74. Scent that Warns.

Lucy’s POV

The air around the mansion felt heavy that morning.

It was the kind of heaviness that sat quietly on the skin, like something unseen was watching, waiting. I could feel it as I stepped through the tall gates, my shoes crunching softly against the gravel path. The mansion stood before me, large and cold, the same way it always did. Beautiful, powerful, and never truly welcoming.

I had been staying here more often now. Not because it felt like home, but because it was necessary. Everything I was doing now was necessary.

As I walked closer to the entrance, my mind replayed the council meeting again and again. Adrian’s face. His anger. The way his eyes had burned when the elders agreed to crown me Luna. That wicked smile I had worn on my lips then came back to me, but this time it felt heavier.

I wrapped my arms around myself.

I told myself I was strong.

I told myself I had no choice.

I told myself this was the only way to survive what was coming.

Still… something inside me felt uneasy.

I had just reached the front steps when I sensed it.

Someone else was here.

Not a guard. Not a servant. This presence felt… old. Very old. It carried weight, like history itself was walking closer.

I turned slowly.

She stood a few steps away from the entrance.

An old woman. Her back slightly bent, her hair silver and long, tied loosely behind her head. Her clothes were simple, dark, and plain, yet there was something about her that demanded respect without trying. Her eyes were the most striking thing. They were calm, deep, and sharp, like they could see straight through lies and into the soul.

My breath caught.

I knew immediately who she was.

The Seer.

I had heard stories about her since I was young. Stories told in whispers. Stories filled with fear and respect. She rarely appeared, and when she did, it meant something important was about to happen.

I forced myself to relax and stepped forward.

“Good morning,” I said politely, lowering my head slightly. “You’re welcome here.”

Her eyes studied me closely. Slowly. Carefully. I felt exposed under her gaze, like she was peeling layers off me without touching.

She nodded once.

“Good morning, child,” she replied, her voice calm but deep, carrying a strange authority. “I am here to see Adrian.”

My fingers curled slightly at my sides.

“Alpha Adrian hasn’t been home in a while,” I said carefully. “But I can reach out to him. He’ll come if he knows you’re here.”

The Seer looked at me for a long moment, then smiled faintly.

“There is no need,” she said. “He is already on his way.”

Her words sent a small chill down my spine.

I nodded, not knowing what else to say.

“If you’ll excuse me,” I said, turning slightly. “I’ll leave you to wait inside.”

I began to walk away, my steps calm on the outside, but my heart beating harder than it should.

Just as I reached the door...

“Lucy.”

Her voice stopped me.

I froze.

Slowly, I turned back to face her.

She had not moved from her spot, but her eyes were sharper now, more focused.

“Yes?” I asked.

The Seer took a slow step forward. The air around her seemed to shift.

“Be careful,” she said gently.

My brows furrowed. “Careful of what?”

She studied my face again, and this time her gaze felt heavy. Not accusing. Not angry. Just… knowing.

“Desperation,” she said. “It is a dangerous thing.”

My lips parted, but no words came out.

She continued, her voice calm, steady, wise.

“You are powerful,” she said. “Stronger than you realize. But power guided by fear leads only to destruction.”

My chest tightened.

“I’m not afraid,” I said quickly.

The Seer tilted her head slightly, as if listening to something deeper than my words.

“Fear does not always scream,” she replied. “Sometimes, it smiles. Sometimes, it pretends to be ambition. Sometimes, it calls itself survival.”

My fingers trembled slightly.

I forced a smile onto my face. It felt stiff, unnatural.

“I appreciate your concern,” I said. “But I know what I’m doing.”

She looked at me for a long moment.

Then she sighed softly.

“This road you walk,” she said quietly, “will cost you more than you expect.”

The words settled heavily in my chest.

I swallowed.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” I replied, my smile still in place, though my heart was racing.

The Seer nodded once, as if she had said all she needed to say.

I turned and walked away, my steps quickening as I moved down the hall.

Only when I was out of sight did I allow my smile to fade.

My hands clenched into fists.

Who was she to judge me?

Who was she to warn me?

Yet… why did her words feel like they were already coming true?

The Seer’s POV

I watched the girl walk away.

Lucy.

So much fire.

So much hunger.

So much fear buried beneath pride.

She reminded me of many before her.

Girls who thought survival meant control.

Well the council forced her.

Girls who believed crowns could replace destiny.

Girls who forgot that fate does not bend easily.

I sighed softly.

The future around her was… unstable. Twisting. Dark in places. Bright in others. A dangerous balance.

She was not weak.

But she was walking a path soaked in desperation.

And desperation always demands payment.

I turned slowly toward the entrance of the mansion.

The air shifted.

The familiar pressure of an Alpha’s presence settled into the room like a storm quietly forming.

I smiled.

“Welcome, Alpha,” I said calmly.

Adrian’s POV

I had appeared without sound.

One moment I wasn’t there.

The next, I was seated on the couch, my elbows resting on my knees, my head slightly lowered.

I hadn’t planned to come home.

But the pull had been too strong to ignore.

I lifted my head slowly.

The Seer stood before me.

Her presence pressed against my senses like an old weight I had not felt in a long time.

“You called,” I said quietly.

She smiled faintly.

“I did not need to,” she replied. “You would have come regardless.”

I exhaled slowly.

She always did this. Said things like she already knew every step before it happened.

My jaw tightened slightly.

“I don’t have much time,” I said. “If this is about the ritual—”

“It is about what comes after,” she interrupted gently.

I leaned back against the couch, my arms crossing over my chest.

“Everyone seems very interested in my future these days,” I said dryly.

Her eyes softened, but they did not lose their sharpness.

“You are standing at a crossroads,” she said. “And you are pretending not to see it.”

I scoffed quietly.

“I see it clearly,” I replied. “I’m doing what must be done.”

She took a slow step closer.

“And at what cost?” she asked.

I looked away.

Silence stretched between us.

“She is not your mate,” the Seer said quietly.

My body stiffened.

“I know,” I replied sharply.

“Do you?” she asked.

My fists clenched.

“The bond does not lie,” she continued. “It may sleep. It may hide. But it does not disappear.”

I stood up abruptly.

“I don’t need this,” I said coldly. “I have a war to prepare for.”

The Seer did not move.

“Wars are not only fought on battlefields,” she said. “Some are fought within.”

I turned to face her fully now.

“What do you want from me?” I asked.

She studied my face carefully.

“Awareness,” she replied simply. “Before it is too late.”

I laughed bitterly.

“Too late for who?” I asked.

Her gaze drifted briefly toward the hallway Lucy had disappeared down.

“For all of you,” she said softly.

The room fell silent again.

My chest tightened, but I refused to show it.

“I’ll handle it,” I said firmly.

The Seer nodded slowly.

“I hope you do,” she replied.

Then she stepped back, her form already seeming lighter, like she was preparing to leave.

As she turned away, her voice echoed softly through the room.

“Fate listens closely, Alpha. Be careful what you demand of it.”

And then she was gone.

I stood there alone in the quiet mansion.

My thoughts heavy.

My heart restless.

And somewhere deep inside me… a familiar ache stirred again.