17. Chapter 17
Julia
The flames dance in the fireplace, casting long shadows across Adrian's cabin. I stare into their depths, my mind replaying the day's events on a loop. The fire alarm, the billowing smoke, Silverine trapped beneath the overturned buffet. The desperate look in Adrian's eyes when he found us.
I pull the thick blanket tighter around my shoulders. Despite the warmth from the fire, I can't seem to shake the chill that's settled into my bones. My hair is still damp from the shower, the smoke smell scrubbed away but the memory etched into my skin.
Whoever that thief is, they’re willing to cause real harm. I don’t know why this shocks me, but it does.
Adrian moves quietly through the cabin, his bare feet padding against the wooden floor. He places a steaming mug on the coffee table in front of me. The earthy scent of chamomile rises from the surface.
"It's not fancy," he says. "But it’ll help."
I curl my fingers around the warm ceramic, grateful for something to do with my hands.
"Thank you."
Adrian settles beside me on the couch, his weight shifting the cushions. He doesn't speak, doesn't press me to talk. The silence stretches between us, comfortable yet weighted with unspoken thoughts.
I take a sip of tea, the hot liquid burning a path down my throat.
It should be calming, but nothing can calm the storm inside me.
Everything's spiraling beyond my control, the wedding preparations in chaos, the tiara still missing, now a fire that destroyed half the east wing.
Seraphina is barely holding it together, Percy is furious, and Silverine is injured.
And none of it is under my control.
The pressure builds inside my chest until it feels like my ribs might crack. I glance over at Adrian to find him watching me, his green eyes reflecting the firelight. Concern etches lines around his mouth, but he remains steady, an anchor in my storm.
“You’ll be okay. Everything will be okay.”
I don’t know if it’s the gentle tone of his voice or the way he looks at me, like I’m something precious.
Something beautiful and priceless. But a part of me that I’ve spent a lifetime building rips at the seams inside my chest. A single tear escapes, trailing down my cheek.
Then another. And another. Until suddenly I'm sobbing, my body shaking with the force of emotions I can no longer contain.
Adrian moves instantly, gathering me into his arms. He doesn't offer empty platitudes or try to shush me.
He simply holds me, one hand cradling my head against his chest, the other rubbing slow circles on my back.
His heartbeat drums steadily beneath my ear, a rhythm to tether myself to as I fall apart.
I cry until my throat aches and my eyes burn, until there's nothing left inside me but hollow exhaustion. Adrian's shirt is damp where my face has been pressed against it, but he doesn't seem to care.
When was the last time I allowed myself to be this vulnerable with another person? I can't remember. Maybe never.
As my breathing steadies, I pull back slightly, embarrassed by my outburst.
"I'm sorry. I don't usually break down like this."
"Don't apologize," Adrian says, his voice gentle but firm. "Not for this. Never for this."
I wipe at my face with the sleeve of his borrowed flannel. "It's just been a lot."
"I know." He brushes a strand of hair from my face, tucking it behind my ear. "Do you want to talk about it?"
The question hangs between us. Do I? The wall I've built around my past, my fears, stands tall and strong, a fortress protecting me from further hurt. But Adrian waits patiently, making space for whatever I need. Maybe this is why I decide to tell him everything. Because he demands nothing of me; he’s just ready to accept whatever I give him.
"Have I ever told you about my old boss, Vera Castell?" I ask, my voice barely above a whisper .
Adrian shakes his head. "The name sounds familiar, though."
“She’s the owner of Castell Events, the biggest event planning firm in New York City. Celebrities, tech billionaires, old money families, they all want Vera to handle their special day." I take another sip of tea, gathering my thoughts. "She was my boss, but more than that, she was my mentor."
Adrian shifts to face me better, giving me his full attention. The intensity of his gaze would be unnerving if it didn't make me feel so seen.
"I idolized her," I continue. "Started as her assistant right out of college. I wanted to be just like her—confident, successful, respected. I worked seventy-hour weeks, canceled vacations, missed family events, all to prove myself to her."
The memories rise like ghosts, things I've tried so hard to keep buried.
"What happened?" Adrian asks gently.
I take a deep breath. "It was a celebrity wedding. A Hollywood power couple. The bride wanted everything to be perfect, down to the last detail."
Adrian waits as I gather my strength to continue.
"There was a leak. Someone gave the tabloids intimate details about the ceremony, the dress, even private vows. The couple was furious, threatened to sue."
I stare into the fire, seeing not the flames but Vera's cold eyes as she summoned me to her office that day, in front of the clients.
"Vera called me in, showed me the tabloid spread. Then told me she knew I was the leak." My voice hardens. "But I wasn't. I would never break a client's confidence like that. "
"Of course you wouldn't," Adrian says with such conviction that warmth spreads through my chest.
"It didn't matter. I was the perfect scapegoat. She fired me publicly, made sure everyone in the industry knew I was 'untrustworthy.' Called all her contacts to blacklist me." My fingers tighten around the mug. "Overnight, I went from rising star to industry pariah."
"She set you up," Adrian growls, a hint of wolf in his voice.
I nod. "It took me months to figure it out, but she was the leak. She had started a romantic affair with a journalist and trusted the wrong man with her client information. She was set up and when the backlash came, she sacrificed me to save herself."
Adrian's jaw tightens, his eyes flashing briefly with that emerald glow.
"I had to start over from nothing. I left New York and came to Portland, then built Ever After & Co. client by client, referral by referral. This dragon wedding…" I swallow hard. "It's my chance to break through, to prove I belong in this industry despite what Vera did."
"That's why you've been pushing yourself so hard," Adrian says, understanding dawning in his expression.
"If I fail now, if this wedding falls apart, it’ll ruin what little reputation I managed to build back. I'll lose everything I've worked for."
The admission costs me, laying bare my deepest fear. Adrian takes the mug from my trembling hands, setting it on the coffee table. He captures my cold fingers between his warm palms.
"That won't happen again," he says, his voice steady with absolute certainty. "I've got you. You will never have to face a crisis like that on your own. Not ever again. "
The simple declaration hits me with unexpected force. Not empty reassurances or attempts to fix what happened. Just a promise to stand beside me, whatever comes.
I study his face, the strong line of his jaw, the steadfast look in his eyes, the slight furrow between his brows that appears whenever he's deeply serious about something.
And I realize with startling clarity that I trust him completely.
I trust this man, this wolf, in a way I haven't trusted anyone since Vera's betrayal. And I don’t care that I met him merely two weeks ago.
I know somewhere deep in my gut that I can trust him. That he would never, ever hurt me.
The revelation crashes through me like a wave breaking on shore, washing away the last of my hesitation.
I lean forward and press my mouth to his, pouring everything I can't say into the kiss. All my fear, my gratitude, my need. Adrian responds immediately, his hands moving to cradle my face as his lips claim mine with equal fervor.
The kiss deepens, heat building between us like kindling catching flame.
Adrian's control slips, a growl rumbling from his chest as his wolf rises closer to the surface.
When I pull back slightly to catch my breath, his eyes have already begun to glow that unearthly emerald green that makes my blood boil with desire.
"Adrian," I whisper, my heart pounding against my ribs. "I want the mating bite."
Adrian goes completely still, his body rigid with shock. For several heartbeats, he doesn't move, doesn't speak, just stares at me with those luminous eyes.
"Julia," he finally says, his voice rough. "Do you understand what you're asking for? "
"I think so." I meet his gaze steadily.
Adrian takes a deep breath, his hands still framing my face.
"If I give you the mating bite, I will never take another mate. I will never look at another woman. Not tomorrow, not in a decade, not in a hundred years, if I was to live that long."
The intensity of his words sends a shiver down my spine.
"And you," he continues, "you'll be bound the same way. Being apart too long will cause us physical discomfort, then pain. A true mating is not like human marriage, Julia. There's no divorce from this. It's permanent, irrevocable."
I absorb his words, feeling their weight settle around me. The permanence of it should terrify me. I've never even lived with a boyfriend before, and now I'm considering binding myself eternally to a man, a werewolf, I've known for barely a week and a half.
But when I look into Adrian's eyes, I don't feel fear. I feel certainty.
"We can wait," Adrian says softly, his thumbs stroking my cheekbones. "We have time."
"I don't want to wait," I reply, surprising myself with my conviction. "I've never felt this way about anyone, Adrian. I know it sounds crazy, but I want this. I want you. Forever."