Chapter 004

Adrian’s POV

I lurked in the shadows, watching her every move. I saw it all, from the moment  she walked into the hall with her shoulders slumped and her eyes filled with uncertainty, to the moment Jason proposed to Arnold’s daughter and the hall went crazy with excitement. A girl took her hand and dragged her  through the crowd—to see their Alpha and his mate obviously— and I lost sight of her.

Moments later, my ears picked up her voice, it slit  through the noise, blurring  everyone else out.

“Celia…I can’t breathe.” she winced in agony. Then came the realization that her wolf had finally surfaced. “My wolf…Celia, I have a wolf.” And finally, the part that changed everything. “Jason. I need to tell Jason!”

She went quiet again until she saw them— Arnold’s  daughter and Jason.

“You are my…mate, Jason. What are you doing with her?!” Her voice pierced the silence 

the moment she called him her mate.

In a fit of rage, she called Jason out—a brave move I must say—screaming and asking why he had waited for her if he was only playing her all along. Long story short, Jason, being the doucheback he was, severed the bond without blinking—Twenty-five years of love and friendship, gone.

I clenched my fist, unable to stand Jason having yet another thing he didn’t deserve. But my fury vanished almost immediately, replaced by a sly smile as I stood up. Before I could get to her, the crowd had already encircled her, hurling  demeaning insults.

I threw off the hat that aided my disguise.They recognized me instantly, and a  wave of fear spread across the room.I didn’t spare any of them, I just walked toward her— the one I had come for. The crowd moved out of the way without being told, revealing her collapsed on the floor.

As I got closer, my chest constricted as if something was forcefully tugging at my heart. Even though the pain was intense, I didn't stop. I kept walking until I heard my wolf call her my  mate in my mind.

The Moon Goddess was indeed bored. That was the only logical reason I could find for such a sudden miscalculation. How could she and I be mates? First,  it was Jason, and barely ten minutes later, I was Vivica’s second-chance mate?

When I got to Vivica, she froze. Her body language told me she felt it too.She crawled back, creating as much space as possible between us.I dropped to one knee in front of her.

“You feel it too, don’t you?” 

After a moment of hesitation she looked at me and nodded.I offered her my hand. “Then come with me. Let’s get you out of this hellhole.”

____

“That woman isn’t just some lowly intruder like you all think,”Arella blurted, taking a sharp breath before continuing. “She is Vivica Hale, daughter of Xavier Hales—the  traitor from two decades ago.”

My eyes narrowed in absolute horror. The elders slowly turned to me, their expressions screaming for answers.But I was too concerned about Vivica, who was trembling violently beside me, to care.In a swift motion, bolted out of the room.

I followed suit.

“Dane, you don’t…” Arella tried to stop me, but a hard glare was all it took to shut her up.I sprinted after Vivica, catching up to her in the archway.

“Where are you going?” I grabbed her hand.

“Anywhere but here!” she yelled.

“Vivica, look at me.” 

“There’s nothing you can say to make me change my mind” she spat. She was already crying on her first day in my territory.

“Forget everything Arella said in there. It doesn’t change anything,” I assured her. “And about your father,I’m sure he didn’t betray your pack.”

She whirled to face me the moment I said that.

“What did you just say?” For the first time, her red-rimmed eyes peered into mine with flinching.

“I believe your father is innocent. We just need to find the actual culprit and vindicate him.”

“Is that  possible? I mean… I know it is, but I’ve been digging for years without any luck.” she explained with a sudden burst of enthusiasm.

Something about the way her eyes twinkled with hope made my chest tighten. I felt a strong urge to cup her face and kiss her senseless, but I’d be ruining my plans. I couldn’t love her, I shouldn’t love her. Everything must be strictly business if I must reach my goal.

“That’s because you’ve been digging in the wrong places,” I sighed, taking a step forward. “From now on, I’ll do the digging.Your father will be vindicated, and you’ll have no reason to ever run again.”

Her eyes pooled with tears. She pressed her lips together to keep from crying. I cupped her face in my palms. “You are safe here. Stop trying to run away.”

She nodded, a streak of tears streaming down her cheeks.

“We have collectively decided not to accept this…this traitor as one of us,” One of the elders interrupted.I turned to find them standing at the door.

“Theo.”

“Yes, Your  Highness?”

“Get the necessary documents ready. Vivica will be ascending the throne in two weeks.”