Betrayed by My Ex, Marked by His Alpha Emperor Brother novel Chapter 15

Chapter 15: Chapter 15

Elara’s POV

“Michael Harrison.”

He released my hand as I settled onto the cushioned bench across from him. The carriage door clicked shut, sealing out the bitter cold. Warmth wrapped around me immediately—thick velvet seats, a small heating stone glowing amber near the floor.

“And you are?”

“Elara.” I pulled the torn edges of my dress tighter across my chest. The wine stain had dried into a dark, ugly bloom across the bodice. “Just Elara.”

“Well, Just Elara.” His smile was easy. Practiced. “That was quite an exit back there.”

I said nothing. My fingers ached as feeling returned to them. The heating stone pulsed like a small, quiet heartbeat near my frozen bleeding feet.

“There’s a physician’s supply in my townhouse,” he said, leaning back against his seat. “A few blocks from here. We could get those cuts cleaned and bandaged properly before infection sets in.”

Something tightened in my chest. A warning. Faint, but there.

“That’s kind of you,” I said carefully, “but unnecessary. If you could drop me at the nearest public inn, I’d be grateful.”

“At this hour?” He tilted his head. The lantern light caught the angles of his face—pleasant, unremarkable, forgettable. The kind of face that blended into a crowd. “Every reputable establishment in this district closed when the palace bells rang late. You’d be knocking on locked doors until dawn.”

He’s not wrong, Moonlight murmured. But something...

“I’ll manage,” I said.

Michael studied me for a moment. His hazel eyes moved across my face with an expression that hovered between sympathy and something else. Something I couldn’t name.

“Of course,” he said. “I’ll tell the driver.”

He didn’t move.

Instead, a new scent crept into the enclosed space. Sweet. Floral. Heavy, like jasmine crushed between warm fingers. It curled through the air like smoke, settling over my skin, sinking into my lungs with each breath.

Pleasant at first. I thought it was just incense, or perhaps a heavy cologne he wore. Almost soothing.

Then too pleasant.

My eyelids grew heavy. The ache in my feet dulled. The sharp edges of fear and humiliation that had kept me rigid began to soften, blur, dissolve like sugar in hot water.

Elara. Moonlight’s voice cut through the haze. Sharp. Urgent. That scent. Something is wrong. That is not perfume.

I tried to sit up straighter. My spine refused. My muscles had turned to warm clay, pliant and useless. My fingers, which had been gripping the torn fabric of my dress, slowly uncurled and fell limp into my lap.

“What—” My tongue felt thick. Clumsy. “What is that smell?”

Michael’s expression changed.

The warmth drained from his eyes like water through a cracked bowl. What remained was flat. Appraising. The gaze of a man examining merchandise.

“Clever girl.” He crossed one leg over the other. Casual. Unhurried. “Most don’t even notice until they’re fully under. The scent is a specialized compound—black-market, very expensive. Designed specifically for lower-rank wolves. It suppresses the neural connection between your conscious mind and your wolf’s instincts. Essentially...” He paused, as if selecting the most precise word. “It makes you docile.”

Cold horror flooded through me. But my body didn’t respond. My arms hung at my sides like dead things. My legs wouldn’t move. I was trapped inside my own skin, screaming behind a wall of artificial calm.

Fight it, Moonlight snarled. I could feel her thrashing inside me, clawing against the invisible chains the scent had wrapped around us both. Push through. MOVE.

I couldn’t.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify