Chapter 4. Chasing Scents

Talon’s POV (Alpha, Green Moss Pack)

My wolf, Leo, had been howling since morning—growling at me nonstop to quit what he charmingly referred to as my “whoring activities.”

I didn’t get it.

Every girl I touched, kissed, or screwed made him twitch with fury like he was the Pope of Purity.

“Hold off till we find our mate,” he kept saying like a broken record.

But come on, the brunette beneath me? A walking fantasy. Skin like caramel silk, legs that could lock a man’s soul, and tricks in bed that deserved awards. She moaned my name like I was the center of her goddamn universe.

And yet… I felt hollow. Even her best efforts couldn’t ignite that familiar spark anymore.

Something felt wrong.

“Dammit! This slut sucks my cock like a pro, but my mind’s still all over the place,” I mindlinked Leo mid-thrust, frustrated as hell.

“Get her off our dick, or I swear I’ll bite her head off,” Leo snarled, pacing in my mind like a caged beast.

“Can’t you let me unload first? Or do you want us walking into class with a raging fucking boner?” I shot back.

“Then fuck her hard enough she doesn’t come back,” Leo grunted. “But don’t you dare enjoy it.”

I growled low, slammed into her with finality, and let go. “Yeah, babe… ahhh… that’s it. Daddy’s gonna cum,” I groaned as I emptied into her mouth.

She swallowed like a champ.

Three orgasms later—mine, obviously—I shoved her toward the door while she purred sweet nothings I didn’t care to remember.

“Babe, I’ve got class,” I said flatly, already pulling on my jeans. I couldn’t even recall her name. Stephanie? Sierra? Something with an ‘S’, maybe. Who the hell cared?

Leo grumbled in satisfaction when she finally left.

I stood under the shower, letting scalding water beat against my back, but it couldn’t wash off the bitter feeling clawing inside me.

Something’s off.

That’s when it hit me.

The scent.

“What the fuck is that alluring, musky smell?” I muttered aloud, heart hammering. It gripped my senses like a vice.

It was addictive. Dangerous. Familiar yet foreign.

Leo froze. Then he howled.

“That’s her,” he whispered in awe. “That’s our mate.”

No. Fucking. Way.

I bolted toward the source like a man possessed, following the scent as it weaved in and out of the crowded hallway, teasing me, slipping between bodies, vanishing around corners.

“Faster!” Leo barked.

And then—it was gone.

Just… gone.

Like someone had yanked it out of the air.

I stood breathless near the old library wing, panting like I’d run a damn marathon.

Frustrated, I kicked the bottom of the ancient shelf I’d discovered weeks ago—the same one that masked the secret passage I used to sneak out of this cursed school.

Oh, by the way—name’s Talon Green. Son of the Alpha of Green Moss Pack. Born a troublemaker. Freedom junkie. Tunnel escape artist.

That tunnel, hidden behind the decrepit bookshelf, led straight to the city outskirts in five minutes flat. No guards. No sensors. Just darkness and liberation. And the best part?

Once I was in that tunnel, my powers returned. My instincts sharpened. The suffocating leash of Asheville loosened around my throat.

Leo practically danced when we got inside it.

But today? Even with freedom in front of me, he wasn’t excited. He was... distracted.

“Why don’t we follow it and see?” he asked, restless.

“The scent’s gone,” I muttered, searching again. “It disappeared the moment I stepped in.”

Leo growled low. “She’s close. She’s here. We’re just not ready to meet her yet.”

I clenched my fists.

This wasn’t just some hot girl I’d bang and forget. This was her. The one written into my soul.

“Calm down, Leo. Let’s save our asses and get to class,” I said, trying to shake the magnetic pull still lingering in my gut.

I vaporized the last trace of the brunette’s perfume off me and took off running—toward class, toward chaos, and unknowingly… toward her.

The one who would ruin me.

***

Zoe’s POV

“C’mon, Lyra, hurry up, dude. The classes are about to get over. We can’t afford to lose out on this opportunity,” I frantically called out of my window.

“Zoe, don’t worry about me. I’m just packing some important stuff to keep us going till we reach home,” Lyra replied, stuffing almost everything she could find into her backpack.

“You don’t need a lip gloss for lord’s sake!” I exclaimed indignantly.

“You never know when we meet a sexy dude,” Lyra winked.

I rolled my eyes and groaned. She’d flirt with Death himself if he had a six-pack and nice hair.

Our feet soon touched the soft grass after we jumped from the third-floor windows of our dorm and headed toward the main gate of the school with garbage bags slung over our shoulders, dressed in stolen linemen uniforms.

“Are you sure the IDs will work, Seris?” Lyra asked worriedly.

“Just trust me, okay? Have I ever failed you guys?” Seris replied, feigning a wounded expression.

“Guys, close your mindlinks and hold your breath. Do not let these dunderheads get a whiff of us. Act human as much as possible,” I whispered, pulling my cap down low.

We made our way through the first three checkpoints, successfully convincing the security staff we were garbage pickers on duty. But fate had other plans.

At the worst possible moment—just as we were about to escape—Virelle entered the premises. The Headmistress of Asheville Academy. Of all people.

“Guys, just stay calm and keep your eyes on the ground. Try to keep your mind blank and hold your breath,” I murmured, keeping my neck low and movements slow.

Every heartbeat felt like it could give us away. We passed her—barely—and only exhaled when we crossed the school boundary.

“Whew, that was close. Finally free, bitches! Let’s hurry up and go back to Diamond Ville,” Lyra shrieked.

“What’s up, Zoe? Why are you so panic-stricken?” Seris asked, noting my alarmed expression.

“My mindlink... it’s still blocked,” I whispered, chilled to the core.

“What? That’s just not possible! Wait a minute... even mine is still blocked,” Lyra said, her eyes wide with disbelief.

“So we’re still inside the school’s perimeter?” Seris blurted out in shock.

“Seems so... but this is weird. Let’s just run for it. We can’t afford to be caught, can we?” I said, bolting forward before either of them could answer.

“Zoe, how do we travel now? We haven’t shifted yet, and if we take the main road, our scents will be all over the place. We’ll be tracked in minutes,” Lyra pointed out, catching up beside me.

“Yes. We’ll travel by foot through these woods and only take a cab when we’re safely away from Asheville,” I replied, keeping my voice calm and authoritative.

“I wonder if the boys will be mad at us for leaving them behind,” Seris mumbled with guilt in her voice.

“No. Stick to the plan the boys made. We cannot afford to get out together,” I said with finality, cutting off that thought before it could linger.

We pushed forward, ducking under branches and keeping low to the undergrowth. Time was the enemy now. Every second spent near the academy was a second closer to disaster.

***

“Ma’am, you need to see this right now,” Kacy barged into Virelle’s office without knocking.

“What’s the matter, dear?”

“Five rogues were found dead outside the school’s perimeter in the woods.”

“Then that’s not our business,” Virelle replied curtly, barely looking up from her tea.

“Ma’am, one of the rogues had this in his hand.”

Virelle raised a brow. Then she sniffed.

Everything stopped.

She stared at Kacy for five whole seconds, color draining from her face.

“Oh no. It can’t be,” she whispered, her voice brittle.

“I’m afraid so. They must be halfway to Diamond Ville by now,” Kacy said.

Virelle stood, her expression darkening.