Chapter 162

Darren

Raven.

Ever since she arrived the other day, something about her had my wolf pacing restlessly inside of me. It made no sense. Aria was my mate—my true, fated mate. The woman I loved with every fiber of my being.

So why couldn’t I get Raven’s scent out of my head?

My wolf growled. It wasn’t her beauty that was attracting me—it was that goddamn scent. Every time she came near, it was as if it was cloying into my nostrils, my chest, deep down to my core. It blotted out Aria’s scent, even when my mate was right next to me.

I needed air.

Mumbling an excuse to Aria, I headed for the winding forest trail that swooped around the village border and toward the pack house, gulping in deep breaths of air once I was alone.

It had to be her perfume. Some strange concoction she wore that was messing with my instincts. There was no other explanation for why my wolf reacted this way to another woman when Aria was my mate. I wasn’t attracted to Raven—not in the slightest, not when Aria was everything I could have ever wanted. It had to be the perfume; I’d have to ask her to stop wearing it.

As I walked, my thoughts drifted back to that morning, when Raven had asked for my help gathering plants for the play’s stage dressing. She said she didn’t know the terrain here.

We’d spent nearly two hours in the forest, with Raven asking endless questions about pack customs, about the upcoming summit, about my plans if I managed to unite the werewolves.

I’d answered sparingly, of course, not wanting to divulge too much information to anyone who I didn’t trust with every fiber of my being. And despite that strange scent, Raven was a newcomer. I didn’t know her at all, except for seeing her face countless times in movies.

At one point, while I was cutting down some branches she’d requested, Raven had approached me and asked to borrow my phone to look something up, as she’d forgotten hers in the village. I’d handed it over, thinking nothing of it.

Later, when Aria had arrived at the village square, upset about me ignoring her calls, I’d found my phone completely dead when it hadn’t been before.

By the time I reached the packhouse, my head was pounding. The building was mercifully empty, everyone still at the celebration in the square. I made my way to my study, poured some whiskey into a glass, and sank into my chair.

Just a few minutes, then I would rejoin my mate at the feast.

But I kept thinking about those hours spent in the woods. Something wasn’t adding up. My phone had been fully charged that morning. And I was certain I hadn’t declined any calls from Aria. But between Raven borrowing it and Aria confronting me, something had happened.

Was I overthinking things? Maybe the stress of everything was making me paranoid.

Just then, a soft knock on my office door pulled me from my thoughts.

“Come in,” I called, expecting to see Aria’s face—hoping for it, actually. But it was Raven stepped inside, closing the door behind her with a soft click.

“Found you,” she said. “Hiding from the party?”

The scent hit me immediately—stronger than ever in the confined space. My wolf surged forward, clawing at my insides, desperate to get closer to her as if she were my mate and not Aria.

“I needed some quiet,” I managed, gripping my glass tighter. I hoped she would take the hint and leave me be.

But she didn’t.

Raven sauntered toward me, moving with the fluid grace typical of panther shifters. She leaned past me to reach for the whiskey decanter, her body brushing against mine. The brief contact of her slender waist against my bicep sent fire racing through my veins.

“Mind if I join you?” She didn’t wait for an answer before pouring herself a drink.

I swallowed hard, trying to focus on Aria’s face in my mind, but the scent was making it difficult to think clearly. It reminded me of a she-wolf in heat, but stronger, more intoxicating.

Raven perched on the arm of my chair, so close I could feel her body heat rippling toward me.

I shifted uncomfortably, trying to put some distance between us without being too obvious. “Did you need something, Raven?”

“Just company.” Her eyes flicked over my face. “Where’s Aria? I would have thought she’d be glued to your side with the election tomorrow.”

“She’s probably still at the event.”

“So you don’t even know where your own mate is?”

Something cold slithered down my spine at her tone. I frowned, opening my mouth to respond, but she leaned in closer, her hand brushing against mine on the armrest.

“But you’ve been avoiding her for days now, haven’t you?” she whispered.

My brow furrowed. “That’s not true.”

“Isn’t it? Because I saw you decline her calls yesterday while we were together. And I see the way you stare at me and not her.” Her fingertips trailed up my arm. “You know, us panthers are quite… agile in bed. I could show you.”

I pulled back, confusion outweighing the repulsion.

Had I declined Aria’s calls?

No, I distinctly remembered giving Raven my phone while I was cutting branches, then finding it dead later before Aria had ever called me. But as Raven leaned closer, her scent enveloped me completely, making my memories fuzzy around the edges.

Maybe I had. Maybe I’d been pushing Aria away without realizing it. The thought made me sick, but I couldn’t seem to hold onto it as Raven’s scent intensified.

She must have seen something change in my expression because satisfaction flashed in her eyes. She stood suddenly, her half-finished drink abandoned on my desk.

“It’s warm in here,” she said, moving toward the door. “Why don’t we find somewhere more… comfortable?”

She stepped into the hallway, her hips swaying invitingly. Every instinct in my body screamed at me to follow her. My legs moved of their own accord.

It was like being trapped in a fog. I could see what was happening, could feel the wrongness of it, but was powerless to stop myself. I followed her down the hallway, my heart pounding wildly in my chest.

Once we were at the end of the hallway, right in front of mine and Aria’s bedroom door, Raven stopped and turned to face me. Her hand reached for mine.

“I’ll tell you what,” she whispered, her breath warm against my ear. “I’ll show you one good night if you promise to step down from the Alpha King election tomorrow.”

A distant warning bell sounded in my mind, but her scent washed it away before I could grasp it. She tugged my hand, leading me toward the bedroom. Part of me knew this was wrong, knew I should pull away, but my body wouldn’t respond to my commands.

Inside, Raven pushed me down onto the bed, straddling my hips in one fluid motion. Her green eyes glowed, and the scent coming off her was so overpowering that my head spun, making the ceiling swim above me.

What was I doing? Goddess, what was happening? I didn’t want this—didn’t want her. I had to get out, had to stop this, and yet…

I felt like a puppet. Like the real version of me, the sane one, was clawing at the inside of my mind while something feral and primal took charge on the outside. As if I’d become my wolf entirely, the man inside fading away.

No, I wasn’t even my wolf anymore—even he would have preferred our mate over this. No, now I was nothing but pure lust.

But then, just as her lips were brushing mine, the bedroom door suddenly burst open with a bang. Aria stood in the doorway, her chest heaving.

“How dare you, Darren Avarise!” Aria cried.

Before I could process what was happening, she hurled the contents of a cup directly at us.

Cold water splashed across my face and Raven’s. Almost instantly, the fog in my head began to clear. The overwhelming scent that had been clouding my senses washed away, and I could finally think clearly again.

With a growl, I flipped Raven off of me, pinning her arms behind her back in one swift motion.

“Check her pockets,” I told Aria.

Aria stood frozen, tears streaming down her face. “What?” she choked out.

“Please,” I begged. “Trust me. Check her pockets.”

Reluctantly, Aria approached, her hands shaking as she roughly patted down Raven’s jacket. Her fingers closed around something in the inner pocket, and she pulled out a small crystal bottle filled with amber liquid.

The moment she uncorked it, the same intoxicating scent filled the air. Aria quickly recorked it, blinking in confusion.

“Synthetic pheromones,” I growled, tightening my grip on Raven. “Designed to mimic a heat cycle, but amplified. Who sent you?”

Raven’s face twisted with rage, but she said nothing. She didn’t need to, though. She’d said enough when she’d told me to step down from the election.

“Get the others,” I told Aria. “She’s a spy.”

Aria nodded, backing toward the door. Moments later, two of my warriors appeared, taking Raven by the arms.

“You’re going to regret this,” she spat as they dragged her away. “There are far more of us than there are of you!”

When they were gone, leaving Aria and me alone in the bedroom, I turned to her, seeing the pain etched across her beautiful face.

“Aria, I swear to you, the perfume—it was like being drugged. I couldn’t think straight, couldn’t control myself.” I reached for her hands, terrified she would pull away. “I would never betray you. Never.”

She looked at me for what felt like an eternity. Then, with a sob that broke my heart, she collapsed into my arms.