CHAPTER 10
820 Words
Rowan noticed the look.
“Don’t.”
Adrian glanced back at him.
“Don’t what?”
Rowan gestured vaguely.
“Do that thing where you analyze everyone like they’re part of a business deal.”
Adrian smirked faintly.
“Habit.”
Marcus chuckled.
“I like him.”
Lyra remained silent.
Something about Adrian intrigued her.
Not because he was handsome—though he undeniably was.
But because he stood in a room full of wolves…
And showed absolutely no fear.
That kind of composure was rare even among humans.
Adrian looked back at Rowan.
“Now,” he said calmly.
“Would you like to explain why I tracked your phone to the middle of nowhere only to find you living in a forest cabin with strangers?”
Rowan sighed.
“It’s complicated.”
Adrian folded his arms.
“I cleared my entire schedule.”
Rowan blinked.
“You did what?”
Adrian shrugged.
“I told the board I was taking a personal leave.”
Marcus burst out laughing.
“You abandoned a billion-dollar company to chase your brother into the woods?”
Adrian’s expression didn’t change.
“Family matters.”
Rowan stared at him.
“You’re unbelievable.”
Adrian stepped closer.
“Father was worried.”
Rowan’s expression softened slightly.
“…He was?”
Adrian nodded.
“You left without telling anyone where you were going.”
Rowan looked away.
“Well… now you know.”
Adrian studied him again.
Then his gaze dropped slightly.
To Rowan’s shoulder.
The faint silver glow of the Moonborn mark was visible beneath the torn fabric of his shirt.
Adrian’s eyes narrowed.
“What happened to your back?”
Rowan stiffened.
Lyra stepped forward slightly.
“Old injury.”
Adrian looked at her again.
For a moment the two simply stared at each other.
Testing.
Measuring.
Then Adrian spoke calmly.
“I don’t believe you.”
Marcus coughed to hide a laugh.
Rowan rubbed his temples again.
“Of course you don’t.”
Adrian’s gray eyes sharpened.
“You ran into the wilderness searching for a woman who abandoned us.”
Lyra froze slightly.
Marcus glanced between them.
Rowan groaned.
“Adrian…”
But Adrian continued.
“And now you’re injured, surrounded by strangers, and acting like everything is normal.”
He crossed his arms.
“So I’ll ask again.”
His voice dropped slightly.
“What exactly is going on here?”
Silence filled the room.
Lyra’s wolf stirred uneasily.
Because the human standing in front of her might not have wolf blood…
But he had the instincts of a predator.
And something told her—
This man would not leave until he uncovered the truth.
Rowan sighed deeply.
“Well…”
He looked at Lyra.
Then Marcus.
Then back at his brother.
“You’re really not going to like the answer.”
Adrian smirked faintly.
“I rarely do.”
The silence in the cabin stretched long and heavy.
Adrian Hawthorne stood in the center of the room, tall and composed, his sharp gray eyes moving slowly between Rowan, Lyra, and Marcus.
Most humans would have felt the tension.
Most humans would have sensed the danger.
Most humans would have been afraid.
Adrian looked… curious.
And that alone made Lyra uneasy.
Rowan ran a hand through his hair.
“Okay,” he said slowly. “Before this gets even more complicated, you should probably sit down.”
Adrian didn’t move.
“I’m fine standing.”
Rowan sighed.
“Of course you are.”
Marcus leaned against the fireplace, watching the exchange with growing amusement.
Lyra remained quiet, studying Adrian carefully.
Something about him was… wrong.
Not supernatural.
But not normal either.
He stood in a room full of wolves and didn’t show the slightest sign of intimidation.
That kind of composure wasn’t common among humans.
Lyra.
Marcus’s voice suddenly echoed inside her mind.
Not out loud.
Inside.
You feel that too, right?
Lyra didn’t look at him, but she answered through the pack mind link.
Yes.
Marcus’s thoughts carried a hint of disbelief.
That human isn’t acting like prey.
Lyra’s wolf shifted uneasily beneath her skin.
No. He isn’t.
Across the room Adrian’s gaze shifted toward them suddenly.
Lyra’s eyes narrowed slightly.
Did he notice?
Marcus responded immediately.
Impossible. Humans can’t hear the mind link.
Still…
Adrian continued watching them with quiet interest.
Rowan cleared his throat.
“Adrian.”
His brother finally looked back at him.
“Yes?”
Rowan gestured vaguely toward the room.
“So… everything you’re about to hear is going to sound insane.”
Adrian folded his arms.
“I run a multinational corporation. I’ve heard plenty of insane things.”
Rowan hesitated.
Then he said it.
“They’re werewolves.”
Marcus coughed.
Lyra remained still.
Adrian blinked once.
Then slowly looked at Lyra.
Then Marcus.
Then Rowan again.
Rowan waited for laughter.
For disbelief.
For sarcasm.
Instead Adrian simply asked,
“And?”
- Writer
