Chapter 127 SCENT OF AN ALPHA
SEBASTIAN'S POV
The thought alone sends a spike of pain in my chest that has me taking a sharp breath.
Damn.
The bond has grown too much even without consummation to the extent that it would now fight back against anyone trying to break it.
A lot of things have changed since I've been distracted by the ancient wolf story.
I step inside the council halls and immediately feel it.
The air is a lot warmer here and thicker with the layered scents of wolves moving through the territory.
Unless you're like me, invited by the Alpha, then you have no business in the council hall of chambers.
You either have to be a wolf in power or you're an elder for you to be able to enter here.
And yet even with all the overwhelming smells of powerful wolves, one distinct scent stands out to me.
Ragnar.
It’s everywhere, even shadowing the other scents in the halls.
But even with his scent, I can feel another layered with it.
Another…Alpha?
Maybe they recently had a duel and had to fight in wolf forms.
That's why their scents are intertwined.
My steps slow just slightly as I try to point or put a face to the scent but I come up short.
I've never seen this person before.
Who is this Alpha?
Maybe he's a rival Alpha here for the challenge.
So were he and Ragnar having a little sparring session before the big day?
Now that I think about it, I've been most negligent about my training for the Challenge.
I've boasted to Ragnar and even protested when he wanted to bar me from participating but now that it's days away, I'm fucked.
How the hell do I want to go up against wolves that eat people like me for breakfast?
These are wolves that have killed hundreds of Rogues without even blinking.
I fainted when I killed a Rogue with the influence of drugs and even till today, I still have nightmares of the act.
And I've only ever killed one Rogue in my life.
Have I gone mad with overconfidence?
I hear low voices murmur somewhere down the hall in a sort of hushed conversation when I round the corner and stop.
He’s standing right there.
.
.
.
An Alpha.
That much is obvious immediately because everything about him just screams of it.
The way he holds himself and the way his presence alone feels powerful.
Some Alphas out of courtesy for the weaker wolves will restrain their presence and power unless they're in a confrontation.
This Alpha makes it no secret that he's an Alpha.
With the way he's exuding his authority and presence, I'd say he's more afraid everyone won't know he's an Alpha.
I wonder if he's a packless Alpha from another pack or if he has a pack he rules over.
I don't recognize him so he should be a packless Alpha who's probably related to the Alpha of a different pack right
I’ve never seen him before so I think I would remember if I ever saw a tall and composed Alpha with that striking shade of hair color.
When he walks through the halls with sun streaks, it's almost like he has fire in his head.
For all his exuberance, his expression is calm and composed.
How can someone be loud and proud but at the same time, calm and composed.
He's an… anomaly.
And with the glint in his eyes, even Alisander agrees with me that he's someone that likes to watch and manipulate people around him.
I better avoid him and not draw attention to myself.
It should be easy since we both don't know each other right?
His eyes found mine instantly like he knew I was watching me and he was waiting for me to take the bait.
Fuck! I quickly avert my eyes and look elsewhere.
If this was still the pack of old, an Omega could be whipped till they bled for merely rudely staring at an Alpha.
We just stand there for a second as I'm trying to look elsewhere and figure out why he hasn't looked away or gone yet.
And then, I don't know what possesses me to look back at him but I do just in time to see his smile.
Moon goddess, he's a really pretty Alpha.
But his smile is not in any way friendly or in a mocking one.
It's something in between the both of them.
Did he know me from somewhere before?
“Well,” he says, his voice smooth and velvety. “You must be Sebastian.”
When did he get so close to me?
Was I thinking for that long?
And the way he says my name like it means something, it puts me on edge immediately.
“I am,” I reply with my tone cautious. “And you are?”
“I’m Alpha Lance Montgomery.”
The name settles in my mind like it's a name I'm supposed to know or dread.
Was I supposed to know him or something?
He studies me for a moment longer, his gaze flicking over me like he’s faintly wondering why I show no reaction to his name.
And then he hums softly.
“Interesting,” he murmurs.
My brows draw together slightly.
“What is?” I ask.
But he doesn’t answer me.
Of course he doesn’t.
Alphas like him feel it's beneath them to have a conversation with Omegas that they consider insects.
Instead, he steps past me really close as if he was to pass.
Does this Alpha have no concept of personal space or–
I freeze because that’s when I smell it.
No.
That's not possible.
My head turns slightly as he moves past me with my senses sharpening instantly just to confirm.
After I do so, there’s no mistake or confusion any longer.
That scent.
The scent I perceived earlier on and the one he's carrying with him right now.
It’s faint and almost subtle but it's there.
It's Ragnar.
How… how does he have–
Why does he smell like Alpha Ragnar?