Bound by Scent Chapter 1

I’ve been in an arranged marriage with my Alpha husband for a year, and he hasn't touched me once.

The night before I planned to serve him divorce papers, I drugged his drink.

Suddenly, a series of glowing comments started scrolling across my vision:

【Wait, why aren't you running?!】

【He isn't asexual, he's terrified of hurting you!】

【He spends every rut using high-strength suppressants just to keep from losing control and breaking you!】

【The Male Lead is obsessed and has a literal addiction. He stares at your photo every night until… well, that dose you gave him is going to cause a total meltdown!】

【R.I.P. to that wall. It’s coming down tonight.】

The next second, Caleb Sterling slammed me against the wall. His palms were so hot they made my skin crawl.

His breath was scorching, his voice a terrifying rasp:

"What... did you give me?"

* * *

Caleb gripped my wrists, the pressure bordering on painful.

His body heat was staggering, his breath fanning against the side of my neck and sending shivers down my spine.

I tried to pull away, but he pinned me with one hand.

"Caleb, let go!"

The moment the words left my mouth, he leaned in, his nose brushing against the scent gland at the nape of my neck.

I froze.

In that instant, the comments exploded in front of me again:

【Did the MC really drug him?! Does he want to die?】

【He thinks Caleb is cold, but the guy is actually just deeply insecure. He's too afraid to even speak to him!】

【Caleb is basically a ticking bomb of repressed desire. He's dying to get close but he's terrified of being rejected!】

【He has no idea that Caleb sneaks into his room every night after he falls asleep...】

【His self-control was already at 1%, and now it’s gone.】

My pupils contracted. My head was spinning.

Drugged? Addiction? Staring at my photo...?

Before I could process this data dump, Caleb’s breathing hitched.

He snapped his head up, the muscles in his neck taut. His eyes were dark and predatory.

"The new SI-3 Induction Serum," he rasped, his voice vibrating against my ear. "It lasts for six hours."

He was backing me into a corner. The contrast between the cold wall and his burning chest made my spine tingle.

Wait. The drug I got from my friend was supposed to be a sedative.

How did it turn into an Induction Serum?

Before I could think, Caleb’s hand covered the back of my neck.

The scent of intense, chilled bourbon—his pheromones—hit me like a tidal wave.

I was stunned. My legs turned to jelly, and I collapsed into his chest.

Something was wrong. A ridiculous thought entered my mind.

As a Beta, I wasn't supposed to be able to smell an Alpha’s pheromones. So why could I smell him?