Chapter Two: The Scent of Ruin

Link

I smelled her before I saw her.

One breath—that’s all it took.

I had been halfway down the east corridor, reviewing the latest patrol rotations with Cassian on my phone when the air changed. Citrus. Vanilla. Smoke. A scent so layered it didn’t make sense. Bright and fresh at the top, rich and sweet in the middle, then wild and earthy underneath. Like sunshine trapped in an amber bottle, buried in forest soil for a century.

She wasn’t supposed to be here. Not her.

The bond slammed into me like a wrecking ball. I staggered against the wall, my palm braced against cold stone, phone dropping from my hand with a clatter. My wolf surged up so violently I almost shifted on the spot.

She’s here.

Not just any girl. The girl. The one written in blood and prophecy. The one fate marked as mine.

I clenched my fists and sucked in another breath, trying to calm the wildfire tearing through me. My instincts were primal. Hunt. Claim. Mark.

But I’d done this before. And it had cost lives.

I forced my legs to move, one step at a time, toward the library where her scent was strongest. Each stride like walking through flames.

Then I saw her.

She was climbing a ladder. Cheap black slacks. A hoodie two sizes too big. Hair pulled up in a messy bun. Dust cloth in one hand. Light catching the gold flecks in her eyes as she looked over her shoulder—and saw me.

She froze. So did I.

The air between us crackled. My chest burned. My control frayed.

Her scent hit harder with proximity—god, it hit like lightning. My wolf howled. My pulse roared. And then… she smiled. Tiny. Nervous. Fragile.

“Sorry,” she said. “I was just… dusting.”

Her voice cut through me like a blade. Gentle. Human. Vulnerable. My teeth ached with the need to bite, to claim. But I couldn’t do that. Not again.

I turned and walked away. Because if I stayed, I would ruin her.

Link’s Private Messages

Cassian: You good? You dropped off mid-chat.

Link: I found her.

Cassian: …Her??

Link: Mate.

Cassian: Shit.

Link: She’s not a wolf. Not even close. Human. New staff.

Cassian: That’s not possible. You sure?

Link: I’d bet the Alpha crest on it.

Later, I stood in the security room, alone, watching the feed from the library.

She sat in a velvet chair, flipping through a book she clearly had no intention of reading. Her leg bounced. Her fingers tapped. Every now and then, she’d look toward the door—as if waiting.

And then she did something that tore me in half.

She smiled at her phone. Full, relaxed, unguarded. The kind of smile I hadn’t seen since… since her.

Celena.

Her ghost slithered into my mind like it always did in moments like this. Her laughter, sweet as poison. The smell of her perfume mixing with blood. The betrayal. The ash. The fire.

I slammed my fist into the desk.

Not again.

I couldn’t do this again.

Couldn’t trust fate. Couldn’t trust the bond.

But even as I stared at her image on the monitor—legs tucked under her, hoodie sleeves pulled over her hands—I knew.

The moon doesn’t make mistakes.

And this girl was mine.

Whether I wanted her or not.

Link’s Notes – Confidential

Background check pending. Celeste says she’s clean.

No living parents. Mother disappeared 20 years ago under unusual circumstances.

No known pack affiliations. No wolf traits detected. Yet.

But the bond is real. Unmistakable.

The pull is growing. Fast.