11

11

Adrian's POV

I kept my hands steady on the steering wheel, but my mind wasn't as composed as I looked right now. The city lightly were blurry as I drove past, casting fleeting shadows over the woman slumped in my passenger seat.

I didn't even know her name.

But I couldn't get the image out of my head—her struggling against that bastard bartender, drugged and vulnerable, yet still fighting. I didn't think twice before stepping in.

Now here she was, quiet except for the shallow, uneven breaths that rattled in her chest.

I should've left this alone. God. I should have left her alone and not interfered. But I didn't. I couldn't.

Instead, I was driving her to one of my safehouses, far from the noise and filth of the city. A place where no one could bother us. Where she could sleep off whatever poison was in her veins. I didn't even know how long it would take for the poison to leave her veins, but looking at her, it seemed like it would take a whole lot of time.

I glanced at her.

Even in this state, she was… captivating. I sniffed, catching her scent and confirming what my wolf have been whispering to me ever since I noticed her in the bar.

She was one of my kind.

Her face was creased in pain, lips parted slightly as if she was caught in the middle of a word that never made it out. Her chest was rising and falling heavily from the shallow breathing. Strands of dark hair clung to her damp cheeks. There was something fragile about her, but not weak.

No, she wasn't weak. I could tell. I could feel it.

That bartender was going to regret ever trying to take advantage of her. I'd make sure of it.

I forced my grip on the wheel to loosen. I couldn't let this get under my skin. I didn't know her, and I had to keep my cool and maintain my composure.

But it already had.

***

The tires crunched over the gravel driveway as I pulled up to the house. The place was dark, and quiet. Secluded. Just how I liked it.

I killed the engine and moved around to the passenger side.

"Hey." My voice was softer than I intended. "We're here." I said to her but she didn't move. Her breaths were still shallow and she was limp. She looked like she couldn't even muster the strength to raise herself up and I doubted that she could even hear what I was saying.

I sighed and leaned in, carefully unbuckling her seatbelt. Her body slumped forward, and I caught her before she could fall.

"Shit," I muttered, shifting her weight against me.

She was light, but her body was still limp, making it harder to carry her. I didn't mind one bit.

I carried her inside, kicking the door shut behind me. The house was cold and very silent. I walked to the couch and placed her on it, grabbing a throw blanket and draping it over her.

Her face was pale, too pale.

I sat on the edge of the coffee table, watching her.

Minutes passed. Maybe longer. And all the while I planned on how I was going to slowly kill the bartender and enjoy my time while at it.

I kept staring at her, unable to break my gaze away from her.

Then she stirred.

A soft whimper escaped her lips as she shifted, blinking slowly.

Her eyes—God, those eyes—were glossy and unfocused.

"Where…?" She asked, her cracked voice barely above a whisper.

"You're safe." My voice was low but steady. "I brought you here so you could rest."

Her brows knit together as she tried to sit up, but her body refused to cooperate.

"Don't move too much," I murmured. "Whatever was in that drink is still in your system."

Her body went limp once again and her eyes fluttered shut, but her lips moved again.

"He… he cheated…" she breathed out, the words slurring and if I wasn't listening intently, I wouldn't have heard what she was saying.

I leaned in, confused. She was playing a game with the bartender? What did she mean by 'he cheated'?

"What?"

"My fiancé…" Her face twisted, and a tear slipped down her cheek. "I caught him… with someone else."

Fiancé.

Figures.

I felt something sharp twist in my chest. Not jealousy, no. Just… anger. At him. Whoever this asshole was, he didn't deserve her.

I should've stayed out of this. But I didn't. I wanted to know more.

"Why…" I paused, swallowing the curse on my tongue. "Why are you still with him?"

Her eyes cracked open, glassy and full of pain that knocked the breath out of my lungs. "I… I don't know."

She wasn't making sense. It was probably the drug making it's effects on her.

I stood abruptly, pacing. I wanted to know who the bastard was and tear him apart bit by bit. And I wondered why she still belonged to him.

But did she?

Not anymore, if the pain in her voice was any indication. Still, I needed to stay out of this. This was really none of my business. I should leave her to rest and to to sleep too.

But I sat back down beside her anyway.

"You're better off without him." The words came out rough.

A soft, broken laugh slipped from her lips. "Yeah… tell that to my heart."

Damn it.

I didn't do this. I didn't know how to comfort people. But I couldn't just leave her like this.

I reached for a bottle of water on the table and held it out. "Drink. It'll help," I murmured. Her shaky hand reached out, brushing mine as she took it.

The touch sent something sharp and electric up my arm that had me sitting straighter in awareness. Her lips barely touched the bottle, but she managed a few sips before leaning back.

"Thank you…" she mumbled.

I didn't answer. Because I wasn't sure why I did it. And I really knew I should be getting up and walking away from her right now but I couldn't bring myself to.

"Look at me," I said to her and she turned her head slightly, her unfocused eyes resting on me.

"How do you feel?" I asked and she managed to lift her shoulders in a shrug.

"I—" she began weakly and cleared her throat. "I have a terrible headache," she rushed out and then sighed, her body going limp once again. "It still feels like I'm in a haze."

"The poison is still in your system, then," I murmured quietly, eyeing her and wondering what I could do to help her out in that regard but there wasn't any solution. And then I remembered I hadn't gotten her name yet.

"What's your name?" I asked with a raised eyebrow. Her eyes darted to me once again and sighed.

"Bethany," she replied after a few minutes.

"Oh," I replied with a nod and ran my hands through my hair. The name sounded oddly familiar and I tried to think hard to where I'd known her before but I couldn't think of where I'd heard the name before.

"You shouldn't have been at the bar alone," I said at last, my eyes never leaving her even for a second.

"That seemed more of a better idea than being alone in the house," she answered with a weak laugh.

"Your fiancé sounds like an asshole," I murmured.

"He is. That's why I was at the bar. I thought…maybe I could forget for a night," she answered quietly.

"Forget?" I repeated and shook my head. "You deserve better than that," I told her honestly.

"Do I though?" She answered, laughing weakly and shaking her head.

"Yes." I answered firmly, nodding my head. "God. You deserve better than him. You're beautiful and you're smart and you honestly shouldn't have to settle for a guy like him."

"Maybe I don't know what I deserve," she replied quietly and I could hear the hint of sadness in her voice. "I just wanted to feel different and free for a night and look where that led me."

I remained quiet for a while, not knowing what to say. I understood how she was feeling and there was really nothing I could say to make her feel better so I just kept quiet. That was a better option than making everything worse.

"Well what are you feeling now?" I asked at last, running a hand through her hair and brushing it away from her face.

"Umm…" she murmured, looking like she was deep in thought before she finally answered. "Well, confused, dizzy. But…safe. I feel safe." She held my gaze and I dropped my hand from he face.

"Well I'm glad you feel safe here," I told her, shifting away to keep some distance between us.

"I'm hungry too," she added.

I practically jumped from the couch, grateful to have an excuse to be away from her even for a moment. I needed to get myself. "I'll get you something to eat."