Chapter 32

One moment, I’m frozen in place. The next, I’m running for the house. There’s a part of my brain that knows I’ll never outrun a wolf, but the rest doesn’t seem to care. All I know is that I have to get away from the nightmare behind me. Now.

I’m running faster than I’ve ever run. The house was only a short walk away, but it might as well have been ten miles. My pounding panicking heart beats faster and my legs pump harder as the fear spikes a rush of adrenaline.

I’m halfway there when something grabs my arm and pulls me to a stop. A scream erupts from my mouth, and I turn and swing my fist. I expect to hit a snout of fur and teeth, but my hand connects with a face.

Adrian lets out a grunt, though he still hangs on to my arm. That’s when I realize that the sharp pain of claws I was expecting to tear my flesh apart, is actually a human hand.

“Lily, stop please!” Adrian begs. He stands naked before me, but that’s not what I’m looking at. It’s his eyes. They aren’t right. They still hold that eerie yellow hue.

I scream again, remembering what I saw only moments before. This has to be a nightmare, and I want nothing more than to wake up.

Adrian drops my arm and takes a step back, holding out his hands. I run again. Charging for the house and the safety of a locked door. Not that I think it will do me any good.

I don’t hear him following me as I run through the door and up the stairs to my room. The door slams shut behind me and I turn the lock.

I lean against the door and try desperately to catch my breath. This isn’t possible. I’m dreaming. I have to be.

Except I wasn’t. I saw Adrian turn into a wolf. It was real. Except werewolves aren’t real. They’re fairytales. That logic doesn’t explain what I just saw though.

I run for my closet and grab my bag. Throwing it onto the bed, I start reaching for clothes, shoes, and anything else I can think of. I don’t have much, but it’s all I have and if I’m leaving, I’m taking it with me.

A soft knocking at my door startles me from my frantic packing.

“Lily, please open the door.” Adrian calls softly. “I know you’re frightened and likely very confused, but I can explain.”

Explain? He wants to explain how he’s a werewolf? I don’t answer.

“Lily, you are safe. I promise. Everything is alright. No one is going to harm you.” He says comfortingly.

I stop packing and listen.

“You deserve to know the truth.” He says softly. “Me and my family are werewolves, but we are not monsters. If you open the door, you will be just as safe here as you have been every day you have lived here.”

His voice is soothing to my racing heart and has me wanting to open the door. I’ve always been safe with Adrian, and he has always protected me. Even when I’ve provoked his temper, he’s never hurt me.

Before I can invoke my better judgement, I go to the door and crack it, just a little. Peering out, I meet his eyes. They look normal now. No hint of that yellow hue.

I open the door all the way and step back, allowing him in. He’s found pants at least, but he’s shirtless and his feet are bare. His eyes and brow are filled with concern and even though I’m letting him into the room, he waits until I step several steps back before he enters.

He gestures to the chair in the corner, “I’ll sit there, and you can ask any questions you want.” At my nod, he moves slowly to the seat and perches on the edge. He leans forward and presses his fingertips togethers. He waits for me and I slowly sit on the edge of the bed, several feet away from him.

“Werewolves aren’t real.” Is all I can think to say. Thankfully, he doesn’t laugh at me.

“We are very real, but we aren’t like what the myths have painted us to be.” Adrian explains patiently. “We aren’t mindless beasts, and we aren’t beholden to the moon, though it does call to us a little louder when it’s full. We turn when we wish, and our instincts can be controlled.”

He looks behind me at the half-packed bag. “I understand why you want to leave, but please reconsider. You are safe here. I swear it. And Grace needs you. She loves you.”

My heart clenches at his mention of that little girl, so full of life and joy.

“Is she one of you too?” I ask, almost afraid of the answer.

I feel a little bit of relief as Adrian says, “No. Grace is human. She is my ward, not my biological daughter.” He takes a deep breath. “Julian, on the other hand, is.”

My chest tightens. Yet another lie my boyfriend has told me. Granted this one I didn’t really blame him for.

I’m a little calmer, though my head is swimming with confusion. I look behind me at the bag and clothing and then back at Adrian.

I don’t want to leave. Even if I didn’t need the money, this was one of the best jobs I have ever had. I’ve fallen completely in love with Grace and the idea of leaving Adrian makes my heart threaten to break. Even if he isn’t exactly human.

“I don’t want to leave.” I confess and there’s a light of relief in Adrian’s eyes. “But I need answers, and my final decision depends on those.”

“Of course.” He agrees.

For the next hour, I pepper him with questions. He answers every single one with the patience of a man with an endless supply. My entire world opens up and I will never view the concept of reality the same ever again.

The creatures I believed were nothing more than scary stories told to children at bedtime, actually walked the earth, hiding in plain sight. I hardly understood it.

Adrian explained that the werewolves were only one breed and that the Lycans were the other, though they were all but gone after a long-fought war.

“A war over what?” I ask.

“It’s a blood feud.” Adrian says. “Years ago, we worked with the Lycans and their king to repel the bear people, who were attacking us both.”

“Bear people?” I ask confused. I’m so incredibly overwhelmed.

“They are like us but turn into bears.” Adrian explains. “Once the war was over and the bear people were no longer a threat, the Lycan king betrayed us. He attempted to take over our pack by overthrowing my father as the Alpha. He killed him and my mother in the process. Shortly after, the bear people retaliated, but without the alliance between the packs, the Lycans were all but wiped out.”

My heart cracks a little to hear about his parents’ deaths. To this day, I hate to remember how mine died at the hands of a drunk driver. It was incredibly unfair that they were taken away from me by the hands of another. That was a heartbreak Adrian and I shared.

“There have been attacks in the woods recently.” Adrian goes on. “That’s why I was out there tonight. I was looking for them. They cannot harm you here.” He rushes to add when I turn a worried look to him. “Is there anything else you want to know?”

There are so many things I want to know, but I’m tired and my head is swimming with the information.

“Not tonight.” I answer. “I just need to think.”

“Take all the time you need. I’m here if you need any more answers.” Adrian says, though he doesn’t stand to leave. I realize he is waiting for me. He doesn’t want to move and startle me. “If you still want to leave, I will have Thomas take you home tomorrow.”

Home. Where Julian is. Who is also a werewolf. Even if I wanted to leave, where would I even go?

“No, I’m not leaving. Not yet anyway.” I say, and Adrian’s face fills with relief. I stand and he rises with me.

He steps toward me tentatively, arms out as though he would hug me. I hesitate a moment and then step into his embrace.

Adrian POV

Lily steps into my arms and the worry I’ve carried for over an hour finally relaxes. She isn’t leaving. She feels safe.

“You haven’t told her everything.” The wolf says. But she’s been through enough tonight. She doesn’t need to know about mates. Or how I’m sure she’s mine. Except she deserves to know. I need her to know.

“There is one more thing.” I say, and though I resent it, I release her and take a step away. “You need to know about mates.”

She looks confused again. That adorable crease between her brows deepens.

“Mates are a bond between two wolves. They are chosen by fate. Destiny chooses them and nothing and no one can separate them. It’s an indestructible bond that can only be broken when one or both mates reject it. It isn’t common, but wolves can be mated with humans.” I explain.

There’s a moment of anticipation on her face. Like she’s waiting for an explosion to detonate. In a way, it is.

But then, I remember Julian. My son. My one weakness. He cares for Lily, and he seems so certain she is his mate. I want my son to be happy, and I gave him my word that I would help him.

Suddenly I know what I have to do, even though I know the wolf will rage for a lifetime.