BloodMoon: Captivated by the Forbidden Lycan Alpha
Chapter 24: THE SCENT IN YOUR BLOOD

Chapter 24: THE SCENT IN YOUR BLOOD

{" The scent of Love can, never be hidden"}

Midday sunlight filtered through the thick canopy of trees as I approached Ma’s house. She was in her usual garden, tending to her precious flowers. She hummed softly, a watering can in hand until she caught wind of me. Her nose scrunched, her head snapping up to glare at me with the sharpness of a hawk. "What in the hell is that smell coming off you?" she demanded, her voice laced with annoyance.

I could not help it, and I burst out laughing, doubling over as the tension of the past day melted away for just a moment. "Ma," I managed between chuckles, "I had to stop by and see if I could pass the scent test. It looks like I failed spectacularly."

Her glare did not soften. Instead, she marched toward me, her eyes narrowing as she came closer. Suddenly, she stopped, gasping, her hand flying to her chest. "What did you do?" she demanded, her voice low and dangerous. Before I could answer, she grabbed me by the arm with surprising strength and hauled me inside the house.

She did not stop until we reached Pa’s old office, the room still smelling faintly of his cologne and the books he used to love. In the corner stood an old cabinet, and without hesitation, Ma opened it, pulling out a thick candle. Slamming it onto the desk, she lit it with a lighter, her hands steady despite the fury radiating off her. The flame flickered, filling the room with a faint, herbal scent that was somehow comforting and unsettling all at once.

Ma crossed her arms and fixed me with a stern look. "You’re lucky you came here first," she said, her tone sharp. "If you’d gone straight home, there’d be hell to pay. You’d be in trouble before you even got a chance to explain yourself."

"Ma," I asked, tilting my head, my lips curling into a mischievous grin despite her scolding. "What scent is it, then? Why all the dramatics?"

Her finger shot out, pointing straight at my chest. "That scent," she hissed, "is the same one your Pa had a week before he died."

My grin disappeared, replaced by shock. "What?" I stammered, my jaw dropping.

"I asked him about it," she continued, her voice trembling slightly, though whether with anger or grief, I could not tell. "Demanded to know what it was. But your Pa would not say a damn thing. Just promised he would tell me the truth eventually. And then" she trailed off, shaking her head.

My mind reeled. "That’s impossible," I blurted, my voice louder than I intended. "Pa couldn’t have, there’s no way he met Alpha Tor of the Bay shifter pack. Tor’s Lycan only just awakened!"

The words hung in the air like a storm cloud. Ma’s face twisted in disbelief, and then she yelled, "What?!" Her voice echoed through the house, rattling the air between us. The flame on the candle flickered wildly, and I took a step back, my heart pounding. Whatever I thought I knew, it seemed there were far more secrets buried in Pa’s past than I had ever imagined.

"Ma," I began, my voice low but steady. "The Lycan is Alpha Tor. He is the Bay Shifter Alpha. His powers awakened recently, and that’s why Lord Marcel is worried—Bay Shifter is becoming too powerful.

But..." I hesitated, the thought twisting in my mind. "There’s no way it’s the same Lycan from twenty years ago."

Ma’s nostrils flared as she moved closer, her eyes narrowing. She sniffed the air around me, her expression shifting from anger to shock. Her voice was quieter this time, almost reverent.

"You’re right," she said, her lips pressing into a thin line. "It’s not the same Lycan. This scent,it’s stronger."

Her words sent a chill down my spine. The air in the room felt heavier like the walls themselves were listening in on our conversation. I reached out, grabbing her hand, my voice tinged with urgency. "Ma," I asked, glancing at the candle flickering on the desk. "What’s in that candle? What is it masking?"

She exhaled slowly, her gaze softening just enough to remind me that, for all her fierceness, she was still my mother. "It’s an ancient masking scent," she explained, motioning toward the candle. "A secret of the Kayne family. It hides scents from even the most sensitive noses. Your Pa used it often."

"Why would he need it?" I pressed, my brow furrowing.

Her eyes darkened, her expression clouded by memories she did not want to revisit. "Your Pa wanted to make peace with the Bay Shifters," she said softly, each word carrying the weight of a truth she had held for too long. "He met someone regularly near the caves on Hanka Island. Someone tied it to the pack."

The revelation hit me like a blow. "Do you think his death was connected to that?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

Ma hesitated, her eyes searching for mine before she finally nodded. "I do," she admitted, her tone bitter and it was laced with regret. "I’ve always had a feeling. Whoever killed your Pa did not just want him dead, they wanted to bury whatever he was working on with the Bay Shifter pack. They wanted to ensure it would never see the light of day."

Her words hung in the air, thick with unspoken grief and anger. My grip on her hand tightened as my thoughts raced. What kind of alliance had Pa been trying to forge? And why did it cost him his life? The candle’s flame danced, casting shadows across the room as if echoing the unease that now simmered between us. I released her hand, taking a step back as my jaw tightened.

"If that’s true, Ma," I said, my voice resolute, "then I need to find out exactly what he was working on."

And I hoped that it was not related to Alpha Tor. I chose to keep the information of the vision and the voice that spoke to Tor and me on Hanka Island. I was not sure that Ma was ready for that kind of information as sadness filled her face.

She did not respond immediately, her gaze fixed on the candle. When she finally looked back at me, her eyes were filled with a mixture of pride and sorrow. "Be careful, Freyr," she warned, her voice soft but firm. "Your Pa wasn’t the only one who got too close to the Bay Shifters."

I nodded, the weight of her words settling on my shoulders like a cloak. As I turned to leave the room, the scent of the candle still lingered, masking the truth that now burned brighter than ever in my mind.

" Go and take a shower before you leave and change your clothes. Leave the clothes you wore in your old room. I will have them cleaned and Qadira will bring them over to your house " Ma commanded just as my hand went to the library door.

" Yes Ma" I responded and left the library more worried than when I left Hanka Island.

An hour after my shower, I returned to the library. The space felt eerily quiet, and Ma was nowhere in sight. I stood by the towering bookcases, letting my fingers graze the ancient times. Their scent, a mix of aged paper and faint traces of ink—was intoxicating, a reminder of the countless hours Pa had spent here.

My gaze drifted to the corner where he always sat, his chair now an empty shell of memories. My thoughts wandered back to our last moment together—the pride shining in his eyes as he spoke of the future. I could still hear his voice, filled with conviction as he said, "You’ll make a fine leader one day, Freyr. The Paradise Coven will flourish under your care."

That morning, he had woken me at the crack of dawn, dragging me to the private training grounds. The memory made me smile. He had been so animated, so alive. He had watched me spar, nodding in approval as I bested one challenge after another. "Your power is growing faster than I imagined," he had said, his tone carrying a mix of awe and fatherly pride. But then he had done something unexpected, something that still haunted me. He had pulled out the Kayne family stone, the relic I had only seen in old portraits and whispered family legends. "It’s time," he had declared, placing it in my hand.

The moment the stone entered my body, my beast roared to life. My power surged like never before, an overwhelming force that left me breathless. The magic around me swirled and thrummed as if acknowledging its new master.

I had been exhilarated then, but now... now I could not shake the guilt. After Pa passed, I kept wondering if the stone had drained him, if I had taken something vital from him without realizing it. I clenched my fists, trying to push the thought away, but it lingered in a persistent shadow.

"Freyr Kayne!" Ma’s sharp voice cut through my reverie, snapping me back to reality. Her tone was laced with irritation, as though she had been trying to get my attention for a while. "You need to get out of that old library and help me in the kitchen!" she called from somewhere down the hall.

I could not help but chuckle. Her senses were as sharp as ever, and she always knew where to find me. Shaking my head, I stepped away from the bookshelves, made my way to the kitchen, and pushed the old memories back to where I had stored them.