Chapter 48

Adrian.

I take in a deep breath of the morning air and smile as visions of spending the rest of the night getting my fill of my little Witch-Wolf. I begin to stretch, feeling a little stiff and sore from my adventure with Poppy, but it’s all worth it.

I finally found the one person who can handle my needs and satisfy me like no one has ever done. Every concubine I’ve slept with, including Lola, doesn’t hold a candle to her.

I have these feelings inside me, and I’ve never felt this way with anyone else before.

We need to make it official. My wolf says to me.

Yes, I know my wolf is right. I need to follow our pack’s traditions when asking a female wolf to be the mate of the Alpha. I need to create the perfect proposal for Poppy. She deserves something sweet and romantic. I need to show her that I can be all those things for her and so much more.

I look at Poppy, and my breath catches in my throat. She looks so beautiful as she sleeps peacefully next to me. I take a moment to take in her features, how her raven hair sits against her porcelain skin, her tiny petite frame, and how well we fit together.

I want to wake her up so that I can see those capturing silver eyes look at me the way they did last night, but I think against it. She looks so happy right now, and I don’t believe that she’s had a restful night of sleep in a long time. I will need to make sure that I’m quick and hopefully be back before she wakes up.

There is a particular set of flowers that I need to gather before proposing to Poppy. I believe the meadow that they grow in is just on the other side of this forest. They are a crucial necessity before I can ask her to be mine for the rest of our lives.

I press my lips gently against her forehead and whisper, “I’ll be back soon.”

Poppy stirs a little but doesn’t wake up.

I don’t want to leave Poppy, but I want to be able to propose to her as soon as possible and announce her to the pack as my mate. I freeze when I think about how the pack is going to react when they hear the news that Poppy is my mate. I know quite a few people will not be happy about this news. But I can’t think about that right now; she’s the key to making everything right in my life and bringing the pack back to its original status.

I shift into my wolf so I can get to the meadow quicker than I can if I run in my human form. My heart beats with excitement, and for the first time in a long time, my thoughts are clear and not all over the place. In one night with being with Poppy I can feel things changing inside me. I see light where I’ve seen only darkness for such a long time.

My wolf releases a defensive growl as he comes to a stop and pulls me back into the present when he smells rogue wolves nearby.

I internally roll my eyes. Of course, rogue wolves are trespassing through pack territory. Why does something wrong always have to happen when I finally find a reason to be happy?

My wolf lifts his nose into the air to get a scent of how many there are. There are quite a few of them, and as much as I would love to take them on my own, I don’t want to take the chance of getting hurt or, worse, killed and not being able to get back to Poppy before she wakes.

I already regret not waking her up to tell her that I needed to run a few errands and would meet up with her later.

A release a howl into the sky, alerting my warriors that there are rogues in the territory and I need their help.

My wolf walks into an empty space and starts to growl. One by one, ten rogue wolves walk out from their hiding places, barking at me as they circle me, trying to prevent me from escaping.

Well, this will be fun. I say to myself as I circle around to assess the situation that I’m in. The majority of them are thin and scrawny, but I’m betting they are scrappy when it comes to fighting. I’m going to have to improvise until other members of my pack show up to give me a hand, or should I say paw.

This is where Poppy would pipe in about using my brain over my brawn. But I’m not sure how well that will work for me when it’s ten against one. I continue to move around within the circle, constantly waiting to see who will make the first move.

Usually, I would attempt to take out the smallest ones first and make my way to the strongest ones. I make a couple of false moves, making them think I am going after one of them, but they continue to move around. If one of them jumps on the back of me, it could possibly be game over, and I’ll never see Poppy again. I can’t let that happen.

I catch a whiff through the air and internally smile. I need to keep them distracted for just a little bit longer.

My wolf takes his chances and charges toward one of the middle-size rogues to see if he can keep their focus on us and not notice that my pack is closing in on them.

Just as my wolf pins one of them down, Dare leaps into the circle and charges at one of the bigger wolves.

Show off.

Within a matter of minutes, more of our warriors jump in and help take down the rogue wolves.

Now, I need to figure out a way to get out of here without Dare asking me a million questions and get back to Poppy before she wakes up and sees I’m gone.