A Scent in the Dark

Darius swirled the amber whiskey in his glass, staring through the narrow slit between the velvet curtains. Down on the ballroom floor, werewolf nobility mingled under crystal chandeliers. They strutted like peacocks, puffing out their chests while parading eligible daughters into the sightlines of anyone carrying royal favor.

It sickened him. He avoided these gatherings for this exact reason. Common alphas were parasites, eager to barter their own blood for status. If urgent border skirmishes had not demanded his attention, he would have remained at Ravenhold. He hated being the center of attention, and he wanted this evening finished.

Yet two females occupied his thoughts, anchoring him to this mundane room.

The first was his fated mate. The memory of her still clawed at his sanity. Three nights ago, while running border patrol near the neutral waters, he had caught her scent and found her bathing naked in the lake. The moonlight had turned her skin into glowing pearl. He remembered the gentle arch of her spine as she floated, the swell of her bare breasts breaking the surface, and the pale gold hair spreading around her like silk.

His Lycan beast had slammed against his ribs, howling for her. She was the mate he had waited centuries to find. Yet when he stepped from the treeline in his wolf form, she felt nothing. No spark. No recognition. When her gaze landed on him, sheer terror drained her face, and she scrambled out of the water, fleeing into the dark.

He told himself she was merely frightened. Lycans were twice the size of standard wolves, and rumors about his kind were rarely gentle. But the sting of her retreat festered in his chest. Three pack territories bordered that lake. He had come here to question each Alpha until he found her.

The second female was Luna Kaelia Blackwood.

A bitter taste coated his tongue whenever he recalled their telephone exchange. He had been in a foul temper when her call came through, his mind shredded after losing his mate's trail in the woods. He had barked at her with cold arrogance. But the second she hung up, regret settled in his gut. As an Alpha King, he owed her more patience.

The Blackwoods held ancient treaties with the crown. More than that, the woman had a valid point. Her husband had paraded an outsider into their pack house and attempted to rob Kaelia of her ancestral lands. No honorable male placed his mark on a female only to discard her. If her claims proved true, Darius intended to back her and break Torin's pack during the divorce.

Darius took a slow sip of his drink, his dark eyes never leaving the crowd. "Do you see her yet?"

Vaughn lounged across a leather armchair behind him, lazily swirling a tumbler of bourbon. "Not a trace. Though I see plenty of fish down there, and I wouldn't mind dropping a line. Can I get a pass?"

Darius glanced over his shoulder, his expression flat. "Bring me Luna Blackwood first. Once she is located, you can fish all night."

Vaughn set his glass down on the marble table with an exaggerated sigh. "Fair enough. For what it's worth, the whispers from the packs are already loud."

Darius turned his focus back toward the floor. "What are they saying?"

Vaughn leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "Torin found his true mate during a border skirmish. A runaway omega. He brought her straight into the pack house, claiming his wolf needed her scent to survive. Pure trash behavior, if you ask me."

Darius raised a brow. "And the Luna? How did she take it?"

Vaughn shrugged, genuine respect coloring his tone. "Better than most. Word is she demanded he reject the omega at first. When the bastard refused, she stayed calm. She didn't scream or shred the furniture. She even treated the poor omega with decency."

Darius offered a dry scoff. "An abused omega rescued by a grand protector. A tale as old as time."

Vaughn chuckled, shaking his head. "Apparently Torin never learned how those fairy tales end. He is so taken with the girl that he brought her tonight as his official date."

Darius set his jaw, stepping closer to the drapery. "Point them out to me."

Vaughn rose from the chair and joined him at the wooden rail, pointing past the chandelier toward the champagne fountain. "Right there. The smug prick in the charcoal suit with the little redhead clinging to his sleeve."

Darius tracked his Beta's finger. The Alpha stood with an arrogant smirk, preening for the crowd while a woman in a tacky peach dress shrank against his arm. Her shoulders were hunched, her gaze glued to the carpet, overwhelmed by the grand room.

Darius curled his lip in open disgust. "She is plain. Torin threw away a seated Luna for that?"

Vaughn tilted his head, considering the pair. "She might be a seven on a generous night. But if my run-in with Luna Blackwood was any indication, the man traded a diamond for a dull pebble. Luna Blackwood is an undeniable ten."

Vaughn started to say something else, but his voice faded into white noise.

A sudden wave of scent drifted through the curtains, hitting Darius square in the chest.

Lilac. Summer rain. Wild honey.

Darius froze. His blood turned to molten silver. Inside his mind, his beast lunged forward with a deafening snarl, claws digging into his consciousness.

The mating bond snapped taut like a bowstring.

The heavy brass doors at the far end of the ballroom swung open.

A female stepped across the threshold.

Darius stopped breathing.

The crowd parted, every eye turning toward the entrance as she began her descent down the grand stairs. She wore a gown of wine-red silk that clung to every curve of her body like liquid fire. A slit climbed high along her thigh, flashing pale, flawless skin with every step. Diamonds sparkled at her throat and ears, but their brilliance paled against the golden hair tumbling over her bare shoulders.

It was her.

The nymph from the lake.

Darius gripped the balcony rail so hard the timber splintered beneath his palms. Draped in silk and ice, she looked even more stunning than beneath the moonlight. His pulse hammered like war drums.

He waited for her to freeze. He waited for her golden head to tilt upward, for her eyes to widen as the mating bond hit her with the same crushing force.

She took another step down the marble staircase. Then another.

She did not look up. She did not hesitate. Her expression remained serene and cool, her chin held high as she glided past the staring wolves without a single flicker of recognition.

Down below, the ballroom shifted. The silence broke into low, hungry murmurs. Every male wolf within fifty feet turned their eyes to her bare back, tracing the curve of her waist and the sway of her hips. Guttural growls of male interest rumbled through the hall.

Possessive fury detonated in Darius's chest. The air in the balcony turned freezing cold.

Throwing his head back, Darius unleashed a monstrous Lycan roar.

The sound tore through the ballroom like thunder, vibrating the crystal chandeliers and rattling the tall windows. The music died instantly. Pack alphas dropped their heads, their knees buckling under the weight of royal dominance.

On the staircase, the golden-haired beauty flinched. Her heel paused for a fraction of a second, her fingers twitching against the red silk. But she did not cower. She drew a steady breath, smoothed her posture, and continued down the steps into the silent hall.

Vaughn leaned over the railing, staring down at the woman in stunned realization. "Well, damn. There she is. Luna Kaelia Blackwood."