Kai POV
I stared up at the ceiling, counting the wooden beams and trying not to think about anything at all. But my mind wouldn't cooperate. Thoughts swirled like leaves in a storm – Lily's face when she rejected the bond, my mother's cold anger, Celeste's tears, the Shadow Council lurking in the darkness, waiting for another chance to strike.
I was Alpha of one of the strongest packs in the region, and I'd never felt more powerless in my life.
The door opened again without a knock, and I didn't need to look to know who it was. Isabella's scent hit me first – her natural fragrance mixed with something else. Something that made my entire body go rigid with lust.
Sandalwood.
Oh no.
I pushed myself into a sitting position, my wolf Hud suddenly alert and interested in a way he hadn't been since the mate bond broke. Sandalwood was dangerous for Alpha wolves. It was a natural aphrodisiac, something that bypassed rational thought and went straight to primal instinct.
