Captured By His Scent..
1162 Words
Valtira.
My heart seemed to stop at her question. I froze, lips parted, but no words came out.
“I—” I started, my gaze darting around the cramped cottage.
Her eyes narrowed. I could tell instantly—she wasn’t a fan of Alpha Zarek. By the goddess’s fangs, what was I supposed to say?
“Answer me, girl,” she hissed, irritation creeping into her tone.
“No!” I blurted.
She leaned back, her gaze sharp and measuring. “Why did you hesitate to answer?”
I lifted my chin. “Because I can’t tell if I should trust you.”
The lie rolled smoothly off my tongue, and I prayed to every god listening that she’d believe me.
There was something quietly imposing about her presence—effortless, yet heavy enough to press down on me like a weight I couldn’t shake off.
Her brow arched as she studied me, eyes narrowing as though she could peel the truth straight from my skin.
“Good thing you don’t trust me,” she murmured. “Because I don’t trust you either. You reek of Duskborne.”
My heart caught in my chest. My words tangled in my throat.
How did she know that?
Her gaze dropped to my torn sleeve, and her eyes darkened. “You wear the mark of royal dye. No villager owns silk like that. It’s not fine enough for nobility, but it’s far above a commoner’s thread.”
Damn it. She was baiting me—and I was walking right into her snare.
A shaky laugh escaped my lips as I toyed with the fabric.
“It’s nothing. I worked as a servant in a grand house once. The lady there had a soft spot for me. She gifted it before I left.”
Silence stretched—thick and suffocating. I could only imagine what storm brewed behind her stare.
“What house?” she finally asked.
“Night Veil,” I lied without missing a breath. “I was a slave there, but I escaped. I fled to Duskborne, which is why I carry their scent. I do not know Alpha Zarek as you speak of.”
Her nod was slow, deliberate. “Good. Pray you never do. He’s a butcher wrapped in a crown.”
Before she could turn away, I found myself blurting, “Wait—why do you ask? You’re not under his rule, so—”
A humorless laugh escaped her as she glanced back at me. “Oh, child… this is Hollowreach Village.”
She paused, her tone dipping lower. “We are under Duskborne. Stay in the cot by the wall. Don’t touch anything.”
With that warning, she turned and stepped out into the night.
My heart pounded so hard it hurt. I was still in Duskborne territory.
I needed to move. Fast. Before he noticed I was gone.
A sound drifted through the air—a faint humming. My body went rigid.
What was that?
Through the window, I could see her silhouette outside, lips moving as she muttered under her breath.
With every word, the air grew heavier, thicker—the hair on my arms standing on end.
“Xia…” I whispered, glancing around the dim cottage.
“No,” Xia answered sharply before I could continue. “We stay here and rest for the night. The forest is crawling with rogues. She can’t be trusted, but the dark beyond her walls is worse. We leave at dawn.”
I pressed deeper into the corner, every nerve alight, listening for hours even as exhaustion tugged at me.
When the woman returned, she dimmed the lone lamp, plunging the room into shadow.
“What’s your name?” I whispered into the dark.
Silence answered. I thought she’d fallen asleep—until a single word broke through.
“Morwenna.”
I said nothing more. Just tucked her name away in my mind and wondered who she truly was… and why she helped me.
Slowly, I began to doze off in the corner, my eyelids fluttering close. Then, I heard itㅡ foots pounding against the wet earth. A deep howl followed and I could feel my skin prickle.
What was that?
I sprang up to see Morwenna already looking out of her window, a grim look on her face.
I spotted tiny lights fast approach the cottage and my chest suddenly felt tightㅡ he got me.
“Oh, gods…” I scrambled back, slipping and falling to the floor. My breath came out in ragged gasps.
Morwenna turned, her eyes blazing. “You—” she hissed, pointing at me with a trembling finger. “You led him right to me!”
“What? No! I swear—”
She didn’t listen. She reached to her side and pulled a dagger free, its blade catching the moonlight that streamed through the slats.
I froze. “What are you doing?”
Her gaze was hard as stone. “If he’s coming through that door, better he finds a corpse than takes you alive. Better the forest devour you than him.”
Panic surged through me. “No! You wretched witch!”
She raised the knife to stab me when the door splintered open and she fell down, groaning while men streamed in, their gazes sharp as it landed on me.
What do you want from me, you scoundrels?!” I screamed, voice raw. “Go crawl back into the pit that spawned you!”
They didn’t flinch at my outburst.
“Enough.”
The voice that followed was cold, deep, certain.
Smoke curled from the broken door. He stepped through it like he owned the night.
Zarek.
Every soldier fell back when he entered. His eyes were darker than I remembered—like storm clouds ready to break.
“You run well for a common slave,” he said.
My throat tightened. “I’m not—”
“Quiet.” His gaze swept over the room, landing on Morwenna.
She didn't raise her head up from where she had fallen, she just kept her gaze to the floor but I refused to rein in the anger that flooded my veins.
Rage boiled up inside me, sharp and wild. “I curse you if you think you can own me,” I spat. “May your blood rot.”
Zarek didn’t even blink. “Take the girl,” he ordered.
Two soldiers hauled me up. I kicked again,l, clawed, thrashed— but they didn’t care.
They dragged me into the cold night. My feet scraped the earth. My heart hammered so loud it drowned the wind.
No. No.
“To hell with you, Zarek!” I screamed into the darkness. “May the beasts feast on your flesh!”
The last thing I saw was the pale moon above, slipping behind the clouds—before a sack enveloped my head and I was plunged into darkness again.
- Writer
