Chapter 28 HE HAS BEEN FRAMED!
AVRIELLE'S POV
"This isn't right," I muttered, the words feeling heavy and thick like lead on my tongue.
"Adrian wouldn't do it. He’s... he’s a lot of things, Xavier, but he wouldn't cause an ambush. He wouldn't harm me."
Beside me, I felt the air shift. The gentle, protective warmth Xavier had been radiating moments ago vanished, replaced by a sudden, jagged tension. I didn't have to look at him to know his jaw was locked, his eyes turning into flint. His fist balled at his side, the leather of his gloves creaking under the strain of his grip, yet he remained eerily still.
"I wished that were true, too," he said, his voice dropping into a low, dangerous register that made the hair on my arms stand up. "But the truth is crystal clear, Avrielle. It’s written in black and white."
I felt a low growl vibrate in my chest—a sound I didn't even know I was capable of making. "Do you have proof? Real proof? Or are you just looking for a reason to finally lock him up?"
Xavier didn't snap back. Instead, he reached into the inner pocket of his coat and pulled out a crumpled piece of parchment. He smoothed it out with a hand that trembled almost imperceptibly and held it before my eyes. My vision was still a bit swimming, but the harsh, elegant script was unmistakable.
“I’m paying you a good amount, and you better make sure the job is done properly.”
The words blurred before me. I read them once, twice, three times.
I looked up at Xavier, my heart hammering against my ribs like a trapped bird. "What did he say? When you showed him this... what was his defense?"
"He claimed he was trying to organize a surprise proposal for Ivana. He said the 'job' was the floral arrangements and the event planning." His voice was icy but his expression remained blank.
I brushed the paper away, the movement sending a sharp, searing pain through my side, but I ignored it. "I believe him."
Xavier froze. The silence that followed was deafening.
I looked at him, and for a fleeting second, the mask of the ruthless Alpha slipped. The raw, unfiltered pain in his eyes made my heart ache with a physical intensity that rivaled my wound. It was the look of a man who had just been betrayed by the person he had burned the world to protect. But I couldn't back down. Not when a man’s life hung in the balance.
Adrian was a cheater. He was arrogant, selfish, and had broken my spirit in a thousand ways during our marriage. But he wasn't a murderer.
Five years ago, when I'd almost been beaten to death for a treason I didn't commit, Adrian had risked his life to save me. He had stood I front of those enforcers, defying even Xavier's words just to save me. People change, but the core of a person—the part that is capable of cold-blooded assassination—doesn't just appear out of nowhere.
"Someone is framing him," I whispered, reaching out to grab Xavier’s hand. His skin was ice cold. "Xavier, please. You have to look into it...you have to clear his name. Adrian is many things, but he is not this...he doesn't have the stomach for vampires and hitmen."
Xavier looked down at my hand, then back at my face. He reached out with his other hand and patted my hair, a gesture that should have been comforting but felt irking. "Don't get yourself worked up, Avrielle. You need to heal."
"Xavier.."
"I promise you this," he interrupted, his voice devoid of any warmth. "I am not showing any mercy with Adrian. Not after what he put you through. Not after I'd to watch you in bed for days, begging the goddamn goddess to bring you back to me. I'm not sparing him."
Before I could find the words to stop him, he stood up. The bed shifted as his weight left it, and the sudden absence of his presence felt like a freezing draft. He turned on his heel and walked out, his stride long and purposeful. Aris and Kaiden followed him like shadows, leaving me alone in the white room with the mocking beep of the heart monitor.
'I have to get to him.' The thought was a frantic, screaming siren in my mind.
I didn't know what Xavier was planning, but I knew his temper. I knew the Devil of the North didn't believe in trials or benefit of the doubt. If he went into that dungeon with that letter in his hand, Adrian wouldn't survive the night. And if Adrian died for a crime he didn't commit, the guilt would be a weight I could never carry.
With a grunt of pain, I reached down and tore the IV tape from my skin. I winced as the needle slid out, a small bead of blood blooming on my hand. I swung my legs over the side of the bed, the world spinning as my feet touched the cold floor. My side felt like it was being held together by hot wires, every breath a battle.
I clutched my stomach, hunched over, and began to limp toward the door. Each step was an agony, a reminder of how close I had come to death. But the image of Adrian—pathetic, weak Adrian—being torn apart by Xavier’s fury kept me moving.
I reached the heavy oak door and pushed. It didn't budge.
I pushed harder, a sob of frustration catching in my throat. Suddenly, the door swung inward, and I stumbled back, nearly falling. My maid, Elena, stood there carrying a silver tray of broth, her eyes widening in alarm. Behind her, the hallway gaurds...dozens of them lined up.
"Mistress! What are you doing out of bed?" Elena squeaked, setting the tray down on a nearby table and rushing to support me.
"I need to get out, Elena," I gasped, leaning heavily on her. "I need to see the Alpha. I need to get to the cells."
Elena flashed me a sad, strained smile. "I’m afraid that’s not possible, Mistress. The Alpha has given strict orders. You are to be served here until you are strong enough to return to your quarters. He’s... he’s very concerned for your safety."
I looked past her, my eyes scanning the corridor. There had to be over a hundred guards stationed in the infirmary wing alone. They stood like statues, their silver-trimmed armor gleaming under the torches. Xavier hadn't sent them to protect me from outsiders. He had sent them to keep me in.
He was watching me. Even in his rage, he had anticipated my move. He knew I would try to save Adrian, and he had turned my sanctuary into a gilded cage.
Panic, cold and sharp, began to claw at my throat.
What if...What if Xavier didn't wait?
What if he was down there right now, his wolf taking control, ending a life based on a lie?
The thought of Adrian’s blood on Xavier’s hands—not because of justice, but because of a clever frame-up—was a nightmare I couldn't wake up from.
"Elena, please," I whispered, my voice cracking. "I have to get out. You have to help me. If I don't stop him, he's going to do something he can never take back. He’s going to kill his own blood."
Elena stared at me, her eyes filled with pity and a deep, ingrained fear of the man I was trying to reach.
"I don't think that's possible, Mistress. No one defies the Alpha when his mind is set. Especially not when it comes to you."