Plans are proceeding ahead of schedule

I had just opened shop a few hours ago and was haggling with some copper miners over the price of ore when the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end followed by a familiar scent carried through the wind.

“Look,” I stared into the foreman’s eyes, exerting my will as my dark brown eyes flashed yellow for a moment, “I’ll take it for what you’re asking on the condition that I get first pick of your iron haul next week, ahead of all the other smithies.”

The man’s pupils dilated for a moment, the force of my will breaking like a wave against his simple, untrained mind.

“Right, sure,” he nodded, “that seems fair.”

The man left the shop and I had just finished carrying the last bag of tiny copper-filled stone fragments up the small hill to the forge when I spotted Lilly walking up the path.

I could smell her arousal, as always, but also something else, she was sick. I smiled to myself. She must have meditated as I suggested, probably gave herself a cold, maybe a fever. Nothing serious, but enough to lower her body’s immune system, muddle her mind just a bit, make her more susceptible to my pheromones. Perhaps I could push her a bit further today, or perhaps now was the time to make her wait and stew in her own desires until she was desperate and would be more willing to bend the rules of her wretched order.

That still left one question burning in my mind as I watched Lilly slowly traverse the path up the hill towards my secluded smithy. Why were my wolf senses on alert? Danger? I didn’t feel like I was in danger, I’d done nothing, as far as I knew, that would have given me away. Unless Lilly had told someone about everything I’d said… but she would never do that, I was sure of it, if I had even the slightest doubt I’d never have continued our relationship or set my plans in motion. So what was causing the hairs on my neck to stand up and a shiver to run down my spine?