Chapter 3
The Scent That Shouldn't Exist
Luciano De Luca
While she was still unconscious.
All dressed in one of my shirts that hugged her curves like a second skin, I couldn't help but wonder what mystery awaited me. I observed her for some time, to check for a possible threat, but she's not. Not to any of my men, or to my empire.
But as I watched her closely, I knew that to me...
She's more than a goddamn problem.
I leaned carefully against the wall of the room where she slept peacefully, arms folded, watching her, or rather, studying her, including her mesmerizing features. Trying everything possible to figure out why the hell my wolf had refused to shut up since the moment I met her.
He has been dormant and never stirred in years. Not since that very night, everything turned upside down, burned down to ashes, the blood that flowed, the heavy betrayal beyond comprehension, the scent of burnt family members. Since the day of that incident, he has been silent. He was never with me, left just me all alone running the De Luca mafia, and with the bitterness in my heart, I did that with cold hands and a colder heart.
But the very moment her limp body was dragged in front of me for questioning...
The second I perceived her scent just a few feet away, my wolf lost control and growled.
This wasn't a warning that she might be dangerous..., no...
It wasn't out of rage.
It was that of recognition, like she was one of us.
My mate.
No, hell no, this can't be.
That's not going to happen. It's not possible. Fate wouldn't pay me back in such a cruel way. I quickly walked over to her, but this time, taking it slow and in a silent way. Her scent in a stronger way, hits me again. It came very soft, very warm, yet wild. It had the likeness of night-blooming jasmine after rain, but attached to it was something ancient. Something that seemed off, like it doesn't belong.
I tried again, inhaling the scent once more. I discovered it to be even deeper.
And that was the moment I felt it
The unmistakable spark.
It was the type that shoots down spine, ensures to tighten fists, not forgetting to leave curls inside chest like a lit fuse. My wolf was restless and uncontrollable, snarling greatly under my skin, pacing uncontrollably like a caged beast.
She's definitely the one.
But… even at that, she's not right.
There's something totally off about her. Her scent for reasons I know nothing about, carries omega softness, yes, I sensed it deep in her. But as I was still contemplating what that means, I noticed something very deep and older buried under it, but on the second layer.
It has the likeness of… royalty.
But how can that be possible? That's one of the impossibilities that can never happen. I'm very sure the royal bloodlines were totally wiped out with no trace of anyone remaining long ago, exactly two decades now. And that was done by my family.
Or maybe, so we thought.
My jaw tensed on the realization hitting me. I took a glance at her hands, how delicate they appeared, and I observed that under her almost manicured nails lay pale crescents. She has the looks that every other girl out there probably has. To me, she looked mortal, even helpless. But one thing is clear, the scent doesn't lie. And also worthy of note, the beast clawing restlessly inside me, longing desperately to claim her does not make mistakes either.
No, without being told. I know for sure that this isn't fate.
This is, in my definition, a curse.
I gently reached down to where she lay and brushed off a strand of hair from her perfectly carved cheek. She stirs at that movement, moaning softly to my touch.
My wolf lunges within me, pushing me to claim her instantly.
I reeled back acting like someone who's been slapped so hard. I never realized how fast and unsteady my breathing was till then I heard someone address me from the back. It was Luca, my second in command, who had been standing at the door for only God knows how long.
"You sure you are alright, Don?" he asked carefully, like not wanting to upset me, immediately he sensed the tension in the room.
I turned to face him. "She's not who we thought she was, not human."
He stiffened on hearing that. "Are you very sure of this, Don?"
"I'm never wrong, and especially when my wolf is involved."
Luca swallows, seizing the girl up as she lay peacefully. "What is your intention towards her? What do you intend to do?"
That's a good question.
My wolf isn't confused about what to do, he has one answer.
My enemies, of course, would expect another.
And as for me?
I'm totally indifferent, caught somewhere in between, not knowing which to follow.
"Bring Madame Rosetta to me," I murmured instead. "Right now."
"But she is..."
"I said I need her right now."
If this girl lying here with no idea of who she really is, happens to be who my instincts suspect she is, then I would need answers. And that should be very fast.
Because if all matches my instincts, then fate has just succeeded in throwing a match into the powder keg, the exact one I've been standing on for ten years. I have waited for decades to avenge the death of my family. Made sure none of those responsible had an heir left.
And just when we thought we'd done a great job. The moment I turned my back to continue my life, there emerged a girl with a familiar scent. The exact one we eliminated from the surface of the Earth. And funny enough, it smells just like jasmine. And this only means one thing; she's my mate! Do I keep her, or destroy her?