Chapter 14: SMELL OF ROT

ALPHA LEO POV

They say anger should not rule a decision. Worrying over something didn’t fix anything; instead, it only made things worse, amplifying problems in the mind. Either way, I didn’t care.

Once I left Thorn, I rushed all the way to the academy, quickly stepping on the gas and calling the principal  ahead of time. Florence answered the phone.

“Yes, Alpha,” the principal, Hightower, responded.

“Where is she?”

“Well, I believe she’s quite an outstanding pupil after all—”

“I’m not here for that,” I said, cutting him off. “Don’t pander to me. Now!”

I quickly hung up on him and pressed my foot hard on the gas, racing toward the massive property structure of the academy. The driveway leading to the first building felt needlessly long, and I cursed its length, hating how long it took me to get there. Luckily enough, thePrincipal, Hightower, was waiting just as I arrived.

“Alpha,” he said in a small voice, trembling. I could hear the fear in his tone even from where I was standing.

“What?”

“Forgive me,” he stammered. “Unfortunately, Florence is in the infirmary. There was… an unfortunate incident, and the professor had to send her there.”

I squeezed my phone so hard it almost shattered in my hand before hanging up on him. Pressing my foot hard on the gas again, I propelled myself toward the academy layout that I knew like the back of my hand. Within a few minutes, I reached the infirmary.

Tearing through the open doors, I stomped in.

“Florence!” I yelled.

There was a sudden flurry of activity all around me. Some gasped, and others even screamed.

“Florence!”

I turned to the nearest nurse, glaring at her. “Where is my wife?”

“She’s on the fourth floor,” the nurse said, her voice trembling slightly.

Though she tried to sound composed, her rapidly beating heart betrayed her nerves. It was almost like drums in my ears, pounding faster and faster. I stormed away from her, heading straight for the elevator.

The elevator seemed to move painfully slow, and at times, it felt as though I was stuck. Finally, the doors slid open, revealing the fourth floor. The hallway stretched ahead of me, but Florence’s scent was already in my nose, tickling my nostrils like a silent beacon pulling me forward.

Without wasting time, I followed the scent until I found myself in front of a wide-open door leading to a long hall lined with numerous beds.

“Oh, my sweet goddess… Florence.”

I heard a familiar voice as I stepped into the room, stomping toward her. She was being held by someone I vaguely recognized—her friend? I thought to myself.

Without a word, I took Florence from her friend’s grasp and placed her gently on the bed, where the outline of her body was already imprinted.

“Why is she like this?” I demanded, raising my eyes to her friend.

Her friend dropped her chin to her chest and shook her head. “I don’t know. I just came to her, and she suddenly fell down.” She threw up her hands in surrender. “Forgive me, Alpha.”

An elderly voice spoke from nearby, breaking the tension.

“Alpha,” the voice said gently.

I turned to see an elderly woman. Fine lines of age were etched into her features, and her slightly drooping face bore the marks of time. Gravity had worked on her skin, pulling it downwards. She approached cautiously, as though hesitant to intrude further.

“We old women are to be treasured,” the elderly nurse said.

I raised my eyebrows, waiting for her to speak.

“And the nurse,” she continued, “the principal in charge of the infirmary—this is as her friend said.”

She stepped closer, placing a hand on Florence's arm.

“Her pulse is normal; it’s as though she’s just sleeping. But,” she added, “her blood seems to be rushing to her head.”

“And?” I raised my eyebrows again, visibly tense.

“And, Alpha, there’s nothing else,” she said. “She’s fine, except that she is tired. I would suggest you take her home.”

The elderly nurse inclined her head slightly. “Will you, Alpha?”

Without responding, I scooped my arms underneath Florence’s waist and legs, lifting her in a princess style and placing her head in the crook of my neck. Flashing my eyes briefly at the healer, I turned and walked out of the infirmary.

“Wait, Alpha,” I heard her friend call out from behind.

I stopped slightly, turning my head to one side. “What?”

“You can’t just take her,” her friend said. “She has classes and things to do. The entire world doesn’t exactly have to stop—”

She trailed off just as a growl left my throat.

“If you know what is good for you,” I said, “you’ll keep your mouth shut. You will not question me. I’m your Alpha and your King, and the more you do that, the angrier I get. Don’t make me have to explain to her why her friend is dead.”

I could smell her fear as she suddenly let out a small whimper. Wasting no more time, I stepped forward, leaving the building entirely.

Reaching my car, I placed Florence in the back seat and quickly drove home.

A few moments after laying her down on her bed, I found myself sitting beside her, simply staring out of the open window.

“Hello.”

I smelled Rose before I heard her voice. Her scent was soft, almost like a balm, vaguely similar to the way Florence soothed me. But it was different—her scent was nothing more than that.

I tried to calm myself slightly, but now it was amplified in a way I couldn’t quite pinpoint. The sight of Rose stirred little within me. If mates were supposed to feel a magnetic attraction to each other—a need to touch, to feel, to be one—I felt none of those things.

Yet I felt a bond with her, as though she were the truth.

“I heard what happened,” Rose said, stepping closer, her worried expression evident. Her eyebrows were scrunched together, and her lips parted slightly. “Is everything all right with her?”

Rose’s voice was soft, but despite its gentleness, I could still taste a harsh edge—perhaps jealousy? Or maybe it was all in my head.

Maybe bringing in a wife when my mate has refused to leave my side without me rejecting her wasn’t the best idea. But who was I kidding? I needed them both in some way.

“She’s fine,” I said. “Just asleep.”

“Nothing more?”

“No.” I shook my head and began walking toward her.

“Maybe we should leave, allow her some time to sleep,” Rose suggested with a small chuckle. “I would’ve offered to take care of her, but my bedside manner isn’t exactly the best,” she said with a smile.

She left the room, her lingering scent raising too many questions in my mind.

I had smelled this before, but I couldn’t place it. I knew my mind subconsciously associated it with the smell of rot.