Chapter 112: Come Get Me When You're Ready
Evelyn's POV
"He doesn't hover over Celine like this," I muttered to Aria. "She's barely older than you, also without a mate, but got her mark with zero drama. What's his deal with us?"
I watched Conrad rummaging through kitchen cabinets, his broad back turned to us. "He's been against this mission from day one but never gives a straight answer why. If it's an age thing, you're eighteen now. If it's experience, we've proven ourselves these past months. So what's really bugging him?"
"Maybe it's your freakishly early wolf awakening?" Aria suggested.
I shook my head. "Seriously, I don't know - "
Conrad poked his head out from the kitchen. "If this blizzard hits hard, we need to prepare. Power might go out. We can store food in the yard bins if needed. There's firewood in the shed and more outside. Most important thing is keeping the pipes from freezing."
With that, he disappeared into his room - his usual routine of giving us space when he wasn't actively babysitting us. Outside this house, though, he was our constant shadow.
"But seriously," Aria flopped onto her bed, "missing our friends and training sucks, but the mark thing is what's killing me. We need those marks. What's the point of this mission if we can't even be tracked in an emergency?"
She sat up, eyes flashing. "Isn't the whole plan for one of us to get snatched? Then the Sentinels follow us to their hideout. But nobody can solve this untraceable scent problem. Shouldn't that be our main focus?"
I nodded. We'd been relying so heavily on our natural abilities that we'd neglected considering situations where those abilities might be useless. This was exactly what I'd emphasized when training cubs in Polaris City before their wolves awakened.
"Why don't they teach Sentinels to track without scent?" I wondered aloud. "Human detectives find people without super-smell. We should learn both methods instead of depending on just one."
"That's advanced training," Conrad called from his room. "You're newcomers. The standard curriculum covers that after your first year, during wilderness survival and tracking."
"This isn't about us tracking alone," I said, setting my laptop aside. "Our job is being bait. What's stopping fully-trained Sentinels from finding us if we get taken?"
Conrad emerged from his room, his expression unexpectedly relaxed. "Jett's sending someone. She agrees with you - this has dragged on too long. Once the storm passes, they'll come give you temporary marks. We'll skip the full two-day ceremony."
"Two days?" Aria's eyes widened. "The ritual takes that long?"
"Yep," Conrad rubbed his temples. "Most of it's just formality. Each elder makes a speech welcoming you. There's a fancy dinner, more speeches, and 'reflection time' where you sit alone for hours thinking about your training, accepting limitations on potential mate connections, pledging loyalty to the Alpha King, all that stuff."
He rolled his eyes. "It's not totally meaningless, but you should've thought about that stuff before deciding to become Sentinels. Then every elder gives individual blessings - takes forever - and finally a witch and Alpha King mark you. Hurts like hell, but that's necessary. The magic needs to be powerful enough to work."
"What exactly does the mark do?" I asked, genuinely curious.
"Mainly mental communication," Conrad explained. "You can connect with other Sentinels across any distance, even oceans. It also keeps your clothes intact during shifts and makes your scent more human-like. Other Sentinels can sense your location, so we can find you if you're in danger. Even if you're knocked out, we can track you. It's saved a lot of lives."
Aria and I exchanged surprised looks. "Wait, it diminishes scent?" she asked. "Then why are we trying to figure out scent elimination? Seems redundant."
"It only reduces scent, doesn't eliminate it," Conrad clarified. "Every living thing has a scent. It's how we tell friend from foe, predator from prey, poison from food."
He leaned against the wall, his expression darkening. "What this organization does is completely erase scent trails - not just their own, but their victims' too. Like a magic eraser wiping away all evidence. It's unnatural and dangerous. The fact such an ability exists is troubling."
"How long will this blizzard last?" I asked, mentally calculating when we might finally get our marks and return to training.
"Hard to say," Conrad shrugged. "Weather service says three to five days, but I'm betting longer."
For five straight days, snow kept falling. Reports said accumulation had passed two feet - unheard of this time of year. The snow itself didn't bother us werewolves much. Our naturally higher body temperature meant cold wasn't a problem, but we still had to pretend to be affected like normal humans to maintain our cover.
Despite being trapped indoors, we helped nearby residents when possible. Conrad frequently shoveled sidewalks and driveways. Something in him couldn't resist helping others - he seemed born to protect and care for people. Aria and I pitched in too, though less actively. At least it passed the time in what would've been mind-numbing boredom.
On the morning of the sixth day, the doorbell broke our cabin fever silence. Aria and I leapt up simultaneously, racing and shoving each other toward the door, laughing as we squeezed through together to find a stern-faced stranger standing there, her sharp eyes assessing us.
"I'm looking for Conrad the Sentinel," she said, her voice low and raspy like an old storyteller's. "Don't block the doorway - it's freezing out here, and this trip was unpleasant enough."
We stepped aside immediately, neither wanting to anger the person who might finally mark us. She strode past us into the living room, surveying the space.
The room was simply furnished - pale yellow walls and basic furniture with zero personality, typical of rental properties. The open floor plan connecting living room, dining area, and kitchen had been Conrad's requirement - his massive frame needed space to maneuver.
"This place needs cleaning," the woman announced to nobody in particular, then pointed toward the basement door. "I have several bags and boxes in my car. Fetch them, but be careful not to disturb the contents. I need a quiet room to discuss matters with Conrad. Come get me when you're ready."
Without introducing herself, she headed upstairs with surprising lightness, leaving us staring at each other in confusion.
"What the hell?" Aria whispered, eyes wide.
"No idea, but let's do what she says," I replied cautiously. "I'm not giving her any excuse to bail on marking us. We've waited long enough."
"Damn straight," Aria nodded firmly, and together we headed to the basement to prepare whatever space this mysterious woman needed for the ritual we'd been desperately waiting for.