Adrian's POV
Knowing that I'd made up my mind and wouldn't be swayed, Sebastian sighed in defeat. He knew what kind of person I was—ruthless when I needed to be.
He felt no sympathy for that girl because we had indeed lost too much. But I could see in his eyes that he just wanted me to get better, to find some kind of peace. Too bad for him.
The only peace I'd know would come with her blood on my hands. The Red Moon Princess had lived on borrowed time long enough. Today, that debt would finally be collected.
Anyway, I'd been a cursed wolf for years—killing one more person, especially the last person from that same bloodline, wouldn't do me any more harm than I'd already endured.
Half an hour later, we both made our way back to the pack grounds. Sebastian tried one last time as we approached the main house. "Big brother, please. Just think about it one more time—"
"My mind's made up, Sebastian." I cut him off without looking at him. "Don't waste your breath."
The moment I stepped through the front entrance, I couldn't help but curse under my breath. Her scent—sweet cherries mixed with warm vanilla slammed into me like a kiss I wasn't ready for.
It was like a drug I could easily get hooked up. Then, the mate bond pulled me with devastating force, making my chest tighten and my pulse race.
Even Blake, who had been mercifully silent this entire time, suddenly roared to life in my mind, clawing at my consciousness with desperate hunger.
Mate! Mate! Find her! he howled.
I gritted my teeth so hard I thought they might crack, fighting against every instinct screaming at me to follow that intoxicating scent and do things I dared not imagine.
With sheer force of will, I pushed forward toward the dining hall, my jaw clenched and my hands balled into fists. The moment I entered the room, my eyes found her instantly. It was pure instinct—like a magnetic pull I couldn't resist.
The moment I saw her, everything else in the room seemed to fade away, becoming nothing more than background noise. It was only her I could see, only her that mattered.
But as my gaze focused, my eyes narrowed in confusion and something else I didn't want to name. She was serving breakfast to the pack members, moving between the tables with unsteady steps.
Her face was ghostly pale, drained of all color, and her hands trembled so violently I was certain she'd drop the plates at any moment. A frown creased my brow despite myself.
Shouldn't she be resting in her room?
Why was she here, serving like a common servant when she should be recovering from whatever had happened during her failed escape attempt?
I frowned, my jaw clenching as Blake's voice echoed through my mind with relentless fury.
Take her! Protect her! She needs us! he roared, clawing at my consciousness like a caged beast desperate for freedom.
My fists clenched at my sides as I tried to mentally nail my feet to the ground, fighting against every instinct that screamed at me to cross the room and pull her into my arms.
My wolf might care about her because of this damned mate bond, but I wouldn't. I couldn't. I hated her—hated everything she represented, everything her bloodline had taken from me.
But my eyes... my traitorous eyes remained fixed on her slow-moving figure as she served breakfast to everyone like they were masters and she was nothing more than their maid.
I frowned deeper, watching her trembling hands struggle to maintain their grip on the serving dishes. Something was wrong—very wrong. She moved like every step was agony, like she was barely holding herself upright.
And then it happened.
While serving soup to one of the pack women, the bowl slipped from Seraphina's shaking hands. The hot liquid splashed across the woman's dress, staining the fabric and sending steam rising into the air.
Seraphina stiffened, her face going even paler as she stammered, "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean—"
However, the woman shot to her feet, her eyes full of fury. "You clumsy bitch!" she snarled, her voice dripping with venom. "Look what you've done to my dress! Useless trash! Do you know how expensive this dress is? How dare you!"
She raised her hand to deliver a vicious slap across Seraphina's face. Before I could even process what was happening, my body moved on its own.
One moment I was standing by the entrance, and the next I was behind Seraphina, my arms wrapping around her trembling form as my other hand shot out to catch the woman's wrist in an iron grip.
"Touch her," I warned, my voice dangerously low and deadly calm, "and I'll break every bone in your hand."
The dining hall erupted in shocked gasps. Chairs scraped against the floor as everyone rose to their feet, staring at us with wide, disbelieving eyes.
"Alpha Adrian!" Alpha Daniel's voice cut through the tension as he tried to step forward. "Please calm down—"
But I wasn't listening anymore. My grip on the woman's wrist tightened until I could feel the delicate bones creaking under the pressure. She let out a sharp cry of pain.
"Ahhhhh! Let me go.... my hand...." she screamed, trying desperately to pull away from my grasp.
Jake rushed forward, his hands raised in a pleading gesture. "Please, Alpha Adrian, Riley didn't mean any harm—"
"Brother," Sebastian's voice was urgent as he approached cautiously, "let her go. You're going to break her wrist."
But I wasn't listening. There was only one thought in my mind. What if I wasn't here? What if this stupid woman in my arms had gotten slapped? It made me see red.
Blake only wanted to break the woman's wrist, but suddenly, the woman in my arms whimpered. And that snapped me out. For a moment longer, I held my grip, letting the woman feel exactly how easily I could snap her bones like twigs.
Then, with deliberate slowness, I released her. She stumbled backward, cradling her wrist against her chest while tears of pain and fear streamed down her face.
My eyes never left hers, and I could see the exact moment she understood that she was staring at her own death. "Next time," I said softly, "you won't be so lucky."
"Alpha Adrian, I apologize for—" Alpha Daniel began, but I cut him off with a look that could have frozen hell itself.
"You," I said, turning my glare on him, "are making an injured woman work and serve like a maid?" My voice dripped with contempt and disgust. "What kind of Alpha are you? If you can't afford proper servants, I'd be happy to send you some money so you don't have to resort to such pathetic displays."
His expression shifted, his diplomatic mask slipping to reveal something uglier underneath. But I didn't care. I had bigger concerns. I looked down at the woman in my arms, and suddenly noticed something that made my blood run cold.
Frowning, I pressed my hand against her forehead. "You're burning with fever," I hissed, feeling the intense heat radiating from her skin.