The Triplet Alphas' Secret Mate-Chapter 86: Scent Trail
Scarlett’s POV
The river water was still dripping from my clothes, making me shiver as the wind picked up. We stood at the edge of the Deep Woods—the part of the forest where the trees grew so thick that the sun barely touched the ground.
The Elder stepped forward, holding a stack of black silk blindfolds. "Twenty pairs finished the climb. Ten pairs finished the river. Now, we test the soul. The fourth trial is the Scent-Trail."
My heart hammered. This was the event I feared most.
"The males will be taken deep into the woods," the Elder explained. "They will be placed at different points. The females will be blindfolded. You must find your partner using only your nose. If you touch the wrong male, you are out. If you do not find him before the time is up, you are out."
I felt Ethan’s hand on my shoulder. His grip was firm, almost painful. I looked up at him, seeing the way his eyes searched my face. He looked like he wanted to say something—maybe apologize for the river, or maybe yell at me again—but he just tightened his jaw.
"I’ll be waiting," he said, his voice a low, rough command. "Don’t follow the wrong trail, Scarlett. Focus on me. Only me."
"I know your scent, Ethan," I said, my voice cold. I thought of yesterday. I thought of the way he smelled like cedar and Elara’s perfume when I caught them kissing. "It’s hard to forget."
He didn’t know I had seen them. He didn’t know that every time he touched me, I felt the ghost of Elara’s hands on him. He just nodded and walked into the trees with the other males.
I watched them go. Leo looked back at me one last time, his blue eyes burning with a silent message. Leon walked with his head down, his shoulders slumped, still looking like he was in pain. Ethan didn’t look back at all.
The guards came and tied the black silk over my eyes. Suddenly, the world was gone. All I had was the sound of the wind and the smells of the forest.
"Begin!" the Elder shouted.
I started to walk. It was terrifying. I couldn’t see the roots or the branches. I tripped almost immediately, my hands scraping against the dirt. I pushed myself up, taking a deep breath.
The forest was a mess of smells. I could smell the damp earth. I could smell the pine needles. And then, the scents of the males hit me.
It was like suffocating.
I caught a scent that smelled like a cold mountain top and fresh rain. Leo. It was so sweet, so inviting. It pulled at my heart, making me want to turn left and run toward him. My wolf, Zoe, whined in my head, wanting to go to the comfort of our mate.
Then, a different scent drifted by. It was heavy, like woodsmoke and old whiskey. Leon. It felt jagged and sharp, full of the same pain I had seen in his eyes last night. It made my skin prickle with a strange kind of grief.
I stopped. I had to block them out.
I took another breath, searching deeper. And there it was. Cedarwood. Expensive soap. And something spicy. Ethan.
I followed it. I moved slowly, feeling my way past the trunks of the trees. I could hear other females crying out in the distance as they got lost or touched the wrong tree. I heard the Elder’s voice announcing more eliminations.
Stay on the trail, I told myself. Don’t look for the rain. Don’t look for the smoke. Look for the spicy smell.
The scent of spice got stronger. I was getting close. But then, the smell of Elara’s flowery perfume suddenly hit me. It was faint, but it was there, clinging to the scent of Ethan’s spice.
My stomach turned. Even here, in the middle of a sacred hunt, she was a part of him. I felt a surge of rage that almost made me want to rip off the blindfold and quit.
But I didn’t. I pushed through a thicket of thorns, the branches scratching my arms. I reached out blindly, my fingers searching the air until they slammed into a wall of solid, warm muscle.
I froze. I didn’t move my hand. I inhaled deeply, my nose inches from the person’s chest.
It was him. I knew the heat. I knew the way his heart beat—slow and steady, like he was made of stone.
"You found me," Ethan’s voice whispered. He sounded surprised, almost relieved.
I pulled off the blindfold. We were in a small clearing where the shadows were long. Ethan was standing there, his arms crossed, watching me with an intensity that made my breath hitch.
"It’s not a big deal," I lied, my voice bitter. "It was easy to find."
Ethan’s eyes darkened, but he didn’t argue. He reached out and grabbed my hand, his thumb brushing over the scratches on my wrist from the thorns.
We walked back to the field together. When we arrived, the crowd was much smaller.
Leo and Tessa were already there. Leo looked at our joined hands, his face turning into a mask of stone.
Leon and Elara arrived a few minutes later. Leon looked like he had been through a war, and Elara was leaning heavily on his arm. She looked tired, but she gave me a blank, empty look as they took their place.
"The sun is setting!" the Elder announced. "Only five pairs remain. The rest... are out."
I looked at the five couples left. The elite warriors were gone. The high-ranking sisters were gone. Only the strongest—and the most tactical—were left standing.
Ethan didn’t let go of my hand. He held it tight, as if he were afraid I would run back into the woods to find someone else.
"The fifth trial is the Blade Archery. This is not just a test of how good you are with archery. It is a test of your resistance during pressure. If you do not move fast, the targets will be missed, and you will be cast out."
