[Alaric’s POV]
I hit the soft dirt of the royal gardens in a perfect, silent crouch, my Lycan agility absorbing the twenty-foot drop effortlessly.
Above me, the faint strains of the orchestra and the muffled laughter of the nobles bled from the glowing windows of the grand ballroom. But I was entirely deaf to it. The only thing existing in my universe right now was the scent.
Rain-soaked earth. Wild pine. Burning embers.
It was intoxicating. It was pulling at my soul with a force so violent and absolute that I felt like a puppet on a string. My inner wolf was pacing frantically inside my chest, scratching at my ribs, howling a single, desperate demand: FIND HER. CLAIM HER.
I stood up, closing my mismatched eyes, and took a deep, shuddering breath, letting the scent coat the back of my
