The scent found him again.
Vanilla, moonlight and storm-soaked forest.
Finric stopped at the end of the corridor, hand braced against the cold stone wall. He exhaled slowly, trying to remind himself that he was simply checking on the girl. Aeron's sessions with her had been more frequent — and longer. She was a wildcard, unpredictable. Dangerous.
That was why he was here. Security.
Duty.
Not… anything else.
He approached the door to Aeron's private study, the one reinforced sound proof magic if it was fully shut. His hand hovered over the handle — until a sudden burst of light pulsed beneath the crack of the door.
He froze.
A blinding white-silver glow, like lightning made solid, lit the hallway for a heartbeat.
And then— A thud. A choked gasp.
He smelled blood and heard it splatter on stone.
He pushed the door open.
Nova was on her knees in the center of a carved ritual ring, blood trickling from her nose, lip, and the side of her mouth. Her head lolled forward, hair glowing like spun moonlight before dimming.
And then she collapsed.
Finric's wolf surged toward the surface. His jaw clenched.
He remained seated inside the ritual circle as if he had been waiting for this exact interruption. A book lay open in one hand, golden runes drifting lazily above his other palm like he'd summoned the light simply to entertain himself.
Aeron looked up slowly.
One eyebrow lifted.
"Well. Good evening, Alpha," he said in that maddeningly calm tone that always made Finric wonder why he hadn't throttled this man yet. "How may I assist you while you loom dramatically in my doorway?"
Finric didn't take the bait. His gaze cut to Nova — unconscious again, breath coming shallow, sweat shining against pale skin.
"She collapsed," Finric said, voice flat as iron.
"Yes," Aeron replied, closing his book with a soft thump. "The fourth time tonight. At this rate, she and gravity are in a committed relationship."
Finric's jaw ticked. "Aeron."
Aeron sighed, conceding. "She'll be fine. Her wolf is healing her faster now."
Finric stilled.
"…Her wolf."
Aeron rose, dusting ash from his sleeves like a man who had absolutely not just changed the trajectory of an Alpha's evening.
"Yes, her wolf," he echoed lightly. "Dormant, but very much alive. Unlike your patience, apparently."
He knelt beside Nova, fingers brushing her pulse with practiced detachment.
"When she arrived, she couldn't heal even the smallest wounds. Silver had nearly starved her wolf into oblivion. Now?" Aeron gestured to her lip, already knitting together. "Rapid regeneration. Classic sign of a wolf resurfacing."
Finric folded his arms, the air tightening around him. "She told you she's shifted before?"
Aeron glanced up, blue eyes sharp. "Once. And she used to hear her wolf clearly. Much like you hear yours — though with significantly less sarcasm, I assume."
Finric stiffened.
"She hasn't heard her in a few years," Aeron continued. "I warned her not to mention that to anyone else. She didn't seem to realize how… unusual that is for an omega."
A long silence stretched between them.
Finric looked down at Nova again.
She didn't look dangerous like this. She looked like someone who had carried too much, and was still carrying more.
Still… he couldn't forget the light. The surge of raw power. The whisper of something older than magic itself that seemed to awaken when she called upon it.
He needed to walk away. Needed to stop smelling her in every damn hallway. Needed to stop caring.
But he didn't move.
Not yet.
Finally, he said, "Keep me updated."
Aeron smiled faintly. "Of course."
Finric's gaze lingered one last moment on her in the circle — the one who was supposed to be an omega. The one who burned like a star trying to stay hidden in the dark.
Then he turned on his heel and walked out.
If he stayed one second longer, he'd forget all the reasons he needed to stay away.
He didn't regret bringing her here, but he also didn't realize how torturous it would be for him to stay away.