กลิ่นแก้ว (นิยายชุด หอมรัญจวน)

"Inferior human." That's what Liam dared to call me before the entire Alpha Summit, five years after his engagement to Seraphina. The fool was scorning the very Luna Queen he was eternally unworthy of.

In the hotel lobby, Liam strode in with Seraphina on his arm.

The werewolves present quickly recognized him, their faces lighting up as they swarmed him.

“Alpha Liam! I never expected to see you at the Alliance Summit! To take over a pack and bring it to near-major status in just five years—so young and promising!”

“You’re here to win the support of the Alpha King, aren’t you?”

Liam gave a slight nod, and a murmur of understanding went through the crowd. More than half the Alphas here were vying for the favor of the legendary Alpha King.

Someone’s gaze shifted to Seraphina. “And this must be your future Luna? A perfect match for an alliance!”

Seraphina pressed closer to Liam, her smile soft. “We haven’t completed the final soul-bond yet. We’ll hold the ceremony after the pack’s promotion. We hope you’ll all be there to witness it.”

Liam’s expression tensed for a moment before he forced an unnatural smile. “We’ve both been busy with pack affairs. We've been devoted to one another for ages. The ceremony is a formality.”

Another round of congratulations followed.

I, however, was a little surprised. They still hadn't soul-bonded?

He’d proposed to Seraphina days after our breakup, so desperate for the power of her pure bloodline. They should have completed the bonding ritual years ago. Why the delay?

Besides, a werewolf's awakened rank is intrinsically tied to their soul-bond.

Just then, a hotel guard—a werewolf, by his scent—approached me, his face a stern mask.

"Ma'am, this is an eight-star resort. It's not a place for lesser beings to simply wander in."

His gaze raked over me, his lip curling in undisguised contempt.

I’d just been playing on the beach with my cub, so my clothes were dusted with sand. Standing in the fountain now, my own pack scent was completely masked. It was no wonder they mistook me.

I explained quickly, "I’m sorry, my cub's amulet fell into the fountain. I'll be back in my room the moment I find it. I’ll pay for any damages…"

The guard cut me off impatiently. "With that common human scent clinging to you, there's no way you're a guest. Get off pack territory. Immediately."

His voice was sharp enough to carry. With a werewolf's keen hearing, every Alpha in the vicinity turned toward the commotion.

"What's a human doing here?"

"The sheer nerve… to defile pack territory like this."

At that moment, Liam glanced over.

Our eyes met. He froze. “Elena?”

The guard looked at him in surprise. “Alpha Liam, you know her?”

Liam’s expression shuttered, his tone dismissive. “A human my father’s pack once offered protection to. We’re not close.” With that, he looked away, as if another glance would soil his eyes. The same contempt he’d shown when he threw me out of his life.

Hearing this, the guard grew bolder and reached out to shove me. “So that’s it. I’ve seen your type before. Some pack offers a human a scrap of protection, and you think you can leech off werewolves for life?”

I sidestepped his push, my annoyance growing. “I said I’ll leave when I find it. I’ll pay for the damages.”

He sneered, his face a mask of ridicule.

"Pay? A fragile little human like you?" He gestured to the decorative fountain I had muddied. "Do you have any idea what this is? It's a custom moonstone fixture by a master werewolf artisan. This set is worth three hundred thousand dollars! How could you possibly afford that?"

He reached for me again. I could feel the weight of his Alpha dominance—low-ranking, to be sure, but more than enough to cow any ordinary human.

But to me, it was nothing.

“That’s enough.”

Liam, who had already reached the elevators, suddenly turned back. He walked over, his face blank, his eyes as cold as if he were looking at a stranger.

“What are you looking for? How much? I’ll give it to you.”

"Don't try to get my attention this way," he hissed, his voice laced with contempt. "It's pathetic. I have zero interest in an inferior creature like you."

Seraphina immediately tightened her grip on his arm, her smile deceptively sweet, but her eyes gleamed with triumph.

"Elena, we're about to be mated. I know you were bitter about the breakup, but the chasm between a wolf and a human was always too wide. It was never meant to be. It's time you stopped this pointless struggle and found some dignity."

I smiled faintly, my tone sincere. “I wish you a swift and healthy heir.”

I paid them no more mind, crouching to continue my search in the fountain. It was a treasure his father had found for him on his very first trip to the beach. It meant the world to my son.

“What will it take for you to leave?” Liam snapped. “Or are you still hung up on the bonding vows I made to Seraphina?”

He impatiently pulled out his device and began tapping. “Fine. I’ll arrange for a minor pack’s mark of protection for you. Take it and disappear. Don’t ever show your face in front of me again.”

“My mate has always been Seraphina. Those two years with you were just pity for the weak.”

“This protection is enough for you to start over. Find a human boyfriend who’s actually worthy of you and stop wasting your time on me.”

Suddenly, his fingers stilled. The information on his device made his face drain of color.

“Your pack link has been erased? You’re a packless rogue?”