Chapter 6: The Scent That Haunts

Logan POV.

I can still smell her lavender and something else, something wild underneath the fear. It's been hours, and the scent won't leave my head.

I'm pacing my chambers like a caged animal. Back and forth. Back and forth. The stone floor should be worn down by now from all the years I've done this exact same thing, walking off energy I can't burn any other way.

But tonight feels different.

Tonight my wolf is awake.

I press my palm against the curse mark on my chest. The black veins pulse under my touch, burning hotter than they have in months. Years, maybe. It throbs with each heartbeat, angry and alive.

Her eyes won't leave me alone.

Storm-gray. Defiant. Not broken like they should have been. Not terrified like every other person who's stood in front of me for the past ten years.

She looked at me like I was a man.

Not a monster. Not the Devil Alpha. Just... a man.

That's dangerous. For both of us.

My wolf pushes at my control, restless and demanding. He wants out. Wants to run. Wants to—

No. I shove him back down hard. He doesn't get a say. Not anymore. Not since the curse took everything from us.

But he's not listening tonight. He's clawing at my insides, whining like he hasn't done since—

I cut that thought off before it can finish.

The door opens without a knock. Only one person does that.

"You're going to wear a hole in that floor," Cassandra says, leaning against the doorframe with her arms crossed. She's changed out of her warrior gear into simpler clothes, black pants and a loose shirt, but she still looks ready for a fight. She always does.

"I have reports to review," I growl, not stopping my pacing.

"You've been staring at the same report for an hour." She nods toward my desk where papers sit untouched. "Want to tell me what's really bothering you?"

"Nothing's bothering me."

"Liar."

I finally stop, turning to face her. "Excuse me?"

Cassandra pushes off the doorframe, walking into the room with that confident stride of hers. Her amber-gold eyes miss nothing as they track my movements. "You're disturbed by her."

My jaw clenches. "I'm disturbed by Garrick's insult. Sending me an Omega like she's payment for a debt. It's degrading."

"To you or to her?"

The question stops me.

Cassandra comes closer, careful to maintain distance but close enough that I can see the concern in her face. "I saw your expression when you looked at her, Logan. I've known you for twenty years. I know what you look like when something gets under your skin."

"She's an Omega," I snap, resuming my pacing. "Broken and scared. I'm not—"

"You're not what?" Cassandra cuts me off, her tone sharp. "Interested? Your wolf disagrees. I could feel it from across the room. He's been dormant for years, and suddenly one silver-haired Omega shows up and he's awake?"

I stop again, my hands clenching into fists at my sides.

She's right. Gods damn it, she's right.

"It doesn't matter what my wolf wants," I say through gritted teeth. "I can't touch her without killing her. End of discussion."

Cassandra is quiet for a long moment. Then, softer: "You got close to her in that examination room. Closer than you've been to anyone in years."

The words hit like a fist to the gut.

Because I did. I circled her. Studied her. Got close enough to smell her properly, close enough to feel her body heat. Close enough that if I'd reached out, if I'd lost control for even a second.

"What the hell is wrong with me?" The words tear out before I can stop them. "One pretty Omega walks into my fortress and I'm losing control? After ten years of maintaining distance from everyone, suddenly I can't think straight?"

"Maybe that's the problem," Cassandra says quietly. "Ten years is a long time to be alone, Logan."

"I'm not alone. I have you. The pack."

"You have people who keep twenty feet away at all times. People who flinch when you walk into a room. People who see a monster first and their Alpha second." Her voice is gentle but brutal in its honesty. "That girl in the examination room? She didn't flinch. Not once."

My chest tightens.

She's right about that too. Rune, that's her name, I heard the healers say it. Rune didn't flinch. Didn't cower. Even stripped down and vulnerable, she held my gaze.

Like she wasn't afraid of me.

Like she saw something worth looking at.

"Whatever this is," Cassandra says, moving toward the door, "be careful. For her sake."

She leaves before I can respond. The door closes with a soft click.

I'm alone again. With the scent of lavender still haunting me and my wolf still pushing at my control.

This is insane.