Chapter 2 Lipstick on His Collar

(Evelyn's POV)

I almost forgot to breathe. Part of me wanted to push the door open and walk in, but another part wanted to hear how Adrian would answer.

After all, I'd been his wife for six years. I knew, of course, that he never would have married me if his grandmother, Eleanor Hayes, hadn't insisted on it, or if that one unplanned night hadn't left me pregnant with Stella.

But in the six years we'd been married, he had been good to me.

On my birthday, he would rent out an entire restaurant and hire the best musicians in town to play for me. On our marking anniversary, he always had an expensive gift ready. Whenever I had a fever, he'd sit by the bed all night, giving me sips of water and cooling me down with a damp cloth.

Three years ago, a fire broke out in the old pack house. A beam from the second floor came crashing down and blocked the door, and there was nothing around me but thick smoke and burning wood. It was Adrian who kicked in the burning door without a thought for himself, ran into the flames, and carried me out.

Everyone in the pack said I had a good mate.

But what none of them knew was that in our second year as mates, he drank too much at a banquet. That night he pinned me down on our bed, his hands gripping my waist, but the name on his lips was Vanessa's.

For a few seconds, the study was quiet.

Then Adrian's low voice came through the door. "I'm not planning anything. I have a mate, and I have Stella. Vanessa coming back doesn't change anything."

Owen was sitting on the couch. He leaned forward and kept pushing. "But Adrian, be honest with me. All these years you've been mates with her, have you actually been happy?"

The study went completely silent. All I heard was the clunk of Adrian setting his glass down on the wooden desk. He didn't answer.

I stared at the gap in the door. I knew his answer.

Six years ago, he'd downed a drugged drink, and ever since, he'd been convinced I was the one who drugged him so I could marry him.

He never got to mark his first love, the woman he'd loved so deeply. Instead, he'd been forced to become mates with a woman he believed would do anything to get what she wanted, and every single day he had to play the loving husband in front of everyone. How could he be happy?

I thought about what Healer Jenkins had said at the hospital. Staring at Adrian's back, I told him silently, It's okay, Adrian. You'll be free soon.

I took a step back, and my heel knocked against the wooden baseboard with a dull thud.

Both men in the study turned their heads. When Owen saw me standing outside the door, he instantly looked awkward. He got up fast and headed for the door. "Luna. I've got things to take care of. I'd better go."

After Owen left, Adrian looked up at me. He was in a white shirt, his tie pulled loose and hanging around his neck. "Mark said you called me a bunch of times this afternoon. Was it something urgent?"

"It's been dealt with," I said calmly, meeting his eyes.

Adrian said, "Mm," and left it at that. He didn't ask what it had been about. He opened a desk drawer, took out a square black velvet box, and handed it to me. "Anniversary present."

I took it but didn't open it. I just held it in my hand. "Thanks."

Adrian frowned, his eyes on the unopened box. "You don't like it?"

"I like everything you give me," I said.

The truth was, I didn't need to open it to know what was inside.

A necklace. Every year, his gift was a necklace. The last two years, it had even been the exact same Cartier necklace. They were expensive gifts, but they had never made me happy, because every year, starting with the very first one, I'd seen the order slip sitting on Mark's desk. His assistant had picked out every single one.

Adrian studied my face. "Is there anything else you want? I can have Mark pick it up."

I took a deep breath and looked him straight in the eye. "Tomorrow is Stella's birthday. She wants you to take her to Disneyland."

Adrian turned and walked back to the desk, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I've got a lot of pack business to deal with lately. I'm kind of busy."

"Stella's sick, Adrian." I kept my voice low, but it trembled anyway. "She's been looking forward to this for so long. You had time to go to the airport for Vanessa... Can't you spare just a few hours for your own daughter?"

Adrian stopped. He turned his head, and a frown creased his brow. "Evelyn, You don't need to use Stella to test me."

I looked at him, and something inside me went tired. "Is that what you think, Adrian?" I asked softly. "That everything I say is some kind of scheme?"

Adrian let out a breath, more puzzled than impatient. He came over and looked into my eyes.

"What's gotten into you today? Is this about the news? About Vanessa?" His voice gentled. "She's back. That's all. It doesn't change anything between us, and it won't shake your place as Luna. I'll make time to take Stella to Disneyland. Don't overthink it."

He saw the hurt in my eyes, and his expression softened. He pulled me into his arms, lowered his head, and pressed a slow kiss to the side of my neck, right over his mark.

It was always like this. Whenever there was something between us he didn't want to talk about, he reached for me instead, as if one night in his arms could smooth over everything he never said. And every time, I let him.

A shiver ran through me. His scent wrapped around me and woke my wolf's instincts. A werewolf can't resist her mate. My body softened against his, and I couldn't stop a flush of heat from spreading through me, even as my heart ached.

His breath was warm on my skin. His lips trailed lower, and his hand slid down my back, pulling me against him while his fingers found the top button of my blouse. Maybe this was all he knew how to give me. And maybe, just for tonight, I could pretend it was enough.

But when he turned his head, the side of his collar came into view.All that heat drained out of me. It felt like someone had dumped a bucket of ice water over my head.

There, on the collar of his white shirt, was a clear lipstick mark.

My hands came up against his chest, and I slowly drew back out of his arms.

Adrian stopped and looked at me in confusion, his eyes still heavy with desire.

My eyes stayed on that red mark. When I finally spoke, my voice came out thin and unsteady. "Adrian... it's been six years..." My throat closed up, and I had to try again. "Have you ever loved me? Even just a little?"