Unscentable
Chapter 15

Bradley

POV

Took that man 15 solid minutes to emerge from his shower. Bradley was starting to wonder if his Beta was interested in the woman himself, so very evasive he was about her, had spent the night watching her, he didn't like it and Benson was stalking around inside his mind glaring out at the man. It would not have gone unnoticed by his Beta that his Alpha's wolf was on the surface staring him down every 15 or 20 seconds, while they watched the man get dressed in clean clothes. "What?" his Beta had snapped at him as he'd finally yanked a shirt on.

"Spill it or Benson is gonna order it out of you. What the hell is going on, Cooper?"

"It's complicated, Brad." he'd sighed. "The boy." He shook his head. "Is definitely a wolf, already got his wolf too."

"What? How old is the boy?" Brad was completely taken aback by this news.

"I don't know, I'm guessing 7 maybe 7 2." His Beta was looking right at him.

"A wolf at 7?" It was very unusual to have a wolf that young. He was an early shifter, he supposed.

"Mm, Hmm." Cooper nodded "Aspen, I think is the wolf's name. At first I thought they were talking about some friend of the boys, but this morning when the two of them went for a run, the boy's eyes, his wolf's eyes, they're white like his mothers wolf." he smiled just a little "when she beat him, he was all annoyed and stalked off, unhappy she had out run him."

"To be expected, I guess, he's just little. What's the boy look like?" curiosity was itching his brain.

"His mother, actually, has the same light brown hair, even the same highlights must be natural colouring, he has her fair skin too. His eyes however, are not brown like hers."

Bradley took a deep breath and asked the question he didn't want to think about "And the boys father? Is there a man in the picture?"

"No man that I saw, just her and the boy. I ran the plates to her car. It's registered to Piper Whitlock, so work and home lives are completely separated, I'm guessing."

"She's at work right now?" he asked was more than a little bit relieved that there was no man in the picture, calmed down a little. Benson was still agitated.

"Yes, the boy is at a birthday party from what I gleaned." Cooper sighed heavily "Bradley, how is Benson right now?"

"What why? A little annoyed and more than frustrated, but at you mostly. Curious about the boy. Why do you ask?"

Watched as Cooper pulled his phone out and then went through it, turned it over and slid it across the table they were sitting at, towards him "That's the boy." Bradley picked up the phone and looked at the boy. It was a picture of him smiling coming down some stairs out the back of a house, his wolf fully on the surface, looked very happy in the photo and it clearly showed the wolf's white eyes. Benson pushed forward to look right at the boy himself, curious about the boy too.

Cooper sighed again "There is more." He reached over and slid the screen to the left, brought up the next photo and Bradley shot to his feet. As he looked at the boy now, it was like staring at his own eyes, in the reflection of a mirror, he'd know those eyes anywhere. His eyes moved to Cooper a second later. His heart was racing inside his chest and Benson was not happy all of a sudden.

"He's yours, I'm willing to bet." Cooper sighed "Like I said, Brad, it's now complicated." Bradley turned his eyes back to the boy in the photo, stared at it for a long time, his brain was ticking, and Benson was now prowling around inside his mind very unhappy. They did not sense the boy. Most Alpha's could sense their own offspring, once they got their wolves.

Benson did not sense him. Even now, Bradley could sense that his wolf was trying to feel out his son right this minute. He was getting nothing and it was frustrating his wolf.

Piper's reaction to him last week, could have just been because she'd born him a son, and had not told him, might not be his Mate after all. He sighed and Benson snarled at him at that thought. Didn't like it at all, his wolf believed it even more now that their was a child.

The time line did fit, her leaving a child between them, the pain he'd felt. It had to be, she was going to be his Mate and he knew it.

Stood there, actually uncertain as to what to do right this minute, where to go from here. Obviously, he couldn't just leave her out here, not his child for that matter. A male Alpha child, a rogue, he suddenly realised, she'd gone rogue, so his own son would have been born as a rogue as well.

The boy would be in danger. The boy was the heir to his pack and likely had no idea who or what he was to that pack. Likely didn't even know who his own father was. Bradley doubted that Piper would have told him anything of his birth family. He'd likely never even seen the inside of a pack. May never have even seen another wolf at all.

Swore out loud, "We have to go and get them."

"I think more recon is needed. We know nothing of her life outside of work, at all Bradley, we should watch for now. Perhaps approach this differently. You can't just go stalking into her home and lay claim to the boy and take him."

"Actually yes I bloody can." Bradley corrected his Beta. "He is my son. So I bloody well can." and he could, he was an Alpha and she'd left and taken his child with her. Though he did understand, there was no way she could have known for weeks about the pup, but still she could have come back and told him. Should have and didn't.

"Don't do it, Bradley, if she is your Mate and we all suspect she is. Including your father. Who now had a lot to say on the matter I believe, she was hurt a lot. Likely damn near dying when she left and you know it, you go in there and just try to rip that boy from her, likely will end up in a wolf-on-wolf fight with her. Do you really want that? Benson going his own Mate, or his Mate going him? She-wolves are damned protective of their offspring, viscous as a matter of fact. Mate or not, she will tear into you and Benson to keep him."

Bradley did know it, that she'd been hurting a lot.

Had researched into it, how long one could survive the pains of betrayal, it came down to how strong the wolf was, mentally and physically, how often they had to suffer the pains and for how long.

"What do you suggest then, Cooper? I have a child, with Piper Whitlock, and both of them are currently rogues, living unprotected. It's not safe for either of them at all."

"I think we try and approach her gently, stop pushing so hard to get to her, give her some breathing room. Let things calm down in her world where you're concerned.

Why don't you and I go and get you a look at your boy, see how Benson reacts to him, see how Brandon himself and his wolf feel with you close by. There should be some sort of connection between the two of you."

"Even now, Benson doesn't sense anything at all," Bradley muttered, "and he should."

"Might be because you can't scent her. What was it your father actually said?"

Bradley thought about that for a full minute: "That she's not safe out there, to make sure that pendant she wears does not come off, especially around you three.

My own Alpha Unit. It's weird, he really pressed that part.

"It is weird, Brad, but I'd be willing to bet, it's the pendant that keeps her scent hidden."

"The pendant?" he frowned, "and why would one want to hide their scent?"

"Yes, likely a protective charm of some sort. I watched her, she did not once put on any scent-masking spray, got out of bed, got dressed and then just went running. I smelled nothing, got to be the pendant. She tucked in inside her gym top before the run. Got out of bed wearing it too." Bradley frowned "What do you think will happen if it gets taken off?" he wondered out loud.

"Let's not risk that!" Cooper commented. "Trust your father on that one. Didn't he say it was likely her own mothers?"

"Yes, a family heirloom, all Whitlock's wear them." He sighed, he was beginning to not like this at all. "Stated he would contact her mother's pack, to come and help out, talk to her. Something about her family she needs to know, though he also stated he thought she had been collected by her grandmother after her parents died and returned to her mother's old pack. Because he couldn't find her."

"Accounts for why she was never placed with another family then." Cooper nodded. "I'll drive, leave Piper for today. She did get the feeling she was being watched yesterday, and kept looking over her shoulder." "Well, she knows where here, trying to get to her, so no surprise there, did you sleep at all?"

"Yeah, in the woods, her house backs right into a woodland area. I stayed close, so I could hear when they got up, not that I needed to, Brandon was all hopped up and ready to challenge Piper to a morning run. Apparently, his wolf wanted to kick her butt." saw Cooper laugh softly. "Doesn't sound as though he has had his wolf long."

They were watching from a little way a way, as Brandon hung out with the kids from the birthday party, there were a good two dozen children all running around, in the very large yard. Bradley couldn't help but smile. The boy he could see, not only knew every kid there, but was quite popular, the human kids always on him, even the birthday boy himself, that kid seemed to be his best buddy.

He sat on the roof of their car, watching along with Cooper. Benson was up and watching as well. Though he couldn't feel any connection to the boy, Bradley did feel happy while he was watching the boy. He was glad he was a happy child, but Cooper had already told him that from what he had seen and heard.

Piper and Brandon had a really good relationship, that he seemed happy and healthy, was how he had explained it. But neither he nor Benson could sense out the boy at all. Just felt happy watching him. Cooper had taken him over to Pipers house. It was a nice sized two-story house, had three bedrooms and nice open space living area upstairs, open planned kitchen, living and dining area. Polished floor boards in the kitchen with a granite-topped island and two stools for them to use to eat breakfast at, he supposed. There was a good sized deck off the dining area and there was a table and chair setting out on that deck, there was a small yard not even fenced at all, and it had a couple of large stone stairs that led right into the wooded area behind the house. As Cooper had said it did.

The house had no alarm and Coop picked the lock to the back door in less than a minute, access to her house was too easy. Bradley didn't like it, if they could get in this easily, so could anyone else. Human or wolf, or any otherworldly creature for that matter. Piper's bedroom was large, had its own fireplace in the corner by the window, though it was gas and not natural wood burning. She had a massive en-suite, with an attached walk-in wardrobe. Her suite took up 1/3 of the entire top floor. Though it was very simply decorated, a large queen sized bed, and two bedside tables in black wood, a simple black padded bedhead. And a chair by the fireplace that was it.

There were photos on the fireplace mantle, all of her and Brandon doing various activities, snow boarding, snorkelling, sailing, one of them indoor rock climbing, been to Disneyland and Universal studio's, there were several of just Brandon as a baby, one even of him surely just a day-old, so tiny all rugged up in a crochet baby blanket.

Bradley picked one up and sighed. He'd had no idea, he'd missed so much of the boy's life. He wanted to take one or two for himself, but didn't. Piper was going to know he had been here in her house, in her bedroom. In all likelihood, would be able to smell him. He didn't really care about that at this point. But he would not take something from her home it wasn't right.

Piper was going to have to get used to smelling him, he wasn't going to give up, hadn't been before, but she had no hope of brushing him off now. He fully intended to bring her in and raise that boy in his pack, keep them both safe in the pack-house. Brandon's room was full of things, he wanted for nothing, had everything he could possibly want. There was a snowboard up on a hook on the wall, a pair of ice skates hanging just below it, he had baseball gear in one corner of his room, had a soccer ball and basketball in a bag inside his walk in. the boy had a large king single bed and a shelf of track and field medals, that made Bradley smiled, touched them all, read them all first or second place he was fast it seemed.

There was a study desk under the window that looked out over the back yard and next to the window was a large pin board with lots more photos. The boy had travelled with Piper all around the world, it seemed, there were pictures of him and her at the Eiffel tower in France, near Big Ben in London, the Sydney Opera House in Australia, on the Great Wall of China. He shook his head. This kid had been to so many place not even he had been.

There were a few of them snowboarding, and recently he realised, likely on the long weekend, she had gone away, it seemed. He plucked a photo from the board and turned it over. There was nothing written on it, but he looked like he did now. Opened the boy's computer and turned it on. Password protected, he sighed.

"Try Aspen." Coop smiled at him as he leaned on the bedroom door frame.

"What are you smiling about?" he asked him.

"You, just touching everything, can't seem to help yourself."

"Ha Ha," Bradley muttered, but the man was right, he did want to touch everything, typed Aspen in and it worked. Sat himself down in the boys chair and went through his photo gallery. Sure enough, there were more photos and he could see they were just down loaded this week.

So definitely recent, there were quite a few of just him, and a few of him and Piper smiling up at the camera. They did look happy in every photo. It made him sad to know he'd missed out on so much, but there was nothing he could do about it.

Walked into the third bedroom and found it wasn't a bedroom but a studio in which she could work from home, found a ripped up dress hanging off a mannequin in the back corner of the room slightly behind a decorative privacy screen. The mannequin had also seen better days, he noted. Though the rest of the room was immaculate, it looked very similar to her store studio, including the comfortable high-backed winged chair.

Touched her computer on the desk next to the door. It was also password protected. Neither he nor Coop could cock it, wasn't Brandon, Harper, Whitlock, wasn't Bradley or the pack's names. Wasn't Jewel or Talon either, they weren't going to be able to cock it, they didn't know that much about her.

The house was neat and tidy, even Brandon's room, though full of stuff was in an orderly manner, seems Piper liked to keep things in order. The place he noted had minimal furniture, there was no clutter at all other than the photos, and a few framed magazine covers with her name on them in her studio. There was nothing at all.

Bradley frowned and looked around at the downstairs. There was nothing, not even a vase. Basic furniture only. No art prints on the wall, not even souvenirs from their trips and they had been all over the world.

Turned and walked back up the stairs, looked at the open-spaced living area, it had a gaming vibe to it. Likely Brandon's space, the boys' room was full of stuff. Her room, however, when he went back into it, nothing on either of the bedside tables bar a phone docking recharging station. There were no prints on the walls in here either, it was a bedroom without clutter no real personal touches, just those photos, there was nothing here that said who she was at all.

Walked into her en-suite and looked at the dual sinks, there were just the basic items needed toothbrush, toothpaste, a hair brush and deodorant and one bottle of moisturiser. No clutter in here either, now he had seen many female bathrooms, they were covered in products, make-up and hair dryers and straighteners, curlers, perfumes and all sorts of other things.

Opened the draws, only the top one had anything in it make up, neatly stacked, so she could see what was in there. Opened the cupboards found only a hair straightener and a curler. Just bare basic needs.

Turned and headed into her closet, it was loaded with clothing, from gym wear to casual jeans and tee-shirts, to a few summer dresses, then there was a section of suits, work wear, he guessed. Even owned several evening gowns and cocktail dresses. Plenty of clothes for all occasions.

He did note 3 large suitcases on the floor along the back wall, all just simple and plain. Frowned as he looked about, Brandon had everything he could possibly want or need, Piper had nothing, it was weird. "What's wrong Brad?" Cooper asked him.

"It's odd, like Brandon lives here, but she doesn't. It's all Brandon and nothing is about her at all. Like she doesn't.." he shook his head, he didn't know.

"Maybe the less stuff she had the less time it takes to pack. Maybe thinking ahead, to run again...as a rogue, might have to run sometimes, so she doesn't see a point in collecting anything." he offered up.

"Could be, but then why is Brandon's room full to the brim?" Bradley shook his head. "It's weird, like she doesn't want others to see who she really is, when she has visitors."

"She might not." Cooper sighed "Been on her own, Brad, for a very long time."

"Not healthy for wolves to live alone." he sighed, not good they were social creatures, she'd isolated herself from her own kind, had good reason to, but all he could see now in her own home, was that there was still nothing personal about her. It felt lonely, he realised. Her part of the house was cold and lonely, wondered if that was how she really felt.

"No it's not." Cooper agreed. "Come on, we should go before she comes home."

"She's going to smell me in here regardless."

"I know, you touched everything, even her stuff."

Coop was smiling again. "Come on, let's go check on Brandon once more before deciding on a plan of action to take "

"She's going to run, once she realises, I know about Brandon." Brad sighed heavily.

"She won't go far, got three businesses to run Bradley, she knows your stalking her, hasn't left, just trying to limit exposure to you, and once she finds out Hadley is your little sister, things will be different between the two of you. I'm sure of it."