Zane had been walking this perimeter for three hours now, the familiar path worn into muscle memory. The scent hit him like a freight train.

Vanilla. Rose. Cinnamon.

His wolf stirred, claws scraping against the inside of his skull.

Mate.

And then the fourth scent hit. Copper. Blood. Thick and fresh, carried on the night wind.

His heart slammed against his ribs. He didn't think. He ran.

The trees blurred past as he followed the trail, jumping over roots and rocks with the grace of a predator who'd done this a thousand times. The scent grew stronger, more frantic, until he burst through a thicket and froze.

There, slumped against the base of an ancient oak, was the largest omega he'd ever seen.

Nearly the size of an alpha. Broad shoulders. Muscular. And bleeding out from a rusted bear trap clamped around their ankle.

Zane's breath caught in his throat. The moonlight carved shadows across their face, their chest rising and falling in shallow, uneven breaths.

He stood there, frozen, for one agonizing second.

Then his wolf snarled inside him.