Chapter 10 Adrian
TEN
ADRIAN
The drive to Adrian's estate stretched through rolling countryside bathed in moonlight, his truck cutting through the darkness while silence filled the cab like a living thing.
His hands gripped the steering wheel with practiced calm, but tension radiated from every line of his body.
Through the bond humming between them, he could feel Riley's emotions like a constant electric current—her uncertainty about leaving her apartment, her wariness of the shifter world she'd been thrust into, and her stubborn resistance to needing protection.
She can feel everything now too.
The thought sent equal measures of exhilaration and terror through his chest. The partial mark he'd accidentally left during their explosive encounter meant the emotional barriers he'd spent years constructing were essentially useless.
Riley could sense his fierce protectiveness, his devotion that had ignited the moment he'd first seen her, and his gnawing worry about the consequences of a half-mark on her body.
From this moment on, she would know everything he felt.
The realization left him feeling stripped bare.
If someone had told him this morning that the day would end with the best sex of his life, an accidental partial bond, a rogue tiger attack, and his mate sleeping under his roof, he would've recommended immediate psychiatric evaluation.
Instead, here he was, driving through the night with the woman fate had chosen for him, both of them reeling from how drastically their lives had shifted in a matter of hours.
The attack outside her apartment building replayed in his mind on an endless loop.
Someone had sent that rogue—someone who knew he was courting his mate and wanted to send a message.
The timing was too convenient, too targeted to be coincidence.
Which meant Riley now had a target painted on her back simply for being his.
Mine to protect.
The possessive thought pulsed through the bond before he could stop it, and he heard Riley's sharp intake of breath beside him. She was learning exactly how intense a tiger shifter's protective instincts could be, especially when it came to his mate.
"Sorry," he murmured, his voice rough in the darkness. "I'm still adjusting to you being able to feel everything I feel."
"It's fine." Her response was quiet. "I can tell that you're trying not to overwhelm me. But also that you're... exposed. Like you're not used to anyone seeing you that intimately."
The accuracy of her observation made his chest tighten. "I'm not."
She gave him a soft smile. "Well, if it makes you feel any better, I'm not used to it either."
When the estate's iron gates finally came into view, Adrian felt some of his tension ease.
Home. Safety. Centuries of Kael protection surrounding them both.
The truck's headlights swept across the long driveway lined with ancient oaks, revealing glimpses of manicured grounds and the imposing stone facade that had sheltered his family through generations.
Riley's loud intake of breath told him she was taking it all in—the sheer scale of old money and older power, the kind of legacy that couldn't be bought or built overnight.
"This is all yours?" she breathed as the main house came fully into view. "This place is massive."
Adrian parked near the front entrance, studying her reaction through the mate bond. Awe, of course, but also a kind of unease that made his tiger restless. She was already feeling out of place and already calculating how different their worlds truly were.
"I'm not the kind of man who needs to showcase wealth," he said, cutting the engine. "But my family's been accumulating things for four centuries. It adds up."
Riley stepped out of the truck and tilted her head back to take in the full height of the building—three stories of weathered stone and tall windows that spoke of permanence and unshakeable power.
"This place breathes ancient secrets," she said softly.
"Like it's seen everything and survived it all. "
"Something like that." Adrian retrieved her hastily packed suitcase from the truck bed, noting how small it looked against the backdrop of his family's legacy. "Come on. Let's get you inside."
He guided her through the front entrance, past portraits of previous Kael Alphas whose eyes seemed to track their movement. The foyer alone was larger than most apartments, with a sweeping staircase that curved toward the upper floors and enough space to host formal gatherings for the entire pride.
"Guest suite's this way," Adrian said, leading her up the stairs and down a hallway lined with more family history.
The guest room he showed her was elegant and comfortable—cream-colored walls, antique furniture, and windows that would offer a view of the gardens in daylight. Everything a visiting dignitary or potential mate might need. Everything proper and appropriate and completely wrong.
Riley wrinkled her nose the moment she stepped inside.
"What's wrong?" Adrian asked, though he could feel her dissatisfaction through the bond like a discordant note.
"I just assumed I'd be sleeping in your bed."
Heat flooded his cheeks, and he was grateful for the dim lighting. "I didn't want to overstep. Or assume anything."
"I'd prefer to stay with you, if that's okay." Her voice carried a vulnerability he hadn't heard before. "I already feel completely out of place here."
The admission sent a wave of protective satisfaction through his chest. His mate wanted to stay close to him, and wanted the comfort of their connection in an unfamiliar environment. Nothing could have pleased his tiger more.
"Of course," he said, unable to keep the smile from his voice. "This way."
His own bedroom was down the hall, and the moment Riley stepped inside, her posture relaxed slightly.
The space reflected his personality more accurately—clean lines and practical furniture, but rich colors that spoke of strength and status.
Deep burgundy curtains, dark wood, and touches of gold that caught the light.
A room that belonged to a leader, but one who valued substance over show.
"This feels more like you," she said, running her fingers along the edge of his dresser.
Adrian set her suitcase down near the walk-in closet, hyperaware of how right she looked in his private space. "We should get some rest. It's been..." He trailed off, not sure how to summarize a night that had redefined everything.
"A long night," Riley finished with a tired laugh. "Between the training and the sex and the attack, and all of... this."
They undressed with careful efficiency, both exhausted and still processing the magnitude of what had happened between them. When Riley slipped beneath his sheets wearing nothing, Adrian felt something fundamental settle into place.
His mate, in his bed, safe under his protection.
She curled against his side naturally, as if they'd been sharing a bed for years instead of minutes. Her head found the hollow of his shoulder, and her hand splayed across his chest directly over his heart.
"Adrian?" Her voice was soft, already drowsy.
"Yes?"
"Thank you. For protecting me tonight. For bringing me somewhere safe."
The simple gratitude in her words made his throat tighten. "Always," he murmured against her hair. "I'll always protect you and keep you safe."
Through the bond, he felt her acceptance of that truth and her growing trust in what was building between them. As her breathing deepened and sleep claimed her, Adrian allowed himself to truly relax for the first time in hours.
His mate was safe and exactly where she belonged.
For the first time since his father's death, sleep came easily.
Dawn light filtered through the windows of Adrian's bedroom, casting golden streaks across rumpled sheets that still held the lingering warmth of two bodies.
His arm stretched automatically across the mattress, seeking the soft curves and silken skin that had pressed against him through the night.
Instead, his fingers met only cool cotton and empty space.
Panic shot through his chest like lightning—sharp, immediate, and completely irrational. His tiger surged, territorial instincts roaring to life as he bolted upright, scanning the room with predatory intensity.
Where is she?
Then he turned his head and exhaled slowly, relief washing over him.
Riley sat curled in the leather armchair beside the windows, already dressed in fresh black leggings and a fitted tank top that showcased the muscle definition of her arms. Her dark hair was pulled back in a sleek ponytail, and she gazed out at the estate grounds with quiet appreciation, watching the morning mist rise from manicured lawns that stretched toward ancient oak groves.
Even from across the room, she looked like she belonged there—strong and self-assured against the backdrop of his legacy. The sight sent satisfaction humming through the bond between them, warm and steady.
"You're up early," he said, his voice roughened with sleep and lingering traces of territorial concern.
Riley glanced over with a smile that made something in his chest tighten pleasantly. "I'm an early riser. Force of habit from years of training schedules and competition prep."
Adrian swung his legs over the side of the bed, studying her profile as she returned her attention to the view.
Her disciplined routine, her commitment to structure and excellence—it mirrored his own approach to life with startling accuracy.
Most women he'd dated found his rigid schedule suffocating or his dedication to perfection intimidating.
Riley embraced those same values naturally.
Too much like me, he thought with growing appreciation.