Vanessa.
I had barely left the study when I realized something was wrong.
Davian, Damien, and Adrien had not been in the mood for games or banter, their expressions hard, their voices low and clipped. I knew that look. It meant pack matters, serious ones. Issues that demanded their full attention. I was not foolish enough to interrupt them when they were like that, not when the air itself seemed heavy with tension and unspoken decisions.
So I left.
Quietly.
But as I stepped into the hallway, a different urgency settled in my chest. I needed to find Aidan. I needed to see him. I told myself it was nothing more than reassurance, that familiar need to be close to the man who was supposed to be mine. I hoped—truly hoped—that he would be less busy, that he would have time for me.
I followed the corridor, my steps quick but light, until it hit me.
His scent.
Strong. Familiar. Unmistakable.
Relief flickered briefly, until something else threaded through it.
Another scent.
