THE SCENT OF TREASON

THE NORTHERN FORTRESS

The armored SUV slowed as it approached a massive wrought iron gate. Even through the tinted glass, the imposing structure of the Northern Syndicate estate loomed like a fortress. Stone walls reached into the night sky, bathed in cold security lights.

Kaelen sat beside me in total silence. His sheer presence was a suffocating weight in the confined space. I kept my hands folded tightly in my lap, staring at my bleach stained boots.

The vehicle came to a smooth halt. Before the driver could kill the engine, Kaelen shoved his door open and stepped out into the crisp night air. He did not wait for a guard to open my door. He reached back inside, his large hand wrapping around my upper arm. His grip was firm but oddly careful, pulling me out of the leather seat.

Stay exactly behind me, he ordered, his voice a low rumble that vibrated through my bones. Do not speak. Do not make eye contact with anyone.

I nodded rapidly, swallowing the lump of pure terror in my throat.

We walked up the wide stone steps toward the main entrance. Two colossal oak doors swung open, revealing a sprawling foyer made of dark marble and vaulted ceilings. But the grandeur of the architecture was completely overshadowed by the sheer amount of lethal predators occupying the room.

At least twenty wolves stood in the hall. They were in their human forms, but their posture was entirely animalistic. They were waiting for their King.

The moment Kaelen crossed the threshold with me, the entire room froze. Every single head snapped toward us. The collective inhale of twenty shifters catching my human scent was deafening. Their eyes widened, their nostrils flaring as they smelled the bleach, my fear, and the unmistakable metallic tang of their dead prince.

A tall, broad shouldered man stepped forward from the crowd. His hair was shaved close to his scalp, and a jagged scar ran down his jawline. His eyes were a piercing, icy blue, and they locked onto me with pure, unfiltered hatred.

Kaelen, the scarred man said, his voice tense. The patrol reported a fire at the penthouse. Where is your brother? And why in the hell did you bring a human blood bag into the inner sanctum?

The collective growl of the pack rose in the room, a terrifying vibration that shook the floor under my feet. I shrank behind Kaelen's massive frame, my hands instinctively gripping the fabric of his dark suit jacket.

Kaelen did not flinch. He did not raise his voice. He simply let go of my arm and took one single step toward the scarred man.

The Alpha aura that had shattered the glass in the penthouse exploded out of him again. It hit the room like a physical shockwave. Several of the weaker pack members instantly dropped to their knees, choking as the air was sucked from their lungs.

My brother is dead, Silas, Kaelen said, his tone utterly devoid of emotion. He was assassinated in his own home. This human is the only witness. She is under my personal protection.

Silas stared at Kaelen, his icy blue eyes flashing with shock and rage. Dead? Who did this? Let me interrogate the girl. I will tear the truth out of her mind.

Silas took a step toward me.

He never finished the movement. Kaelen moved with blinding speed, his hand striking out and gripping Silas by the throat. Kaelen slammed his second in command into the marble wall so hard the stone cracked in a spiderweb pattern.

You will not touch her, Kaelen snarled, his eyes completely bleeding into that terrifying, molten gold. You will not speak to her. You will not even look at her. If any member of this pack steps within ten feet of this human, I will execute them on the spot. Is that completely clear?

Silas clawed at Kaelen's iron grip, gagging for air. He managed a frantic nod.

Kaelen released him, letting Silas crumple to the marble floor, gasping for breath. The rest of the pack remained frozen, their heads bowed in total submission.

Kaelen turned back to me. The violence rolling off his shoulders was terrifying, but when his golden eyes met mine, the beast within him seemed to calm, purring at my proximity. He reached out, taking my hand in his. His calloused fingers intertwined with mine, a deeply intimate gesture that sent a jolt of electricity straight to my heart.

Come, he said softly.

He led me up a grand, sweeping staircase, leaving his stunned and grieving pack behind. We walked down a long, dimly lit corridor until we reached a set of heavy double doors at the very end. Kaelen pushed them open, revealing a massive, luxurious bedroom. A huge four poster bed sat in the center, flanked by floor to ceiling windows overlooking the dark forest.

You will stay here, Kaelen instructed, leading me inside. The bathroom is through that door. There are clean clothes in the wardrobe. Wash the blood off your skin.

I stood in the center of the room, feeling incredibly small and entirely out of my depth.

Are you locking me in? I asked, my voice barely a whisper.

Kaelen paused in the doorway. He turned slowly, his gaze sweeping over my tired, trembling frame. The terrifying, possessive hunger returned to his eyes, burning hotter than the magical fire he had summoned.

I do not need to lock the door, Nalia, Kaelen replied, his voice a dark, velvet promise. Because I am not leaving. I am sleeping right here in this room. And if you try to run, I will hunt you down.