The Scent of Ruin

Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Callum Draveth stood near the large windows of the Draveth pack house, arms crossed tightly over his chest. The morning sun did little to warm the cold knot in his stomach.

He had found out two hours ago.

One of his pack members — a low-ranking wolf who had been at Virek's club last night — had returned shaken and wide-eyed. Callum had overheard the man recounting the story to two others in the hallway: how chaos had erupted after a woman was dosed with some heat enhancer. How Theron Virek had stormed in like death itself, declared the woman his, and carried her out in front of everyone.

Celeste.

The name had hit Callum like a punch to the gut. He hadn't heard from her since her last text the afternoon before — nothing since.

He had immediately pulled the wolf aside and demanded every detail. The more he heard, the worse it got. Theron had publicly claimed her. Had taken her back to his penthouse. Had kept her there all night.

Callum's hands clenched into fists at his sides. He wasn't a fool. He knew what that declaration meant in their world. Virek wasn't the type to throw around empty claims. If he had said it publicly, he meant it.

Celeste had no idea what any of that truly meant. She didn't know about packs. She didn't know about alphas. She didn't know that when an alpha like Virek made a claim like that in public, it carried weight in their world.

She didn't know she was walking straight into a war she never asked for.

The door behind him opened. His father, Marcus Draveth, stepped inside, his presence filling the room like it always did. Tall, silver-haired, and radiating pure authority that came from decades of leading the Draveth pack.

"You've heard," Marcus said. It wasn't a question.

Callum didn't turn around. "I heard."

Marcus moved to the bar cart and poured himself a drink. "Virek moved fast. Smarter than I gave him credit for. He claimed her faster than expected.“

"She doesn't even know what we are," Callum said, voice low. "She doesn't know what he is. And now she's trapped in his penthouse thinking he's some kind of hero."

Marcus took a slow sip. "She's carrying the bloodline. Strong enough that the drug reacted to her. That makes her valuable. Virek knows it now. So do we."

Callum finally turned, anger and something sharper burning in his chest. "She's not a bargaining chip. She's Celeste. She's been in my life for years, worked for you. She trusts me."

His father's expression didn't change. "And yet she was at Virek's club. She went there without telling you. That should tell you something."

Callum's jaw clenched. He had asked her to stay away from that place. She had smiled, teased him about being overprotective, and gone anyway. Now she was waking up in another alpha's bed with his scent all over her.

The thought made his wolf stir violently beneath his skin.

"I'm going to get her," Callum said.

Marcus raised an eyebrow but said nothing to that. "Good. Because you walk in there and challenge Virek directly, you know how that ends."

Then something flickered across his father's face — just for a second, the authority slipping to show something rawer underneath.

"I've buried enough of this pack's sons to alliances and border wars that should've never happened," Marcus said, quieter now. "I'm not burying mine over a claim made in a nightclub, Callum. Whatever you're feeling right now — and I know exactly what you're feeling — it doesn't leave this room. Not today.

Not when he's got the advantage and you'd be walking in there half out of your mind."

Callum's jaw tightened, but he didn't argue.

"So we just leave her with him?" he said instead, quieter than before. "Let him sink his teeth into her while we sit here and discuss strategy ?"

His father's expression hardened again, the moment of softness folding itself back beneath the surface. "We wait. We watch." He held Callum's gaze. "And when the moment is right, you bring her home. She trusts you more than anyone. Don’t waste that by getting yourself killed.”

Callum looked away, throat tight. He had loved her quietly for years — the girl who didn't know the world she walked in. He had protected her from the shadows, kept the worst parts of their life away from her. Now Virek had dragged her straight into the fire.

The sound of tires crunching on the long gravel driveway pulled him out of his dark thoughts. A sleek black SUV rolled to a stop in front of the pack house. Reis — Virek's Beta — was behind the wheel. Celeste stepped out of the back seat a moment later, looking unsteady on her feet.

Callum was moving before he even realized it. He pushed through the front doors and crossed the driveway in long strides. The moment she saw him, relief flickered across her exhausted face.

"Callum," she breathed.

He pulled her into his arms without hesitation, holding her close. She smelled like another alpha — like Theron — and it made his wolf rage beneath his skin. But he forced it down, focusing on how small and fragile she felt in his embrace.

"You're safe now," he murmured into her hair. "I've got you."

Celeste clung to him for a long moment before pulling back slightly. Her eyes were tired, haunted. "I don't even know where to start. Last night was… everything went wrong so fast. *He* got me out of the club, but then he—"

She stopped, cheeks flushing. Callum could see the struggle on her face — the embarrassment, the confusion, the lingering pull she clearly didn't understand.

"He claimed you,” Callum finished quietly. “In front of witnesses.”

Celeste's eyes widened. "How did you—"

"Word travels fast when something like that happens," he said, careful to keep his voice steady. "One of our guys was at the club. He saw it. Heard it."

She looked down, wrapping her arms around herself. "He kept saying I was his. Like it was already decided. I tried to get answers, but he wouldn't really explain anything. Just kept talking about some kind of… bond. Like I was supposed to feel it too."

Callum's jaw tightened. The word bond sent a spike of jealousy through him. He gently guided her toward the house, one hand resting protectively on her lower back.

"You don't have to worry about him anymore," he said. "You're here now. With us. With me. We'll figure this out."

Celeste nodded, but uncertainty lingered in her eyes. She glanced back toward the empty driveway once where Reis's SUV had already disappeared, almost like she was searching for something — or someone.

Inside the pack house, a few curious wolves watched them pass. Callum ignored them, leading Celeste upstairs to one of the guest rooms that overlooked the woods behind the property.

"My father will want to speak with you soon," he said as he opened the door for her. "But first, you should rest. You look like you've been through hell."

"I feel like it," she admitted softly, stepping inside. She turned to face him, searching his expression. "Callum… do you know what's really going on? Theron said things that didn't make sense. And the way everyone acted around him at the club… it was like they were afraid of him."

Callum hesitated. He wanted to tell her everything — about their world, about what she was, about why Virek wanted her. But his father's warning still echoed in his mind. *Not yet.*

"I know enough," he said carefully. "And I promise I won't let him take you back. You're safe here."

Celeste gave him a small, tired smile, but it didn't reach her eyes. "Thank you. I don't know what I would do without you."

The words should have warmed him. Instead, they twisted like a knife. Because he could still smell Virek on her skin. Could still see the faint marks on her neck that she kept unconsciously touching.

She had spent the night in another alpha's bed.

And no matter how much Callum wanted to pretend otherwise, the claim Theron had made last night wasn't going to disappear just because she was here now.

"I'll be right downstairs if you need anything," he said, forcing a gentle smile. "Try to get some rest."

As he closed the door, Callum's phone rang. Unknown number. He answered.

A low, calm voice he recognized instantly came through the line.

"Draveth." Theron's tone was almost pleasant. "Tell Celeste I'll be seeing her soon."