Chapter 12 Her Wolf
ELIJAH
I glanced at Adriana. She was still staring out the window, completely absorbed in her own thoughts.
What was going through her mind right now?
“She’ll stay with us. Her wolf’s hiding anyway, which gives us time.” I breathed. Working it out mentally. “I can actually get to know her. And I need to see how she interacts with Leo.”
That was the real test. Leo was wary of everyone. It had taken months before he’d warmed up to Hazel. If he rejected Adriana… I didn’t want to think about what that would mean.
“Oh for fuck’s sake, Eli—”
“Do not call me that!”
He knew I hated that nickname. Both he and Hazel used it specifically to irritate me, and it worked every single time.
“Just admit she’s everything you’ve been looking for! She’s kind, brave, strong—and she was all of that before she even knew you were the Lycan King!”
If Ezra channeled this much passion into literally anything else, we’d be unstoppable.
But damn it, he wasn’t wrong. He knew exactly what drew me to someone, and Adriana had checked every single box.
She was tailormade for me and I knew it even before it clicked in my head. Something had drawn me to that cottage in the woods. Maybe this was a sign too.
“Fine. You’re right.”
I could practically feel his relief.
“But there’s still something we need to address.”
And just like that, the relief evaporated. If he could physically murder me, he probably would have right then.
“What now?” He grumbled. Saying something like ‘I swear you just like causing problems for me. “What could possibly be more important than—”
“Her wolf.”
He asked with a resigned sigh. “What about her wolf?”
“Don’t you find it strange? In all my years, I’ve never encountered a wolf who could hide this completely. She masked herself so well that Adriana doesn’t even know we’re her mate. That’s not normal, Ezra. Something’s wrong.”
He didn’t want to admit it, but he knew I was right. I’d met countless wolves in my lifetime, they had different personalities, different abilities, different quirks. But I’d never seen anything like this. A wolf that could hide even in the face of death.
Asking Adriana about it felt wrong though. After everything she’d just been through, pushing her on something this personal seemed cruel.
“We’ll find out eventually. She can’t hide forever.”
Ezra was right about that much, at least.
Before I could respond, something pressed against my side.
Adriana was looking up at me, tears streaming down her face. Worry slammed into my chest and I wanted to reach out and ask what was wron. My first instict was to protect her.
“Thank you.” The words were barely audible.
Relief flooded me.
“You’re welcome.” I gave her what I hoped was a reassuring smile.
My hand moved toward her face, ready to brush away those tears, but I caught myself and pulled back.
“Are you serious right now? Just hug her already!”
Ezra’s excitement was almost painful to hear, but I pushed him aside. I couldn’t let him influence this.
I didn’t hug her, even though every part of me wanted to.
She didn’t need to waste any more tears on those people.
“Can I ask you something?”
“Seriously, what now?” I shot back at Ezra. “Shut up so I can actually think straight.”
Adriana nodded.
“Your wolf. Why didn’t she help you back there? You do have your wolf, right?”
She should have shifted by now.
She went completely still, and I immediately wondered if I’d crossed a line.
After a moment, she cleared her throat and looked down at her hands.
“I don’t have my wolf yet.”
The lie was so obvious it almost hurt.
I started to call her out on it, but Ezra cut me off.
“No, we can’t push her away by interrogating her. Let it go. Something’s clearly going on, and she’s not ready to talk about it yet.”
He was right, even if it frustrated me.
I wanted to understand what was happening. Why she’d lie about something I knew to be false.
But pushing her now would only make things worse.
The rest of the drive passed in silence.
When we finally arrived at the pack grounds, Hazel was already talking to the guards posted at the house entrance.
“Hazel, I need you to help get her settled. I’ve got things I need to handle, and I can’t be there right now.”
“Everything alright?” she raised her brows in question.
“Yeah, why?”
She sighed, and I could practically hear her rolling her eyes through the mind link.
“Because it sounds like you’re running away from her. What’s really going on, Elijah?”
Too much. Way too much, and I didn’t even understand half of it myself.
“Nothing’s going on. Just… keep this between us, okay? No one can know she’s my mate. Including her.”
I could see the protest forming on her face even from this distance.
“I’ll explain later. Just help me out here.”
She nodded reluctantly and gestured for Adriana to follow her.
I watched them walk away, Adriana taking in her surroundings with wide eyes.
Part of me hoped she really would be the one.
I deserved some happiness too, didn’t I?
Getting to know her while she still didn’t know about the mate bond might actually work in my favor. No expectations, no pressure. Just… us.
I understood why Ezra was so excited about her.
But I had to stay rational. I had to protect myself.
I couldn’t let myself be fooled again.