The Unexplained Transformation

𝑆𝑎𝑚

-𝙰𝚕𝚎𝚡𝚒𝚜' 𝙿𝙾𝚅-

We had decided to leave earlier than we first agreed on and had then ran through the night, with only a few small stops for water, and were now reaching the edge of the city the council was in.
"We can't walk the whole way, we should see if there is a bus or something we can catch" Conor said as we got dressed. He had tied a small bag to his chest before shifting which held some small travel snacks and a change of clothes for us. He wore some loose, black shorts and a light grey tank while I wore some black yoga pants and a cropped black t-shirt.
"Really? This is what you grabbed?" I asked as I looked at my outfit
"Hey, it's not my fault! I don't know what you like to wear" Conor laughed
"Luka would be drooling" he added with a smirk
"You're drooling" I teased
"And Luka would be beating the shit out of me" he laughed
"He's not that bad. You asked for it"
"I know. He's good. He cares about you. I'd be the same" Conor admitted
We walked along the backroads until we found a bus stop with a small piece of paper showing the times and locations of the busses
"Looks like we are a little early. One should be around here pretty soon that will take us close enough" Conor said after looking at it for a few minutes.
We sat in silence until the bus chugged around the corner and got on where we sat next to each other.
"There are almost no people on here and yet you still have to sit right next to me?" I asked as I moved closer the window so our legs were no longer touching
"It's all about the image, Lex" Conor winked
"Do not call me that. You've teased me and bullied me every day since we were kids. You think that now we are on some mission and have our matching eyes we are all good?"
"Luka calls you Lex" Conor tried
"And Luka treats me like I matter" I mumbled
"I'm sorry, Alexis. For everything. I am" he sighed
"You didn't deserve it" he added
"No. I didn't. And if you think a little sorry makes it all good you've got a lot to learn" I retorted and turned to face the window.

********

After a long bus ride we finally came to a stop and got up. We walked down the road before Conor knocked on a door to a small family home.
"Conor! So long so little!" The dirty blonde male said after opening the door.
"Hey Sam, how you been?" Conor asked as they did the guy thing with the hands and shoulders when they hug but refuse to admit it's a hug.
"Always the same, never a change my guy" he smiled as he gestured for us to enter
"This is Alexis, she's a good friend of mine" Conor said, introducing me. I gave him a questioning look over the 'good friend' and he just smiled
"Hello" I said as Sam took my hand and kissed my fingers with a bow
"M'lady. It's.." he started, still holding my hand ever so close to his face
"Incredible" he murmured.
"She isn't available, Sam" Conor laughed
"Not mated though" Sam said with a smirk as he loosened his hold on my hand and I snatched it away with a glare.
"Conor. If we could please, move on" I said, trying to be polite but obviously annoyed.
"Sam, we need to see the Council" Conor stated
"Need, want, can, can't" he shrugged and wandered off into the house, Conor and I following.
"Can you get us in?" I asked, clearly impatient
"Alexis" Conor warned as he shot a glance back at me.
"Sorry" I mumbled and continued to listen.
The two went back and forth, Conor asking questions about the council and Sam replying with vague half hearted answers. It had been at least fifteen minutes since we got here and we were rapidly loosing time.
"I'll get you in" Sam finally said
"But I want something of hers" he added as he looked at me
"What something?" Conor asked
"I want her scent" he hummed as he took a deep whiff of the air
"You want my what?" I asked
"Your scent. Just a little" he smiled
I glared at Conor wanting him to do something and he just shrugged his shoulders
"I'll get you both a meeting with the council today if I can just take a small drop of your essence" he strode over to me and ran his fingers up my arm
"You want my what?" I asked, jerking away from him
"You make it seem so.. strange" he giggled, making my skin crawl.
"Will it do anything to her?" Conor asked, as if he was even considering this.
"No, no, no! I'll just.." he started as he swept over to a bench and rummaged through some drawers before pulling out a small glass jar with a cork hanging from the neck
"Swoop it up" he smiled, gesturing a swoop with the glass and placing the cork in the opening
"And she will be the same as always" he added
"And what do you do with that?" I asked
"I keep it. I like to influence my dreams" he smiled and closed his eyes as he rocked on his feet
"As long as they aren't wet dreams" Conor teased
"Never. That would be inappropriate, you said she is fated to be mated so I am purely here for her wonderful smell"
Sam spun around and pulled out a phone that he quickly murmured our names and some other things into then spun back around as he placed the phone back in his pocket.
"You have twenty minutes. You'll be met at the gate by Kara" Sam smiled.
"And the scent?" Conor asked
"Already got it" Sam smiled, and swirled the glass around in his hands as a faint Smokey colour erupted inside.
"A beautiful colour to match the smell" he hummed
"Is it always that colour?" Conor asked
"No, usually the colour is a close resemblance to the scent. Very few times has it been wrong. Yours would be.." he thought
"Brown" he smiled
"Brown? What?" Conor questioned
"Yes. Brown. Like dirt. You smell like dirt" sam said causing me to laugh
"And what is she? Smoke?" Conor asked, his cheeks red
"Book pages. Fresh from the shelves but also very old ones, from many moons ago. You're a library without covers"
"I'm dirt and you're a half finished book?" Conor laughed
"No. She is finished. Her mate, he is green. Deep green. The colour of the trees in your home town. He is your cover. You feel like you need to protect him but he will protect you. He will cover you" sam said, his eyes reflecting the Smokey swirl in the glass jar
"He smells like the trees when they are drying" I smiled, remembering the smell that had hit when I first found him.
"Then what is my other half? I can't just be dirt" Conor asked
"You're not matched. You haven't found them. I can't read you" sam said, placing the jar on the bench next to some others. Now of which I noticed there were purples and pinks then some blues and greens and only one black and my grey one.
"What's the black one?" I asked
"Mine" sam smiled
"You keep your own scent?" Conor asked
"Well, only a mate can smell the true scent of a wolf. I certainly can't smell mine unless I capture it"
"What do you smell like?" I asked my curiosity getting the better of me
"What it's like to have no fated one" he said softly
"You don't have a mate?" I asked
"No. Always looking for one though" he smiled with another bow
"How do you not have a mate?" Conor asked
"He was a twin. Only one made it through birth. As we were both so young the mate bond never affected me as it would have if we were older but it was enough to leave a mark"
"You were mated to a dude?" Conor blurted out
"Yes. So is your brother" Sam retorted
"I'm an only child" Conor smiled
"Only child of your father. One of two from your mother" sam returned Conor's smile
"You're full of shit. Thanks for getting us into the meeting but I don't have a brother" Conor started towards the door
"He also smells like dirt" sam whispered to me and I began to follow Conor
"And he acts like it too" I joked and I nodded my head towards Conor who was now out the door and waiting by the street.
"He will be better soon. He is longing and jealous of you and Luka"
"How do you know his name?" I asked
"It's all your heart can think about. You miss him and you're worried about him, but he is okay. And he will be okay" sam smiled as ran his fingers down my arm
"Thank you" I said softly before walking outside and catching up with Conor.