Intoxicating Scent

Vance began by nudging Melva's neck with his nose, inhaling her scent as if he needed it to breathe. Slowly, he rubbed his cheek against her neck while sniffing her. It was as if her senses were heightened. Every part of her body that was touching his felt like they were lit on fire.

As Vance was scenting Melva, Melva was also able to smell him because of their proximity. He was close enough for her human nose to catch his scent. He smelled like the forest she loved. She could smell wood and fresh rain from him.

Closing her eyes and inhaling his scent, she felt like she was back in the forest, sitting under a tree to take cover from the drizzle while watching the animals showering with the rainwater. She hated to admit it but he smelled really good. How could he smell like the forest when he lived inside a luxurious manor?

If his behaviour was compared to an animal's, then this must be his pheromone. Some animals released pheromones to influence other members of the same species. Melva could feel herself relaxing in his arms as she basked in the scent of woods he emitted.

She had doubted that a werewolf's pheromone could affect her who was a human, however, it actually could. They didn't belong to the same species, so scientifically, it wasn't supposed to work. It was odd that she could even catch a whiff of his pheromone without having a wolf's keen sense of smell.

Although she was just standing awkwardly there while he was leaving his scent on her by rubbing and sniffing her neck like a real wolf, it was not as uncomfortable as she had initially expected. It was tolerable at least, even if it was extremely embarrassing to have him rubbing his cheek against her neck, because it was much too intimate for her liking.

"You smell nice," slurred Vance as though her scent was intoxicating him. He no longer sounded sober. His body was swaying and unstable as he was clinging onto her. Could someone be drunk from merely a human scent?

'This cannot go on for any longer,' thought Melva panickedly as it seemed that Vance was slowly losing his mind and self-control. It was like his wolf self was taking over his body. He was more of an animal than a human.

"That is enough," said Melva firmly.

Vance instantly released his hold on her and quickly moved backwards to put some distance between them. His eyes were opened widely as he came back to his senses. Realising what he had done, he looked down as his guilt was written on his face.

"I am sorry. I don't know what happened to me." Vance seemed very confused and ashamed as he promptly walked out from her chamber.

Melva was left alone and concerned about his well-being. He didn't look like himself at all. It was like his mind was turning to one of a wolf. She was worried whether he would be alright to be alone in his chamber when he was so fragile.

Even if Vance was an irritating man and often infuriating, Melva found it difficult to be constantly angry at him. The more she observed him, the more she understood his sufferings and his pain. The man had gone through so much with everyone pointing an arrow at his head, yet he was still standing strong, fighting back against the world. Sometimes, she just found him commendable instead of annoying, but only sometimes, because most of the time he had chosen to behave awfully towards her. That was not a behaviour worthy of respect whatsoever.

Putting aside her concerns about Vance's odd reaction, Melva distracted herself by playing with her new toys—the twin daggers. She spent her time getting used to swinging daggers around, fast then slow, stabbing and slashing, until it felt like she was dancing with the weapon as her partner.

Thinking about dancing, her thoughts went back towards the time during lunch in the Silver Moon Tavern. The way the two of them danced together was enjoyable and she would like to dance with him again sometime in the future. She had never danced before, so she had never thought she would enjoy it so much. Their wedding day was the best opportunity, for the King would hold a ball to celebrate.

'Stop thinking about him!' Melva scolded herself as her traitorous mind decided to bring up Vance again.

Mortified by her own thoughts, she called for Elisha who was standing by outside her door. Although it was barely ten at night, ending the day sooner was better, since she had gone to so many places and met so many people today. She was exhausted, mentally and physically, thus sleeping soundly without any interruption seemed very captivating at the moment.

Elisha entered the chamber to help Melva prepare a bath and change her dress into an evening gown. After she was refreshed and ready to turn in for the night, Elisha braided her long brown hair so it wouldn't be messy while she was asleep. Tucked in under the warm quilt, she watched as Elisha lowered down the chandelier in her chamber to blow out all the candles before she excused herself.

It was finally peaceful and she drifted off to sleep while thinking about the complicated things that she had learned in a span of a day. She was still unable to understand them all. Corbett's offer—a question for a question—started to sound very appealing.

The next morning, Vance showed up in front of the door to her chamber very early, taking her to walk together towards the dining hall. Melva didn't mind that at all, but he was prepared to leave before she could say anything, as though he was sure she would refuse his invitation.

The walk was very quiet and uncomfortable, because Vance always tried to keep a two-meter distance between them. It was suffocating to breathe around him now. Even if there had been tension between them before due to their continuous quarrel, they were still talking to each other. Now he remained silent, seemingly too ashamed to speak to her because of what had happened yesterday in her chamber.

He didn't even ask to hold her hand when he had not visited her at all last night after the intense scenting session that had gone terribly wrong. Would he be alright without her physical touch? Could he survive for so long without her warmth?

She couldn't help but worry now that they were going to meet Corbett who was obviously scheming something—most likely not a good thing—behind Vance's back. He couldn't afford to appear weak in front of the cunning man or he would grasp the chance and do what he had planned. Her life would also be at stake.

Glancing at Vance, Melva paid attention to his expression, making sure he was not in any pain or feeling unwell. He seemed normal, but she wouldn't know if he was pretending to be alright. However, if he could hide his weakness, it would be fine for both of them, as long as her life was not threatened. It was not like she cared about his actual well-being. If he didn't want her warmth, then she wouldn't offer it.

She should remind herself not to care too much about him, not when she still couldn't trust him fully. Or she would regret it one day when she found herself getting stabbed in the back.

Corbett and Rosina were already sitting at the long dining table, opposite of each other. Vance took his seat at the centre of the table, which clearly showed he was the leader in this manor. That left Melva to choose whether to sit next to Corbett or Rosina. Sitting beside Corbett would only irritate Vance further, so Rosina was clearly the better choice.

The dining hall was the large room in the centre of the manor, on the first floor, right behind the parlour. It was the first time she had visited this hall and it was so vast—enough to fit probably a dozen people—although it was nothing compared to the dining hall in the castle. However, as far as she knew, there were only Corbett and Vance who lived in the manor; Rosina was only Corbett's guest. It was unnecessary to have a dining hall this big for two people.

"Good morning," greeted Rosina good-naturedly, but Melva couldn't stop herself from thinking that she might put on a facade, for she was with Corbett who was also Vance's enemy. "Did you have a good night's sleep, Lady Melva?"

"I slept very well. Thank you for asking, Lady Rosina," answered Melva, returning her friendly greeting. "I hope you will have a nice day."

"Ah, speaking about that, what are you planning to do for the day?" Corbett was looking at her knowingly and she understood what that meant instantly. He was trying to invite her to go somewhere with him and they would share information with each other, like he had offered yesterday.

Melva turned to Vance, silently asking what she should answer this question with and unconsciously hoping that he would come up with an excuse, so that she wouldn't need to spend time with Corbett.

"I have to visit the castle today. You are free to go anywhere with him as you please," said Vance while munching his food. He didn't even spare her a glance.

Deep inside, a tiny part of her was very disappointed to hear his answer.