His Scent again
1041 Words
Chapter Three
His Scent Again
The BloodClaw Pack gates hadn’t changed. The same towering black pines surrounded the border. The same stone markers lined the worn dirt trail. But I was different.
I wore my Crimson Fang uniform—black leather pants, matching boots, a sleeveless fitted tunic that hugged my now-powerful frame. My hair was longer, darker, pulled back in a sleek braid. And my aura, once frail, now carried weight.
Even the guards stiffened as I approached.
“State your name and purpose,” one of them barked, stepping forward. His voice faltered as he got a good look at me. His nose twitched.
I didn’t flinch. “Aria Quinn. Representative of the Crimson Fang Pack. I have been summoned to discuss the Eastern Treaty.”
The guard’s brows drew together. “Aria... Quinn?” he repeated, as if unsure whether his ears had betrayed him.
The other one leaned closer. “That can’t be. She left years ago.”
“Tell Alpha Damon I’ve arrived,” I said flatly, my voice cold and controlled.
They didn’t argue. One of them shifted into wolf form and darted down the path toward the main house.
The other kept staring, squinting. “You don’t look like her.”
I raised my chin. “No. I don’t.”
He said nothing else.
Ten minutes later, the sound of boots and footsteps announced someone approaching—and then I saw him.
Damon.
Three years hadn’t dulled a single thing about him.
He was taller, broader, more cut along the jawline, dressed in black tactical pants and a fitted dark-gray shirt that clung to his frame. His hair was still jet black, tousled like it always was, but his aura... it was heavier.
He paused when he saw me.
His eyes locked on mine.
Something flickered in them—confusion, recognition... then a flash of disbelief.
His nostrils flared.
He smelled me.
The bond shimmered like electricity between us. Stronger than before. Thicker. Like a rope stretched between two cliffs, unable to be ignored.
His lips parted, but no words came.
“Alpha Damon,” I said smoothly, keeping my voice cold.
He blinked once. “Aria...?”
I didn’t respond.
He took two steps forward, his eyes narrowing as if seeing me clearly for the first time.
“You came back.”
“No,” I said, tilting my head slightly. “I came on business.”
He took another step toward me, as if drawn by a magnetic pull. “You look... different.”
“Is that a problem?” I asked.
His eyes darkened. “You smell different.”
I smirked. “That’s not your concern.”
Silence thickened between us. His wolf, Kairos, growled just beneath the surface. I felt it tug against my own—Elira stirred, fierce and quiet.
“You’re still my mate,” he said suddenly.
The words punched the air between us.
I raised a brow. “You rejected me, remember?”
“I never revoked the bond.”
“You shattered it,” I snapped, the mask slipping for the briefest second. “You humiliated me. You spat on the Moon Goddess’s gift and left me in the dirt. And now, three years later, you think that bond means something?”
He looked rattled.
Good.
“It does mean something,” he said, jaw tight. “I... I felt it the moment you stepped across the border.”
“So did I,” I replied, stepping closer until our bodies nearly touched. “But the difference is... I don’t want it anymore.”
His jaw clenched. His eyes roamed over my face, down to my throat, my chest, lingering where the old mark used to be.
“You were mine,” he said, low and dark.
“I was never yours,” I whispered back. “You gave me up before you ever tried to know me.”
He swallowed hard.
I turned away.
“I’ll be in the council hall at dusk. We’re discussing the treaty expansion. Don’t be late, Alpha.”
Before he could respond, I walked past him, deliberately brushing my shoulder against his chest. His body tensed under the contact. I didn’t look back.
But I felt him watching me.
Burning.
---
Later that evening, I stood at the center of the BloodClaw council room, surrounded by warriors, elders, and high-ranking members of both packs. My Crimson Fang badge rested at my hip.
Damon entered last.
His eyes locked onto me first—he hadn’t stopped staring since the moment I returned.
I ignored him.
We discussed the treaty, territory terms, and border disputes, but every time I spoke, I felt the heat of his gaze crawling up my skin. He barely said a word—just watched me like a predator unsure how to pounce.
After the meeting, he approached.
“Come with me,” he said under his breath.
I crossed my arms. “No.”
“It’s not a request.”
“I’m not your pack. You can’t command me.”
He stepped in close, breath grazing my cheek. “Aria... please.”
The word nearly stopped me.
Almost.
But I followed him anyway.
He led me through the back corridor, through an old garden I remembered from childhood. It was overgrown now—like so many broken things here.
He stopped under the moonlight. Turned to face me.
“I made a mistake,” he said.
“No,” I whispered. “You made a choice.”
He moved fast.
His hands gripped my arms, pulling me closer, but not roughly—desperate. His face hovered inches from mine. His scent overwhelmed my senses, fire and musk and memory.
“I feel it,” he growled. “The bond. It’s stronger now than it ever was. I dream of you. I wake up hard and angry because I know I lost you before I ever had you.”
My heart stuttered.
But I wouldn’t melt. Not yet.
“Good,” I whispered. “Now you know how it feels.”
I pulled away and left him there—panting, hard, haunted.
The Luna he left behind was no longer broken.
And now… the Alpha would break.
- Writer
