Chapter 6: Scent

REINA

I finally got myself to relax, the ache in my limbs melting into the mattress beneath me as I sank deeper into the comforting warmth of the bed.

The pillow cradled my head, and for the first time in what felt like forever, my body gave in to rest. My breath evened out, the lingering thoughts dissolving like mist until sleep gently pulled me under.

I didn’t know how long I had been asleep, but my consciousness slipped in slowly as I felt a soft, almost featherlight touch trailing along the bare skin of my thighs.

My brows knit together instinctively, my body growing tense with awareness. My heart fluttered in panic as my brain scrambled to identify what was happening.

Oh no. Alpha Logan must have returned.

I kept my eyes shut tightly, feigning slumber in the hopes that he would leave me alone. My breath stilled when the hand lingered, stroking gently with an intimacy that turned my stomach.

But just as suddenly, it left, and I heard a faint sigh escape from the figure beside me.

"If only you can love me the way I love you, Reina," the voice whispered.

That voice did not belong to Alpha Logan.

My eyes flew open before I could even register the decision to move. Recognition hit me like a slap across the face.

It wasn't Logan, it was Lucy.

I felt my body freeze, unmoving beneath the covers, my mind spinning with confusion as I watched her silhouette beside the bed. I couldn’t bring myself to say anything, hoping she might go on and clarify whatever this strange moment was.

And then she did.

"Ever since Margaret asked me to watch over you, you won my heart," she whispered softly, as though speaking her secrets into the darkness.

"Your brokenness made me fall harder. The softness of your voice, the silkiness of your hair and skin, and even how your eyes light up when you see me."

My heart thudded louder in my chest. I wanted to shake my head, to tell her she was wrong. My eyes had never lit up at the sight of anyone. I had no strength for affection. No desire for attention. Nobody had ever stirred anything in me since I was thrown into this cruel twist of fate, and I had already made peace with dying young. My life had no purpose.

But Lucy wasn’t done.

"Oh, and how you lick your lips when I'm around."

That was the final straw.

"Girl—" the word tumbled out of my mouth before I could stop it.

Lucy froze, her body stiffening as I slowly sat up, my blanket pooling around my waist. Her wide eyes met mine, panic flooding her expression.

"R…Reina, you're awake?"

"Um," I murmured, blinking at her. I didn’t know what to do or how to respond. I had never been loved by anyone, let alone in this way. And I knew, deep in my bones, that I was straight.

"I'm sorry if you heard all of that, but—"

“But what?” I asked. I willed my voice to stay soft and not judgemental because I could understand her feelings, but not her actions. Wasn't she afraid of Logan? I was.

“I just... Look, you... Everything about you–“

I raised my hand gently, silencing her. "It's okay to have feelings, Lucy. But it is not okay to violate me in my sleep.”

“I wasn't trying to violate you,” she said softly and she sounded hurt. Maybe I did hurt her, but I couldn't encourage what she wanted.

“Well I'm sorry, but I’ll have to ask you to leave."

Her face twisted with offense and hurt, but she said nothing. She gave a curt nod, her posture stiff, and walked slowly toward the door.

But the moment she opened it, she took a staggering step backward, her breath catching in her throat as she gasped in horror.

"Alpha Logan!" she stuttered, her voice trembling. "I…"

I went still as well, my throat tightening. Guilt suddenly gripped me for sending Lucy out. Maybe she would have saved me.

"Sir... I was just leaving," Lucy bowed, her voice trembling with panic, her eyes darting between Logan and the door behind her as if she could will her body to vanish.

I wanted to scream, to tell her to stay back, to not leave me alone with him, not after what I’d just endured but the words never made it out.

Logan’s eyes were already locked on me, and in that moment, it felt as though he was looking into my soul, scanning for traces of a disturbance, something that would explain the shift in my energy.

"Reina," he called, and the way he said my name made my breath catch. It was deep, rough, and yet it slid across my skin like silk, igniting a warmth I didn’t want. "What happened?"

Huh?

"What happened?" I echoed, my voice barely above a whisper, but it didn’t matter. His expression darkened before I could explain or divert his attention.

In a sudden, savage movement, Logan reached out and caught Lucy by the throat. She gasped in shock as he lifted her effortlessly off the ground, her toes barely grazing the wooden floorboards.

The air in the room thickened, heavy with a presence that made my skin crawl. I could feel the shift in him, the sharp twist of dominance and wrath pouring out of his very pores. It was too fast, too violent, and too dangerous.

But I wasn’t frozen this time. I shot up from the bed and rushed to his side, desperate to stop him, desperate to breathe again in a space that had turned suffocating. I reached for his arm, but the heat of his rage pushed against me like a wall. He leaned slightly toward me, his eyes glowing a deep, burning amber, and for a split second, I thought he was going to lash out at me too.

"What did you do to her?" he snarled at Lucy, his voice vibrating through the floor. She writhed in his grip, her legs kicking out weakly as she tried to find purchase or mercy.

"Nothing, my lord. Please, my lord... please, forgive me. I only came to check on her!" Lucy rasped, struggling to speak as her face grew pale.

"Then why is your scent all over her?" Logan demanded, his lips curling into a twisted, cold smile that chilled me to my core. It was the smile of a predator who already knew the truth, or at least thought he did, and found joy in delivering punishment.

"She didn't do anything," I tried to say, but my voice faltered, caught in the back of my throat like a stone. I could only watch, horrified, as Lucy’s hands clawed at his grip, her eyes pleading with me for help while her body dangled helplessly from his hand.