**Reika/Zara**
My face was pressed into the nook of her neck, an assortment of floral scent and essential oils assaulted my senses.
But beneath them, I could still perceive the scent of the woman who had been my best friend for more than four years.
The one who had comforted me in the darkness nights when Kaid didn’t care to look at me, when I was labelled barren and maltreated.
The friend who stood beside and behind me when my right to claim the Alpha position was contested by the Elders of the pack.
I crushed her in my arms, my eyes tingling..
Bella.
I barely thought about her after I came back, barely stopped to think about how she took the news of my death, how she reacted when Kaid and Lyra announced their engagement afterwards.
She stood frozen in my arms, her hands tapping
