Rafael's POV 

The night before the gathering, the scent was impossible to ignore.

I stood in the master bathroom after another long shower, staring at my reflection. The hot water and the strongest masking spray I owned still couldn’t completely erase her. Iris’s sweet, addictive omega scent clung to me like a brand, faint to most noses, but unmistakable to anyone trained to read bonds. It was in my hair, on my skin, woven into the fabric of my shirts. Every time I moved, I caught another trace of her.

I gripped the edge of the sink, jaw tight. The elder’s warning from the council meeting echoed in my head....