What did you smell just now

Still on Lucas POV:

Look after the child, we'll return shortly," Ryder directed Nick, who responded with a nod before taking the child's hand and leading them away from us.

"Let's go find our mates," I suggested to Ryder, who agreed with a nod.

At the moment, Ryder and I are on a mission to locate our mates. We're searching from house to house based on a tip from the crippled man who warned us that she might not survive the night, implying she could be sick or in danger. We doubted she'd be in the pack house, especially after catching a whiff of their faint scent. Our search turned up empty, causing my heart to race and Ryder's usually jovial expression to harden with each passing moment.

Upon reaching the eighth house, we were met with resistance from the owner who seemed like a spoiled, arrogant brat, oblivious to the danger he was courting. Without hesitation, I grabbed him by the throat, causing him to tremble in fear.

"P..please, Al..pha, you can search," he stammered, fear evident in his eyes. I scoffed at him for wasting our time but didn't release my grip until he passed out. Casually discarding him, we continued our search. Unfortunately, our efforts were in vain as we didn't find her there either. Things were not going as planned. We've just returned from searching the houses and now we need to check the pack house. "This is fucking dramatic," I muttered under my breath. "We can smell them, but we can't find them," I continued, turning my head to survey the empty Pack.

"They might be in the pack house, while the others are occupied in their own homes. That could be why the little boy took Ella from here; he knew everyone was too preoccupied with their own affairs. Speaking of the kids, I don't think he has found his way back here yet.

"My wolf is on edge from all this chaos we're going through," Ryder expressed his frustrations. After walking for a few minutes, Ryder stopped in his tracks, his eyes fixed on something. I followed his gaze and saw a woman walking towards the woods. Halfway through, she paused and seemed to ponder something before turning back toward the pack house. I couldn't see her face clearly as she was looking down, but then something unexpected happened. Suddenly, I caught the most intoxicating scent of vanilla mixed with strawberry iced tea emanating from her.

"Mate!!!" My wolf shouted excitedly, and I heard the same words from Ryder beside me. I looked at him and met his surprised gaze as well. Something formed in my mind, causing my eyes to widen.

"What did you smell just now?" Ryder asked me with curiosity.

"Vanilla mixed with strawberry iced tea," I replied to him, and he opened his mouth wide. I guessed he might have smelled the same thing from her.

I was shocked at how it was possible, even though it had happened years ago. It was in the werewolf history where two Alpha twins or triplets shared one mate, but in our case, I was a bit disappointed not to have my own without sharing. I'm not unwilling to share a mate with my big brother, though; I just want my one and only mate who belongs only to me.

"Hmm, do you have a problem sharing a mate with me?" Ryder asked me, noticing my deep in thought expression shifting from a deep frown to disbelief and a bit of disappointment.

"No!! Why would I? We just found our mate an…" I started to say, but trailed off when I found no one standing at where my index finger was pointed.

"Oh, where did she go!" Ryder shouted worriedly and started walking to where she was standing before.

"Dumb head, she didn't go that way. I think she was heading to the pack house," I told Ryder when he started walking towards the woods.

"Oh," he muttered and turned to walk over to me. I started walking to the pack house with Ryder trailing beside me.

"Can you be nice to me for a second?" Ryder questioned in the mind link.

"Can't with you, little bro," I replied, and he sighed with annoyance because he hates it when I call him little brother. The walk to the pack house was barely a minute as we weren't wasting time. When we were in front of the pack house gate, there was barely a whisper coming out from the room.

"Is it a mate-finding party or muted merrymaking?" Ryder exclaimed through the mind link.

"Ryder's muted anniversary," I responded to him. He took a glance at me, seemingly wanting to say something but stopped as a voice interrupted him.

As we entered the room, the voice of Alpha Maximus was heard, "You lowly witch, how dare…" but he stopped talking as I think he smelled our aura in the room. All eyes were on us as we entered the room with our bold and steady steps.

The smell of vanilla and strawberry tea wafted into my nose again, this time stronger than before. I looked down and met a brown petite woman sitting on the floor with a horrified expression, looking at Maximus. Just then, she looked up at the people in the room and turned her gaze my way. Like a quick cutoff game, everything stopped as we both looked into each other's eyes. Her beautiful brown eyes looking at me with shock as if not believing it. My wolf Orion jumped excitedly, "Mate." A gasp enveloped from the people around, and the next second she turned her head towards Ryder, and this time both of them said together, "Mate!"

A ripple of surprise and whispers filled the room, but I was oblivious to it all, completely captivated by the vision of beauty before me. She rose from the floor, her dark, curly hair swaying with each graceful movement. Her gaze met ours, curiosity sparkling in her eyes before she gifted us with a radiant smile. My heart pounded in my chest, matching the rhythm of my anticipation as she took a tentative step towards us.

She paused after two steps, her smile slowly fading. Lost in thought, she lowered her head, only to resume her approach a moment later. However, something in my gut warned me that I wouldn't be pleased with the forthcoming events. My intuition proved correct as she suddenly darted away after reaching us. I stood there, dumbfounded, trying to process the unexpected turn of events until I felt Ryder's tap on my shoulder, snapping me out of my stupor.

"We need to go before we lose her," he urged.

I spun on my heels, ready to chase after my mate, but halted as a memory surfaced. Turning back around, I was met with the surprised and dazed gaze of Maximus. I shot him a lethal glare, jabbing my index finger in his direction.

"We'll continue this later, Maximus. I suggest you start preparing for your end," I threatened. His face registered horror for a moment before quickly returning to normal.

The thought that our mate would flee from us at our first encounter was something I had never considered. Uncertainty plagued me as I wondered if she intended to reject us. The mere idea caused my inner wolf to whimper in distress.

"She wouldn't do that. She's our beloved mate," Orion countered, his voice laced with frustration and determination. We traced her intoxicating scent, which grew stronger the further we ventured.

"Our petite mate sure can run. She could easily complete a marathon," Ryder remarked, a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"And even better than a big Alpha who can't even jog," I retorted.

"Are you referring to me?" he queried, a look of confusion etched on his face.

"Sharp as a tack," I muttered under my breath, watching him puff up like a child. His smile broadened as he took in a deep breath, clearly pleased with the scent of our mate.

Our pursuit led us to a large room, likely the pack's kitchen. The cleanliness of the space was remarkable, a testament to their advanced cleaning techniques. The ordinary kitchen utensils, stoves, sinks, and floors were all impeccably maintained. Despite the cleanliness, I found it puzzling that the pack didn't prepare their own meals. The scent of our mate grew stronger with each passing second.

We nudged open a small door adjacent to the storeroom, revealing a sight that made my heart clench. There she was, our mate, sleeping on the floor, her head resting on a small, worn-out bed. A solitary bag sat on the other side of the bed, the bed itself placed in the center of the tiny room. The room had the appearance of a storage space for unwanted items, evidenced by the faded paint.