THE WOLF WHO WASN'T MEANT TO EXIST

A PLACE TO STAY

‎Mara woke up the next morning to sunlight spilling through the curtains. For a few seconds, she forgot where she was. Then she remembered the house, Adrian, Daniel, and everything that had happened over the last few days. She slowly sat up and looked around the room. It still felt strange to wake up somewhere so beautiful. The room was larger than any place she had ever called home, and everything looked untouched, almost too perfect. Mara pushed the blanket aside and walked toward the window. She pulled the curtains open and stared at the huge garden stretching behind the house. The grass was perfectly trimmed, flowers lined the stone pathways, and several tall trees stood at the far end of the property. She watched the leaves move gently in the morning breeze before turning away. She couldn't stay in bed forever. She needed to figure out what she was going to do with her life. She had spent the last few days running from pain, but eventually, she would have to stop and face reality. Mara showered and changed into a simple pair of jeans and a soft shirt. She had borrowed most of her clothes from Adrian because she had left home with almost nothing, and every time she looked at herself, she was reminded of how temporary everything was. She couldn't live in his house forever. When she reached the kitchen, Adrian was already there. He stood beside the counter with a cup of coffee in one hand, dressed in another perfectly tailored suit. Mara stopped at the entrance. "Good morning." Adrian looked up. "Good morning." His eyes moved briefly over her face. "Did you sleep well?" "Better than I expected." "Good." Mara walked toward the counter. "Are you leaving for work?" "Soon." She nodded. "You work too much." Adrian raised an eyebrow. "You sound like you've known me for years." "I've known you for three days." "Exactly." She smiled. "And I've already noticed." Adrian almost smiled. "That's concerning." Mara laughed softly. He liked hearing her laugh. It was different from the woman he had found on the road, the one whose eyes had been swollen from crying and whose voice had sounded like she had nothing left inside her. He wanted to see more of this version of her. The one who smiled without forcing it. "Have you eaten?" she asked. "Not yet." Adrian glanced at the clock. "Sit." "I can make something." she said "You don't have to." "I know, but I want to." She walked toward the refrigerator before he could argue. Adrian watched as she began searching through the kitchen. "What are you doing?" "Making breakfast." "There's a chef who can do that." Mara turned around. "I know." "Then why are you cooking?" She shrugged. "Because I don't want to sit around doing nothing." Adrian studied her for a moment. He understood that she needed something that made her feel useful. "Fine." He picked up his coffee. "But don't burn the kitchen." Mara gasped dramatically. "I can cook." "I'll take your word for it." She rolled her eyes and continued preparing breakfast. A few minutes later, the kitchen was filled with the smell of food. Adrian checked his watch several times, but he didn't leave. Eventually, Mara noticed. "You're going to be late." "I know." "Then why are you still here?" He looked at her. "I haven't had breakfast." "You could have eaten at work." "I could have." Mara smiled. "So you're staying because you want to eat my cooking." "Maybe." They sat together at the kitchen island. It was a simple breakfast, but neither of them complained. Mara found herself enjoying the quiet conversation between them. It felt strangely normal. She had expected Adrian to be intimidating after discovering who he was, but somehow, when they were alone, he didn't feel like the billionaire from the television. He was simply Adrian. The man who had found her on a dark road. The man who had cooked for her when she was too broken to care about anything. The man who had told her she didn't owe him anything. "What are you going to do today?" Adrian asked. Mara lowered her fork. "I'm not sure." "Any plans?" "I need to find somewhere to live." Adrian's expression changed slightly. "Why?" "Because I can't stay here forever." "Why not?" Mara looked at him. "Because this is your home." "And?" "And I'm a stranger." Adrian leaned back. "You keep saying that." "Because it's true." "Mara." His voice was calm, but firm. "You can stay." She stared at him. "For how long?" "As long as you need." "Adrian..." "I'm serious." She looked down at her plate. "I don't want to take advantage of your kindness." "You're not." "I don't have anything to give you in return." "I don't need anything." She was quiet for a moment. "Why are you being so nice to me?" Adrian didn't answer immediately. He could have given her a dozen simple explanations. Because she needed help. Because he had the means to help. Because anyone in his position would have done the same. But none of those answers felt completely true. "Because I want to," he finally said. Mara looked at him. There was something about the simplicity of his answer that made her chest tighten. She nodded slowly. "Thank you." Adrian stood and picked up his jacket. "I'll see you tonight." Mara smiled. "Have a good day." He paused at the door and looked back at her. "You too." Then he left. Mara watched through the window as his car disappeared down the driveway. She remained there for a moment before sighing. She had only known Adrian for a few days, yet somehow, his presence was becoming familiar. That frightened her a little. She wasn't ready to depend on anyone again. She had trusted Daniel, and look where that had taken her. Mara turned away from the window and decided to keep herself busy. She spent the morning unpacking the few things she had brought with her and organizing the room. There wasn't much to organize. A few clothes, a small collection of personal belongings, her phone, and a handful of photographs she couldn't bring herself to throw away. She found one photograph of herself and Daniel and stared at it for several seconds. The happiness on her face in the picture felt almost foreign now. She placed the photograph inside the drawer and closed it. She didn't want to keep looking backward. Later, she walked around the house, discovering rooms she hadn't seen before. The mansion was enormous, but it didn't feel cold. There were bookshelves filled with books, paintings on the walls, and large windows that let sunlight fill the rooms. Mara eventually found a quiet study and stopped at the doorway. Books covered most of the walls. She stepped inside and ran her fingers across the spines of a few novels. "You like reading?" a voice suddenly asked behind her. Mara jumped and turned around. One of Adrian's employees stood in the doorway. She smiled apologetically. "Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." Mara laughed nervously. "It's okay." "Mr. Adrian spends a lot of time in here when he's home." Mara looked around. "I can see why." The woman smiled. "You should feel free to use it." Mara nodded. "Thank you." After she left, Mara returned her attention to the books. For the first time since leaving Daniel, she felt a small sense of peace. She didn't know what the future held. She didn't know how long she would remain in Adrian's house. She didn't know what would happen between them. For now, she only knew one thing. She finally had somewhere safe to stay. Across the city, Adrian sat behind his desk in his office, staring at a report without actually reading it. His assistant had been speaking for several minutes before Adrian finally looked up. "I'm sorry. What did you say?" His assistant paused. "I said the meeting with the investors has been moved to three." Adrian nodded. "Fine." The assistant hesitated before leaving. Adrian looked toward the window. His thoughts had already returned to Mara. He wondered what she was doing. Whether she had eaten. Whether she was still thinking about leaving. He frowned at himself. He had never been distracted by anyone like this before. He picked up his phone and stared at the screen for a moment. Then he typed a simple message. Have you eaten? Mara's phone buzzed in the study. She looked at the message and smiled before replying. Yes. You? Adrian looked at her response and felt an unexpected warmth in his chest. Yes. Good, she replied. Don't work too hard. Adrian stared at the message for several seconds. Then, despite himself, he smiled. He had no idea when it had happened, but Mara was slowly becoming someone he looked forward to hearing from. And neither of them noticed the dark vehicle parked several streets away from the mansion, its windows tinted too heavily to see who was inside. It remained there for several minutes before finally disappearing into the afternoon traffic.

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