Scent

Aitana finally stepped out of the room, accompanied by her mother and Sam. A group of women in black suits followed close behind them. She felt uncomfortable for a moment, but her mother explained it was for her own protection.

"Alain!" she called out when she spotted her brother in the garden, sparring with Damian.

"Little sis!" Alain stopped his practice and ran to hug his sister. Thankfully, her scent no longer affected him, thanks to the medication and the King's ongoing exertion of authority over them. Although the pressure was mildly painful, he didn't care as long as he could be near his sister. "Are you feeling better?" he asked. Aitana nodded happily.

"Good to see you're doing better, Aitana," Melissa said, walking over with Damian.

"Congratulations on finding your mate," Damian said with a smile. Although the scent was faint, it still produced a tingling sensation in his body. He liked Aitana's scent.

"Thanks," the girl said, her cheeks flushing. "Where's Dad?" She looked at her brother.

"He's probably still in the meeting with His Majesty," Alain replied with a grin. "Hey, now that you're going to be Queen Luna — do I have to call you 'Your Highness'?" he teased. Aitana punched him in the chest, and Alain just laughed.

"It's true, though. You won't be able to come back with us," Damian said, making Aitana's face fall. "Although you could still reject him. The Moon Goddess would surely give you a second chance." The suggestion caught everyone off guard.

"Don't say that, not even as a joke." Melissa gave him a light smack. "Aitana, I know it'll be hard to be away from your family. It was hard for me, too. But you found your fated mate — it's the greatest gift the Moon Goddess gives us. Accept your destiny with joy." Melissa took the girl's hands in hers. Aitana felt a wave of calm wash over her at the redhead's words. She never would have imagined that Melissa, of all people, would be the one to ease her fear of leaving her family behind.

"Besides, I'm sure His Majesty would let us visit you — and even let you visit us," Sam added. Alain glanced sideways at Damian. They both knew the second part was likely impossible, now that Aitana was Queen Luna.

Byron walked through the palace corridors. He stopped at a window overlooking the garden where Aitana was gathered with her family. Even Luna Dafne, Alpha Elias, and Beta Marcus had joined them. He watched his beautiful Aitana smiling among those people, but he noticed something else — his lovely Luna's gaze kept drifting toward the future Alpha of the Blue Moon pack. The sight bothered him.

"Your Majesty... Drave." He heard someone speaking. He turned to see Emilio, who had apparently been saying something he'd missed. "Some packs have decided to leave. They've given the excuse that they're far from their territories, but I think it's because of the pressure from your authority. And even though it's faint, Queen Luna's scent is still affecting them."

"Fine. Then let's go see them off," he said, walking away with Emilio.

At dinner, only the Blue Moon pack and the Black Moon pack remained — the latter being Melissa's pack. The redhead, Melissa's brother, wouldn't stop staring at Aitana. Her scent was like an addiction to him. From the moment he'd laid eyes on her, he'd wanted her, and his desire had only intensified the previous night when her heat awakened and she released that intoxicating aroma. To his misfortune, he could never have her — she was now mated to the most powerful man in the kingdom.

"Isn't the King coming?" Sam whispered beside Aitana. She shook her head. She hadn't seen him since that morning.

"I apologize for the delay," said a beautiful woman with brown eyes and light-colored hair. "His Majesty sends his apologies, but something came up and he won't be able to join you for dinner." She bowed. "But please, enjoy what has been prepared for you." She gestured, and the servants began serving a grand banquet.

Aitana looked at the beautiful woman, who offered her a smile. Aitana simply nodded, nervous. Dinner proceeded without the host. Damian looked at his hands — the authoritative pressure had diminished significantly. He glanced around. Security had been increased.

"Hey, did you notice?" Damian whispered. Alain was sitting beside him.

"Yeah. I think it's to protect Aitana," Alain said, watching his sister chat happily with their mother, Sam, Melissa, and Luna Dafne.

"Exactly. Keep an eye on Morgan. I don't like the way he's looking at Aitana," Damian said, casting a sidelong glance at Morgan. Sure enough, the man's eyes were fixed on Aitana with undisguised desire.

"I know..." Alain replied, staring Morgan down. The redhead met his gaze and flashed an ironic smile at Alain's threatening look.

"Do I have to go back there?" Aitana asked nervously. It was time for bed, but she couldn't return to the room she'd been sharing with Sam.

"It's for your own good, sweetheart. That room is the safest place for you," Marcus said, stroking his daughter's head. "Don't worry — the King is a good man. He'll take care of you." He understood her nerves. The King was a complete stranger to her. But he was her fated mate. Little by little, she'd get used to him, and eventually there would come a day when she wouldn't want to be apart from him.

Aitana was escorted by the group of women to the King's chambers. When she entered, everything was dark. She flipped on the lights — the room was completely empty. She went to the wardrobe and found women's clothing in her size. She looked at the pajamas — they were far too revealing for her taste. She grabbed a large black sweatshirt and brought it to her nose. She could smell Byron's scent on it. Strangely, that scent pleased her more than anything normally would.

"I don't think he'll mind," she whispered nervously, eyeing the enormous sweatshirt. She headed to the bathroom and took a quick shower, then put on the sweatshirt as her pajamas. The sleeves covered her hands. The hem fell well above her knees but fully covered her backside.

Aitana climbed into bed after taking her medication. She sighed heavily. Now she had to depend on those pills to control her heat. Then she remembered what she'd been taught in school — once you found your fated mate, the heat could be controlled simply by having sex. Her face turned bright red just thinking about being with the handsome King. Her mind played tricks on her, conjuring images of him taking her.

"Damn it, what are you doing, Aitana?" she muttered, grabbing those pills and lying down. She pulled the covers over her head. The heat in her body surged, and the tingling between her legs grew maddening. "Stop it. Calm down, Aitana. Don't think about that," she whispered, trying to fight the urge to touch herself.

"Are you sure you're all right?" Emilio asked with concern. He'd accompanied Byron to his bedroom door.

"Yes. Did everything go smoothly while I was away?" Byron asked. His hair was disheveled, and he had heavy bags under his eyes. He looked exhausted — as though he hadn't slept in days.

"Yes. Your authoritative pressure dropped, but Irina reinforced security. There were no incidents during dinner," Emilio reported briefly. "Queen Luna is resting in there." He nodded toward the door.

"Good. Get some rest. I'll see you tomorrow," Byron said as he entered his room and locked the door behind him.

Byron breathed in the room, now saturated with the sweet scent of his mate. The aroma made his exhaustion evaporate. He walked to where she slept, covered almost entirely by the sheets, only her beautiful face peeking out. He caressed it gently and kissed her forehead. He went to the wardrobe and pulled out pajamas to change into, though he opted for only the black pants, leaving his well-defined torso bare. Then he got into bed, settling onto his side. Although the bed was more than spacious enough for both of them, he didn't want to be far from her. Gently, he drew her close and wrapped his arms around her. In her sleep, Aitana curled into him. Byron felt such happiness holding her like this. He'd wanted his mate in his arms for so long that now he feared if he fell asleep, she wouldn't be there when he woke.