Chapter 7: The Scent Of Guilt

Nathan

I stood by the floor-to-ceiling glass window, my hands resting gently against my back as I watched the city, but my thoughts had no particular direction.

It was everywhere.

A knock landed softly on the door and then it cracked open. I turned around to see who it was. Oliver walked in, dressed in his signature black coat, his expression calm, ever so dependable.

“The next full moon is fast approaching,” he said casually. “Preparations for the Luna ceremony need to begin. The pack would expect you and your Luna to stand side by side as one.”

I forced myself to nod as I walked back to my seat. “Yes... begin preparations for it.”

The words felt heavy as they left my mouth. Elizabeth was going to be my Luna, yet I hadn’t marked—couldn’t mark her. The thought twisted like a knife buried deep in my chest. I just knew I couldn’t let Oliver see how much this was affecting me.

He watched me closely for a moment before he asked, “What about the new Omega, Kaima... what do you make of her?”

I kept my voice indifferent. “She’s nothing you have to worry about. She’ll fit in just right with us.”

It was a lie, a carefully polished one.

He had everything to worry about. Heck, I had everything to worry about.

Oliver gave me a short nod before closing the door behind him as he left.

The silence returned, thick and suffocating, pulling me back into my thoughts. Zade stirred instantly, his growl aching through me.

“You feel it too, don’t you?”

“I do,” I whispered under my breath.

I shut my eyes, gripping the edge of the desk, my knuckles turning pale. Her scent... it was strangely intoxicating, but it shouldn’t be—at least not to me.

“It’s driving me insane.” My wolf pressed inside of me. “And that's one thing I don't understand. Why does it feel like she matters a lot to me when she shouldn't?”

“Exactly,” I hissed under my breath. “We already have a mate. This kind of feeling is quite similar to a mate's bond, and there's absolutely no mate bond between us. All this… this whole thing makes no sense…” 

It felt like I was going mad.

“But still we can’t seem to get her scent off our head,” Zade said.

My jaw tightened. I didn’t have an answer for that, just a restless pull tugging at my chest.

My gaze shifted to the corner of my table where stacks of paperwork were. I pulled out a folded letter, the one Kaima had written to me. It was a simple request to join my pack. It was polite and respectful. I hadn’t thought too much about it, just because it was another wolf asking for shelter.

I didn't know her presence would actually cause a shift in my almost perfect world.

If only I had known... if only…

“What would you have done?” Zade asked.

I had no answer to that either.

Now all I think about is her. She was just a stranger, but it felt like I’d known her for so long, and I hated how much I couldn’t push her out of my head.

The moment Kaima had walked in earlier, when she had seen me with Elizabeth, I felt something ripping through me, something I couldn’t explain. Like I had been caught doing something wrong. Elizabeth was my mate, my future Luna. I had no reason to feel that way. 

I have no reason to feel the urge to keep Kaima closer either. But yet... I did. And I just made it happen by making her my personal assistant.

What was I even thinking?

Someone whose presence makes me question my loyalty to my mate.

How could she be around me and not drive me crazy? 

“Get yourself together, Nathan,” I reprimanded myself.  

I have a mate and I will always be loyal to her. So whatever this sudden feeling for this new Omega might be, it needs to be killed.

I scrubbed a hand over my face, my mind drifting to my mate. “Elizabeth,” I whispered. She was radiant in every way. The Moon Goddess blessed me with exactly what I wanted—what my pack needed.

My heart raced, my breathing heavy.

The next moon would soon be here, and I had failed to mark Elizabeth. Why the hell was it proving difficult? I felt a strong connection to her, but no matter how I got close, an invisible wall always stopped me.

I wouldn’t let her go through the torture of almost marking her again. There has to be a solution, and I was going to find it no matter what it took.

I couldn’t stop myself from thinking back to the last time I had tried to mark her. I was so close. Her neck bare to me, her body trembling in anticipation. She whispered, “It’s okay, Nathan. It’s going to work this time.” As if she knew—as if she understood the battle I was fighting within myself.

I had wanted to believe her more than anything, I wanted it to work. Zade had surged forward, fangs pressing her skin, only for me to pull away again.

Elizabeth had pulled away slowly, her hand lifting to touch my cheek, her smile fragile. “It’s alright,” she had said, her voice steady even though her eyes shimmered. “We’ll try again. Maybe the Moon Goddess wants us to wait a little longer like you've always said.”

But I had seen it, even when she tried to hide it—the tears that rushed down her cheeks as she forced herself to be strong for me.

The image haunted me still.

Her patience, her strength, her unwavering love, it showed just how far she was willing to stand with me. And I couldn’t help the fact that I hurt her every single time that I couldn’t seal our bond once and for all. 

I felt so ashamed.

I clenched my fists until my knuckles ached.

I had a month before the Luna ceremony to find a way to mark Elizabeth.

And even if I had to search the ends of the earth for a solution, I would. 

That was a promise.

I stood abruptly, arranged the paperwork on my desk and walked out of my office. I needed to find Elizabeth.

But immediately I rounded a corner, my gaze fell upon a scene that almost knocked my breath out.

Standing on tiptoe on top of a ladder and stretching to pick something far high on a shelf was Kaima.

My eyes widened as I watched her miss her footing and almost fall to the ground. The world seemed to slow for a heartbeat, her sharp gasp filling the hallway. I moved so fast before I could even think, Zade aiding me with the speed I needed as I caught her flush against my arms.

My heart thudded violently against my chest, Zade growled inside of me as her green wide eyes lifted to mine. Her scent wrapped around me like a vice, sinking deep into me. For a second I actually forgot to breathe.

My grip around her tightened instinctively, my arms wrapping protectively and possessively around her, drawing her in, holding her as if letting go wasn't an option.

My gaze was still locked on hers, darkening momentarily, drinking her scent in. My chest tightened in anger, wondering what could have happened if I was a second too late. The image of her crumpled on the ground flashed before me, and my hold on her tightened until my knuckles ached.

But just then, a soft voice cut through the haze that had fallen in the hallway.

“What's going on here?”