Chapter 30 - The Keeper

Leo’s POV

I stepped into Ivy’s room, my pulse thundering in my ears. Her scent clung to the air—sweet, soft, but now tainted with the acrid stench of fear. My wolf prowled beneath my skin, his growls echoing in my head. Every instinct screamed at me to find her, to protect her, but she wasn’t here.

“Ivy!” I barked again, the sound tearing from my throat like a primal snarl. Nothing. Just the eerie quiet of the room, her belongings scattered as if she'd left in a hurry. My gaze darted around, landing on the dresser, the bed, the closet. Nothing out of place except the cold void where her presence should be.

That’s when I felt it—a scent, sharp and rancid, curling in my nostrils like smoke. It wasn’t hers. This was foreign, disgusting, almost like the decayed underbelly of something evil. A rogue? Maybe. But it was layered with something… worse. My chest burned with every inhale, the stench clawing at me like poison.