Chapter 88: The scent that wouldn’t leave…
Aurora closed the door to her room. The sound was soft, but it felt loud in her ears. She leaned against the wood for a moment. Her hand pressed to her chest. The ache was still there. Not sharp like before, but deep. Like a bruise that would not heal.
She walked to the mirror. Looked at her own face. Pale skin. Dark hair. Gray eyes. She looked like Aurora. The girl the palace loved. The girl who agreed to marry Kairo. The girl who felt safe here.
But right now, she did not feel like Aurora.
She felt like someone else.
Who was that guard?
The question came again and again. Who was he? Why did he call her Rhianna? Why did his scent make her heart hurt so much?
She sat on the bed. Closed her eyes. Tried to think.
Maybe he is playing tricks. Maybe he wants something from me. Maybe he heard the marriage news and wants to cause trouble.
But then why did her body react like that? Her heart ached. Her skin felt hot. Her wolf—weak as it was—stirred inside her chest. Like it knew him. Like it missed him.
That was the part that scared her most.
She did not remember him. Not his face. Not his name. Not anything. But her body remembered. Her wolf remembered. And that made her angry.
“I must find him,” she whispered to the empty room. “He better explain himself.”
She stood up. Walked to the door. Opened it slowly. Looked into the hall.
Empty.
No guards. No servants. Just quiet.
She stepped out. Closed the door behind her. Walked fast. Her dress made soft sounds on the stone floor.
She went to the garden gate first. That was where she saw him last. Maybe he was still there.
The gate was empty. Only two guards stood. Not him.
She asked one of them. “The guard who was here earlier. Dark hair. Tall. Where is he?”
The guard looked confused. “Many guards, my lady. Which one?”
“The one who stood right here,” she said. “He… he spoke to me.”
The guard shook his head. “No one spoke to you. We would have seen.”
Aurora felt cold. “He was here. I saw him.”
The guard bowed. “Maybe he changed post. Guards move all the time.”
She turned away. Her hands shook a little.
Where could he have gone?
She walked through the garden. The sun was high now. Warm. Flowers smelled sweet. But she did not care about flowers. She looked at every face. Every guard. Every servant.
None was him.
She went to the east wing. The halls were long. Windows let in light. She passed doors. Some open. Some closed.
She asked a maid who carried towels. “Did you see a guard? Tall. Dark hair. Quiet?”
The maid shook her head. “Many guards, my lady. I don’t know.”
Aurora kept walking.
Her mind raced.
If he knew her real name, why did he run? Why did he hide?
If he was lying, why did her heart hurt so much?
She turned a corner. The hall opened to a small sitting room. Chairs. A table. Flowers in a vase.
The queen sat there. Alone. Reading a book.
Aurora stopped.
The queen looked up. Smiled. “Aurora. Come sit.”
Aurora did not want to sit. She wanted to find the guard. But she could not be rude.
She walked in. Sat across from the queen.
The queen closed her book. “You look troubled. What is wrong?”
Aurora looked at her hands. “Nothing. I… I am just walking.”
The queen watched her. “You are not good at lying, child.”
Aurora sighed. “I saw a guard. He called me a different name. Rhianna. His scent… it felt familiar. My heart hurt. I don’t know why.”
The queen’s face changed. She looked worried. “A guard called you Rhianna?”
Aurora nodded. “Yes. Then he left. I can’t find him now.”
The queen was quiet for a moment. Then she said, “Maybe it was a mistake. Guards sometimes talk too much.”
Aurora shook her head. “No. He looked at me like he knew me. Like he was in pain too.”
The queen reached over. Took Aurora’s hand. “Listen to me, dear. You are safe here. You have a new life. A good life. Kairo loves you. He is happy. I have never seen him this happy with any woman before.”
Aurora looked at the queen.
The queen continued. “When Kairo was young, he was shy. He did not like crowds. He did not like talking to girls. He always stayed with books or his wolf. But when he found you… washed up on the riverbank… he changed. He smiled more. He laughed more. He talked about you all the time.”
Aurora listened.
The queen’s voice became soft. Pleading. “He has a good heart. He will be a good husband. Please… do not break his heart. He has waited for someone like you. Someone who makes him feel alive.”
Aurora felt tears in her eyes. “I don’t want to hurt him.”
The queen squeezed her hand. “Then don’t. Forget the guard. Forget the name Rhianna. That is the past. You are Aurora now. You are going to be our daughter. Our son’s wife. That is your future.”
Aurora nodded slowly. “I… I will try.”
The queen smiled. “Good girl. Now go rest. The wedding plans start tomorrow. We have much to do.”
Aurora stood up. “Thank you.”
She left the sitting room. Walked back to her room.
But inside, the ache did not go away.
She thought about the guard. His eyes. His voice. His scent.
Rhianna.
The name felt right. Like it belonged to her.
She reached her door. Opened it. Went inside.
She sat on the bed again. Put her face in her hands.
Who was he?
Why did he call her that?
Why did her heart hurt when he looked at her?
She did not know.
But she knew one thing.
She would find him.
She would ask him everything.
And she would not stop until she understood why her body remembered him… even if her mind did not.