Chapter 1: The Scentless Ghost
1271 Words
The smell of rain and high-end silver polish made Soren's nose hurt. Today, the air in the executive suite of Sterling Enterprises was really bothering her.
"Three seconds late Soren," a smooth voice said through the quiet office.
Soren didn't look up from her tablet as she walked in. She adjusted her wool blazer that made her look bigger. The thick collar stayed closed around her neck. Under the fabric, a silver-infused leather band pressed against her skin. It helped control her Omega pheromones that could cause problems in the city. To everyone and to the man behind the desk she was a very efficient scentless person. A ghost in a suit.
"The transit grid on the West District had a security lockdown, Mr. Sterling " Soren said, her voice flat, perfectly practiced and devoid of the tremor running through her veins. She put a stack of papers on his desk. "The quarterly acquisition files for the Vane Syndicate merger are ready. Alpha Malakais people want a meeting at noon."
Cassian Sterling didn't look at the papers. He stared out the window at the city he controlled. In a fancy suit he looked powerful. He was the leader of the Valerius Syndicate, a billionaire who treated territory like business assets and supernatural politics like a game.
"Let them demand, " Cassian said. He turned slowly, his eyes locking onto Soren's. For a second, his eyes flashed gold. Soren felt an instinct to bow down but she stood still. She had trained herself not to react around him.
Cassian frowned, his jaw tensing. He walked away from the window, closing the distance between them with a predatory grace that made Soren's inner wolf claw at her ribs in protest. "You're not wearing the perfume I assigned to the staff."
"I have an allergy to the synthetic musk, sir" Soren lied, smiling politely. "I prefer to remain scentless. It helps me focus in the boardroom."
"It's unnatural, " Cassian said, his voice low and vibrating. He leaned forward, invading Soren's space. "Every human in this room has a scent. You? You're like a statue. If I didn't know better, I'd think you were challenging me."
"I respect your authority, Mr. Sterling, " Soren said, her voice cold. "Fear doesn't help with calendars or mergers. I assume you pay me for my competence, not my fear."
Cassian watched Soren move across the room. He couldn't shake the feeling that had been bothering him for months. Soren was an anomaly. She handled crises without flinching, stood between warring leaders during takeovers and yet didn't affect him all. No scent. No fear. Nothing. It was frustrating.
"You're working the VIP security detail at the Sovereign Gala tonight " Cassian said, leaning back. His presence filled the room with pressure.
Soren nodded, typing on her tablet. "Already scheduled, Mr. Sterling. I've checked the guest list."
Inside, she was anxious. The silver band around her neck reacted to Cassian's presence growing hot. A drop of sweat threatened to trickle down her temple. If he knew what she really was, he wouldn't just fire her. He would imprison her. She was hiding in the heart of his empire. It was getting harder.
The weight of the three years pressed on her chest. Every day was a struggle. She watched Cassian command the city, expanding his empire while she erased herself to survive in his shadow. He saw humans as tools and omegas as bargaining chips. She hated everything he stood for. She had to stand near him every day pretending to be nothing.
"You look at me sometimes like you're judging me, " Cassian said, rising from his chair. He walked around the desk, his movements silent and deadly. "You're an assistant. Don't think my reliance on you means I'm lenient. In my world, weakness is eliminated. If you can't handle tonight's gala, tell me now."
"I know how your world works, Mr. Sterling" Soren said, looking directly into his eyes. "That's why I ensure I never show weakness. You will have a gala."
For a moment, neither of them moved. Cassian's eyes searched Soren's face for a c***k in her armor. Soren's gaze was solid.
The executive elevator chimed, breaking the silence. The doors slid open and a tall, heavily scarred werewolf enforcer stepped out panting. It was Vance, the head of the Valerius external security detail. His eyes were wide with panic.
"Alpha " Vance said, ignoring Soren. "We have a breach at the docks. A transport convoy carrying the gala's security suppressants was ambushed."
Cassian's demeanor changed instantly. The corporate billionaire disappeared, replaced by the Alpha of the Valerius Syndicate. "Who hit it? Malakais rogues?"
"We don't know, " Vance said, shaking. "They didn't steal the cargo, Alpha. They exchanged it. The canisters delivered to the penthouse ballroom aren't human-sensory dampers."
Soren's heart stopped. Her fingers froze on her tablet.
"What do you mean they exchanged it?" Cassian demanded, his voice dropping. A terrifying gold crept into his eyes.
"The atmospheric team just ran a diagnostic on the ballroom ventilation line" Vance swallowed hard. "Someone routed a concentrated aerosol variant of refined liquid silver directly into the primary vents. The gala ballroom is locked down. The cocktail hour just started."
Soren felt the air leave her lungs. The silver suppression band around her neck gave a throb sensing the toxin already spreading through the building's air systems. Liquid silver aerosol didn't just hurt werewolves. It shattered their biological cloaking mechanisms forcing their forms and scents to explode outward.
Before Cassian could even issue an order, the heavy executive suite doors sealed shut automatically as the building's emergency bio-hazard protocols engaged, trapping them inside.
A pitched hiss echoed from the ceiling vents. A faint shimmering metallic mist began to drift down into the office.
"Soren get behind the desk " Cassian roared, his claws expanding. He lunged toward the ventilation control panel shielding her from the vent. "Vance, break the glass! We need to vent the floor!"
Soren couldn't move. She couldn't breathe.
The faint sweet smell of the silver mist hit her nostrils. It touched the suppressed leather band around her throat. The artifact cracked. The silver threads embedding the leather into her skin began to glow blue burning her flesh.
An agonizing wave of heat tore through Soren's body. Her knees buckled, the tablet clattering to the floor.
"Soren?" Cassian turned, his gold eyes wide. He took a step toward her, his hand reaching out. "What's wrong with you? It's silver it shouldn't affect a human…"
He stopped dead in his tracks.
The suppression band snapped off Soren's neck hitting the floor with a metallic thud.
In a heartbeat the empty space around her disappeared. The air in the seventy-floor executive suite was suddenly filled with a strong amazing smell. It was a mix of winter lilies, fresh air and a powerful old-fashioned scent that hit the walls like a big wave. It was a scent that hadn't existed in the supernatural world for over a century. The scent of a true Sovereign Omega.
Cassian fell to one knee making a low rough noise as his wolf inside him took over. His rational mind was completely overpowered. The strength of her scent made him look at her, his golden eyes wide with shock.
Soren pushed herself up against the glass window, her suit jacket falling off her shoulders. She lifted her head, her glasses sliding off her face to show her special eyes that glowed silver.
Cassian stared at his assistant, his voice a breathless whisper. "What... What are you Soren?"
- Writer
