The Scent of Ruin

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The second floor holding area had a frightening and oppressive feeling, the sound of footsteps echoed in the quiet corridor.

The team had the four identified individuals separated in different rooms, each one seated and cuffed, each room containing two people each.

He went through the rooms one by one. His stride was unhurried; each room he entered ended with terrifying screams and pleading for forgiveness.

By the time he got to the last room, his whole body smelled strongly of blood and the soles of his shoes left traces of blood.

He crouched in front of the man now— eye level, close.

"You passed information on the Linares transfer," he said. "The route, the timing, and the alternative vehicle. Three people died because of what you handed over."

The man opened his mouth.

"Don't. I'm not f*****g interested in what you have to say." He stood. Picking up a hammer resting on a table, the man seated was already pleading before he was even touched.

In the corridor, Reis was waiting. His expression was neutral, as if he didn't seem to hear the painful wailing in the room behind him.

"Click." The door opened.

"Dispose of them."

"Yes, Alpha."

He turned away, wiping blood from his chin with a cloth handed to him.

"Was that all?"

A pause.

"….No, Alpha." Reis heart was beating faster than he could imagine, his fists clenched at his side as he tried to calm down.

"Deal with it." The deep baritone voice was heard.

The city blurred around her.

Lights smeared into streaks. The sound of crickets was heard, distant—like she was already slipping out of the world.

But she kept moving.

One step. Then another.

Don't stop.

Her boots scraped against the ground as she staggered down the wet forest, one hand clutching her side. Warm blood soaked through her fingers, dripping steadily onto the ground.

A clear trail.

"Damn it…" she whispered, her voice barely there.

The meeting point wasn't far now. Just a little further.

Callum would be there.

He had to be.

Her knees buckled slightly, forcing her to catch herself against a tree trunk. The impact sent a sharp jolt through her body, and a strangled gasp tore from her lips.

The wound had worsened. Every movement felt like it was tearing her apart from the inside.

Her breathing grew shallow. She urged herself weakly.

"Move…"

She pushed herself off the tree—

—and froze.

Behind her there was a faint flicker.

Light.

They weren't too distant but were getting close.

Her steps faltered as panic surged through her fading strength. She turned fully this time, squinting into the darkness—

Yes.

They weren't searching randomly, they were following.

A shaky breath escaped her lips.

"No… no, no…"

Adrenaline kicked in.

She forced her legs forward again, faster now—sloppier, desperate. Each step left a darker stain behind her, leaving trails like a guide.

Her vision tunneled, the world tilted but she didn't stop. She couldn't.

*

The meeting point came into view, an empty stretch of road.

There wasn't a single flickering streetlight. No one was there.

Her chest tightened.

"Callum…" she breathed, fear lacing her voice.

Her legs were unable to carry her anymore as her body pitched forward but she never hit the ground.

Strong hands caught her.

"Hey—hey! Stay with me!"

His voice. Familiar and urgent.

Callum.

Relief washed over her so hard it almost hurt.

"I..I thought…you weren't…coming.." she murmured weakly, barely forming the words.

"I've been here," he shot back, tightening his grip as he pulled her closer. "You're the one who decided to bleed halfway across the forest."

She tried to laugh but it came out as a faint breath instead.

His expression changed the moment he looked at her.

Her skin was pale, blood-soaked clothes and half-lidded eyes struggling to stay open.

"Damn it…" he muttered, voice dropping.

"You're worse than I thought."

"Had…better days…" she whispered.

Her head rolled slightly against his chest and her breathing slowed.

"Hey—no, no, no. Stay with me." His tone sharpened, one hand coming up to tap her cheek lightly. "Don't you dare pass out now."

Footsteps echoed faintly in the distance.

His eyes snapped up, scanning the street—then the dark path behind her.

The blood trail.

"Shit."

He adjusted his hold, lifting her fully into his arms.

"Hold on," he said, more to himself than her.

The vehicle engine roared to life nearby. He moved fast, slipping into the dark just as the beams of light cut through the forest behind them.

Voices followed.

"The trail stopped here—she couldn't have gone far!"

Callum didn't look back and the vehicle didn't slow down.

His driver sat at the wheel and him at the back with her still in his arms.

The car sped off in seconds, tires screeching.

In the backseat, her fingers weakly clutched at his shirt.

"I've got you," he said firmly, pressing a cloth against her wound. Her body was completely limp in his arms.

His jaw tightened.

"Stay with me…" he muttered, voice low and dangerous.

Behind them the hunt only grew more intense.

Elsewhere—

Another figure moved through the forest.

Alone. Silent. Unhurried.

His shadow blended with the dark and the scent led him.

He stopped where the blood pooled slightly, thicker along the roots of a tree. Kneeling, he pressed two fingers into it, lifting them slowly.

A faint smile curved his lips.

A cruel one.

His eyes darkened, something flickering within them.

"Found you."

The words seemed to echo—before he vanished into the darkness.

*

Fear.

That was the first thing she felt… it seeped in slowly.

Like ink spreading through water—thin at first, then deeper, thicker, until it swallowed everything whole.

She didn't know where she was but she knew she wasn't awake.

The air felt cold and tight.

A soft sound was heard, a lullaby.

Her breath caught.

"…Hello?"

The scene glitched.

She stood barefoot on the cold ground, the chill creeping up through her bones. The trees around her flickered, their shapes stretching unnaturally before snapping back in place.

Ahead stood a blurry figure and her heart stuttered.

"Mom?"

She called again; the figure didn't turn, just stood there. Still.

She moved closer, her small hands curling into fists at her sides, fear and hope tangling tightly in her chest.

"Why won't you look at me?" She asked, her voice trembling.

The figure finally moved.

The outline of her was unstable, her head tilted slightly—too stiff. Her face was distorted. Still, everything felt like her mother—

Except the air felt heavy.

"…Mom?" She whispered again, slower this time.

The figure didn't respond. A strange unease crept up her spine.

"Why…why won't you just die?"

The question hit her like cold water.

"What?"

Her mother stepped closer.

"Why won't you," she said again, her voice louder. "Why won't you—"

Her voice broke midway, distorting into something jagged.

"Die."

Her breath caught in her throat, tears filled her eyes instantly.

"I—I don't understand—"

"He knows," her mother continued, her voice dropping suddenly into an eerily calm. "Do you know what happens now?"

"They're coming."

The world warped again—

She stood in the middle of a crowded room—heads turned and eyes locked onto her.

And the whispers grew louder.

"That's her…"

"An abomination…"

Her breath quickened; their faces twisted in fear and disgust. She backed away slowly, shaking her head; hands grabbed her.

She kicked and struggled but it was useless. They dragged her across the floor, her nails scraping against stone as panic clawed its way up her throat.

"Let me go, please!"

They pulled her into a larger space— dimly lit, with symbols carved into the ground. An altar.

Her breath came in sharp bursts as she tried to push herself up—but hands forced her back down, pinning her limbs.

The chanting grew louder and the symbols around her began to glow, pulsing in time with the rhythm.

Tears blurred her vision as she struggled harder, her small body shaking under the pressure.

"Why are you doing this to me?!"

A cloaked figure stepped forward; the figure raised a hand with a blade in it, glinting in the firelight.

The blade hovered above her and her breath hitched.

"I don't want to die…" she whispered.

The figure paused, just for a second before the blade plunged downward—