The Wrong Scent

Soren's POV

“You’re hurting me, Alpha.”

My voice came out smaller than I wanted, squeezed tight by the massive hand wrapped around my throat. The pack house hall went dead silent except for the crackle of the big fireplace in the corner. Everyone stared. My heart slammed against my ribs like it wanted out.

I had only come to drop off the patrol notes like always. Head down, say nothing, slip away. That was my job as a nobody beta. But the second I stepped close to Rhydian Blackmoor, everything went wrong.

He had been standing at the front of the room listening to border reports when I walked in. The air felt heavy already. Wolves shifted on their feet, talking in low voices about rival packs pushing closer every week. I kept my eyes on the floor and held out the folded paper.

Then his head snapped toward me. Those gray eyes widened. In one blur of motion he crossed the space between us, grabbed me, and slammed my back against the wooden wall. Pain shot down my spine. His fingers dug in just enough to pin me without crushing my windpipe. Yet.

“How the hell do you smell like him?” he snarled, voice low and broken at the same time.

I blinked hard, trying to make sense of his words. “Alpha, I don’t know what you’re talking about. Please. The notes from the east ridge. That’s all I brought.”

He leaned in closer. His breath brushed my cheek. I could feel the whole pack watching, whispers spreading like fire through dry grass. Someone muttered my name. Soren Vale. The quiet one. The forgettable one. Now suddenly the center of the alpha’s rage.

Rhydian inhaled deep, nose almost touching my neck. His body tensed like he had been punched. “This scent. Warm. Like sunlight on pine. No one else has it. No one alive.”

My stomach twisted. I tried to stay calm even as fear crawled up my throat. “I shower with the same soap as everyone else. Maybe it’s just—”

“Don’t lie to me,” he cut in, grip tightening for a second. His free hand came up and gripped my jaw, forcing my face up so I had to meet his eyes. They were wild. Haunted. “Elio died a year ago. I buried him myself. So tell me right now how you walk in here carrying my dead mate’s scent.”

The name hit me strange. Elio. I had heard it before in passing, the alpha’s lost mate, the one whose death left Blackmoor pack darker and meaner. But why did it feel like a hook pulling at something deep in my chest? A flicker of warmth spread behind my eyes, gone as fast as it came.

“I swear I don’t know,” I said, keeping my voice steady even though my legs felt weak. “I’m just Soren. Low rank. I deliver messages and stay out of the way. That’s my life. Nothing more.”

He stared at me for a long beat. The hall stayed quiet enough to hear rain tapping on the roof. I noticed little things then. The way his dark hair fell across his forehead, still damp like he had been outside. The faint tremble in the hand holding my jaw. This wasn’t just anger. Something deeper lived under it.

One of the older wolves finally spoke up from the crowd. “Alpha, maybe the boy’s telling the truth. He’s nobody special.”

Rhydian didn’t look away from me. “Nobody doesn’t smell like that. Nobody makes me feel like my heart is being ripped open again.” His thumb brushed my skin almost gentle, then he seemed to catch himself and pulled back a fraction. “You’re coming with me.”

“Alpha, wait,” I tried. My hands came up to grip his wrist, not fighting exactly, just holding on. “The pack needs those notes. Rivals are moving. We can’t—”

He cut me off by yanking me away from the wall and toward the side door. His grip on my arm stayed firm but not crushing anymore. “Pack business can wait. This can’t.”

We moved through the hall fast. I caught glimpses of faces. Some shocked, some curious, a few scared. No one stepped in. Of course they didn’t. He was Rhydian Blackmoor. You didn’t challenge him.

As we stepped into the quieter corridor, I stumbled to keep up with his long strides. “You’re really doing this in front of everyone? Dragging me off like some criminal?”

He glanced back, gray eyes still stormy. “You think I care how it looks right now? That scent is impossible. It’s tearing my head apart.”

I swallowed hard. Another strange warmth bloomed in my chest, like someone else wanted to speak through me. I pushed it down. “Then ask me questions. Don’t choke me in front of the whole pack. I’m not your enemy.”

Rhydian stopped suddenly outside a heavy door I knew led to his private quarters. He turned to face me fully. Up close he was even bigger, shoulders broad under his dark shirt, power rolling off him in waves. But there was exhaustion there too, lines around his eyes that spoke of too many sleepless nights.

“Tell me your full name again,” he said.

“Soren Vale.”

“Age?”

“Twenty six.”

“Family?”

“None left. Raised on the edge of the territory. Been doing small tasks since I was old enough to walk.”

He studied my face like he was searching for lies. “Have you ever met Elio Vance?”

“I saw him from a distance a couple times. Never spoke to him. He was the alpha’s mate. I stayed away.”

Rhydian’s jaw tightened. “Yet you smell exactly like him. Same warmth. Same hint of cedar after rain. How?”

“I don’t have an answer,” I said honestly. My voice shook a little on the last word. “This is scaring me too. I came in here expecting another boring night and now you’re looking at me like I’m a ghost.”

He pushed the door open and pulled me inside. The room felt heavy with old memories. A big bed, dark wood furniture, a single lamp casting long shadows. He finally let go of my arm but stayed close, blocking the exit.

“Sit,” he ordered, pointing to a chair.

I sat, rubbing my throat where his fingers had been. It would bruise but nothing serious. “What now? You going to keep me here until I magically explain something I can’t?”

Rhydian paced in front of me, running a hand through his hair. “I stood on that cliff today. The one where he died. Rain coming down hard, blood still in my nose even after a year. I told him I would never replace him. Never forget. Then you walk in.”

I watched him move. Strong, controlled, but cracking at the edges. “I’m sorry for your loss. Truly. But I’m not him. I’m just me.”

He stopped pacing and crouched down so we were eye level. His scent hit me then, sharp and masculine with something smoky underneath. It made my head spin in a way I didn’t expect.

“Say something else,” he demanded quietly.

“Like what?”

“Anything.”

I let out a shaky breath. “The east ridge patrol saw three unfamiliar wolves near the border at dusk. They didn’t cross but they were watching. We need to stay alert.”

His eyes narrowed. “That’s not what I meant.”

“I know,” I said. “But that’s my job. Patrol notes. Staying useful. Not whatever this is.”

Rhydian reached out slowly and touched a strand of my hair, almost like he couldn’t help it. “You even move a little like him sometimes. The tilt of your head. The way your voice drops at the end of sentences.”

My pulse jumped. That strange warmth flared again, stronger. For a split second I saw a flash of laughter in my mind, strong arms around me, a kiss under moonlight. Not my memories. Not mine. I jerked back.

“Don’t,” I whispered. “Whatever you think is happening, it’s not real. I’m not him.”

He pulled his hand away but didn’t stand up. “Then why does my wolf want to pull you closer and never let go?”

The question hung between us. Rain drummed harder on the windows. My mind raced with questions I didn’t dare ask out loud. What was happening to me? Why did his pain feel so familiar?

“I wish I had answers for you, Alpha,” I said softly. “But I don’t. Let me go back to my quarters and we can pretend this never happened.”

Rhydian gave a short, bitter laugh. “Too late for that. The whole pack saw. And I can’t ignore this scent. It’s like he came back just to torture me.”

He stood up and walked to the window, looking out into the dark. His shoulders were tense, fists clenched at his sides again.

I stayed in the chair, heart still racing. Part of me wanted to run. Another part, the part that felt warm and pulled toward him, wanted to stay and understand. That scared me more than his grip ever could.

“Alpha,” I said after a moment. “If you’re going to keep me here, at least tell me what you plan to do.”

He turned back, eyes locking on mine with that same intense hunger. “I plan to figure out exactly who or what you are, Soren Vale. Because right now you’re either a miracle or a curse. And I’m not sure I can survive either.”

The words sent a chill down my back. I nodded slowly, trying to keep my voice even. “Then ask me anything. I’ll tell you what I know. Which isn’t much.”

We stared at each other across the room. The air felt thick with questions neither of us could answer yet. Outside, the rain kept falling, washing away tracks but not the scent that had started all this trouble.

And deep down, in a place I didn’t want to look, something stirred. A whisper that felt like another voice. Like someone else inside me was waking up and smiling at the man standing in front of us.

I pushed it away hard. I was Soren Vale. Nothing more. I had to believe that.

For now.