Chapter 47: The Scent of Him
The first thing I noticed was the scent.
It was intoxicating, warm, dark, rich with something ancient and untamed. It curled around me like smoke, threading into my senses until I could no longer tell where it ended and I began. It wasn’t the cold stench of fear or the loud siren alarm like I was used to waking up to. No. This scent was all power, dominance, and something primal.
And it made my heart ache
My head throbbed as I opened my eyes, lids heavy like I’d been asleep for years. A dull pulse beat behind my temples, but I forced myself to blink through the haze. The room I found myself in was.... unfamiliar. Far too luxurious for a feral girl like me
Dark velvet curtains framed tall windows that bathed the room in golden light. The walls were stone-gray, intricately carved, lined with gold accents. A chandelier glowed above like a sky full of stars, and the sheets beneath me were silk—smooth and cool against my skin.
This wasn’t the academy hospital. This wasn’t punishment.
I turned slowly, and that’s when I saw him.
Kieran.
Seated on a velvet couch, legs crossed, one arm draped over the backrest like he owned the entire world, and maybe he did. His crimson eyes were fixed on me, unblinking, burning. Protective. Possessive
"Welcome back to the world of the living, little wolf," he said, voice like silk laced with steel.
I stared at him for a second too long. The warmth of his scent was stronger now. I knew it had to be him.
I tried to sit up, groaning softly as pain rippled through my muscles. My body felt like it had been wrung dry and left to bake in the sun. But I needed answers. I needed to remember.