CHAPTER 119: CHAPTER 119 FOREIGN SCENTS

Victoria

The golden light of late afternoon had begun to soften, casting longer shadows across the beach. Leo’s warning about returning before sunset echoed in my mind.

"I really should get going," I said to Nicos, who was carefully cleaning his brushes. "My husband will be wondering where I am."

Nicos nodded, though disappointment flickered across his expressive face. "Of course. But the offer stands for another sitting. This painting is good, but I feel there’s more to capture about you, Victoria."

"I’d like that," I admitted, surprising myself. "But our schedule is... flexible. I’m not sure exactly when I’ll be free."

He seemed to consider this, then brightened. "How about this? When you know you can come, text me about two hours before. That will give me time to set up properly." He gestured toward his easel. "Good light is everything, and I’d want to be ready for you."

"That sounds perfect," I agreed, taking the small business card he offered. His cell number was scrawled on the back in blue ink, already slightly smudged from his paint-stained fingers.

As we said our goodbyes, Nicos reached for my hand, bringing it to his lips in an old-world gesture that felt at once charming and slightly presumptuous. "Until next time, my American goddess."

I gently extracted my hand, aware that Leo would detect even this innocent contact. "Goodbye, Nicos."

Walking away, I could feel his eyes following me up the path. The wolf inside me—Ava—stirred uneasily.

*He sees something in us,* she whispered. *Something others don’t.*

"He’s just an artist," I murmured under my breath. "They see the world differently."

*Be careful,* Ava cautioned. *Not all dangers come with fangs and claws.*

The walk back to the villa gave me time to collect my thoughts. I felt lighter somehow, as if the simple act of making my own choices—even small ones like sitting for a painting—had lifted a weight I’d carried so long I’d forgotten it was there. Yet alongside this newfound freedom was a twinge of guilt for not telling Leo the whole truth about my day.

As I rounded the final bend, my heart quickened at the sight of him. Leo stood at the entrance to our villa, golden in the setting sun, his powerful frame outlined against the whitewashed walls. The moment he spotted me, his entire body seemed to relax, though he maintained his casual pose leaning against a pillar.

"Cutting it close, little wolf," he called, his voice a mixture of relief and restrained possessiveness.

I quickened my pace, suddenly eager to close the distance between us. "I kept my promise—still daylight."

When I reached him, Leo pulled me against his chest in one fluid motion, burying his face in my hair and inhaling deeply. I melted into him, savoring his familiar scent and strength.

"You smell like salt and sunshine," he murmured, but then he stiffened slightly. "And something else."

I pulled back to meet his gaze, deciding honesty was the best approach—at least partial honesty. "I met some locals. Explored the marketplace. Walked on a different beach."

His nostrils flared subtly as he processed the foreign scents clinging to me. "Someone touched you." It wasn’t a question.

"A vendor shook my hand," I said lightly, omitting Nicos’s more gallant gesture. "And I bumped into a few people in the crowded market. Nothing worth mentioning."

Leo’s eyes narrowed slightly, but instead of pushing, he bent to capture my lips in a kiss that quickly deepened from welcoming to claiming. His hands slid possessively down my back, drawing me flush against him as his tongue sought entrance. I responded eagerly, my body instantly remembering its hunger for him.

When we finally broke apart, both breathing heavily, Leo pressed his forehead against mine. "I missed you," he admitted, vulnerability flickering briefly across his features. "Ronan was restless the entire time you were gone."

"I missed you too," I said softly, tracing the line of his jaw with my fingertips. "But Leo, it was amazing. I’ve never just... wandered without purpose before. Never explored somewhere new on my own terms."

His expression softened. "Tell me about it. Everything."

We moved to the terrace overlooking the sea. As the sky transformed through shades of orange and pink, I described the marketplace, the foods I’d tasted, the conversations with locals—carefully editing out my encounter with Nicos. I told him about connecting with the ancient olive trees.

"The trees here have such different energy than the forests back home," I explained. "They feel wiser somehow, more patient. Like they’ve seen empires rise and fall and consider it all just a blink in their long lives."

Leo listened intently, his eyes never leaving my face. "Your connection to the natural world is extraordinary, Victoria. "

As I finished recounting my day, I turned the conversation to him. "What about you? What did the big bad Alpha do while his mate was off exploring?"

Something flickered across his face—so brief I might have imagined it. "Business calls, mostly. Shadow Pack doesn’t run itself, even from halfway across the world."

"That sounds boring," I teased, reaching for my wine glass. "No skinny dipping in the private pool? No wild parties with the local wolf pack?"

He smiled, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. "Nothing so exciting."

I studied him over the rim of my glass. "You’re not telling me everything."

Leo’s expression turned carefully neutral. "Some pack matters are better not discussed during honeymoons."

"I thought we were past keeping secrets," I said quietly.

Leo sighed, running a hand through his dark hair. "It’s not a secret, Victoria. It’s just business that can wait until we return home."

"Business that has you tense and distracted," I pointed out. "I can feel it, Leo. Our bond works both ways, remember?"

For a moment, I thought he might open up. Then he stood abruptly, extending his hand to me. "Come with me."

"Where are we going?"

His lips curved into a predatory smile that sent heat pooling in my core. "To continue our room conquest plan. I believe the terrace is still unclaimed territory."

And just like that, he changed the subject entirely—using the one distraction he knew I couldn’t resist.

*He’s hiding something,* Ava growled within me. *We should demand answers.*

But as Leo pulled me to my feet and into his arms, his mouth finding that sensitive spot just below my ear, rational thought began to dissolve. His hands slipped beneath the light fabric of my sundress, caressing my thighs with masterful touches that made my breath hitch.

"Leo," I managed, trying to hold onto my concerns even as desire flooded my system. "We were talking about something important."

"We can talk later," he murmured against my skin, his voice a low rumble that vibrated through me. "Right now, I need to taste every inch of you, to replace all those foreign scents with mine."

His words sent a shiver of arousal down my spine, despite the possessive sentiment behind them. He backed me toward the cushioned lounger at the far end of the terrace, his intent clear in his burning gaze.

"Someone could see," I protested weakly, glancing toward the neighboring villas in the distance.

Leo’s smile turned wicked. "Then they’ll get quite a show." His hands found the thin straps of my dress, sliding them down my shoulders with agonizing slowness. "But we’re perfectly private here. The nearest neighbors are too far to see anything but silhouettes."

As my dress pooled at my feet, leaving me in nothing but lace panties under the deepening twilight, rational thought fled entirely. Leo’s gaze devoured me, hot and hungry, as he removed his own shirt with quick efficiency.

"You are so beautiful it hurts to look at you sometimes," he said roughly, his voice thick with desire.

Before I could respond, he was kissing me again, deep and demanding, his hands roaming my body with possessive intent. He lowered me onto the lounger, his weight a delicious pressure as he settled between my thighs.

"I want to hear you, Victoria," he commanded, his fingers finding me wet and ready beneath the lace. "Every gasp, every moan. Don’t hold back."

And I didn’t. As Leo worshipped my body with his mouth and hands, I surrendered to sensation, my cries echoing into the Mediterranean night. When he finally entered me with a powerful thrust, I arched beneath him, my nails scoring his back as pleasure spiraled through me.

"Mine," he growled against my neck, his pace relentless as he drove us both toward ecstasy. "Say it."

"Yours," I gasped, meeting each thrust with equal fervor. "Always yours, Leo."

We moved together in perfect synchrony, our bond amplifying every sensation until I could no longer tell where my pleasure ended and his began. When release finally claimed me, it was with his name on my lips, my body shuddering beneath his.

Leo followed moments later, his powerful body tensing above me as he found his own completion with a guttural moan that sounded almost like a howl.

Afterward, we lay entwined on the lounger, our skin cooling in the night breeze as our breathing gradually returned to normal. Leo pulled a light blanket over us, tucking me against his side as we gazed up at the star-filled sky.

"The stars are different here," I murmured, tracing patterns on his chest. "Brighter somehow."

"Less light pollution," Leo replied, his fingers combing gently through my tangled hair. "And perhaps clearer perspective."

The peaceful moment settled around us, but beneath it, questions still tugged at my mind. What wasn’t Leo telling me? And why did I feel guilty about keeping my encounter with Nicos secret when Leo was clearly doing the same with his "business"?

As if sensing my thoughts, Leo turned to look at me, his expression suddenly serious. "I love you, Victoria. More than I ever thought possible."

The simple declaration, spoken with such raw honesty, melted my lingering concerns. "I love you too."

As we lay there under the stars, Leo’s heartbeat strong and steady beneath my ear, a thought occurred to me. These days—these perfect, magical days in Greece—deserved to be remembered. The idea of capturing them somehow, of preserving this feeling of freedom and joy, took root in my mind.

Perhaps that was another reason to sit for Nicos again—to have a tangible reminder of the woman I was becoming.

*A dangerous game,* Ava whispered within me. *Keeping secrets from your mate.*

I pushed the thought away, focusing instead on the warmth of Leo’s body against mine and the promise of tomorrow’s adventures—whatever form they might take.

"What are you thinking about?" Leo murmured, his voice heavy with approaching sleep.

"Just that I want to remember every moment of this," I replied honestly. "Every sight, every feeling, every star in this sky."

He pressed a kiss to my forehead. "We’ll come back here, many times over the years. This place will hold our memories."

I smiled against his chest, allowing his steady breathing to lull me toward sleep. Tomorrow would bring new choices, new experiences—both with and without Leo by my side. And for the first time in my life, I felt truly ready to embrace whatever came next.