Bound to my Rival

Chapter Two

I barely slept after following Adrian to the study. Every time I closed my eyes, I remembered the Alpha Heir's cruel words. Perhaps that was all they were meant to be. Our packs had never trusted each other, and he had every reason to enjoy watching me become unsettled.

By morning, I was exhausted, but I still went downstairs and prepared breakfast as I always did. I set everything on the table just as Adrian walked in with his assistant, Marcus, carrying a stack of files.

He smiled when he saw me. “You’re up early.”

“I didn’t sleep very well.”

He pulled out a chair for me before sitting down. I watched him for a moment, trying to decide whether I should ask what had happened the night before. The question came out casually, even though my stomach tightened as I said it.

“When I woke up last night, you weren’t there. Did you go to the study?”

He paused for only a second.

His eyes moved toward his Marcus, who immediately lowered his head and began organizing the files in front of him.

“I remembered an urgent document I forgot to handle after the banquet,” Adrian said. “I didn’t want to disturb your sleep.”

The explanation was simple. Almost too simple.

Then he reached across the table and took my hand. “I was working. You know how these things are.”

He kissed my forehead before standing. “I’ll be busy all day, so don’t wait up for me tonight.”

I nodded. “All right.”

I poured myself another cup of coffee and tried to eat, but I barely tasted it. Across the table, Marcus kept his attention on the files, never looking at me for long. I wondered if he had noticed the question I asked, or the brief glance they had exchanged before Adrian answered.

The thought made me uncomfortable, so I pushed it away.

There was no reason to involve anyone else in something I wasn’t even sure was a problem. At least, that was what I kept telling myself.

As Adrian picked up his files, I noticed his fingers rubbing against the edge of his cuffs. He did that when he was under pressure.

I had seen it before, usually when something went wrong with the pack or when he was trying to keep his temper under control. Somehow, I had never paid much attention to it until now.

He left with his assistant, and I remained at the table long after breakfast had gone cold.

I told myself I was being foolish. The man I married, Adrian Vale, had always made me feel secure. One strange conversation with a rival Alpha shouldn’t be enough to destroy years of trust. But the accusation had already found a place in my mind.

I tried to distract myself after that. I went through the household accounts, answered messages from the pack council and spent nearly an hour reviewing invitations for an upcoming gathering. Usually those things gave me something useful to focus on. That afternoon, every task seemed to leave me with the same thought.

If he was telling the truth, why did I feel as though I was constantly searching for something?

I hated myself for it.

I had chosen my Adrian because I believed I knew his heart. I had defended him when people questioned whether a man without noble blood could handle the responsibilities that came with marrying the Alpha King’s daughter. I had trusted him with things I had once thought I would never trust anyone with.

I couldn’t suddenly turn every small detail into evidence against him.

By late afternoon, I had almost convinced myself to stop thinking about it. Then my phone rang.

The number was unfamiliar so I almost ignored it, but something made me answer.

“Hello?”

For a moment, there was silence. Then a familiar voice said, “Three days have passed. Have you still found nothing?”

My stomach dropped.

I knew that voice.

“You.”

The Alpha’s voice remained calm. “Yes.”

“What are you trying to accomplish?” I demanded. “Are you trying to destroy my marriage?”

“If your marriage is truly rock-solid, why are you so afraid of discovering the truth?”

I gripped the phone tighter. “You don’t know anything about my marriage.”

“Then you have nothing to fear.”

“That’s enough.”

I ended the call before he could say anything else. My hands were shaking.

I hated that he had managed to get under my skin again. More than that, I hated the small part of me that wondered whether his confidence came from knowing something I didn’t.

I forced myself to put the thought aside. Adrian had given me an explanation. I had no reason to accuse him of anything.

That evening, he came home later than usual.

I was in the hallway when he removed his coat, and as he passed me, I caught a faint scent.

Perfume.

It was unfamiliar, soft and floral, and definitely not something I wore. Adrian never used that kind of scent either.

He noticed me looking at the coat.

“What?”

“There’s perfume on this.”

He glanced down at it without hesitation.

“Probably from someone at the banquet.”

“The banquet was three days ago.”

“I spent most of the evening around people. Someone must have brushed against me.”

He said it so naturally that I felt embarrassed for bringing it up.

“Right.”

He smiled and kissed my cheek.

“You’ve been worrying too much.”

Maybe he was right.

I watched him walk away, carrying the coat toward the bedroom. For a few seconds, I stood where I was, listening to his footsteps disappear down the hall.

Then I followed.

He had already changed by the time I reached the room.

“I’m going to shower,” he said.

I nodded and waited until he disappeared into the bathroom.

My eyes went to the coat. I picked it up and the perfume was still there.

I didn’t know why that bothered me so much. There were dozens of harmless explanations. A crowded banquet. Someone greeting him too closely. A woman passing by.

None of them proved anything. Still, I couldn’t bring myself to leave the coat where it was.

I opened the wardrobe and placed it inside, behind the other clothes, then closed the door.

For a moment, I kept my hand on the handle. I wanted to believe him. I wanted to forget the stranger’s warning, the phone call, and the unfamiliar perfume. But I couldn’t.

I walked away from the wardrobe and turned off the light.

The doubt was still there, waiting for me in the dark.