{C5:Until the mate come }

{ Adrian POV}

“Who am I to you?” Eliana asked, her head resting on my chest. “Where is this thing going?”

Her blue eyes searched mine, bright even in the dim light of the room. Our legs were tangled beneath the leopard-print blanket, her warmth pressed against me.

My mind drifted elsewhere, eyes fixed on the ceiling. The question barely registered.

“Where is this thing going?” she repeated, her fingers gently turning my jaw so I had to face her

“Wherever you wish it to go,” I murmured, trailing my hand slowly down the smooth curve of her back. “Until the end.”

“What do you mean by ‘the end’?”

She rolled off me and sat up, turning her back to me. The blanket slipped down around her waist.

“You know what I’m talking about,” I said quietly. “All of this has to end when I finally find my mate…”

“Your mate!” Eliana cut in sharply, twisting to glare at me. “You still buy into that garbage?”

She snatched her stuff from the floor

“And yet what you didn’t believe manifested for you. Selena gave you yours,why can’t she give me mine?” I got up from the bed and sat on the stool in front of the large mirror.

Eliana fastened her bra, the clasp snapping shut. “You know I can’t end up with him. He’s nothing but trash from a low-class family.” She reached for her white gown and pulled it over her head

I watched her in the mirror. Mark’s family weren’t poor,they were wealthy farmers. But Eliana had always craved princess treatment, the kind that came with status and luxury. I’d known her for four years. She hadn’t met her mate at eighteen either. When the Moon Goddess finally paired her with Mark two years later, she rejected everything about him. She refused to mark her.

To me, they complemented each other perfectly. Mark was reserved and quiet, while Eliana was loud and outgoing, always ready to socialize. He stood at about 6’4” heavily built, while she was 5' 6” with a slender body.

“Promise you’ll do for me what I did for you,” she said, sinking to her knees in front of me, her hands resting on my thighs.

“You know I can’t. I can’t reject my mate when I’m finally given one,” I replied.

How could I reject the only thing standing between me and the Alpha position? I would rather wait a thousand years. By then my father would be gone, and I would claim what was rightfully mine. One way or another, that position would be mine. It was only a matter of time.

Eliana let out a bitter laugh and rose to her feet. “You really still believe she’s out there? What if she’s already dead?” Her lips curled into a mocking smile. “Fifty-five full moons, Adrian. Nothing. And you’re still waiting?”

She turned toward the door, her shoulders tense.

“Anytime you need me,” she said, voice cracking despite the edge in it, “you know where to find me.”

“Eliana!”

She ignored me and walked out, the door clicking shut behind her.

I sat there for a moment, then headed to the bathroom. The shower’s warm water beat against my skin, but Eliana’s words lingered like smoke. If everything went south later, anyone who heard the full story would know whose fault it was. I had tried to end things when the Moon Goddess gave her Mark. She was the one who kept coming back.

Stepping out with a towel slung low around my hips, I heard a knock at the door.

“Who is it?” I called.

“It’s Mark.”

“Come in.”

Mark entered and immediately averted his eyes. “Sorry to catch you like this, Alpha.”

“Don’t worry about it,” I said, grabbing another towel to dry my hair. “What brings you here?”

He held out a wooden box. “Alpha Pascal demands your presence. He wants you to wear this.”

Mark pulled out a deep red vest and hung it carefully on the clothing rack. He bowed low, then slipped out as quietly as he’d come.

I ran my fingers over the fabric. Recognition hit me instantly,this was my father’s vest, the one from his legendary victory against the Thirteen Packs. I’d seen that same garment in the paintings lining the Great Hall walls, capturing his moment of triumph.

I dressed slowly, combed my dark hair, trimmed my short beard, and applied a touch of cologne. Staring at my reflection, I straightened the vest and exhaled.

Time to find out what this meeting was really about.