ADRIAN’S P.O.V.
I’ve lost count of how many tis I’ve wandered through these woods, each step familiar yet ever-changing in its own way.
The cool night air wove through the trees like a soft whisper, and the earthy scent of moss, wet leaves, and damp soil clung to the ground beneath my boots. I’ve lived in this town—this sanctuary—longer than anyone could truly understand. Ten thousand years... a stretch of ti so vast it was almost unfathomable to human minds. You’d think that after all those centuries, I would feel the weight of it. But to ? It was the blink of an eye.
The mountains surrounding us had always been more than just a backdrop—they were like the embrace of an old friend, wrapping the valley in their quiet, protective arms. This place has been mine for so long, a piece of land I built from the earth itself, stone by stone, brick by brick. I had crafted every inch of it—every ho, every corner of these streets—until this town beca more than just a place. It beca a secret, a whispered promise that only I knew how to guard. And I have kept it safe for all these years, shielded it from the outside world like a treasure too precious to be found.
The people here? They knew . They respected . Hell, they feared too. And they should. Over the centuries, I allowed that legend to grow, weaving myself into the very fabric of their stories. They said I was a ghost who wandered these lands, a phantom of the valley who didn’t age, never died. So believed I was the god of the mountains, sent to protect this land from those who would harm it. Legend was what they called it—but I knew the truth. They didn’t know the half of it. They didn’t realize I had been here before them, before the first settlers even thought to plant their roots in this fertile soil. I had watched them carve their hos into the earth, unaware of the force standing just beyond their gaze. And they certainly didn’t know what I was... or who I really was.
Tonight, I found myself once again in these woods, just as I had so many tis before. There was a strange comfort in the solitude of this place, in the hush of the trees and the stillness of the night. But I wasn’t alone. With was Harry, my right-hand man, the only one I trusted completely. We were hunting, but not for the usual ga. No, tonight’s hunt was far darker, more necessary. There were n—hunters—who had crossed a line in this town. They had been violating its peace, harassing the locals, raping won. The thought of it made my blood boil, a rage so old and so deep that it pulsed through my veins like a curse.
When the mayor ca to with the news, I didn’t hesitate. I couldn’t afford to. I imdiately called Harry, Carlos, and Brian—three of my most trusted—and sent them after these n. I told them to make sure they paid. Make them beg for their lives, drain them dry of blood, and leave them as if they were never anything more than refuse. These n had broken the rules, and I don’t tolerate that. Ever. They had sealed their fate the mont they set foot in my town.
When it was done, there was no satisfaction. Only the hollow echo of their screams, the dark stain of their blood soaking into the earth. Their bodies lay abandoned, discarded in the dirt like the insignificant things they were. In the end, they ant nothing. They were a blip in the course of my existence, a re inconvenience. But they had to be dealt with, and so they were.
We were heading back to my mansion, the moonlight casting its pale glow over the stone path that wound through the trees. The night was quiet, but then—then I caught it. The scent. At first, it was just a faint trace, like a breeze that passes you by, but it lingered. It wasn’t normal. It stayed with , curling in the air like a pull on my senses, sothing alluring and unsettling.
"Adrian," Harry murmured, his voice low, almost a whisper. He stopped in his tracks, his nostrils flaring as he sniffed the air. "Do you sll that?" His gaze sharpened, his expression unreadable.
The wind shifted, carrying with it the scent, stronger now, pressing in on like a mory I couldn’t quite place. Sothing—soone—was near.
I didn’t even need to answer. I already knew what it was. It wasn’t like anything I’d ever slled before. It was sweet—so sweet, like the scent of wildflowers after the rain—but there was sothing else there. Sothing that didn’t quite sit right. Sothing that felt... other.
We followed the scent, moving silently through the trees, until we saw her.
She was bent over, her fingers gently plucking wildflowers from the ground near a small cottage. The kind of cottage that looked like it belonged in a fairytale, nestled on the edge of the woods, surrounded by the soft hum of the night. Flora’s place, I knew. She owned the diner in town, always with a warm smile for when I passed by. She treated like her son, always offering so food or a drink, as if I needed it. She’d been good to , and that wasn’t sothing I took lightly.
But this girl—this woman—she wasn’t from here. Not from my town.
Her skin was smooth and rich, like caral dipped in honey, her curly brown hair cascading over her shoulders in a perfect ss. Her beauty wasn’t the kind you saw in glossy magazines or in the streets of the city. No, it was the kind that stopped your heart in its tracks. It was real. Raw. I don’t know why, but as I watched her, I couldn’t tear my eyes away.
She wasn’t tall, she wasn’t curvy in the traditional sense, and yet—she had a way about her. Sothing in the way she carried herself, in the simple grace of her movents. She wasn’t trying to be beautiful, but god, she was. There was sothing in her brown eyes that held secrets—mysteries I didn’t understand, but I wanted to.
This was bad. I had to cut off whatever this was before it sprouted roots.
I was about to speak, to give the order to my n to take her down—before Harry’s voice stopped cold.
"Adrian," he whispered, a note of urgency in his tone. "She’s pregnant."
Pregnant. With not one, but two babies. I hadn’t noticed at first, but then—when Harry pointed it out—I saw it. Just a slight curve to her stomach, barely noticeable, but it was there. A heartbeat. I could hear it. Two steady heartbeats, slow and calm, like the ticking of a clock.
And then I slt the other thing.
The scent of werewolf.
It hit like a tractor, and I felt my chest tighten. I looked at my n, and I could see it in their eyes—anger. Harry, Cole, and Brian were already agitated. Werewolves? In my town? Not in nine thousand years had one dared to step onto this land. We’d wiped them out. Every last one of them.
Harry’s hand went to his weapon. "We should kill her. Now," he said, his voice low and filled with nace.
I held up my hand. "No."
Sothing about this woman, about her—it stopped . For the first ti in centuries, I was unsure. I didn’t know what to do, and that scared . The anger, the rage that should’ve burned through —it didn’t co. There was only curiosity. Why was she here? Why had she co? Why did I care?
"You can’t be serious? Wherever a claid werewolf mate is, the werewolf most follow." Brian muttered, the disbelief in his voice thick.
But the look I gave them? That was enough. No one moved.
"I’ll handle this," I said, my voice calm and steady, as if I had all the ti in the world. "No one touches her."
The words felt strange coming from my lips, but there they were. I was intrigued, yes, but I was also captivated. This woman had entered my life like a storm, and I didn’t know whether I wanted to shield myself from it or let her tear apart.
But one thing was certain—I wasn’t letting her go. Not yet. Not without finding out everything about her. Why she slled like werewolf mate but didn’t act like one. Why she had two babies inside her and still looked so... delicate.
The answer was a mystery I intended to unravel. And if it ant breaking every rule I’d set for myself, then so be it. I was going to figure out exactly what made her so irresistible to .
And I was going to keep her—whether she liked it or not.
"Stay here," I told my n. "And keep quiet. I’ll go speak to her."
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