27

27

Adrian's POV

The taste of her was still on my tongue.

No matter how many times I tried to shake it, how many breaths I dragged into my lungs, it lingered. Sweet and sharp, like rain on scorched earth. Like something forbidden and entirely mine.

Bethany.

Her name coiled in my chest like a curse.

The way she had clung to me, nails digging into my shoulders as if she could tear me apart and still ask for more. The sounds she made, quiet at first, then louder, like she was unraveling in my hands. I hadn't just touched her body. I'd burned myself into her skin.

And now I couldn't fucking have her.

My fists clenched, the muscles in my arms straining under the pressure.

Because Mason got to keep her.

Mason, with his iron grip on everything, as if the world owed him. Like he could decide who lived and who suffered. And Bethany? She was just another pawn to him.

But not to me.

Never to me.

I gritted my teeth and stalked through the pack house, my boots heavy against the wooden floors. The others shifted out of my path, sensing the storm rippling off me. Smart. The younger wolves knew better than to breathe too loudly when I was like this.

Except for one.

Jason.

Cocky little shit.

He was leaning against the doorway, half-laughing with another wolf, his voice too loud, too smug. He didn't even glance at me when I passed.

"Maybe Mason's getting soft," Jason muttered, just loud enough. "Letting humans crawl all over the place. Or maybe his family is."

The words hung in the air. Sharp and intentional.

My body went still. The room around me quieted, the chatter dying in their throats.

Jason realized his mistake too late. I turned slowly, the sound of my own breath roaring in my ears.

"What did you just say?"

His smirk faltered, but pride wouldn't let him back down.

"Just saying… we're wolves. Not babysitters for humans who can't keep up." His eyes flicked to mine, challenging. "Unless that's what you're into now, Adrian."

The silence snapped.

I moved before thought could catch up. My hand was around his throat, slamming him against the wall so hard the plaster cracked.

A low growl rumbled from my chest, vibrating through the air.

"You think you can talk about me like that?" I hissed, my grip tightening.

Jason choked, clawing at my wrist, but I didn't let go.

"She's none of your fucking business," I snarled, slamming him again, the wall groaning under the force. "Say one more thing, and I'll rip your tongue out."

His face turned red, panic blooming in his eyes. But it wasn't enough.

Not nearly enough to silence the fire in me.

I let go just enough for him to suck in a breath—and then drove my fist into his gut.

He crumpled, gasping, but I wasn't finished.

A knee to his ribs sent him sprawling to the floor, coughing blood.

"You think because Mason lets you run your mouth that I will?" I loomed over him, breath ragged. "You're nothing. Less than nothing."

Jason didn't answer, too busy choking on air. Good. Let him remember who he was dealing with.

I straightened, rolling my shoulders as the tension pulsed under my skin. The other wolves stared, wide-eyed and frozen.

I met their gazes one by one.

"Anyone else have something to say?"

Silence. Cowards.

I didn't wait for an answer.

Stepping over Jason's shaking body, I shoved through the doors and out into the cold night.

The air bit at my skin, the wind slicing through my clothes, but it did nothing to cool the fire burning inside me.

Bethany.

Her name clawed at me, sharp and unrelenting.

She was stuck in that house, chained to Mason's will, forced to endure his suffocating control. And I couldn't touch her. Couldn't have her. But I had.

My hands trembled, not from fear but from memory.

The way she had gasped my name, breathless and wrecked.

The way she had kissed me like she'd die if she didn't. And it wasn't enough.

It would never be enough.

I closed my eyes, grinding my teeth until my jaw ached.

Control.

That was what I was known for.

Calculated. Steady.

But not with her. With Bethany, all of it unraveled. Because I didn't just want her. I wanted to ruin anyone who thought they could have her.

Including Mason.

Especially Mason.

The taste of blood still lingered on my tongue, sharp and metallic from the confrontation with Jason. But it wasn't the blood that was burning me from the inside. It was her. Bethany. The thought of her consumed me, gnawing at the edges of my sanity like a beast I couldn't cage.

I couldn't stop thinking about the way she looked at me when we were alone. The way she trusted me, the way her walls crumbled just enough for me to slip inside. She didn't belong to Mason, not in the way he thought she did. She didn't deserve to be treated like an object. She was fire. She was chaos, and I wanted to feel that burn again.

I couldn't help but replay our moments together. Her eyes wide, breath shallow as I touched her like she was the most fragile thing in the world. Her hands tangled in my hair, pulling me closer as if we were the only two people who mattered.

I stopped, standing still in the cold wind, closing my eyes as I remembered the feel of her lips on mine. How she melted into me, like she was meant to be there, in that moment, in my arms.

But now she was back in his grasp, Mason's icy grip suffocating her. I could feel it. I could sense it in the way she kept her distance. The way she shut herself off from the world, from me. I wanted to scream, to lash out at anyone who dared to keep her from me. But I knew better than to do that. I couldn't be reckless. Not now. Not when everything was on the line.

I exhaled sharply, my breath misting in the air. The pack was watching. They knew what was happening between me and Bethany. Some of them were scared, others were curious. They whispered about us, behind closed doors, in dark corners. But I didn't care what they thought.

I cared about her.

But Mason? He had already shown me what he was willing to do to keep her under his control. I couldn't let that happen. I couldn't let him break her.

And as much as I hated to admit it, there was only one way to stop it.

I had to make him see. Make him understand that I wasn't just some rogue wolf he could push aside. I was a threat. And I wasn't going anywhere.