be at ease.

Not every man interested in his mother was like his dad. He forced himself to remember that.

Once the car had disappeared, the organization had begun. From picking up the cake to cooking for the feast to the intense decoration, the ranked wolves and select members got to work. The morning sun was gradually rolling into the afternoon. It left little leeway to relax or slack off.

At Garnet Moon, Nikolai poured gasoline into his car tank for the long car ride to Oregon. Kiya scampered over with a suitcase and tossed it in the trunk, landing with a heavy ‘thump! Her father arched an eyebrow and poked his head from the side. “Is your present big enough to involve your suitcase, Mija?”

“It’s not for the gift. I’ll be staying over at Onyx Moon for a few weeks.”

“Oh? When did this happen?”

“Nuria slipped into my room last week and asked me. I said yes.” Kiya replied, adjusting her shoulder purse. “That won’t be a problem, right?”

“No, it wouldn’t be-wait, Nuria slipped into your room?”

“She allergic to the front entrance.”

Chapter 8 – Sweet Scents

“She confuses me, sometimes.” Nikolai chucked, removing the gasoline can and set it off to the side. “Are you sure you’re ready to go there? You haven’t talked much about–”

“I’ll be fine, Dad.” Kiya interrupted, rubbing her arm. “It was about time I go see the pack.” She pulled out a small pewter-colored leather box hidden within blue wrapping, tied with a white ribbon from her purse. “At least I got Aunt Essie her present.”

“Kiya?” Phoebe emerged from the entrance, grasped Kiya’s arm, and pulled her out onto the verdant lawn, darting her eyes from side to side. She shoved a small box into Kiya’s hands. The woman detected an aromatic scent, blended with ginger, perfuming from the folds of the decorative cardboard; black and gold markings and swirls stretching from one corner to the other. “Can… can you give that to Nurin, for me?”

“Of course, but… what is it?”

“She likes fruity teas, correct?” Kiya nodded. “I made a tea blend with rose hips, hibiscus leaves, ginger, and dried fruit. Tell her all she has to do is boil the tea bags, drain them, and add honey. Not processed sugar. Only honey for maximum benefit.”

Kiya smirked as she stared hard at her witchy friend as she sweat bullets, pivoting from one foot to the other. Phoebe was nervous at the prospect of Nuria trying out something she made. Her deep red cheeks were proof of that. The witch was always the calm and collected one out of her and Violetta, but her shyness whenever Nuria became the topic of conversation betrayed her stoic mask. She nodded, tucking the fragrant box in her purse. “I will deliver it once I see

her.”

“G-good! It’s not like it means anything!”

“I wasn’t implying that it did, Phoebe.”

“Your face exposes the truth while your mouth runs with lies!” She pointed an accusatory finger at her. “I don’t have a crush on Nuria, and that’s final!”

“I said nothing about that.”

“I-Just give her the da m n box.” With that, Phoebe stomped back to her home without looking back as her deep blush spread from her cheeks to the back of her neck, over her triple moon birthmark. Once she was out of sight, Kiya burst into laughter as she walked back to the car, passing by her dad leaning against the passenger door. “You saw that, right?”

“Everything. That girl is head over heels for that Alpha Female and she’s afraid to admit it.” Nikolai shook his head. “I may be old, but I know a thing or two about young love.”

“Your consensus?”

“She’s hopeless.”

Lyra joined not long after, gingerly setting the boxes of presents in the trunk beside her daughter’s suitcase. The trio bid their pack and the family farewell as the Toyota Arius rolled away of the land of warriors onto the roadway straight toward Oregon, and soon, Onyx Moon. When Zircon Moon existed, a car ride there would take five hours. Now that Onyx Moon was in a different state at a farther distance, it was much longer. Kiya pulled out her headphones from the pocket of her demin shorts and plugged them into her phone, blasting music in her ears while admiring Gaia’s

Chapter 8 – Sweet Scents

beautiful earth w h i z i n g past her in a sea of colors.

She was going to see Neron again. Her heart pounded in anticipation. The rock music faded into background noise, her thoughts ringing louder than the rhythmic beat. Earlier, she shot Nuria a text that she and her parents were on their way. Nuria’s excitement showed through her texts, but a message she sent led Kiya to think this was a convoluted scheme against her brother.

“I can’t wait to see you! Oh, and don’t tell Neron that you’re coming.”

Why wouldn’t Nuria want Neron to know she was coming? Many thoughts ran to her mind about why that would be, but none stood out like the thought that made her blood run cold. Neron didn’t want to see her.

Was he more comfortable talking through text? It was their primary form of communication for the past three years. Perhaps Neron had expected Kiya to s k i p this party as she did the previous two. She s k p d birthday celebrations for him and Nuria too, except for sending their presents to them. It felt like the only explanation she could think of.

“Does he even want me around?” She thought, feeling her panic nudging against her ribcage. With a silent groan, Kiya shook her head, forcing her negative thoughts out of her mind, Assumptions always led to bad outcomes. Sighing, she leaned her head against the car window, shut her eyes, and drowned in her music.

“I’ll figure it out once I get there.”

“Adonis, how many balloons do you have left?” Raina asked while placing mason jars filled with fairy lights across the large dining table. Her son turned her head from the helium tank his father was operating, blowing up a champagne-

colored balloon.

“Uh, ten?” He responded. Orchid dashed by in a fit of giggles, holding a floating blue balloon by the string with Lupin trotting behind her, his tail wagging in delight. “Do we need to have so many balloons?”This content © Nôv/elDr(a)m/a.Org.

“Have you seen the size of this place?” Valerian asked, gesturing to the opulent dining hall. “We’re lucky to have enough balloons in the first place. Can you start tying the balloons to the chairs? Both colors on each chair.”

“Okay, Dad.”

In the kitchen, Lorelai stirred a massive bowl of juice while her daughter ogled, patting a container of sugar beside her. The Omegas mastered the stove and oven with their global recipes while some stood to the side, dipping fresh strawberries in colorful bowls of chocolate. Naomi squealed, hopping in her seat when her mother offered her a cup of juice to taste test. The girl drunk the juice and smacked her lips, shaking her head. “More sugar, Mommy.”

“More? I think we put enough.” Lorelai laughed. Naomi grabbed the sugar and attempted to pour a hefty amount until Lorelai grabbed it from her tiny hands.”No, Mimi! Too much sugar is bad for you!”

“We can’t get sick!”

*But

we can get c

get cavities.”

Naomi pouted, crossing her arms as she watched her mother pour two additional cups of sugar into the juice mixture. Kwame gently kicked the kitchen door open, carrying the giant custom-made cake with Neron holding the opposite

Chapter 8 Sweet Scents

side. The wolves in the kitchen stopped to stare. Naomi’s jaw dropped in shock. “Wowzah! That’s a big cake!”

“And you’re not getting any of it until the party,” Kwame warned as the two men hefted the treat on the island. The cake was a triumph of flour and sugar, multilayered with cut-up summer strawberries hidden between each spongy layer in their red sea of rich sauce. Blue, white, and pink buttercream swirls stretched from corner to corner, outlining the rectangular treat in delicious pastels. Edible pearls sprinkled throughout the top layer brought the design together, spread out around the edible flowers sprouting from each corner. In the center, written in thick red frosting, read “Happy Birthday Celeste! A cake is a cake, beautiful as the woman being celebrated.

“Luli, do we have enough room in the fridge to store the cake?” Neron asked, fishing a hair tie from his pocket, pulling his long hair into a ponytail. The Lead Omega opened the fridge and hummed, rubbing her chin.

“There should be once I rearrange a few things in here.”

“Great.” He patted his G a m a on the shoulder. “I’m going for a run. Thanks for the help.”

“No problem, bro.”

Neron walked past the dining room, peeking his head inside to see the progress. A calming blend of pastel colors his mother cherished filled his vision, from the balloons to the tablecloths to the centerpieces to the floral wall decorations. He grinned as he envisioned his mother’s smile when she sees their hard work. Nuria stopped sprinkling confetti on the gift table when a ping sounded from her phone. She squealed in excitement, skedaddling out of the dining hall exit.

He raised an eyebrow, confused. “What’s with her?”

Neron left the hall and walked out of the pack house toward the forest. The hot sun beat against his back, sweltering his black sleeveless shirt. He shrugged off his clothes once behind a large tree, fell on all fours, and shifted into Onyx. Thick black paws pounded against the forest floor as the enormous wolf entered a state of bliss, his howls ricocheting off the tree barks, His leg muscles burned as he pushed himself to the limit, his large body slicing through the air. feeling the stress of the week melting off his fur.

Birds and insects hid as the king of the forest d t h ro ugh their homes. Running through the forest never tired Onyx out; in fact, it made him more in tune with Mother Nature’s blessings. Maple tickled his nostrils when his fur brushed against the leaves of the trees. Soon, he stopped by a cliff’s edge, his eyes taking in the beauty of Gaia’s art

before him.

Aquamarine blue rushed past rocks and wet earth, flowing fast and powerful over the rocky edge, thundering down into a large pool like a gigantic waterspout. Mist shrouded from the pool, mimicking smoke beneath the waterfall. Onyx could see tiny fish jumping from the whirling water, flowing into a rushing river that stretched beyond what his eyes could see. Lust green plants lined the outer edge of the river, adding its emerald sheen to the blue waters. The sweet aroma from the rainbow of blossoming flowers wafted up to his nose as he sat on his hind legs, soaking in the serenity of the unity of water and earth. Neron had found the beautiful cascade not long after moving his pack to the land.

Onyx made it a personal habit to visit whenever he was out for a run, because it was peaceful. It brought him peace. He stayed for a good twenty minutes, resting his head on his paws, filling his lungs with the mild scent of serenity.

He loved it.

Chapter 8 – Sweet Scents

As he rested, Onyx’s ears suddenly twitched, picking up the faint sound of a car engine. He thought nothing of it, for he assumed guests for Celeste’s birthday party were trickling in, despite the early time. However, a familiar scent drifted up to his nose, not found with the aroma of nature.

It was sweeter. Way too sweet. And every nerve in his body combusted into raging flames.

Onyx shot up on his paws and made the journey back to pack lands, excitement filling his heart, mind, and soul to what he believed this meant. The delicious scent got stronger, and his body grew warmer until the heat couldn’t be contained.

“She’s here!” That was all he could scream in his mind. “My love is here!”