Chapter 5 The Scent of Change

The moment their hands touched outside the banquet restrooms, something ancient and buried stirred.

Mona froze, her body shocked by the electric pull surging through her fingertips. Alpha Greyson remained calm. He didn't flinch, didn't stumble. Instead, he looked directly into her eyes and said, "Alpha Greyson Belmonte. It's an honor, Luna Mona."

Her lips parted slightly, but she said nothing at first. Something in her chest cracked open, fragile and breathless. She offered a nod, a whisper of her name, and passed him with trembling limbs.

He watched her go.

That same night, he left.

He rode hard, all the way back to the Belmonte estate, his wolf restless beneath his skin. At dawn, he stood before his parents in the courtyard.

"She's mine," Greyson said, voice hoarse. "She's my mate."

Alpha Greyson Belmonte Snr, graying at the temples but still sharp as steel, narrowed his eyes. "You're sure?"

"She didn't recognize me," he continued. "Not fully. She's been bound. Her wolf... she's silenced."

Luna Anya Belmonte remained silent. Then finally: "Bring the coven."

The witches came. Ancient, sharp-eyed, and cloaked in moonstone. They confirmed it Mona's wolf had been suppressed by dark magic. Her shift was forcibly delayed. Her instincts muddled. She would never be able to recognize her true mate unless the spell began to crack.

And it had started to.

"She will come to you," Luna Anya said softly. "She has to choose."

"She can't even see," Greyson replied bitterly. "She's surrounded. Watched. Claimed. Bonded by force."

"Then we do what we must," his father said. "We go as guests. As allies. We observe. We make her feel safe. We plan secretly with no suspicions, as if nothing is wrong. Let him believe it's political."

So they arranged it. Alpha Greyson, with his parents at his side acting Luna Anya and former Alpha Greyson Snr would visit under the guise of alliance meetings. Nothing threatening. Nothing suspicious.

When Mona saw them arrive through the grand gates, she stiffened slightly. She had planned the itinerary herself a warm, carefully crafted schedule filled with community events, tours, and evening dinners. She hadn't known Greyson would be joining.

She quickly recovered. Smiled politely. Greeted them with grace.

She was Luna now. There was no room for nerves.

That first evening, they dined with Alpha Alex and his core circle. Beta John Hobbs and his trendy wife Lisa. Gamma George Leroy and his lively wife Angie. It was a feast of laughter and layered political jabs. Mona, seated across from Greyson, kept her face smooth. But her heart beat too fast.

Greyson spoke only when needed, deferring often to his mother, Luna Anya, who was every bit the elegant diplomat. Still, every time Mona glanced up, she found him watching her not with hunger, not with power. With recognition.

The next day began the real program: welfare meetings, hospital tours, discussions on territory law and rogue management. Mona led most of them with Alex by her side, but Luna Anya often requested private sit-downs with her afterward.

"She listens to everyone," Luna Anya said later that night to her son. "Even the cooks. Even the wounded. She has a heart for all of them. She doesn't just perform as Luna. She lives it."

Greyson said nothing. But he agreed.

By midweek, Mona arranged two outings for the women. The first was a luxurious visit to her favorite French spa tucked deep in the Nook - warm hammam steam, rose oil facials, Moroccan mint tea. Lisa and Angie were beside themselves. Luna Anya, though poised and graceful, allowed herself a rare moment of indulgent laughter.

"You're spoiling us, Mona," she whispered, touching her hand.

Mona smiled, surprised by the gentle affection. "You deserve it."

The second outing was quieter but no less magical. She brought them to a hidden gem she adored - The Scent Shop. It was a place of wonders: layered incense, candle blending, oil diffusers, and the science of emotional aromatherapy. For hours, they explored scent memories, herbal pairings, and energy work through fragrance.

Luna Anya chose cedar-vanilla for her husband. Lisa picked sandalwood rose. Angie clutched a jasmine tea candle she claimed "smelled like sex and peace."

Mona watched them with contentment, not realizing her own mask had begun to crack.

Each woman purchased a keepsake for her mate. And Luna Anya leaned close to Mona at the counter.

"Do you believe in fate, my dear?"

Mona blinked. "I... used to."

Anya smiled softly. "It has a strange way of returning to those who think it lost."

By the final night, it was clear that Luna Anya and Alpha Greyson Snr were irrevocably charmed. They saw Mona's wit, modesty, intelligence, and fire - all tucked beneath carefully worn armor. They saw the quiet sadness she tried to hide behind routine.

"I don't want to leave her there," Anya said to her mate that evening.

"We'll be back," he replied.

After a farewell dinner hosted in the lantern-lit courtyard, the Belmonte family prepared to depart.

Mona stood by the gates with Lisa and Angie, offering parting hugs. Luna Anya embraced her like a daughter. "You are never alone," she whispered and embraced Mona warmly at the front steps, her perfume light and soothing, the same calming aura Mona had felt the first time they met. Her voice was gentle but sincere.

"Now that we have each other's numbers," Anya said, cupping Mona's hand between hers, "I'll definitely stay in touch. You have a warmth that's rare, and I'd love for us to talk just us women. No pack politics."

Mona smiled softly, touched. "I'd really like that."

Anya kissed her cheek and stepped aside to where Greyson stood, his dark eyes trained on Mona like he was seeing straight through her facade. Mona avoided his gaze, her pulse quickening. Their mateship bond was still fresh, tender, unspoken-but undeniable.

His eyes locked with hers. The touch of his hand lingered a second too long as he bowed slightly.

"Mona."

"Alpha Greyson."

She tried to smile. He did not.

Lastly Alpha Greyson Snr nodded, clasping Mona's hand with warmth. "You've done more here than most do in years. You're a remarkable Luna."

Then came Greyson. His eyes locked with hers. The touch of his hand lingered a second too long as he bowed slightly.

They rode out into the night.

Mona watched them disappear through the tree-lined road. She didn't speak. She didn't move.

Later that evening, long after the estate had quieted, she locked herself in her suite. The lights were dim. The incense burned low. She climbed into her sheets, still warm from the day's sun, and buried her face in her pillow.

The tears came without warning.

Her body shook with the force of them. Her wolf whimpered. A howl echoed deep inside her soul, too faint to hear, too wounded to break free.

She had no name for what she felt. Only that something had been awakened, and the hole she had tried to ignore now pulsed wide open.

The bond had begun.

And nothing could stop what was coming.