The Scent of Ruin

**Chapter 1** The sound of fists smashing flesh echoed through the blood-soaked hall like thunder. "Where the f**k are they?" Theron Virek roared. His hands rising and falling, each punch landing with brutal precision. The metallic stench of blood clung to everything. His silver eyes burned with cold fury. The entire hall was pin-drop silent except for the sound of heavy punches and battered flesh. The guards stood frozen, knees trembling. No one dared to speak until the tall, husky enforcer finally stepped forward. "They were caught at the border, Alpha. Trying to flee." Theron stopped. Silence swallowed the room. He straightened, blood dripping from his knuckles. "Deal with the rest. Then clean this mess up." "Yes, Alpha." And with that, he walked out of the hall, leaving a trail of blood. --- Celeste Arden knew she was running out of time. Trapped inside this sealed-off building with armed guards and terrified hostages, every second increased the risk of meeting whoever truly ran this operation. She clutched her duffel bag tighter. "Excuse me," she said, voice steady despite the pain in her side. "I need to use the restroom." The guards exchanged glances shortly after she spoke, although it was a short glance it felt like unsaid words were spoken but she didn't think much about it at this point. Celeste didn't know who they were looking for but for some reason, a lot of people were held back and their things confiscated—thankfully she only had a duffle bag with a pair of clothes and a packet of chips inside. "Take her." The speaker was a man with a crisp British accent and a rifle hung around his chest. His face covered, only his blue eyes could be seen. He made a gesture to a smaller guard—a woman to follow me. "Move it." She said, pulling my arm as she dragged me towards the restroom. By the time they got to the door of the restroom, the rough treatment had successfully ripped open her old wound. Warm blood seeped through her shirt. The female guard froze, staring down at Celeste as her nostrils flared, sniffing the air around her, which was strange. Celeste's heart stuttered. "I'm on my period,” Celeste lied quickly. I bleed heavily." The female guard wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Gross." She muttered, shoving Celeste into a stall and stepped back “I'll be right outside.“ Once she was far away Celeste let out a soft scoff. The moment she was alone, Celeste moved. She cleaned her wound with little of what was available, it was time to leave. She searched for an opening to see how tight the security was. There was a small window roughly the width of her shoulders and the good thing was that she was on the ground floor. She stood on the toilet, head outstretched. Surprisingly, the security wasn't as tight as she imagined; Celeste could hear heavy footsteps in the corridor. She squeezed through, landing softly on the damp ground outside, immediately pressed herself against the wall. The building was an old one and poorly maintained. It was three storeys above her, the window was barely hanging off its hinges, the mounted cameras at the corner of the roof were no longer in service. The building was poorly sealed off. And with that she made a run towards the forest. She ran. * A sleek black matte sedan rolled to a stop in front of the sealed building; the tyres left trails on the tracked road. The guard immediately straightened. The rear door opened. Theron Virek stepped out, tall and commanding. His tailored black coat frames powerful shoulders. Pale skin, razor-sharp jaw, sculptured cheekbones, and those piercing silver eyes gave him a cruel beauty. At twenty-seven, he was already a legend — ruthless Alpha and billionaire CEO who did as he wished. He lit a cigarette, inhaled deeply, and crushed it beneath his shoe. "Report," he ordered. "Four hostiles secured on the second floor," his Beta, Reis, said. Falling into step behind him. Theron’s gaze swept the building, then drifted toward the dark forest. For a split second, something primal stirred inside him — a faint, intoxicating scent carried on the wind. Jasmine and fresh blood. His chest tightened. *Mate.* He dismissed the thought. Impossible. --- Deep in the forest. Celeste stopped only after covering some distance. Her back pressed against a thick tree, breathing hard. Blood soaked her fingers as she pressed them to her side. She pulled the hidden communicator device from her hair, it looked like a regular wrist band. Pressed the center, feeling a faint pulse of warmth against her wrist. Her voice was low. "Callum. You there?" Static. Then his warm, urgent voice. “Celeste? Talk to me. Where are you?" "Outside the building. East perimeter, in the forest." She winced, pressing harder against the wound. "I'm out, but the situation is bad. I don't know how long before they notice I'm gone." "Are you hurt?" "My old wound reopened. It's manageable.“ She scanned the deep trees. “Callum that's not the priority right now." She pressed harder against the tree. "The building is fully sealed. At least fourteen armed guards with some hostages.“ There was a tense pause. "How did you get out?" "Restroom window on the first floor." There was a pause. "I don't recommend it." "We will have that conversation later. Right now — can you move?" "I can move." She pushed off the tree. "There's an extraction point two kilometers northeast— old rail depot. I'll see you there in forty minutes." "Make it thirty." “Be careful.“ Callum said, voice thick with concern. “I'm coming for you.“ Celeste pushed off the tree, but a strange heat suddenly bloomed in her chest. Her skin tingled. For a moment, she felt….. pulled. Like something — someone — was calling to her from the direction of the building. She shook it off and kept running. Behind her, through the dense dark and two hundred metres of concrete, Light now blazing on the first floor. --- Inside the building, chaos erupted. "Where the f**k is she?!" The armed guard with the Russian-accent bellowed. The female guard who had been watching Celeste trembled. “I..I don't know, she was right here—" The guard stormed the bathroom. Eyes landing on the opened window and blood on the wall. His face twisted with fury. "Find her! She couldn't have gone far. Bring her back alive." He said, pointing at the female guard. “Take a few men, if you fail… I'll have your head." His voice dangerously low at the end of the sentence, the woman shivered as a cold sweat trailed down her back. “Yes sir." Men poured out of the back door, spreading into the forest. Moment later, a guard rushed in and whispered urgently in the man's ear. His expression darkened as he stormed out. --- High above, in the shadow of the second floor, Theron Virek stood at a window, silver eyes locked on the treeline. The scent was stronger now. Blood. Jasmine. * Her.* A low, possessive growl rumbled from deep in his chest. His hands clenched into fists. “Reis,” he said, voice dangerously calm. “Send some men into the forest. There's something out there that belongs to me.“ As Celeste sprinted deeper into the trees, she heard heavy footsteps closing in behind her. But the worse than that was the overwhelming feeling that the most dangerous predator of all had just set his sights on her.