Chapter 100

Chapter 100
Chapter 100

Adrian Valehart.

I knew.
I always knew it was only a matter of time before Sofia finally exploded.
But seeing it happen — seeing the glow in her eyes, seeing her wolf pushing for space, her control falling apart — it was different from anything I imagined.
At the same time…
My own wolf was restless.
Not because of danger.
But because of her.
Because he recognized that.
He saw her.
That uncontrolled force.
Sofia’s wolf.
He wanted to get closer.
Wanted to calm her.
He wanted to lay at her feet and show his fangs to anyone who dared approach.
But I needed to be rational.
I needed to be the alpha.
I needed to be the fucking man who would do anything to keep her safe.
When I left the room, I could still taste her on my mouth.
It’s ridiculous to admit this — but it felt like she had marked every muscle of my body with her presence. My torn shirt was the least of my worries. What mattered was what had happened in there, in that room.
The truth came out.
Part of it, at least.
And now there was no going back.
My phone vibrated in my hand.
The name on the screen: Edgar.
And he only called when he was holding a stick of dynamite.
I answered, moving away from the house, walking down the outside corridor, trying to put physical and mental distance between Sofia and yet another fucking bomb of information. She was already hanging by a thread. If she heard one more thing too soon… she could collapse for good.
“We have something,” he said the moment I answered, not even taking a breath.
The rushed, almost panting way he spoke was never a good sign.
“Say it,” I replied, walking farther.
I needed to be far. Far enough so Sofia wouldn’t hear my voice and notice from my tone that more shit was coming.
Edgar inhaled sharply, as if holding blood in his mouth.
“I managed to pull more answers from Lucian.”
I closed my eyes.
Fuck.
That guy tied up in the basement?
“What did you find out?” I asked, already bracing myself.
“He had contact with the right people. The guys Andrew paid and threatened so he wouldn’t dirty his own hands. And… well…” Edgar paused — brief but heavy. “Everything points to Hoffman. Everything, Adrian. He’s involved. At least up to his shoulders.”
My blood froze.
Andrew Hoffman.
“Sofia,” I growled without noticing, “what does he want with her? Is it still because of that old rivalry? Because her mother married a human? Or is it something else? He—”
I stopped.
Because another possibility hit me like a ton of shit.
“Adrian,” Edgar called. “I know what you’re thinking. But I’m not sure yet.”
“Her mother,” I murmured, feeling my heart beating strangely. “Do you think it was him?”
“I don’t know yet,” he answered. “But… I’ll find out.”
Silence.
My chest tightened.
Then I asked, slowly:
“Edgar… what did you do to make him talk?”
He stayed quiet for a long moment.
“Answer me,” I growled.
“A family meeting,” he said — dry, serious.
“You… what did you do to his kid? To his wife?” I asked, feeling discomfort and irritation rising in me.
“Adrian, you know how this works,” he finally said, in that cold, cutting tone. “Sometimes we do terrible things to survive. To protect who we love. You entered the race for the throne, remember? Or did you forget the atrocities needed to stay alive in this shit?”
I ran a hand through my hair, walking until my forehead almost hit a tree trunk.
I hated this. This fucking world, this fucking council. The way everything worked, those damn rules.
And I hated the fact that, yes… Edgar was right.
But I still didn’t accept that a child — criminal’s son or not — was in the middle of this.
And everything. Everything.
It was because of Sofia.
“Just find out if Andrew is behind this.”
“I will,” he said.
His voice changed — colder.
“I’ll find out.”
We hung up.
And when the call ended, it felt like a part of me had been cut off. The part I swore I’d keep away from this world. The part I never wanted Sofia to see. The rotten side wolves have.
The side that can do anything to protect their own and destroy the rest.
I didn’t like this path.
But there were no alternatives.
I looked up, toward the window where I knew she was — surrounded by papers, discoveries, and truths that would destroy anyone.
We had spent the whole day there.
And tomorrow would be worse.
The council meeting.
I needed to prepare.
She needed to enter that place protected.
By my side.
Under my name.
Which meant tying her officially to my clan, even if just temporarily.
I grabbed my phone again and called Cael and Cedric.
Both excellent… but two absolute idiots when they opened their mouths.
And of course, when I explained the situation and said Sofia would go with me, they freaked out.
“YOU’RE TAKING A NEWLY-AWAKENED HALF-BREED?!” Cael yelled.
“HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND, ADRIAN?!” Cedric added.
“If either of you screams again, I’ll rip both your tongues out,” I hissed.
Silence.
I explained the basics.
Explained that I needed to declare her protected.
That I needed to present everything to the council tonight.
That they needed to prepare the bureaucratic ritual and notify officially.
On the other side, I heard things falling, books slamming, someone swearing.
“This is going to be hell,” Cael muttered.
“Good luck,” Cedric added, laughing like an idiot.
I hung up on them.
Night had fallen. The air was heavy. The sky was pitch-black, moonless — a bad omen.
Tomorrow… would be the day everything changed.
For her.
For me.
For everyone hunting Sofia.
I started walking back.
My mind drifted.
I thought of her mother what really happened to Serena Hines.
I thought of who killed her.
And what the killer was plotting now — yes, because nothing involving Sofia’s blood was simple.
We were now in the middle of a war.
In the middle of a fucking hurricane.
And I wasn’t leaving.
Not while she needed me.
I turned, approaching the closed door where Sofia was alone with the harshest truths of her life.
And I thought only one thing:
I’m not letting anyone else touch her.
Not ever again.
And this time…
Not even my wolf tried to argue.