A scent of Doubt

The evening air carried a strange weight—one Derek couldn’t quite name. From his office window, he watched the guards change shifts, the moon casting silver shadows across the training yard. Everything looked normal on the surface, but his instincts… they whispered otherwise.

And he’d learned long ago never to ignore those whispers.

His wolf stirred inside him, pacing, uneasy. Something was off. And it wasn’t just in his head.

Earlier that day, Derek had asked for the regular patrol reports. Routine. Or at least, it was supposed to be.

Kieran had walked in confidently, his report in hand. Same proud stance, same calm tone. But when he claimed he’d been stationed at the east wall during moonrise, something in Derek tensed.

“You said you were on east patrol all night?” Derek asked casually, flipping through the pages of the logbook.

Kieran nodded without hesitation. “Yes, Alpha. I swept the perimeter twice—no movement, no signs of entry.”

Derek didn't show his doubt, but he remembered passing by that wall. Kieran hadn’t been there. Caleb had. And Caleb had greeted him with a nervous salute.

He let it go—at least for the moment. There were better ways to uncover lies than confronting them too soon.

Later that night, Derek took a walk alone, under the pretense of checking the border. It was something he did often, but this time, he made sure to pass the old storage cellar—an area rarely used unless supplies were being moved.

As he walked past the arched hallway, something tugged at him.

He stopped.

There, barely clinging to the air, was a scent. Faint. But distinct.

Kieran.

His jaw clenched slightly. That scent had no business being here.

The cellar wasn’t part of Kieran’s patrol route. In fact, it hadn’t been part of anyone’s assignment the past few nights. There had been no official movement, no reason for him to even pass through that hallway.

And yet…

Derek ran a hand along the rough stone wall beside the door, eyes narrowing. It didn’t make sense—unless Kieran had something to hide.

His wolf growled inside him, alert now. Watchful.

The next morning, Derek didn’t wait. He called for Kieran personally, instructing one of the betas to send him to the Alpha’s study.

When Kieran arrived, he carried himself with his usual composure. Calm, respectful, unreadable.

“You sent for me, Alpha?” he asked, offering a slight bow.

Derek gestured to the seat across from him. “I did. Sit.”

Kieran obeyed without question, folding his hands neatly in his lap.

Derek leaned back in his chair, watching him closely. “Where were you the night before last? During the moon’s peak?”

Kieran didn’t miss a beat. “East patrol. Near the forest edge. I followed a possible movement but it turned out to be nothing. I mentioned it in the report.”

Derek kept his tone level. “Strange. I passed the east wall during that hour. Caleb was there.”

There was a brief flicker in Kieran’s eyes—gone as quickly as it came. “I was deeper in the trees, Alpha. I thought I caught the scent of rogues. I didn’t want to sound the alarm unless I was sure.”

“Did you report that deviation?” Derek asked.

“I... didn’t think it was important. The trail went cold within minutes.”

Derek nodded slowly. “I see.”

He studied him for a long moment. Kieran’s face was smooth, his answers clean. Too clean.

His wolf didn’t like it.

“What about the storage cellar?” Derek asked, almost casually. “Did you pass there recently?”

Kieran blinked. “No, Alpha. Not since the last supply run, maybe three days ago.”

Derek said nothing. Just looked at him.

He could smell the lie.

But now wasn’t the time to act on it. He needed proof—more than scent and suspicion. He needed something Kieran couldn’t twist.

“You’re dismissed,” Derek said after a pause.

Kieran stood, bowed again, and made for the door.

But just before he reached it, Derek spoke—voice low, cold.

“If there’s anything happening behind my back, Kieran… I’ll find out. You know I will.”

Kieran stopped briefly, then turned slightly, offering a polite smile. “Of course, Alpha. You always do.”

He left, the door clicking softly behind him.

And Derek sat there in silence, his hands resting on the arms of his chair, his wolf pacing beneath his skin. He trusted Kieran with more than most—but trust, he had learned, was a fragile thing.

Now, he couldn’t shake the feeling that someone close was lying to him.

And the scent on the cellar wall still lingered in his mind.