Unscentable
Chapter 48

Bradley

POV

Bradley was staring at his phone, he had sent that text message to Piper, in the small hope that she would actually agree to see him. He knew she'd been in his pack for years and he'd not scented her. It would never have been a nice feeling, but he wanted her to know that he wanted to try, that so did his wolf. They wanted to come face to face with her and try to scent her out.

Wondered if she'd allow him to remove that pendant and see if that was all it would take, but at the same time did not want to either. What if he was as affected by her not wearing it as any other male out there, what if he to tried to hurt her if she wasn't wearing it? Sighed he needed bloody answers.

He and Benson had no recollection of Piper being near them at all, all memories of her were gone from him, and all because wolves relied on their sense of smell to recall who other wolves were, it was just a natural thing for them, not something they ever focused on doing was their nature.

Harry was in his room with the door closed, he'd picked up the phone call and practically purred down the line at his Mate, excused himself and retired to his room.

Bradley had felt jealous of the man, their bond was so strong, even his wolf could be heard purring as he'd closed the door. All for his Mate. Been together as a couple for 19 years, Mated for 16 of those years and still couldn't keep their hands off of each other. Cooper had excused himself about 10 minutes ago after receiving a text message. He had looked right at Brad and, for the first time ever, actually looked a little uncomfortable, as though he didn't want Brad to know who he was talking to. Then had stood up and excused himself, stated he needed to call home, on a private matter, and actually left the suite altogether, from Brads hearing he'd left the entire floor as well.

Eddie, of course, was with Izzy, no real surprise there.

So it was just Brad Prowling around inside his room and he had retired to his room and closed the door to text Piper. Now he was hoping that she would get back to him. He knew she was in her room, had asked Eddie as much a minute after he'd sent that text and he'd gotten back a Yes, in her room pacing around... Brandon is asleep already."

That did not really surprise him, though Piper had gone back to her suite this morning and crashed out after this morning's run, as had he for that matter.

Brandon had not, he'd hung out with Izzy and Eddie all morning playing games on the PS5, and not napped at all. The boy had a long day and an emotionally draining afternoon. He was just 7 and was likely both physically and emotionally drained. Hearing that she was pacing around inside of her room could only mean that she had gotten his text and read it. That she was likely stressing about it, either didn't know what to do about it, or how to respond to it.

There was also the chance that she was not going to do anything about it at all. Bradley and Benson at least wanted to try and smell her. Perhaps just knowing what she was to them, would help that. He had no idea if that would count or not. Had emailed Timothy about the Whitlock way of allowing their Mate to scent them, seeing that it was a full moon.

But the man had yet to reply to him.

He hated that time difference right now. It was the middle of the night over there in Canada, barely 3am in the Ice Moon Pack. Timothy was unlikely to get his email for several more hours. At least 3, perhaps even 4 if he headed off and went right to training first thing in the morning.

Which is what Bradley would normally do. It's what most wolves normally did. He never really strolled into his office inside the pack until 8am, and would get to his office in Helen at about 10, so it could be a long wait. Didn't want to call and wake the man at this point.

If Piper was not going to allow him to actually come face to face with her there was no need. However, if he could convince her, he'd put a call into Timothy right away, and would do it in front of Piper so she could hear the way it was done and see if she was up for it. He honestly didn't know if she would be. Likely still want more time, need it.

Sighed as the moon was about to set, she was not going to answer him, not going to text him back anything at all. He'd sent that text a long time ago now, his gut was telling him she was not ready. It was completely possible that she had put herself right before him every single time there was a full moon and been completely crushed by his lack of recognition.

It was highly likely that she was down there in her room, right this minute, not wanting to put herself through that all over again and he honestly couldn't blame her for it. It would have been bloody painful each and every time. This full moon was going to have to pass and he was going to have to try again on the next one.

Didn't like it but had no choice in it. She wasn't ready to deal with him. Wasn't ready to accept them yet. Though had not uttered a new rejection, he had some hope, that she was considering it.

'Brad,' Cooper mind-linked him ls Piper still in her room?

'As far as I am aware, why?' he returned with a frown.

...

I don't know... saw a woman leave, I couldn't tell but sounded confused.

That got Bradley's attention. "Couldn't tell?' he prompted.

'Back of her only, but I don't know. I called out, didn't respond. It might not be her.

"Wait," he informed his Beta and mind-link to Eddie.

The man was bloody busy 'Edward.' he snarled down the line, if the man was busy with his Mate then he was not listening for Piper! 'Is Piper still there?' "Um... there was a short pause, he knew the man was now trying to detect her inside the suite, 'sh!t, no. I'm sorry Brad.'

'Get up.' he roared at the man. 'She left the damned building, you had one bloody job Edward.' he severed the link and reconnected to Cooper, It was her Cooper.' "I'm on it already, but I can't track what I can't scent or see."

Which meant to Brad that she had gotten away from his Beta, he'd actually lost sight of her. How the hell did you track something with no scent, in a city this size? "Harry, Edward let Piper leave, she's gone." He snarled as he stepped out of his room and headed for the door.

"Idiot." Harry muttered as he came out of his room pulling his shoes on.

"Izzy bloody distracted him."

"You can't blame him for that, Brad, with the full moon on us and all."

"I'm aware, it's a bloody full moon Harry." and he was more so than any other one that had passed in his life time.

'Cooper any luck?' he asked his Beta

"Tracking the sound of running footsteps, but she's fast boss Harper, not Piper I think.'

Just bloody great, he thought, he'd seen Harper at 20klms an hour, that wolf could run like the bloody wind and for a long bloody time. 'Where are you?' I don't know, tracking my phone might be the best option. I need quiet. he replied.

Brad understood that comment and cut the link, so his Beta could better focus. He could not listen to Brad down the mind-link and listen for the sound of running footsteps at the same time. This was a nightmare.

Though he had not said anything about Brandon, so presumably he was still up in the suite, sighed it was possible she was just out for a night run under the full moon. Wolves did like to run under the full moon, but his gut was telling him that this was not that. She had been in her room, till he'd texted her. He'd Scared her off and he knew it. He should have just waited, it was too soon, she'd only known about him and their bond still being in tact for a single day. He was an idiot.

He should have tried to get to know her first, let this moon pass, but he just couldn't. He had been looking for her for a very long time, wanted his Mate. Wanted to see if he could scent her out now that he knew who she was to him. Chastised himself for being too impatient, he was as bad as Eddie was, he now realised. Unable to bloody help himself, it seemed he just had to push to get what he wanted, just like Eddie had with Izzy.

Got a very apologetic look from his Gamma when he caught up with them in the lobby. "Sorry Alpha. I did check on her like 15 minutes ago."

"It's fine Eddie." Brad acknowledged him, he couldn't blame the man, "I'm the one who scared her off."

"What? How? How'd you even know she was gone?" Eddie asked him.

"Cooper was in the lobby, thought that he saw her. He wasn't sure, so I asked you."

"Alright...how'd you scare her off?"

Bradley looked right at him, could see the concern in his Gamma now, the man was worried about her, "I texted her. To let me see her." sighed "it's the full moon."

"Oh, I don't think she's ready for that yet, Brad." The man was now frowning.

"Clearly not," he nodded "now she's running away."

"I don't think so, Brandon's still up stairs. Maybe just freaked out over it. She'll come back."

"Where's Cooper?" Harry interrupted them. They'd passed through the lobby and were now outside on the foot path looking for any signs of the man.

"Tracking her as best he can. Don't mind-link to him. He can't scent her. Is actually tracking the sound of running foot fall. He needs to focus completely. Said to track his phone."

"On it." Harry nodded.

On the bright side, they could do that in real time nowadays. "Eddie, go get the car." he tossed the keys at him. "You'll be driving." Eddie was gone.

He turned and looked at Harry's phone. Loved the real time app. Created by some Alpha wolf to keep track of his Mate who was always defiant and going wherever she pleased when ever she wanted, without telling him. Thanked the Goddess that Alpha's were constantly paranoid about their Mate's being snatched away from them by a rival.

He frowned down at the line that was still moving, it was not even close to being straight. He sighed because he was right. This was not just some night run. "She's smart, knows if we can't see her, we can't track her." It looked like she was just turning random corners and quickly so, likely trying to stay out of sight.

Cooper was back tracking a bit on himself, from what he could tell, her constant changing of direction confusing him, but the man was still on the move it seemed.

"It's pretty busy out tonight," Harry commented.

"Only here, likely not there."

Their car pulled up and they got in, to go track Cooper. It took 30 minutes to do so. Couldn't exactly take their car down every road that he ran down. Some of them were one way. They had tried to use the GPS to his location, but because he was on the move, didn't really work with no set location.

When they did catch up to him, he was standing in the middle of the street pavement, his eyes closed and his head tilted slightly to the right. They pulled up right next to him, it was a quiet street, double parked the car. "Cooper?" Brad asked him.

His eyes opened "Lost her, I think she stopped running." he sighed "Harper is too fast, and we all know she can run for ever."

"Is she close?" Think so," he nodded, "though I never actually say her, not once. And she is running randomly, could be blocks away for all I know. I suggest we search on foot, calmly, so as not to alert her."

"She'll scent us quickly, if she is alert for us coming after her," Brad sighed.

"Yes." Cooper nodded "But if we're all listening for running foot fall, we'll get her pinned down. Who's with Brandon?" he asked as he looked in the car and realized the whole unit was here.

"Izzy." Bradley sighed and got out of the car. "I need you all out here." He didn't think that even Piper would know where she was at the moment, just ran at full wolf speed out in the open for all to see, turned corner after corner, they were a good 10klm for the actual hotel. "Guess her knee is better," Cooper muttered. As Eddie actually parked the car.

They split into two groups, he and Cooper, Eddie and Harry. "If you feel anything Eddie, I want to know, no matter how slight." he stared right at the man pointedly.

The man had told him nothing for years and granted he had his reasons not to, but no longer Would Bradley stand for that. Watched his Gamma just nod before walking away with Harry.

Turned and looked up the street in the other direction. "I pushed her Coop. To see me."

"To soon for her, in other words," the man commented, but said nothing else.

His eyes were open, shut his sense of smell down and Benson was alert for the sound of running foot fall.

He did not like this, not being able to scent her. Was this how it was always going to be? Even inside the pack, presuming he could get her there. Never knowing where she was, if she was alright at any given point in time "I'm going to have to, lo jack my own Mate." he muttered after 10 minutes of searching and getting nothing.

"Not once you Mark her, Brad." Coop commented "You'll be able to feel her through your bond then."

"And till then?" Brad suddenly stopped and touched his jaw as it zinged him, frowned.

"What is it?" Cooper asked.

"I don't know." he shook his head, "it's gone."

"Piper?"

"Likely." Brad nodded "Felt like I'd nicked myself shaving. Just brief."

"That could help with finding her."

"Maybe, I might be able to feel her physical pain, but that doesn't mean I will be able to track her with it. And I don't want her to be injured." and he didn't. There was no guarantee that her being injured meant he could feel a pull towards her, and if that was the case, they still couldn't scent her, so she'd be injured and he'd not be able to find her, regardless of the pain he felt.

His head whipped around and a snarl ripped right out of him, all Benson, as pain shot through the pair of them.

"Brad?"

He was horrified at the feeling of his arm coming under vice like pressure and then felt multiple aches all over his body. "She's in a fight somewhere. Find the sound of the fight." he snapped out, closing his own eyes, trying to hear it with all of Benson's Alpha hearing, it was more sensitive than others.

Eddie

'Alpha, I'm getting Anger, no... fury and rage. it was one.

Where? She's in a fight?"

I don't know...to my right"

'Go. Bradley snapped, though it was likely the man was already on the move.

He got nothing but more pain, gasped out loud when pain started to sear down his body in more places than.

"Brad?"

"Feels like claws."

"Other worldly?"

They were already heading back the way they came, to where they had last seen Eddie, but the man had said to the right of him, but he didn't exactly know where his Gamma was right that minute. Used that tether to him, he was a fair way away and moving fast, though coming back this way towards them.

He could feel every damned blow she was taking, it was a serious fight, kept moving, stopped on every corner to listen, finally picked it up 3 blocks after the first pain had hit him, "I got it." he muttered and shot off the mark in the direction he could hear the fight, they were likely still a few blocks away though.

Heard the sound of a massive angry roar. It was high pitched and hurt his ears. It was no wolf, so not Piper or Harper.

"Vampire, Brad." Cooper snarled.

Bradley knew he was right. Not only did he detect it in that high pitched noise they made, which was still hurting his ears, he could now smell it, in the area as well. They breathed in deep to see how many. Only one scent he could detect, thankfully. But could Piper and Harper handle one? He had no idea, not many could handle a Vampire one on one, they were super fast and strong, and that thing had sounded furious, likely she had injured it and it had not taken kindly to it.

Hit the ground, actually stumbled and fell down as pain ripped into his neck, fear struck him to the core as he realised it was feeding on her "GO." he roared she was loosing the battle.

Felt Benson surge forward completely, pushed right past that pain of her life being drained away from her and forced them up off the ground.

With all his wolf's senses activated as Benson took complete control, they were suddenly hit with the smell of blood, so much blood both Vampire and Wolf. A massive snarl ripped out of him and they were gone.

Benson shot passed Cooper as her scent him hit. They could smell her, her blood, to be precise, and along with it was the scent he'd never been able to smell.

It was so very sweet, his nose filled with the smell of apricot nectar, honey and orange blossoms, so very soft and delicate. They hit the lane way and Benson shot round the corner into it, there was so much blood, it was all over the place.

A tall female body lay on the ground about a quarter of the way down the alley. She was dead and he could already see that the body was turning grey and starting to decay. There would be no evidence within 5 to 10 minutes, that body would slowly disintegrate to nothing but ash.

They could see and smell Piper's blood on that foul creature's mouth, from where it had fed on their Mate. He was furious about that would have ripped its head clean off if it had still been alive for hurting her. It's lifeless eyes were staring down the alley at him, Piper or Harper had managed to kill it, it was gutted and the things neck had been snapped, but had they been too late?

Found her unconscious body slumped over on her side by the wall of the alley, she had bloodied wounds to both her shoulders, and fang marks in her neck where that foul creature had fed on her. s***h marks to her torso and both her arms, had bruises on both arms below the sleeves of her tee-shirt and that tee-shirt was pretty much torn to shreds.

Bradley knelt down in front of her Benson had receded, whined in pain at the sight of his Mate so very badly injured and unconscious. He touched her face gently. "Piper?" Her name came out as a bare whisper, it pained him just as much as his wolf to see her like this.

He picked up her heart still beating and she was breathing, shallow but still there. still alive but so badly injured and there was no pack near by to take her to for medical treatment. He couldn't take her to a human hospital, no blood would match hers, and there would be a million questions he'd not be able to explain.

"Fvck." It was Cooper. He'd finally caught up just a few seconds behind Bradley. "Get the car." he heard his Beta roa, knew on some level he was yelling at Eddie or Harry, didn't care to look to see who.

"I can smell her Coop."

Cooper was next to him, reached out and touched her neck "This is not good, Bradley."

"I know, we need to move her."

"We need to get her back in the pack. She'd not going to like it though. You said you can smell her? You mean to scent her as your Mate?" Cooper was looking right at him.

"Yes," he nodded. The only difference between now and all those other times were her injuries. "Likely it's her blood, probably have to scent her blood to realise she's my Mate."

"Interesting. Could be how the Whitlock's do that." Cooper nodded.

Brad took his shirt off. "Help me change her to something half decent."

They stripped her ruined tee-shirt off of her and Brad put his over her, picked her up 'Med Kit?"

Cooper sighed and shook his head. "Still in her car, not ours."

"We can't very well walk her into the hotel like this," Brad muttered. She was not just covered in her blood but that vampires as well, his eyes moved to the creature decaying on the ground. "How long do you think we have before others turn up?"

"I don't know. That depends on how close to the pack we are, though I don't feel as though we're in someone's pack territory. But we should hightail it out of here fast." watched him looking the creature over, "I'm guessing it was young, didn't attack from behind, so not trained well."

"We'll head right for the airport." Bradley stated he was not interested in doing battle with vampires.

"Got to get that thing's blood off her first, they'll track the scent right to us otherwise. And when they find this alley, that's what they will do."

"Right." Finally, the car pulled up, Coop opened the door and they got in. "Roll up the windows tight." He ordered, they would keep the scent from escaping as best they could.

"Sweet Goddess. Brandon's going to lose it Brad." He heard Eddie's concern.

"Our suite for cleaning and patching up. Then out of this country before we're out numbered and we will be."

Cooper was already on the phone, calling the pilot.

He saw "Harry you'll pack our suite and fast, Eddie."

"I got it, Izzy and Brandon plus all their stuff, Alpha." he stated before Brad could even get it out "What do I tell Brandon?"

"I don't know." he shook his head, and he didn't know he needed more thought on that. He saw Harry take Eddie's phone, and heard him call Izzy while Eddie was driving. He explained the issue to her as best he could. Eddie told her to pack everything and not to wake Brandon at this point. That they had to leave asap due to circumstances not to argue.