Reina fucking Howlett.
Twelve fucking years and she was here. In my arena. Setting up equipment like she hadn't disappeared without a trace. Like she hadn't left me wondering if she was dead or alive or just done with us completely.
My Alpha roared to life, possessive and feral and demanding.
Mine.
But Luca's scent was thick on her skin, concentrated around her neck and wrists like he'd been close. Really close.
My hands curled into fists. What the fuck had Vale done?
I forced myself to breathe, to think, to not immediately cross the room and drag her somewhere private so I could figure out exactly what had happened. The rational part of my brain, the part that wasn't currently drowning in instinct, knew that would be a terrible idea.
The irrational part didn't give a shit.
I started walking.
She didn't notice me at first, too focused on her lens. I watched her work, efficient and practiced, completely in her element. She'd always been good with cameras, even as a kid. Always carrying around some cheap disposable thing, taking pictures of everything.
I was ten feet away when she looked up, those deep brown eyes coming into focus.
Our eyes met and I watched the recognition slam into her like a physical blow. Her entire body went rigid. The camera in her hands dipped slightly. Her lips parted on a sharp inhale.
And her scent spiked.
Arousal and fear and something else, something that made my Alpha preen with satisfaction because she recognized me. Her body knew me even if her mind was still catching up.
I closed the distance between us, deliberately slow. Giving her time to run if she was going to.
She didn't.
"Long time no see, Pretty Girl."
Her throat worked as she swallowed. The professional mask she'd been wearing cracked at the edges.
"Jaxon," she managed, and hearing my name in her voice again after twelve years made something in my chest twist.
"That's all you've got for me?" I stopped just inside her personal space, close enough that she had to tilt her head back to meet my eyes. "Twelve years and I get my name?"
"I'm working," she said, but her voice was shaky.
"I can see that." My gaze dropped to her camera, then back to her face. "NIHL photographer now? That's new."
"People change."
"Do they?" I let my eyes trail over her deliberately. "Because you smell exactly like I remember. Well, mostly."
Her jaw tightened. She knew what I meant.
"Jaxon..."
"He touch you?" The question came out rougher than I intended. "Vale. Did he touch you?"
Her eyes widened slightly and I had my answer before she even opened her mouth.
"That's none of your business."
"The fuck it isn't." I stepped closer, crowding her against the light stand. "You disappear for twelve years, show up in my city smelling like my rival, and you think I don't get to ask questions?"
