†Noca's POV†
A FEW HOURS AGO
I sniffled as the boy stood by the door, ready to leave. There was something off about the way he smelled, something that didn't sit right. His scent was misplaced. Too faint and deliberately neutral for me to believe the story he'd told.
There was none of the essence that should have been there. Not even a whiff.
I couldn't shift into my wolf form in his presence, though every instinct in me screamed to. My wolf would have perceived him far better than I could in this form. But I couldn't take that risk, not when I wasn't sure if I could control myself once I did.
"What are you doing, Alpha Noca? Do you go about sniffing everyone you see just to confirm whether your nose is truly faulty?" he asked suddenly. His tone tried for defiance, but I heard the tremor in his voice. That same tremor was what had made me distrust his words the first time.
