Unscentable
Chapter 24

Piper

POV

Piper and Brandon spent the day resting in their hotel room, too jet-lagged to even consider going out and doing anything, so they just lazed on the couch in their suite and watched movies and ordered room service when they were hungry.

They did hit the hotel's swimming pool after lunch just to break up the monotony of the day. Though neither of them lapped, they just lazed around and talked about the things Brandon wanted to do while there. Aspen was once again asleep, it seemed. They had been here before, and Brandon was already listing off all the things he wanted to do. She'd just smiled at him and told him to go ahead and make that list. Actually did feel safe now that she was well away from both them Alpha's.

Received a really weird apology text message from Izzy, that just stated "I'm so sorry Piper. I will come right to you and explain."

"I'm in Sydney remember." Piper had texted her right back, to remind her she'd flown out of the country to get away from Timothy Avery.

Piper had called her from the Portland airport and told her they would be going to Sydney until things settled back down, likely stay from now until her normal return date in 4 months' time, had been going to be here for the first 3 months of the store's opening. For the clients that would want to see her.

That it had been Brandon who had actually suggested it. Though she had obviously not told her that it had actually been Aspen who'd insisted on the move. Brandon knew they were off to Sydney in a months' time and within 10 seconds of him voicing it, Aspen had pushed forward and stated "We go now." his young gravelly voice still shocked her, when she heard it.

What had surprised her even more was that she had actually felt his Alpha Aura roll off of his wolf, he was really trying to assert himself now, it was the 2nd time he'd come forward now. She'd nearly gotten up off the couch on the spot, to do as he wanted, realised he was going to be one strong Alpha Male when he grew up.

"Aspen calm down." she'd smiled at him gently, trying to placate the young Alpha wolf inside her boy.

To her shock, he'd snapped right back at her. "Now."

Piper had shuddered at the power he'd rolled at her, got the feeling he knew what he was doing and how to do it, barely managed to resist the urge to bare her own neck, to her 7-year-old son and his wolf.

"Alright." had come out of her mouth before she could stop it, and once she had agreed to do his will, he receded, she'd looked right at Brandon, questioningly.

"That is really weird mum." He'd told her, she knew he was referring to the way Aspen pushed forward and talked through him without permission. The way he would have been shoved to the back of his own mind. "You'll get used to it." She told him "Is he mad? sounds like he is." She questioned.

"No not mad.." he was quiet for a minute and she knew he was talking to his wolf, could see the tell-tale flicker of his wolf's eyes every now and then. "He wants to protect us. Telling me to tell you. We should leave right now...he's worried."

"Alright." she nodded, looked right into his eyes. She knew Aspen would be watching from behind Brandon's eyes as much as Harper was right this minute. "Let's resolve his worry." Piper didn't want his wolf getting agitated, and ripping out of her 7-year-old son. She also knew that his wolf could hear everything she told Brandon, so he would understand and know that she was actively listening to him, going to give him what he wanted.

Did not particularly like taking orders from his wolf, but was really concerned that he would shift for the first time and it was too early for that. She was just trying to keep him inside the boy at this point. But she was now really starting to worry that she was not going to be able to do that for very much longer.

It did seem that anytime there was a threat to them he was likely to surface, it was his nature as an Alpha wolf to protect what was his, and she was all he had, so that protective Alpha streak was going to be pushing his wolf at all times. So reducing the threat he was feeling, from another Alpha wolf, was what she would do.

Moved her Nissan into the garage, was not going to park it in the airport car park for months on end or an unknown amount of time at this point. Called for a town car to take them to the airport. She always had their passports on her, they did like to travel spontaneously sometimes, and having them on her made that much easier.

She had booked them flights on the way to the airport, though they had a 4 hour wait for the next flight to LAX and so had spent that four hours shopping for carry on luggage and clothing to travel with. They could purchase more in Sydney. She'd called Izzy and told her the new plan while waiting for their flight. Izzy had been shocked but didn't argue with her, simply confirmed she would follow in a months' time as planned, all her stuff was boxed up back in her house bar the essentials. Piper had seen that herself.

They'd had a 2 and a half hour lay over in LAX and then their final leg of their journey, a 15 and a half hour flight to Sydney where they now were, staying in a hotel due to the apartment that she'd rented out for Izzy would not be available for another 27 days. Had gotten a hotel that was close to the store, with a family suite for them to stay in. Their hotel suite had three bedrooms, was basically a very expensive apartment, that was going to cost her a small fortune, had booked into it for 7 full nights at this point, but it was likely she would just stay here until that apartment was ready for them to pick up the keys and move in.

Izzy had texted her again not long after she had arrived in Sydney. "I'm coming, trouble myself, with my family and Mr Yummy. 'll get the next flight out. See you Soon."

Piper sighed, why couldn't that man just let it go? It was just a freaking dress. Yes she'd made that girl cry. bet get over it already. Find another dress, there were a million dresses out there to choose from.

Surely the man couldn't be that infuriated about that woman not getting the exact dress she wanted, that he was going to harass her staff constantly about it. That was just ridiculous.

"What kind of trouble, Izzy? Are you safe?" she'd texted right back.

"I think so." is what she had gotten back and an hour after that she had gotten travel details from her via email. Was flying out of New York, with a stop over in LAX and then on to Sydney, would be here in a days' time, Something was going on, had texted her back that she had received the travel info and would pick her up at the airport when she got here.

On the bright side, Izzy could stay here in the suite with them, there was plenty of room, put a call into her builder here in Sydney and let him know she was not only in the country but just a short drive from the store itself.

Met the man at 4 in the afternoon and smiled as she walked into her new store. It was larger than any of the ones in the States, though Izzy's office was up in a loft space like Pipers was, as was her studio work space, which she intended to work from for that first 3 months, liked the loft space because she could look down over the store itself.

The building had a nice reception area at the front of the store, between the two large display windows, it had 6 dressing rooms and 3 runways for the women to walk down, to show off the dresses that they liked for their family. Each runway even had floor lights along the edges, to help the women shine.

There would be several comfortable sitting areas for the family's to sit in, no overcrowding and would have an actual working fitting room with a full-time seamstress on site Thursday to Sunday, to make alterations right away.

There were two large glass display cases which had already arrived and been installed, that would be filled with tiara's and jewellery, a whole section of downstairs was designated just for veils and accessories.

There was even a coffee hub area for the store employees to use, and to provide free coffee for the guests sitting waiting to see the bride in her dress. "Updated by FindNovel.net". She had already contracted a local bakery to supply freshly made cakes, cookies and pastries on a daily basis.

Noted that her Jura Z10 coffee machine was already here and on the coffee hub bench, not unpacked but delivered, she'd pretty much let Izzy pick all the accessories for the coffee hub as well as her own office, making the store all Izzy.

It would be two more weeks before the supplies started to roll in, and the Assistant Manager that Izzy had hired to be her 2nd in command, a man named Devon, would be in charge of setting up the store. She was in contact with him, as was Izzy to get up dates and let them know of any delays. His office was downstairs out the back, near the staff room.

She really enjoyed walking around her store seeing all the work done and it was nearly ready to be opened.

This was the exciting time of opening a new store. Izzy had been with her for the opening of all her stores. Relied on that woman for a lot. Piper didn't have the business degree that Izzy had, she was just a designer, so it was actually Izzy that ran the actual business side of things.

They collected Izzy from the airport. The woman looked tired, like she'd not slept at all. "Did you get any sleep?"

Saw her shake her head "Not really, fitful at best, I'm so sorry Piper."

"For what?" nothing about Mr Yummy was going to be Izzy's fault.

Saw the woman's eyes move towards Brandon briefly and then say nothing, didn't want to say anything in front of him, she guessed. Piper already knew that Izzy had been able to resist Edwards' charm, so she highly doubted that the woman had told him about Brandon.

Sat with her in her bedroom of their hotel suite and looked at her, after she'd showered and changed. "I'm sorry Piper, I think.. I'm not 100% certain, but I think I told Mr Yummy where you are." Frowned slightly "not certain?"

I'd had a few drinks and the night was really weird." she sat on the bed next to her.

"What happened with him? You said you were in trouble with him. How'd he even find you out in Maine?"

Saw the woman sigh and shake her head. "Bradley Drake, sent him out there. Bradley charmed Laura out of my information, she gave him where I was and the work mobile too. I've switched it off." "Typical." There was no surprise to this, not if Bradley and his unit thought that Izzy's resistance to Eddie could mean that there was a possibility that she was Eddie's Mate.

"How'd the wedding go?" She asked, knowing going home for Izzy was always something she didn't enjoy..

"Arg...Joanie is really happy, that is good, it was a lovely wedding...Phillip was there, of course, and guess what?"

Piper sighed. She knew what "Your father and Phillip once again came at you about marrying him." This happened nearly every time she went home. Poor woman. It didn't matter that Phillip was a cheating pig, as Izzy called him, "Cornered you again, right?" "Yeah! Father tried to tell me, Phillip was a changed man, they've even gone so far as to already draw up the prenup this time. Like I'm going to say yes."

"Idiots." Piper shook her head, she knew that Izzy was never going to go back to that man.

"Gets worse Piper. Mr Yummy and that other guy turned up all dressed immaculately."

"What guy? The one from the first visit?" She needed a bit more clarification.

"No, the other one, that was doing rotating walk by's of the store with Mr Yummy."

"Oh, that will be Harrison, or Harry, I think they call him. He's actually Mr Yummy's younger brother."

"I was like caught between a rock and a hard place, Piper. Phillip and my father or My Yummy.Mr Yummy actually got me away from them." she sighed again.

Then when he introduced himself to my father as working for Bradley Drake," she huffed in annoyance "I swear I saw dollar signs in my father's eyes. It didn't help that Mr Yummy claimed I was his girlfriend."

"He did what?"

"Yeah, k!ssed me right in front of everyone. Tried to go and start a fight with Phillip even. I had to stop him and, well.. that man is everything you warned me about." saw the woman close her eyes fora moment and sigh again "I stupidly played his game Piper, when Phillip announced I would be marrying him right to Mr Yummy's face and I just lost it, had enough you know."

Piper could well imagine Edward's reaction, likely would not have gone down so well, especially if he thought that Izzy was his Mate. The full moon was not yet upon them, but her stubborn resistance to him and his Gamma Charm would likely speak for itself.

"I decided to actually play the role of his girlfriend and he was suddenly all handsie, and then, well, k!ssing me again, got very intimate...and Piper." watched as Izzy shook her had "Next thing I know I'm agreeing to go to a room with him, I don't know what happened, to much champagne in me at the time, had like five or six glasses by them."

"He actually seduced you, like s*x?"

"Oh that was....well it got a bit.. He's very dominant Piper. Happy to touch me, be all na*ked with me but..

"But?" Piper questioned her, needed to know exactly the details. She was actually sitting here trying to figure out if she was Edwards human Mate, was definitely leaning towards it at this point. And all dominant, that's definitely a wolf thing.

"He wouldn't actually, just have s*x with me, some weird fetish. He knew I wanted to, but just stopped and wouldn't not until I told him I was his."

"Izzy tell me you did not agree to be his?" Oh that was not good.

Saw the look on her face. "It's been a very long time, Piper, since someone touched me like that, it saw so... Hungry, like he needed to have me, was almost desperate to have me." She shook her head again and sighed "which is completely stupid, clearly the man gets action all the time, he was very skilled."

"Izzy, did you tell him what he wanted to hear?"

"Yes." she muttered, "Had to, to get, well you know, se*x"

"What words exactly, Izzy?" she asked.

Found Izzy looking at her a mixture of worry and curiosity "I'm yours," she stated, "and well... I was like a second later for hours, even knew afterwards I'd done something wrong, like I've involved myself with the wrong kind of man or something... I don't know Piper, but it was like I just couldn't help myself."

"Mm, I get it." and unfortunately she did.

The Mate Bond was so darn strong, even as weak as she had been when trying to leave, she'd not been able to say no to Bradley, hell had wanted more, had let him do whatever he wanted to her, for as long as he liked, he too was a very dominant man, had held her down and she'd only wanted more at the time, had wanted all of him, however she could get him.

"Am I in trouble?" Izzy suddenly asked her.

"Yes, those men." Piper sighed, how do you explain this to a human?" They are all very possessive creatures"

"Creatures? On that note, Piper. I swear the man growled right at me and more than once, I've never had a man do that. It was odd but at the same time kind of turned me on even more."

"Hmm. Interesting... Izzy. Edward, did he happen to tell you anything that would seem like you now belong to him in anyway shape or form?" Wolves had to be careful of what they say, human Mate's were not like wolves had to take it slow with them. "Yes, he told me and I quote "Don't you dare leave, you are mine now."

Oh, that was not good, he definitely laid his claim on Izzy. She was his Mate, no wolf would ever say those words to anyone that was not their Mate. "Definitely in trouble lzzy." She sighed and looked at her friend a little apologetically "Edward likely believes you are actually his now. That man is going to hunt you to the ends of the earth to get you back."

Saw Izzy bite her l!p. "It was just a one-night thing. I even managed to sneak out and leave in the morning. The man was out cold."

"How?" she was curious about that it did sound as though Eddie and his wolf had Mated her.

"Snuck right out of the room, but that other guy must have woken him somehow, not that I saw him go in the room, he came after me and that's when he told me I wasn't allowed to leave him"

"But you did."

"Yeah, the oddest damned thing. Mr Yummy I saw go running across the Estate as I drove away, never seen anything move so fast in all my life."

"Not good, he was hunting you, I'd say."

"It got really weird after that, Piper. His brother I saw him wrestle this massive wolf that shot out in front of my car and was stalking me in my car. I ain't never seen a wolf that big before. It was not normal. Then Harry, you said his name was, latched on to that wolf and was fighting with it, yelled at me to go. I went. It was the craziest damned thing I've ever seen."

"I imagine so." Piper nodded, she was definitely Edwards Mate. No doubt about it and her leaving him had pissed him right off, set his wolf loose to claim her in wolf form. She was bloody lucky Harry had been there to stop it.

Wondered now just how long it was going to take Edward to hunt Izzy down, and cajole her into being his human girlfriend, to get her back to the pack, and claim her, turn her. Once she was a pack member.

If Bradley asked her any questions at all about Piper, or Izzy had any guilt about knowing that Brandon was Bradley's and she likely would once she was turned and understood her place within the pack, how things worked, how Brandon was technically the heir to that pack. She was likely going to tell him.

Likely tell Edward first, confide in her own Mate, not knowing he'd go straight to Bradley, freaked out that his Alpha had an unknown heir out there, with a rogue status. That was not likely going to go down so well with the Alpha Wolf inside of him.

She would then be hunted herself. It seemed her normal human life was about to be turned upside down.

"What did you tell him about where I was? Do you recall?

"I recall telling him you were at the store. I do not recall telling him which one."

"Why on earth are they still looking for me? It's just a bloody dress." she muttered.

"Maybe it's not about the dress anymore, Piper. Maybe..." her eyes moved to the closed door "Bradley knows about Brandon somehow. You said they were all possessive creatures."

"That's very unlikely, I didn't even know I was pregnant till weeks after I left." she shook her head "and he never looked for me." and why would he. He had no idea who she had been to him, just a good fr*k was all, pushed that pain away." Don't worry about it Izzy, at the store!. They'll still be in the States, checking out my stores, not here."

"But isn't this store up on the website as opening soon?"

Piper closed her eyes, she had forgotten about that. "It is," she sighed "But who knows if they'll come all the way out here. Edward likely will," she looked right at Izzy.

"He's not going to give you up so easily. That much I do know."

"It was just one night, Piper."

"To you. Not to him."

"Why do I always end up with the possessive type, that just can't let go." she muttered.

Piper sighed "Get some sleep. There's not much we can do about it, have to just wait and see I guess," she stood and left the room, who knew how long it would take Edward to track her down.

Not long Piper thought it through, Izzy would have used her passport and credit cards to get here, Edward was likely to track her with those.

She and Brandon's passports were under Whitlock, so they were not easily track-able, though why he was still looking for her was insane. Clearly, his Alpha Wolf did not like being told no.

Her eyes fell on Brandon watching TV and wondered if there was another reason he was hunting her. They had been stalking her at the store, who was to say that they had not seen the boy. Pushed that thought away. It was unlikely and Bradley wouldn't want to upset his new Mate either.