Chapter 2
“Come out.”
The Alpha King was smarter than my mother-he found me right away.
“Alpha King, how did you know I was hiding here?” I jumped out from behind the hedge wall of the maze and tilted my head with a smile.
His handsome brows furrowed slightly as he walked toward me.
Only when he got close did I catch his scent.
It wasn’t foul, nor sweet- just a faint bitterness.
Like the bitterest pill the pack doctor gave me when I was sick.
He stopped in front of me, studied me for a moment, then asked softly, “You’re Lyra Rhodes, daughter of Alpha Sam?”
I nodded, still looking up at him.
Why did he smell bitter?
Before he could say anything else, I blurted out, “Alpha King, have you ever tasted chocolate?”
He seemed surprised by my sudden question and paused for a moment.
When he didn’t answer, I blinked at him again.
“What do you want to know that for?” he finally said.
Because he smelled so bitter, like he’d never tasted anything sweet.
But my father told me never to tell anyone about my ability to smell people’s scents, so I pulled the
chocolate from my pocket and split it in half, offering some to him.
“Here, I’m sharing my chocolate with you. I just ate some-it’s very sweet.”
I hoped that after eating it, he wouldn’t smell so bitter anymore.
He glanced down at the chocolate in my hand and chuckled.
“Lyra, you’re quite bold.”
I smiled sweetly. “Thanks for the compliment, Alpha King.”
He looked a little stunned again.
That’s when I heard my mother calling my name urgently nearby-she must have been worried I
was lost.
I quickly stuffed the chocolate into the Alpha King’s arms, but heard him mutter coldly, “Someone once gave me chocolate too, but she wanted me dead.
11
“What?” I looked up sharply, meeting his ice-cold gaze.
“And you?” he asked. “Do you want me to live… or to die?”
I don’t know why, but in that moment, he seemed so cold and bitter, even more pitiful than a soaked puppy back in the pack.
I tiptoed to reach his head, but he was too tall-so instead, I gave him a gentle hug.
“I wish the Alpha King a sweet and long life.”
“Happy birthday.”
“Lyra!” My mother’s voice was getting closer.
I quickly let go of him, lifted my skirt, and turned to walk back.
After a few steps, I remembered something and glanced back at the still-standing Alpha King,
whispering, “That she-wolf just now was lying to you. Don’t trust her.”
Because she smelled foul-and bad people smell especially foul when they do bad things.
Then I ran off without looking back, so he wouldn’t ask how I knew.
“How did you know?”
The Alpha King sat on his high throne, resting his chin on one hand, leaning forward to look at me.
Just now, when my parents were about to leave the werewolf castle, someone stopped us, and I was brought to this grand, glittering hall.
Only the Alpha King and I were in the great hall.
I caught that bitter scent from him again and asked instead, “Alpha King, didn’t you eat the
chocolate?”
His dark eyes flickered, and he stood up.
As he stepped closer, the bitterness in his scent grew stronger.
“I heard you’re different from others,” he said, standing in front of me, his eyes filled with emotions I didn’t understand as he looked down at me.
I thought he knew about my ability to smell people, and nervously swallowed, but he continued, “So you don’t have your own wolf.”
Oh, that was it.
I sighed in relief and immediately glared at him to defend myself, “The pack doctor said I’ll find my wolf soon. I just need to wait a little longer. Yesterday, during training, I even beat my beta in a fight. Even without a wolf, I’m no weaker than those with one.”
The Alpha King chuckled.
At that moment, his beta, Callum, who had brought me in, quietly walked in and said, “Alpha King,
Alpha Sam is waiting outside to see you.”
“My father?” I looked back at Callum.
Callum kept his head down and said nothing, so I turned back to the Alpha King.
He ignored Callum and only looked at me, a smile playing on his lips. “Your father truly loves you.”
I nodded firmly, my eyes shining bright. “Of course. My father is the best father in the world.”
“Then Lyra…” he lowered his head, leaning close to me, his voice very soft as he called my name,
“you’re really lucky.”
“I don’t have a father.”
So bitter.
When he said that, the bitterness around him thickened.
“Then I’ll have my father be your father too. How about that?” I said, trying to comfort him
instinctively.
He froze for a moment. His eyes seemed to drip ink, so dark I felt like I could drown inside.
After a long pause, he asked, “Can I?”
I nodded. “Sure.”
He smiled and looked toward Callum not far away. “Bring Alpha Sam in.”
