Magnus
The forest swallows her whole.
I tear through the trees, a blur of muscle and panic, her scent guiding me like a noose wrapped tight around my neck. It has shifted—no longer soft or sweet like it usually is. Now it clings to the air, sharp and intoxicating, dizzying in the worst way. She is in heat. She is definitely in heat.
But how?
Someone must have done this to her.
I knew it the moment I saw her stumbling out of the banquet hall; I knew it the moment her scent flowed from her like honey and gold.
The way her eyes were glazed, lips parted, body trembling as though she couldn't stand being inside her own skin.
And then that flash of pure devastation—when she saw me lock eyes with her. It hit her like a blade between the ribs. I could see it. I could feel it. I could smell it.
And now she is alone. In this goddamn forest. Drenched in pheromones. Vulnerable. Weak. Confused. Frightened.
Faster, my wolf snarls at me, clawing inside my chest.
