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“Sure, sure. I’ve got it.” I smirked at Dom as he tried to tame his hair back into a more respectable style.
I looked up at the moon’s spot in the sky. The challenge ceremony would be happening soon. I needed to get moving.
“It’s time, Dom,” I said. “Let the others know to be ready.”
Dom nodded and sprinted off to carry out my orders. The night before, I’d had my men verify which cabin belonged to Troy. Now that it was finally time, I did my name justice by slipping into the shadows to infiltrate the compound.
I slipped from building to building, but I didn’t have to—everyone was too drunk, too sleepy, or too distracted to notice that I had snuck through their borders. I was sure I could have waltzed in through the opening without alerting any suspicion. But it was better to remain cautious during these sorts of missions—even if the opponent threw caution to the wind.
It wasn’t hard to find Troy’s home. He lived in the Alpha’s cabin, a property that was much larger than not only my own cabin but also the other cabins of the Kings’ pack. It had likely started out more humbly, and as the territory passed hands, each Alpha added more to it. Given the lumber that was piled near the western side of the cabin, Troy was probably in the process of expanding it even further now that our father was dead.
On the second story, there was a window large enough for me to fit through. With one leap, I grabbed hold of the sill and tested the window. It was unlocked, so I pushed it the rest of the way open and slipped quietly inside.
I landed in a crouch and surveyed the room. It was dark here, but my wolf senses allowed me to see what was around me. I seemed to be in a den filled with shelves and shelves of books. I scoffed at the idea that any of the Redwolfs would ever crack open a book or that they were even capable of reading. If they cared at all about books, they wouldn’t be such a disgrace.
Now that I was sure I was the only one in the den, I went to touch one of the spines of the books. My fingers came away dusty. As I’d thought, none of these had been used in years, maybe even decades. They were likely just for display, meant to impress visiting Alphas, or they had belonged to previous Kings’ Alphas.
I froze. I thought I’d heard something. It was just for a second, nothing more than a squeak or a sigh or something like that. I tilted my head, listening for any sign that there was another soul in the cabin. But the sound didn’t come again. Must be a rat. I told myself to keep moving.
The den opened to a large hallway. As I reached it, the smell of dusty books and old rugs gave way to Troy’s scent. My wolf sneezed repeatedly, and I tried to soothe him. The odor was terrible and pungent, and it made both me and my wolf want to gag. It was the stink of someone who had nothing to offer other than the corroded sludge they were made from. It left me wishing for an open window or something that I could use to get the scent out of my head.
Because it was so overwhelming, it didn’t take long for me to acclimate to the smell. I continued down the hall. The cabin was furnished with antique furniture, and the flooring was freshly polished. It didn’t so much as creak as I stepped across it. On the walls were pictures of Troy, Gregor, and Troy’s mother. I scowled at them. The sooner I could burn this place down, the better.
As I neared the far corner of the cabin, another scent hit me. Hard.
I inhaled deeply and marveled at the way the aroma clung to the air like perfume. I took another deep breath, and the scent wrapped around me like a warm blanket. It was like nothing I had ever smelled before. It was like the smell of spring grass first thing in the morning when dew still clung to each blade. It was sweet magnolias mixed with the scent of fresh earth, and something about it made my wolf howl.
I had to investigate where it was coming from. I couldn’t complete this mission without finding its source. So I followed it, allowing it to take me out of that hallway and toward a closed, red door. I leaned forward and took a few tentative sniffs at the door. Oh, yes. Whatever was behind this would reveal what was causing that divine smell.
Now that I was so close to it, I realized the scent was laced with the spicy scent of fear. That thought disturbed me more than a random smell ought to, but I couldn’t shake it off. I took another whiff, and my shoulders relaxed somewhat. I thanked the powers that be that I couldn’t detect any indication of sex behind the door. The last thing I wanted to do was walk in on Troy balls-deep in one of his mistresses. Though, if nothing else, it would make a great story for me to bring back to the Wargs.
I placed my hand on the knob. I was prepared to head inside, but right before I opened the door, the faintest sob reached my ears. Despite the enticingly potent aroma, I stepped back—my wolf whined at the delay, but I ignored its protests. That sob—it didn’t belong to Troy. It had come from either a woman or a child, but none of the intel I had on Troy revealed that he had a family or a mate.
I frowned, considering what to do next. I didn’t relish the idea of hurting—or worse, killing—another wolf, especially if they were a woman or a child. At the same time, I couldn’t risk being caught. I’d put too much work into this moment for it to fail just because I’d startled someone.
A scream from whoever was behind the door would either result in one of two things. Either I would be carted away before I could challenge the piece of shit, a humiliation from which I would never recover. Or I’d have to run, an awful defeat. Neither of those outcomes was appealing to me after I had worked so hard to steal back my birthright. I took another sniff and was confused when I didn’t detect the bit of spice that told me there was another wolf nearby.
If I fucked up here, the Kings would undoubtedly step up their patrols and their guarding. I might not get another chance to end Troy.
I ought to walk away and continue my mission before this person found me out, but my curiosity won. I had to know what was going on in this room. So, I slowly twisted the knob and took a tentative step inside. I was prepared to be ambushed by a shifter, regardless of what my nose was telling me. But there were still no wolves nearby. The first thing I noticed was an empty bed so big it would take up over half of my living space back home.
I scowled. Really? Troy sleeps on gold sheets? I cannot wait to knock this fuck down a peg and then quickly torch this place to the ground.
My gaze roamed to the back wall, and my heart just about stopped. There was a woman stripped down to her underwear and tied to the wall. Ropes had left her skin raw and red, and she was silently crying tears that dripped onto the wood floors. I stared at her, a slew of questions forming in my brain before I finally settled on one. What kinky bullshit is this?
I should have known that a man like Troy would leave a woman so vulnerable while he partied it up with the other Kings. I could judge him, but for all I knew, this might have been consensual. The woman’s head was down, and she was whimpering quietly to herself. She hadn’t heard me, which meant I could still salvage this.
If I was quick and quiet, I might be able to leave the room without her noticing me. I took a careful step back. I never once made any sort of noise, but just then, the woman looked up. My reflexes kicked in, and I crossed the room in a blink. Worried she’d scream, I went to cover her mouth, but I stopped when I saw her eyes. They were steel blue and almost glowed in the darkness. I knew those eyes—they’d plagued my dreams for weeks, maybe even months now.
What did this mean? Was the girl in my fantasies real? I didn’t know what to think. Those dreams fucked with me, and it seemed they continued to do so even as I stood awake.
I sniffed the air again, smelling nothing but the earthy sweet scent of her natural aroma. She was every bit as beautiful as I’d thought she’d be—thick auburn hair bound back in a braid and a sweet, heart-shaped face with features so delicate they were almost elven. As for her body, she wore only a bra and panties. She was petite and lithe, but there were curves to her hips, to her thighs, to her chest—I quickly looked away. It was wrong to ogle her when she was in such a compromising position.
This woman was the source of the fear I’d smelled outside the door, and she was clearly a prisoner. I’d never known a human—hell, I’d never known a wolf to smell this wonderful. How was any of this possible?
Though my thoughts spiraled out of control, my wolf wasn’t anywhere near as alarmed or perplexed. He wagged his tail and howled again, pining to be closer to this woman. The urge was so powerful, it actually made me take a step closer before I got control of myself. Stop that.
“Who are you?” I asked the woman.
