Stolen Scent, Stolen Heart

Chapter 3: Handsome Stranger

(Ashley POV)

“What the hell, Ashley! It has been a week, and you are still dwelling in his sorrow. You should continue your training as soon as possible,” I read Diana’s text, but didn’t reply to her. I didn’t realize that his lies and cheating would hurt me so deeply. I spent so many years chasing ‌an illusion, but in the end, lost it.

“F*ck! I can’t waste any more of my life on that scumbag. I have to go to the training classes. I will go to the training ground tomorrow.” I vowed in my heart when I received a mind-link from my father. He was calling me in his office, and I looked at my PJs, crumpled and dirty. I didn’t take a bath last week, so I quickly got up from my bed and headed towards the bathroom for a long bath.

After coming out of the bathroom, I quickly chose a decent outfit and combed my Auburn red hair, and my Grey eyes were not looking sad anymore. I quickly applied a soft layer of makeup to hide my dark circles and put a fake smile on my face before walking towards my dad’s home office. I knocked on the door, and his deep and authoritative voice came.

“You called me father?” I asked, and he gave me a curt nod before looking at his files again.

“Ashley! I want to discuss an important matter with you,” I nodded and took a seat quietly. His face was enough to tell me that something wasn’t right.

“Father! You look upset. Is everything okay?” I asked in a worried tone, and he forced a smile on his face.

“Yes, yes! It’s just… I am turning old, and I want to join the office from tomorrow, so you can learn everything about our pack and the pack’s business. After all, you have to take care of this pack after me,” He answered, and my heart turned heavy after understanding the meaning behind his words. I was so busy in my little love story, I forgot the fact that I am an Alpha’s daughter and I have to prepare myself to take over this pack and the pack’s business as soon as possible.

“I can understand, Father! Don’t worry, I will join the office from tomorrow,” I assured him, but I can tell something was bothering him from inside, but he wasn’t ready to share it with me at the moment.

“Good, good! I will teach you everything,” He said, and after discussing a matter or two, I came out of his office. I will not waste my life on stupid things anymore and will help my father in solving the pack affairs,” I promised myself, and my wolf agreed with me.

*******************

I started going to the training sessions regularly and also joined my father’s office. It has been a month, and I haven’t had time to think about Jack anymore. I changed my clothes and headed towards the forest for a morning run to clear my head.

Morning runs helped me a lot in the past few days to clear my head, so I made it a routine before going to the morning sparring sessions. I changed to my wolf form and felt the energy and strength of my wolf.

I started running towards the deep path of the forest when a strange scent made me stop in my tracks. Usually, I avoid the deep parts of the forest, but today, I wanted to explore this part of the forest. Before I could turn to leave, I heard a whimpering sound.

“Is someone injured?” I asked my wolf.

“Maybe! We should help that person,” She suggested, and we started to follow the scent.

“Oh My God!” I saw a man covered in dirt and blood from head to toe. It seems like he escaped the death attack of the rogues. His eyes were barely open, and he was too big for me to carry back home.

“We should take him to the caves before the rogues can sense his presence,” Silver suggested, and I quickly helped him walk towards the deep caves of the forest. Most people didn’t know about the caves, so he will be safe there until I grab something for his help.

“I-i…” He mumbled something, and for the first time, I noticed the light tingles and gasped loudly.

“Is it true?” I asked my wolf, and she yipped in happiness.

“He is our second-chance mate. The Moon Goddess gave us another chance to be happy,” My wolf said in happiness.

“Yeah, yeah! But we didn’t know anything about him yet. We should be careful,” I answered to silence her for a bit. I quickly returned to the pack and collected a few things before heading back towards the forest. He was still unconscious, so I wiped all the dirt and dried blood from his face, and for a moment, his handsome face made me stop.

“How can someone be this handsome?” My wolf voiced her thought, and I shook my head at her comment.

“Let’s focus on helping him, okay?” I answered and looked at the blood spot present on his stomach, which meant he had many injuries hidden under his clothes.

“I guess I have to remove his clothes now,” I felt a bit hesitant, but it was so necessary, so I picked the scissors and cut his tee shirt, and I was right. A big gash was present in his stomach. I didn’t see any blood spots on his legs or waist, which meant I didn’t have to remove his pants, and I thank the Moon Goddess in my heart for it. By the time I applied and bandaged his wound, my face turned crimson red with embarrassment and shame. Although Jack was my childhood sweetheart, but I never even kissed him before finding out about our mate bond, so it was all new to me.

I glanced at his well-built physique, and heat rushed towards my face. I slowly touched his eight pecs, abs, and noticed the V-line, which made my imagination run wild, but I quickly got up before things got out of hand. He was quite tall, almost 6’5 or 6’6, and his blonde hair was enough to make him a heartthrob for all the young girls. I shook my head to pull myself out of my wild thoughts when another thought came to my mind.

He looked like a strong, trained warrior by his physique alone, but his aura was enough to tell me that he was a beta or gemma, so it wasn’t normal to defeat someone like him. I have to keep him hidden here for a few days until he gains consciousness to tell me who he really is; otherwise, the warriors of our pack will kill him after labeling him as a rogue or lone wolf.

But something was telling me his presence in our pack wasn’t a mere accident. I quickly packed the things to return to the pack house during my absence.

*

*

“Oh my, Jack! You don’t have to do that,” I heard Kathy’s sweet and unbearable voice, and I looked towards them. Jack was coming back from the training with Kathy in his arms.

“You don’t have to prove anything to me, Kathy. I already know about your love for me. Look how swollen your foot is.” I looked at her sprained ankle, and I rolled my eyes. Her dramatics weren’t a new thing for me, so I can easily guess what she did to gain Jack’s attention. This girl didn’t hesitate to inflict pain on her body to gain what she wanted. I looked at the worried look on Jack’s face, and my heart ached. He never cared about me like this, mostly because he thought I was too strong to act like this, but for Kathy, He never cared about anything before rushing to her help. I guess I was too blind in his love to see the clear difference all these years. Both of them were too involved to notice my presence, so I headed straight to the kitchen to pack some important things for that handsome stranger.

“Ashley! What are you doing here?” He put Kathy on the couch before coming into the kitchen.

“It's none of your business,” I answered in a clipped tone.

“Can you please prepare a glass of fresh orange juice for Kathy? Kathy got injured.” He pointed towards her sprained ankle.

“I think you are fully capable of doing this for your lovely sl*t,” I answered, and his face turned red.

“I ‌never realized that you are so heartless, Ashley.” His tone turned harsh.

“And I never realized that you were so shameless,” I answered before packing the box and putting it in my bag before leaving the two love birds alone in the pack house.

My heart turned heavy, and I kicked the dirt to vent my anger.

“F*ck you, Jack! And f*ck your lovely Kathy… Both of you deserve each other,” I said aloud before walking towards the dense part of the forest. But their laughter and their love scene were making it hard for me to focus on anything else.

*****

I thought he would gain consciousness after a day or two, but today marked the third day of my smuggling all the medicines for him from the pack infirmary, but he didn’t even budge; if not for his steady heartbeat, I would have considered him dead. But, it seems like he was in some kind of deep sleep. I put the bag aside and checked his temperature.

I took a deep breath after changing his bandages, and a sudden wish came to my mind. I traced his sharp features with my finger, and a sad smile crept onto my lips. It should be a sin to look this handsome and breathtaking.

“Looks like The Moon Goddess paired me with an arrogant Greek god,” I mumbled under my breath before tracing his aristocratic nose and sharp features. His features were enough to tell me he was an arrogant person. And his well-built physique was proof that he knew about his handsomeness quite well. I finally grabbed my things and went straight to the road, where I felt something different. I turned to check if someone was watching me, but no one was there.

“What’s wrong with me?” I touched my heart lightly when I noticed a flock of ominous birds flying towards the pack house.

“What the f*ck?”

“This is not a good sign,” I mumbled and headed towards my father’s office. He was present behind his mahogany wood desk with files in his hands.

“Ashley! Is everything okay?” He asked, and I don’t know what came over me, but I rushed towards him and hugged him tightly.

“Father! Are you okay?” I asked, and I heard his small chuckle.

“Silly girl,” He said, and tears welled up in my eyes.

“I was missing you, Father,” I answered, and he patted my head lovingly.

“How are your training and studies going?” he asked when I stepped back, and I finally controlled my tears and nodded my head in yes.

I finally left his office. But something was not right, I can feel it in my heart, but I can’t pinpoint that.