Alpha's Scent

Lilac

Lilac ran until her legs betrayed her and her feet were completely numb.

She rested her hand against the wall of a decrepit rampart on the outskirts of the property to catch her breath.

She looked left and right, momentarily shaken from her daze. What was she doing? Where was she?

Her mind had been so overpowered by the trance of the scent that she couldn’t remember what path she’d taken to get here.

She turned and looked behind her, seeing an exit to the massive hedge maze. And far in the distance, the warm candlelit entrance to the assembly hall.

She had strayed far from the Lycanthrope Gathering. And for what?

It was like her brain had momentarily abandoned her. It must’ve just been a side-effect from breaking Eli Damon’s heart, she thought.

She was about to turn back, to find her family, to get back to the safety of her books and her bedroom, when she heard it.

An inhuman howl.

And within the howl...a voice that seemed to be calling to her. Wordlessly. Via some psychic link. Lilac could almost make out the words.

Lilac’s eyes widened as she looked around frantically for the voice’s source. It sounded so close, like it was practically beside her, whispering into her ear.

And the howl. It didn’t belong to an ordinary werewolf.

The sound was low and ragged and full of pain.

Now, she could smell it again. Him again.

The scent of citrus and musk flooded her nose once more. And it all came rushing back.

Lilac closed her eyes and allowed the scent to overpower her, to lead her, to take her feet to the source.

She could feel her surroundings changing around her. She was no longer outside. She had stepped through a doorway into a cool, damp room.

Even with her eyes closed, she could sense it was old and full of painful memories. It almost felt like a prison.

When she finally opened her eyes, she was standing before a gate. Beyond it was a staircase.

Whatever the source was, Lilac knew instinctively that it lay down there.

She tried to open the gate. But it was locked.

“No, no, no!” she cried, pounding against the latch.

She didn’t know why she was so frantic to get down there.

If only she had something long and sharp she could slip inside the keyhole and…

Lilac knew what she had to do.

She had to shift.

Lilac held her hand up to the lock and began to alter her body.

Her fingers shook, the cuticles bleeding while bristled hairs sprouted along her knuckles. It always hurt like hell, but nothing was going to stop her.

She stopped mid-shift, just as her nail morphed into the claw of a wolf.

Fishing inside, she heard the glorious click.

With that, Lilac retracted her claws, returning to human form.

The gate was heavy, and she had to push it open using all her weight.

Gazing into the darkness, she put her hand against the wall to help guide her as she descended the stairs.

She moved slower now, more cautious. She could sense something down there with her, lurking in the shadows, calling to her.

The scent called her forward, overwhelming any fear Lilac felt.

When she reached the bottom of the staircase, a faint light flickered on overhead.

To her horror, Lilac found herself staring down a hallway of old forgotten jail cells. This place had been a prison once.

A deep growl emanated from one of the cells. Lilac felt something stir inside her core.

Her cheeks reddened. She was shocked and embarrassed by her body’s reaction.

The growl was followed by a sorrowful whine. Lilac felt the urge to run, but she composed herself and cautiously approached the cell from which the noises came.

That was when she saw him.

A lycan bound in chains.

Lycans were like werewolves but stronger. Some lycans, they said, could even achieve immortality if they found and marked their mate.

Lilac had never seen a lycan like this before. The blood drained from her face as she regarded him.

He stood on his hind legs, towering over her with broad shoulders and sharp, lengthy canines protruding from his gums. He was the most terrifying creature she had ever seen.

Coiled around his body were dozens of metal chains, bolted to the wall.

The lycan yelped as if he were a pup, staring at her in disbelief.

He was the scent, Lilac realized.

He tried to move toward her, but the shackles wouldn’t let him.

The sight killed her. She didn’t know why, but she felt for this monstrosity.

She’d never felt anything like this before.

For anyone.

“What have they done to you?” Lilac whispered.

She looked around the cell and spotted a set of keys hanging from the wall.

She hastily grabbed them and unlocked the cell.

Was it dangerous? Was it stupid? Lilac didn’t care.

She needed to free him. To be near him. To know him.

Rushing to the lycan, Lilac threw herself against his chest, as if she had known him her whole life. The chains shackling him hurt her delicate skin, but she didn’t dare let go.

She could feel his massive lungs heaving and his heart beating violently like a drum.

Lilac took in his smell. He felt comforting, like home.

The lycan gently whimpered at Lilac’s touch.

He pulled her close and nuzzled his face into her neck, chest rumbling as he wagged his tail back and forth against the chains.

Lilac couldn’t explain what was happening exactly.

But she knew it felt right.

When she looked into the lycan’s eyes, her cheeks heated. His gaze was intense and knowing.

He rubbed his cheek against hers then lovingly licked the tip of her nose. Lilac giggled softly. She lifted a hand to his muzzle and gently stroked it.

She felt them. The sparks her mother had always told her about. The kind she’d always avoided.

But it couldn’t be…that?

Could it?

She shook away the idea, trying to understand what was happening here.

“Why are you in chains?” Lilac asked. “Who did this to you? Please, will you shift back and tell me?”

The lycan shook his head. No.

Lilac was confused. Why wouldn’t he return to his human form? What was he afraid of?

She gave him a pleading look, fluttering her long eyelashes.

He growled, shaking, not wanting to shift. But why?

“Please,” she begged again.

Finally, he looked into her eyes and nodded with agreement.

His body began to shake…

The skeletal frame cracked and bones dislocated beneath his fur, rearranging in agonizing slowness as his human body began to take shape.

Curious, Lilac looked up at him.

The man beneath the wolf looked mature. His long brown hair was wild and unkempt, matching his scruffy beard. His tan chest was riddled with scars.

Nothing about him was traditionally handsome.

But to Lilac, he was flawless.

The moment he opened his human eyes, Lilac began to feel flustered, suddenly intimidated without any idea why.

“What is your name?” he asked in a deep, raspy voice.

“Lilac.”

“Lilac. What a lovely name.”

The sound of her name on his lips made her blush. It was too much.

“And what is yours?” she asked.

“I am Alpha Kyril Vasilio.”

The same shiver that ran down her spine earlier that night shot through her again.

Lilac had a vision in her mind of what he would look like. She’d pictured a formidable mountain of a wolf, fearsome and hideous. Not this tortured figure that stood before her.

She wanted to know why he was imprisoned in the dungeon. Who had done this to him?

“Kyril,” she said, giving herself goosebumps, “why are you in these chains?”

Kyril sighed. He seemed afraid his answer would frighten her away.

“Please,” Lilac pleaded, once more flashing him what she hoped was an innocent look.

Kyril was no match for her gaze.

“Hours before the event was to start, my wolf began to feel restless. Stirring in the back of my mind, trying to claw his way out. You see, this past year I have been on the verge of becoming feral.”

So the rumors are true, she thought.

“The truth is,” he continued, “I commanded the royal guards to chain me down here. I did not want to lose control and hurt others. I have had to restrain myself like this for years. It’s what must be done until I can find a different solution.”

For years? How old was he really?

He seemed to be reading Lilac’s mind because a wry smile spread across his lips.

“Yes, Lilac,” he said, “I am thirty-two years old. Too old to be alone for so long. How my heart and soul and body have ached…”

Lilac shivered, realizing how cold it was in the dreary cell. Sensing her discomfort, Kyril took her hand.

“Come, let us go somewhere else to talk. Your delicate skin belongs elsewhere.”

As Kyril stood up, the loose chains fell to the floor, no longer fitting his human form.

He was as naked as the day he was born, and erect.

Lilac squealed and looked away. She’d never seen a man like that before.

Embarrassed, cheeks blooming with heat, she didn’t dare look at him. But then she heard that low growl of a voice again.

“Lilac, look at me.”

She did, keeping her eyes on his face this time. He stepped closer, and she felt her heart slam against her chest.

The way he was looking at her was starting to make sense.

The shivers down her spine.

The way his scent had called to her.

“Lilac,” Kyril said, taking her hands and pressing them against his chest, “everything you see is yours.”

And now she knew why. She’d known it since the moment she heard his name, scented him, saw him. Every one of her senses was positively screaming it.

“Because you, Lilac, are my mate.”