Scentless Girl
1546 Words
The noise of the assembly lingered long after it ended.
Students poured out of the great hall in clusters, their voices overlapping in low murmurs and sharp laughter. The once-ordered rows dissolved into shifting groups, each moving with a sense of belonging Aria couldn’t relate to.
She stepped out into the corridor slowly, gripping the strap of her bag a little tighter than necessary.
No one waited for her.
No one walked beside her.
It was as if an invisible space existed around her—one people noticed, but chose not to cross.
Aria kept her eyes forward and continued walking.
Behind her, whispers followed.
“They’re saying she’s new.”
“Of course she’s new. I’ve never seen her before.”
“Which pack is she from?”
“I don’t know… that’s the weird part.”
Aria’s jaw tightened.
She pretended not to hear.
The hallway stretched ahead, lined with tall windows that let in streaks of pale light. Students leaned against the walls or moved past her in groups, their conversations dipping slightly whenever she got too close.
Then rising again the moment she passed.
She exhaled slowly.
Just ignore them.
It shouldn’t matter.
It didn’t matter.
She had only been here for less than a day. Of course people would be curious.
Still… the way they looked at her didn’t feel like curiosity.
It felt like suspicion.
Aria turned a corner, hoping to find a quieter path—
And stopped.
A group of girls stood ahead, blocking the corridor.
At the center of them was a tall girl with long, sleek black hair and sharp, confident features. Her posture was relaxed, but there was something undeniably commanding about her presence.
The others stood slightly behind her.
Not quite equal.
More like followers.
Aria hesitated.
Then tried to walk past them.
The girl stepped forward, blocking her path.
“Well,” she said smoothly, “you must be the new girl.”
Aria looked at her.
“Yes.”
The girl’s lips curved into a faint smile.
Not friendly.
Just… interested.
“I don’t recognize your face,” she continued. “Which pack are you from?”
Aria hesitated.
“I—don’t have one.”
A flicker of surprise passed through the group.
Then curiosity sharpened.
“No pack?” one of the girls repeated.
“That’s strange,” another muttered.
The girl in front tilted her head slightly, studying Aria more closely.
“Then where exactly did you come from?”
“Outside,” Aria replied simply.
A soft laugh escaped one of the girls.
“Outside?” she echoed. “What does that even mean?”
Aria didn’t answer.
The leader’s gaze lingered on her.
Then slowly… she stepped closer.
Too close.
Aria instinctively tensed.
The girl leaned in slightly, inhaling near Aria’s shoulder.
Then she froze.
Her expression changed.
Confusion flickered across her face.
She leaned in again.
Another slow inhale.
The silence around them deepened.
“What…” she murmured.
One of the other girls frowned.
“What is it?”
The leader straightened slowly, her eyes narrowing as she stared at Aria.
“I can’t smell her.”
The words hung in the air.
“What do you mean you can’t smell her?” another girl asked.
“I mean exactly that,” she replied. “There’s nothing.”
A few nearby students paused, their attention drawn to the conversation.
One of them stepped closer.
“Let me try.”
He moved toward Aria, sniffing the air slightly.
Then his brows pulled together.
“…She’s right.”
More students began to gather.
Whispers spread quickly.
“What’s going on?”
“They can’t smell her.”
“Impossible.”
Aria’s heartbeat quickened.
“What are you talking about?” she asked, trying to keep her voice steady.
The leader’s lips curved slowly.
But this time, the smile held something sharper.
“Every wolf has a scent,” she said. “It’s how we recognize each other.”
Her eyes locked onto Aria’s.
“But you…”
She stepped closer again.
“Have nothing.”
A murmur rippled through the crowd.
“That’s not normal.”
“Is she suppressing it?”
“You can’t suppress it completely.”
“Then what is she?”
The questions came faster now.
Sharper.
Aria felt heat rise to her face.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said.
“Oh, I think you do,” the girl replied lightly.
She circled Aria slowly, like she was inspecting something.
“Or maybe you don’t,” she added.
“That might actually be worse.”
A boy in the crowd spoke up.
“Do you even have a wolf?”
The question hit harder than it should have.
Aria froze.
She opened her mouth—
Then closed it.
She didn’t know how to answer.
The silence stretched.
And in that silence…
Everything shifted.
“There it is,” someone said.
“She doesn’t have one.”
A few students laughed.
“Are you serious?”
“How did she even get in here?”
“She’s not one of us.”
The words came like small blows.
Not loud.
But sharp enough to sting.
Aria clenched her fists.
“I do belong here,” she said, though her voice lacked certainty.
“Really?” the leader challenged.
“Then prove it.”
Aria’s heart pounded.
“I don’t have to prove anything to you.”
The girl’s expression darkened slightly.
“Oh, but you do,” she said softly.
“Because right now?”
She leaned closer, her voice dropping just enough for only those nearby to hear.
“You look like a mistake.”
A few gasps rippled through the crowd.
Aria felt anger spark in her chest.
Before she could respond—
A shoulder slammed lightly into hers.
She stumbled back a step.
One of the girls smirked.
“Careful,” she said mockingly. “Wouldn’t want you to break.”
More laughter.
The leader crossed her arms.
“Tell me something,” she continued. “If you don’t have a scent… and you don’t have a wolf…”
Her gaze hardened.
“What exactly are you?”
The question echoed in Aria’s mind.
She didn’t have an answer.
And the worst part was—
A small voice inside her whispered that maybe…
They were right.
The crowd shifted again.
But this time, the energy changed.
Quieter.
Tenser.
Aria felt it before she saw him.
That presence.
That weight in the air.
Her gaze lifted—
And landed on him.
Kael Draven.
He stood a few feet away, watching.
His expression unreadable.
The crowd parted slightly, giving him space without being told.
The leader straightened a little when she noticed him.
Respect flickered across her face.
“Kael,” she said smoothly.
But he didn’t respond.
His eyes were on Aria.
Sharp.
Focused.
Cold.
Aria’s chest tightened.
For a brief moment, something passed through his gaze.
Something unreadable.
Then—
His expression hardened.
Disgust.
Or was it irritation?
It was hard to tell.
But one thing was clear.
He wasn’t on her side.
He said nothing.
Did nothing.
Just watched.
And somehow…
That hurt more than the laughter.
Aria swallowed hard.
She straightened her shoulders slightly.
“I don’t care what you think,” she said quietly.
The leader raised a brow.
“Bold,” she said.
“But it doesn’t change the truth.”
She turned slightly, addressing the small crowd.
“Well, everyone…”
Her lips curved into a satisfied smile.
“Looks like we have something new at the academy.”
She glanced back at Aria.
“A mystery.”
A voice from the back spoke up.
“Or a defect.”
More laughter.
The word echoed.
Defect.
Another voice followed.
“No scent.”
And then—
Someone said it.
Softly at first.
Then louder.
“Scentless.”
The word spread quickly.
“Scentless.”
“The scentless girl.”
Aria felt her chest tighten.
The label stuck instantly.
Like it had always been waiting for her.
The leader smiled faintly.
“Well,” she said, stepping aside at last. “You should be careful.”
Her eyes gleamed.
“This place isn’t kind to things that don’t belong.”
The crowd slowly began to disperse.
Whispers followed.
“Scentless…”
“Did you see her?”
“She’s definitely not normal.”
Aria stood there for a moment longer.
Then turned.
And walked away.
Each step felt heavier than the last.
The academy suddenly felt larger.
Colder.
More hostile.
She could still feel their eyes on her.
Still hear the whispers trailing behind her.
Scentless.
Scentless.
Scentless.
Her fingers curled into fists at her sides.
She didn’t stop walking until the corridor was empty.
Only then did she slow down.
Her chest rose and fell unevenly.
Her mind raced.
No scent.
No wolf.
Not one of them.
Her reflection caught in one of the tall windows.
She stopped.
Stared at herself.
For a moment…
She didn’t recognize the girl looking back.
A single thought echoed in her mind.
Louder than all the whispers.
More dangerous than all their words.
If I’m not like them… then why did this academy call me here?
- Writer
