The metallic tang of ozone and scorched earth wasn't just a smell; it was an alarm bell shrieking in Anya Rylan's head. Most people smelled smog and city grit; Anya smelled the invisible history of every person who walked through her door. Right now, she smelled a predator.
Specifically, a heavy, musky blend of iron and old-growth pine—the primal scent of a high-ranking Lycan who had been here within the last hour.
He tracked me. How?
Anya, the founder of Ghost Security, specialized in making lives invisible to the Shifter Clans. Her fortress was lined with disruptors designed to scramble their senses. It was supposed to be the only safe place left.
A cold notification pinged back on her console, a verdict delivered in sterile text: Match Found: VEX, KAELAN. Alpha Heir.
Anya's entire body went rigid. Kaelan Vex. The enforcer, the butcher, the man whose presence meant a death sentence. She grabbed the concealed, silver-tipped dart pistol, but it was too late.
The reinforced steel door separating her from the world didn't just open; it twisted inward with a sickening, tearing noise.
Standing in the ruined doorway was Kaelan Vex. In a tailored black suit, he filled the space with raw, leashed power. His eyes were molten gold, radiating a chilling, predatory focus that locked onto her.
The air grew thick, not just with iron and pine, but with a suffocating scent: possession.
"Anya Rylan," his voice was a deep growl. "You hold data that belongs to the Primal Council. You now have two choices: death, or the Mate-Contract."