Chapter 8 8
Third Person POV
"Oohh, what's this I hear about picking up girls late at night? That's so out of character for you, Draven." Robin’s voice emerged from the corner of the room.
He winked slyly at Adrian, making him uneasy. Robin walked towards the two men, ignoring the tension between both of them. "It's none of your business, Robin." Adrian snapped at him; he hated being made of fools.
Especially in front of his uncle, someone who was like a father to him. But Robin didn't seem bothered by his aggravation; if anything, it amused him. "So what's this about a girl in the rain? I hear, Adrian.”
“I believe you indeed owe us some explanation." Robin twirled around, taking a comfort seat between the two men. He gently patted the handles of both seats by his side.
Draven, unfazed by Dante, simply took a chair and sat in it. Adrian, on the other hand, didn't feel comfortable about doing this in any way. He hesitantly took a seat; the positions of the seat made it seem as though the three men faced each other in angular forms.
"Shall I begin then?" Robin smiled "I didn't come here to be questioned; I came to ask a few questions and leave; I've gotten what I wanted." Adrian said remaining as stubborn as always.
"But your alpha wants to know, what happened? Why do you think he came all the way here to pay your head and tell you how good a wolf you've been?" Robin asked, his voice suddenly turning serious.
"No. I know that's not it; I don't even know why he's here." Adrian’s voice stuttered; he wasn't exactly sure why even Robin dropped his cup of wine and crossed his fingers.
"Look here, pup, you're the heir to your uncle, his only son, the man that will one day lead his pack; do you think being rejected isn't something that we shouldn't be bothered about?" Robin said seriously-faced.
And just then Adrian remembered what he never liked about the man. He had a way with words, turning and twisting them to favor him or the situation he was in; he did it out of contempt, boredom, or simply because he could.
But at the same time he couldn't deny that what he said didn't make sense, and that's what he hated most about the man; he was mostly always right. Adrian looked at his uncle, hoping he wouldn't show interest and just wave off the topic.
To his greatest surprise, his uncle’s eyes were levelled at his. Draven watched him with intent, wanting to know the reason the mark had appeared on her face, but he couldn't say that.
Feeling a pang of anxiety, Adrian began sweating. The hairs on the back of his neck stood; he wasn't in a comfortable position. This reminded me of back then, when he was much younger, when his father would always have this leading, domineering presence.
It’s something he felt so often, making him feel never enough to lead the pack until he left. "Don't start sweating over my couch; those are expensive, you know." Robin chimed in.
'To hell with this,' Adrian thought; he wasn't the same small, scared boy that he was back then before his uncle left; he was a man now, and he would definitely act as one.
"Well, she was sent to the Heichen house by her parents for three years; it wasn't well known, but Thaila accidentally mentioned it at the party; everyone else heard her, but she tried to salvage the situation."
As Adrian explained what had happened that night, He watched how intently his uncle listened. Was he really worried about him being rejected? Would he take any drastic actions against him after finding out about what happened?
He kept on with the story. When he got to the part where Hazel 's father stuck her face, Adrian swore he could feel the energy shift in the room; he saw the dim red glow in his eyes.
Was uncle angry? He had to be imagining things; there's no way uncle would get upset over a woman he has never met in his life before. Adrian finished the story by saying Hazel got into a black car and drove off.
"That's why I came here; I thought it was your car, and you had picked her up." Adrian finished talking; all his uncle did was nod his head slowly; at the very least, his father didn't seem to be upset with him.
"So Thaila is your mistress then?" Robin asked curiously, and Adrian, who was taking a sip, almost immediately choked on his drink in shock and surprise.
"Mistress? No, she's just my business associate; that's all there is to it." Adrian defended himself; he looked to his uncle for support, but Alpha Draven was simply gazing off somewhere, as if he had suddenly lost interest when Thalia’s name came out.
"Then why would Hazel reject you after seeing you and Thalia? The woman obviously feels threatened by her presence and decided to leave before things got too complicated, but hitting his only daughter I did not expect from him." Robin said his voice didn't carry the usual playfulness or deceptive nature.
"Is that all you have to say?" Draven’s voice cut through their conversation; the room grew immediately quiet. Draven looked directly at Adrian, who tried his best not to look shaken.
"Yes, that's all that's happened, uncle," he responded. Draven suddenly stood up as if he had heard enough and was preparing to leave. Adrian stood up right after; he also didn't want to stay another second in this damned house.
"Leaving already? I feel so lonely." Robin pouted, he shook, and stood up after the two men as they all walked to the entrance of his building in silence.
Adrian walked behind his uncle and realized nothing had changed about him in the recent years; he may have gotten older but certainly not weaker.
He felt at the will on his throat; his grip was so strong, stronger that any wolf his age had a right to be; Adrian himself was also incredibly strong, but now he wasn't sure anymore.
"Nothing has changed, Adrian; you will continue your duties towards the company and keep up your negotiations. I have returned as the Alpha, and you shall assist me as my second on command. Are we clear?" Draven asked.
Adrian smiled at himself. He was glad that his uncle wasn't going to tell him to simply step aside and sit down while he took over everything. Now he knew he held some form of control, especially in the family business.
He was also now the second in command. He was lucky to have had that. Before Dravwn had left, his second in command was Noah, the ever-so-calm and obedient one, the perfect right-hand hand.
"I fully understand you, uncle; I will do my best," he responded, smiling at himself. "Also, if you get any news about your fiance or ex?" He turned to look at Draven with a smile.
"Let me know about it immediately; I'll even help you when I can," he said before turning back. Adrian stood transfixed in the position he was in.
Did his uncle want him to get back with Hazel ? Why else would he ask me to report to him about her? Adding to his frustrations was that he didn't even know where to look; she just came out of prison, so there's no way she'd know anywhere to go.
He sighed, feeling exasperated; he should have defended her more. He watched as both his uncle and Robin talked to each other at the entrance as the rain reduced to little drizzles; even the weather felt his presence.
While looking at them, he couldn't help but wonder, What would his uncle have done differently? He didn't know, but somehow he definitely knew his uncle would sit down while his woman got abused in front of him and do absolutely nothing about it.
He remembered his mother's painful memory, a memory his uncle had forbidden him to ever speak off again. He remembered how much his uncle had changed after that event; it had changed Adrian too, but his uncle even more.
With a sigh, he walked towards the door; he felt exhausted and tired. "Off on your own, come see me sometime," Robin said, shaking hands with Adrian. The two left each other, one heading to his car and the other into his abode.
Draven watched them both leave before getting into the car. He slowly began driving; now he had everything he needed to know about what happened in the Labrinth family that made her leave so abruptly.
While he was deeply lost in thought, he got a call from his phone; he picked it up; it was Noah. "Sir, I hope this isn't an inconvenience to you, but something drastic has happened." Walter said in a brisk tone
"What happened, Noah? Tell me."
"The lady you brought has left a note on her bed saying 'Thank you and Goodbye.' I'm not exactly sure what that is."
Draven dropped his phone and placed both hands on the wheel, matching the acceleration with enough strength to break it.