Pretty Red Eyes (previously "KING, AGAIN")

28| beneath the skin

28; beneath the skin

An intoxicating scent filled Valius's senses as he was drawn down the length of the hallway into the East Wing. Like an invisible guide, he had navigated his way around on instinct.

The smell. That familiar sweet scent that somehow always carried a little spice in them. Valius could remember the first time he had sniffed it in the air as clear as day. But this time, it had only grown far stronger; so strong that he was seconds away from losing it.

From the moment he had stepped into the palace for the day, he had been met with this overwhelming desire: to track down the scent that was floating through the halls.  The foul smell that he could have sworn almost clogged his nose had been wiped over and replaced with this drawling scent. The unexplainable urge to rip through every wall and find the mysteriously tempting source.

Except, the source of this familiar scent was not at all mysterious to Valius. He knew exactly where he had remembered this scent on. And as his wolf fought him at the barricade of his conscious in this moment, he could feel his stubbornness backing away for the unspeakable desire that was brewing from within to surface.

The beast had never felt more awake and with purpose in that very moment. Awoken from its hibernation, it was feeling reckless and ready to devour.

As he made his way loudly down the corridor, the staff had all shunned aside to make room. Taking in bigger strides, his fingers reached to unbutton his suit jacket singlehandedly across his abdomen.  The commotion around him drowned out as the man on a mission passed the hall.

The material of the flooring clicked as he approached. He made a sharp turn into one of the unoccupied guest rooms.

Catching the echoing of his dress shoes slapping the ground, Chelsea had instinctively turned to look at the incoming party.

Through the door of the guest room, Valius had walked himself in. In his ever confident presence, he had walked in with his eyes pinned on Chelsea. Like a prize or meat, or a meat prize, he had eyed her with the hunger of a starved wolf.

Chelsea swallowed thickly at the sight.

Valius had never been a man to be easily read. His eyes have always had shields in them. They have always been guarded and kept voided of emotions like Chelsea's. But right then, the air between them had grown stale.

Valius took a whiff of the change of scent in the air as his eyes found their way to the open window where Chelsea had been facing. His jaw tightened beneathe his skin as his features darkened.

"Who was here before me?" he had asked.

Chelsea could feel her wolf tumbling at the back of her mind. It was itching at itself, desperate to relieve itself from the unreachable discomfort. Her watchful eyes travelled from Valius's moving lips, to his tight jaw and down the side of his throat where she had noticed the veins surfacing. Her mind cluttered with busyness, muffled and cloudy thoughts. Chelsea might have licked her lips for all she knew.

Valius's eyes flickered from Chelsea to the opened window. The curtain on the side flew as the wind blew in lightly. Teasing the light fabric in a way that itched at his insides right now. His eyes scanned the length of her body.

Valius only moved closer, close enough to seize her arm.

"Who were you with?"