Chapter 16

Serena pov

Adrian leaned in far too close, his scorching breath brushing my ear like a silent tease. In the past, my body would have melted at that alone. But this time, nothing. Worse—I felt a wave of nausea. I reached out to push him back. My palm had barely touched his chest when he tilted his head and claimed my lips. It caught me completely off guard. I couldn't dodge in time, and the kiss landed full and firm. I used to love kissing Adrian—craved it, even. He was so disciplined: no smoking, no drinking. Kissing him felt like sinking into cool mint morning mist, addictive and intoxicating. This time, though, I turned my head before he could take more. He didn't notice my resistance. His lips grazed my ear, nipping lightly. His voice came low and hot against my skin. "Is it over?" We were pressed so close I could feel his arousal plain as day. So Elena hadn't been enough for him lately? He finally sensed I wasn't with him. His hand clamped tighter around my waist, pinning me harder against the dining table. Even closer now. "No answer? Then I'll find out myself." His hand slid lower along my curve. I caught his wrist just as it clicked—he'd been asking about my cycle. I opened my mouth to speak, but his phone rang. The shrill tone cut through the quiet room like a blade. I knew that ringtone. His private line. He pulled the phone out without hesitation. The screen lit up: Elena. Something spiteful flared in me. I grabbed the hand holding the phone, rose on my toes, and kissed him first. This time he turned away. "Stop it," he said. "I thought you wanted me." Everyone says when a wolf's blood is up, he'll focus only on his own need and forget everything—and everyone—else. I wanted to test it. I wanted the truth. Adrian gave it to me. He pushed me away firmly and took Elena's call. In that moment, every bit of fight left me. I stayed leaning against the table, watching his back as he answered calmly. "What's wrong?" "I'll be right there." He ended the call, grabbed his coat from the sofa, and walked out. He never looked at me again. It was a long while after the door shut before I moved. I told myself it was fine. It wasn't the first time he'd chosen to leave me behind. I opened my phone, changed the smart lock code, and stared out the window. The sun still wasn't rising in the west. Later that night, Elena walked Adrian to the parking lot. "Adrian, thank you for tonight. I wouldn't have known what to do without you." "It was nothing." "Nothing to you, everything to me." She was still shaken, voice trembling. "If you hadn't been there, my mother…" "She's all right now. Don't frighten yourself." His calm steadied her. "I hope the results come back clean." "I've already spoken to the hospital. Anything you need, tell Dean Grant Walker." "Thank you, Adrian," she said again, softer this time, eyes warm with something new. After he left the hospital, Adrian tried calling me on his way home. He probably wanted to know how much longer I'd be out, when I'd return to work. Chloe was filling in for me and making a mess of everything—he hated the disruption. But my phone was off. In ten years, that had never happened. For the first time, he felt something had shifted in me. He couldn't name what. … I stayed away three full days before returning to the pack office. The moment I reached my desk, Chloe appeared, desperate to vent. "Serena, thank the stars. Any longer and you'd have come back to a corpse." "What happened?" I was actually in a decent mood. Ten years of running myself ragged, and now I finally had space to breathe. It felt good. All the recent ugliness had faded. "What do you think? You know how impossible Adrian is. These past few days he nearly drove me mad." Chloe had truly suffered; she wanted to warn the entire floor about the tyrant. "That bad?" I asked, smoothing her ruffled nerves. "You know it is. Sky-high standards, venomous tongue—one tiny mistake and he tears you to shreds. Serena, how did you survive him for ten years?" She wasn't exaggerating. Adrian had always been difficult. I'd known it from day one. I'd lasted this long on sheer stubbornness. I'd lost everything in the end, but at least I was waking up before it was too late. "Isn't the shareholders' meeting today?" I asked. "We should prepare—it's the big quarterly one." That was half the reason I'd chosen today to return. Chloe shook her head. "Canceled. Moved to next Monday." I paused mid-typing the agenda. "Canceled?" "Elena's had family issues and took leave. So Adrian pushed the meeting back." Of course. For Elena. Suddenly everything made sense. It wasn't the first time he'd bent rules for her. I deleted the document without comment. After unloading, Chloe's mood lifted. She studied me. "Serena, you look different lately." "Do I?" "Yes! You used to dress like a fortress—severe suits, perfect hair, intimidating. Now you're softer, prettier. That lipstick is perfect—it makes you glow." "Prettier?" I smiled. "Way prettier." My spirits rose again. They didn't stay up long. Adrian's call came through. "Serena, come to my office." Chloe flinched at the sound of his voice—she'd clearly been traumatized. She mouthed "hiding" and fled to her desk. My morning lightness vanished.