No Scent, No Escape: The Alpha's Fated Prey

ien

the epicenter of a political earthquake. I dismissed the trembling guard and sent Marcus to manage

r closed, and I w

ey tumbler, the crystal cold against my palm. I hadn't taken a sip since the guard burst i

ir to Stonecrest, son of an ally-dead in

tness to lead. And the Beaumonts-Seraphina's mother would hear of this within hours. A man who cannot protect his own guests cannot protect a wife. A marriage allian

for this whole damnable affa

ad now fully consumed my lands. The moon was hidden behind clouds. M

tual, I unlocked a small, unassuming drawer. Inside, nestled on a b

I didn't need to look. It would only sof

smile steady and warm. She had believed in the union of the great packs. She had believed a

pack falter. Not because the memory of her love demanded i

r, locking her ima

phin

silver dart against the endless blue. Below, the world was

s. The complex dance of stock market K-lines filled the screen, a language I understood better

et a cup of chamomile tea on the polished wood table

finds out who you really are before you're ready, he won't just break the engagement-he'll make sure you never set foot outside your mother's esta

xecuting a trade. A small, satisfied smile touched my l

he only one who gets

ass of the window. Outside, the clou

led of bitter herbs and earth. I swallowed them dry, grimacing at the familiar wave of nausea that followed. The suppr

ate that you take those. T

asiness passed. "A little nausea is a small price to pay for

, professionally done. He was handsome, in a severe, intimidating way. His jaw was sharp enough to cut glas

not fear, but a thrill-running through me. "That this marriag

The photo showed me with my hair cut short, my features sharpened by clever makeup, my favorite silk blouse replaced with a s

. "I still can't believe you

ently. "Isolde isn't going to just let you torpe

r build a fortune while her marriage grew cold and distant. I had seen the way she looked at my father across dinner tables-respectful, civil,

ice quiet but firm. "Bu

Below us, the landscape was changing. The rolling hills were giving wa

was from Leo Carter, my head of security. 'L

ack a sim

t a surge of adrenaline. T

the Sinclair est

d. "Where are we going

ld feel the electricity of the plan, th

I explained, my eyes gleaming, "is to make the groom

to my pocket. It felt cool

elieve that marrying me would be the bigge

s nose towards the neutral territory th

ishes," I said, my voice filled with

ting off this plane