It's subtle. Just a thread of air curling through the trees, carrying scent from the valley below. But it hits me like a freight train, and everything else—council, Gideon, the argument—fades to background noise.
Female. Human. Unfamiliar.
But underneath that, something else. Something that sinks claws into my chest and pulls.
My wolf surges forward so hard I have to lock my knees to stay upright. My instincts scream at me to shift, to run, to find the source of that scent and claim it before someone else does.
Mate.
No.
Not possible.
I force my breathing steady, but my hands are shaking. I curl them into fists and shove them into my pockets.
Brynn's watching me, her eyes narrowed. "Alden?"
"Meeting's over." My voice comes out rougher than I intended. "We'll reconvene tomorrow."
"Over?" Gideon stares at me. "We haven't decided anything."
"I've decided." I turn away, already moving toward the tree line. "Double the patrols. No one crosses the boundary without my authorization. Dismissed."
"Alden—"
I don't stop. Just shift mid-stride, fur rippling over skin, and sprint downhill before anyone can follow.
The scent pulls me like a leash.
I run hard, cutting through underbrush and dodging low branches, nose locked on the trail. It's stronger now, clearer. Fresh enough that she passed through within the last hour.
The terrain drops steep, and I slow near the ridge overlooking the valley. A rental cabin sits near the main road. The cabin stops me.
No lights. No smoke. Just a single truck parked out front, state wildlife decal on the door.
Her scent is everywhere, but she’s not inside.
My human form takes over again, and crouches low, breathing hard. My chest feels too tight, my pulse hammeringagainst my ribs. Every nerve in my body is screaming at me to go down there, to see her, toknow.
But I don't move.
Because if I'm right—if she's really my mate—then everything just got a hell of a lot more complicated.
Behind me, footsteps crunch through the brush. Sam appears at my shoulder, breathing hard, still in wolf form. He shifts, settling beside me.
"What the hell was that?" he asks quietly.
I don't answer. Just stare down at the cabin and try to get my pulse under control.
Sam follows my gaze, then goes still. "Alden. Tell me that's not?—"
"It is."
He swears, low and vicious.
I stand, brush dirt off my jeans, and turn back toward the compound. "No one hears about this. Not yet."
"You can't just ignore it."
