I shoved her back against the edge of the desk, leaning down until my face was inches from hers. I flared my nostrils, taking a deep, deliberate breath of her scent.
There was no wolf. There was no lemongrass. There was no sweet mountain lilac. There was only the faint smell of common soap and stale sweat.
The realization hit my brain like an exploding cannon.
The woman in the woods had smelled like fresh pine, wild lemongrass, and sweet lilac. The woman in the woods had filled my veins with a wild, intoxicating mate heat that made my spirit howl. I had assumed it was Tabitha because she carried the mark, but the mark was a fake.
Tabitha was an imposter.
"You were never in the woods," I growled, my throat vibrating with a feral snarl as my fingers closed around her throat. "You aren't
