He Came From The Wild

Chapter TwentyOne | Perfume.

Walking into the kitchen, Carolina jumped in shock at seeing her father sitting at the kitchen counter. The scene itself wasn’t anything surprising. Every morning when he was home he was always the first one awake and would be there to greet her. In true fashion, his dark hair was sleeked back and not a strand was out of place. His suit pants were paired with a more casual grey sweater and the faint scent of cigars still lingered on the fabric from years of him smoking.

 Paper in one hand, coffee cup in the other, he looked at Carolina with the same level of surprise not expecting that reaction to his return. Surely she sensed his presence?

“Dad! You’re back!” Carolina exclaimed, her hand darting over her chest as if to hold back her heart from escaping.

“Hello to you to Care!” He chuckled amused as she moved over to the freshly brewed coffee pot.

“Sorry, I thought you weren’t back for a couple more days?”

“Went a lot smoother than I expected it to,” he hesitated, noticing a change in his daughter.  “Are you alright?”

“Of course, why do you ask?” She smiled over at him, yet he saw through it.

“You forget how well I know you.”

"I'm fine, really. I just didn't sleep great last night. That's all." It was a tiny lie. Well a huge lie. She wasn't fine at all. The whole situation was taking it's toll on her as she was pining for a mate who didn't want her. It didn't make sense to the wolf, and even the human was struggling to sort out how to feel about it.

The pair moved out of the kitchen and onto the back veranda. The lawn glistened in the light of the rising sun with the sprinkles having been turned themselves on at five o'clock as they did every other morning. It was silent without the pups running around the place, and the neighbours were too far away to interrupt the serenity of the morning with any of their own movements. Not that many were up at this time of the day anyway.

"Ah, it's good to be home! There is only so much I can handle being stuck in those Alpha homes. No one offers decent hospitality these days, they're all too paranoid of pack less wolves."  Carolina's father groaned.

"Well we're glad you're back Dad." She sighed, frowning as she caught Braydons scent. Turning her head discreetly, the chair she sat on still had it imprinted on there; much like her father and his cigars. It made her stomach clench; the beast within stirring after a restless night. 

"You sure you're not coming down with something? You don't look well Care." The concern her father showed didn't help Carolina at all. Then the worst thing of all happened. "What is that?"

His face wrinkled with concentration as he stood, moving past Carolina's chair she saw his nostrils flare as he must have caught the scent too. 

"Who has been here?" He demanded. Moving around the yard, he didn't know how he had missed the unknown smell in his house. 

No wonder Carolina was so jumpy, and this time when he looked at her she knew she was going to be dealing more with the animal side of him than the human. 

"It's not what you think." She started, trying work out how to word it to avoid even more questions being asked. Or worse; telling him that her mate was in love with a human.

"Then start talking! " He growled, his rage growing at his own territory being invaded when he wasn't there. Carolina should know better than letting other shifters near the pups or more importantly, his house. Sometimes his work didn't make him too popular, so the threat of someone seeking to harm him or his family was a real one.