Forced to marry the powerful Lycan

Chapter Six ... Her scent

kael pov

It had been two full days since I left my new human bride at the Keeping Castle, yet the memory of her was still suffocating my peace.

I sat in my private study, leaning back in the high-backed leather chair as I poured two glasses of amber spirit. Across from me, lounging entirely too comfortably on my sofa, was Dravacous. His bright red hair caught the firelight, and the signature, irritating smirk he always wore was firmly in place.

"You know," Drava drawled, swirling his glass, "protocol usually dictates a groom spends his wedding night with his bride. Not hiding out in the eastern wing running battle simulations. It's been forty-eight hours, Kael. The poor girl probably thinks you hate her."

"Let her think whatever she wants," I replied, my voice flat.

I took a sharp sip of the liquor, but it did nothing to burn away the phantom scent that had been haunting me since the cathedral.

The entire marriage was a political farce. A flimsy treaty wrapped in silk and white lace, orchestrated to keep Valen’s human king from foolishly provoking a war he couldn't win. I was the logical choice to lead this arranged marriage the only choice, really.

My mother’s words on the day of my birth were burned into my mind. Unlike every other Lycan born under the crescent moon with a half-moon mark on their skin, I had been born under the full moon with a complete, solid lunar crest.

A full moon mark means you have no other half, my mother had told me years ago. You were born whole. You will never have a mate.

Without the vulnerability of a mate, I was built to be a ruthless ruler. A king who couldn't be broken through love or weakened by a soul bond. That was why this marriage didn't bother my father or the council... I was immune to human charm.

Or so I had believed.

When I reached for Ariella's hand during the ceremony, the contrast had been stark. Her skin was freezing. But the moment our fingers touched, her scent had hit me like a physical blow wildflowers, rain, and a suffocating sweetness that filled my lungs. It was so overwhelming,that I was forced to press my hand to my nose just to keep from reaching out to her. My wolf had stirred violently beneath my skin, confused and agitated by the sheer, intensity of her presence.

And then, there was the attack on the road.

I narrowed my eyes at the fire as the memory of the twilight ambush resurfaced. Those rogue Lycans had aimed for the carriage, acting on leaks from inside the human court. Clearing the threats had taken minutes, but blood had spilled across the path. My guards had quickly dragged the corpses deep into the tree line to keep the trail clean, but I knew she had seen the aftermath through the glass.

When I opened the carriage door, she was cowering against the back wall, her green eyes wide with raw, unadulterated terror.

Come here, I had told her.

She had frozen. I hated hesitation, but when I stepped inside and pulled her out, her body was shaking so violently I felt a strange, unwelcome pang of annoyance not at her, but at the sheer helplessness of her species. She had no magic. No claws. No innate defense.

Even wrapped in Drava’s spell-bound cloak to mask her scent from the forest beasts, she looked pitiful. And when I shifted into my silver form to carry her, I had expected her to faint. Instead, she had buried her small face directly into my neck fur, her hands gripping me for dear life as I ran through the dark. Every breath she took against my neck had sent an unbearable heat straight down my spine, forcing a low growl from my chest just to make her sit still and stop crowding my senses.

"She didn't bow to her father, you know," Drava broke into my thoughts, his blue eyes glinting with amusement. "When I told her the future Queen of Eldoria bows to no one, she actually remembered. Gave the old king a tiny nod and walked right past him. I think your little dove has a spine hiding under all that fear."

"She is not a dove, Drava. She is a distraction," I said, setting my glass down on the desk with a heavy thud. "And an unbearable one at that."

"She’s your wife," Drava reminded me smoothly, leaning forward. "And right now, she’s sitting in the Keeping Castle wondering why the Crown Prince of Eldoria acts like her very breath is poison."

I didn't answer him. I stared into the amber liquid in my glass, my mind racing.

I was born without a mate. I was whole. So why did her scent overwhelm me like a curse, and why was my wolf clawing at my chest every second I spent away from her?

Without another word, I drained my glass and stood up from my desk.

Drava paused, his glass halfway to his mouth as he looked up. "Where are you going?"

"To find answers," I said coldly, adjusting the cuffs of my tunic. "To figure out why her scent is overwhelming me like this."

Drava let out a heavy, exasperated sigh, running a hand through his bright red hair. "Don't tell me... you're going to see Serefina?"

A ghost of a smile touched my lips before I released my magic, vanishing into thin air in a swirl of shadows.

***

I stood at the edge of the dark, ancient forest, a faint smile touching my lips as I waited.

A pulse of air stirred behind me, and Drava materialized at my side. The moment he caught sight of the smirk on my face, his frown deepened into a heavy scowl.

"This is a bad idea," Drava grumbled, crossing his arms. "I hate that woman."

"Oh, I know," I replied smoothly, not taking my eyes off the dense treeline ahead. "But this isn't about you. Besides, you know as well as I do that she might actually have an answer for what is happening to me."

"She's a freak," Drava muttered under his breath.

"No, she's a witch," I corrected with a dark smirk.

Before he could throw another complaint my way, I released my shadows and vanished once more, fully aware that he had no choice but to follow.