CHAPTER THREE

Adrian, who was sweating profusely when he awoke, frantically searched his surroundings to determine his location and safety. When he finally noticed it was in his room, he sighed and sat up straight in bed. If it weren't for his lycan Shadow, he would've lost his mind at the facility because the scientists treated him like a lesser being than a human. Shadow was his only companion in the harsh world he was born into.

After completing his daily tasks, he went to eat breakfast before going to check on his prisoner. He noticed her heartbeat was irregular when he entered the dungeon. As he got closer, he noticed she was shivering. He rushed into the cell, crouched beside her to touch her skin, and discovered she was ice cold.

“Fuck!" Adrian cursed as he clutched her to his chest. She drew in close, like a moth to a flame, and sighed softly and barely audibly.

Adrian carried her upstairs, placing her unconscious body on the bed in the empty room next to his before going to light a fire.

He lit the fireplace after adding some dry wood, and the flames slowly consumed the wood, dancing in the dim room as they gradually lit it up.

Adrian then went into the bathroom to prepare a hot bath before returning for her; she was still unconscious, so he picked her up and carried her to the bathroom in his arms. He undressed her and stripped her down to her underwear. He couldn't help but examine the scars on her body, which were obvious signs of abuse. He clenched his jaw and his wolf growled in rage, who the fuck would hurt such a delicate female? He thought with his mind racing with emotions, he became tender with her and carefully placed her in the bath, making sure she didn't slip under.

So he rushed to his room to get a fresh pair of clothes for her to change into, placed them on the bed, and then returned to the bathroom, where she was still in the same position he had left her, but her color was beginning to return.

When he looked down at her, he thought she was peaceful, and the thought that she was quite beautiful lingered in his subconscious, but he didn't dwell on it. When he touched her skin, it felt warmer, so he took her out of the bath and made her sit on his lap while he dried her with a towel. All the while fighting the thought of how she looked good in his arms.

He returned her to the room with a dry towel wrapped around her body once she was completely dry. He gently placed her on the bed before taking a seat beside her.

Using his body to prop her up, he pulled the hood over her head first so he could remove the wet towel, and then he put on the shorts for her. When he was finished, he tucked her under the covers and went to change his wet clothes before returning to her room.

Adrian wondered, as he watched her sleep, why his emotions were always conflicted whenever she was concerned. He was certain he despised her—and for good reason! And he wasn't so sure anymore. He even despised himself for making her sick.

Adrian fed the fire as night fell before going downstairs to eat dinner and search the grounds. He put a bowl of soup in the microwave in case she woke up later in the night. He returned to Serena's room after dinner, hoping she would have awakened by now, but she was still asleep. He felt her skin once more. Her temperature had returned to normal, but she showed no signs of awakening. So he returned to his room, closing the door behind him and going to bed.

Adrian changed into his nightgown before going to bed after falling into a dreamless sleep and pulling his covers over his body.

Serena awoke warmer than usual, opened her tired eyes and looked around, she wasn't in the dungeon anymore, she tried to remember what had happened but it made her head hurt even more. She tried to get out of the bed, but her body refused to move.

Then she heard someone on the other side of the door, so she lay down and pretended to sleeping. Adrian entered the room, aware that she was awake, but he ignored her and placed the tray of soup on the bedside table.

"Why are you pretending to sleep when you know I can tell, your heart rate increased when I walked in Serena—" Adrian asked.

Serena was surprised that he had called her and sat up in bed staring at him. "You called me by name!" Serena asked, as if she were asking a question.

"Yes, I did, now come and eat your soup while it's still hot," Adrian urged, but she sat there staring at him as if he had grown an extra head.

"Why are you being so nice to me, and did you change my clothes?"" Serena inquired after noticing her change in attire.

"Yes I did, your old ones were dirty and I needed to get you warm, so I took them off, don't worry I was a perfect gentleman and didn't look," Adrian said as a blush crept up Serena's face, her captor had seen her naked then her blush changed to mortification, he had seen her scars.

Adrian watched the blood drain from her face before recalling the scars he had seen on her body. "If you're worried about your scars, don't—" Adrian said simply before placing the soup tray in front of her.

Serena's stomach growled as she stared at the plate of soup. Before looking up to see her captor staring at her. "If you think I poisoned it, I didn't, and I don't want you dead just yet," he said as he took the spoon and sipped the soup. He drank it, which meant it wasn't poisoned, even if it was she was too hungry and tired to refuse the meal, so she took the other spoon and took a sip out of the soup. Adrian sat in the nearest chair, watching her eat. Serena was self-conscious, but she ignored him.

"You don't have to rush it; there's more if you want more," Adrian said as she watched her nod and return to her soup.

She reminded him of the first time he escaped from Mount Zero and ended up in a village. An older witch saw him wandering around a restaurant. She probably thought he was looking for food, but despite the fact that he was covered in dried blood and scars, she took him home, fed him, and gave him a place to sleep. Adrian did not trust the woman at first, but who could blame him after the horror he had just escaped? However, after being treated with nothing but kindness, Adrian relaxed around the older woman. It was a huge relief.

So maybe he could tolerate Serena because she was half witch, and that's why he spared her life. But he'd never heard of a hybrid lycan before, which piqued his interest. Because the lycan gene was so dominant, her being a hybrid, like him being a white lycan, would be extremely rare.

Serena jolted him out of his reverie, looking at him with a puzzled expression, "Sorry, did you say something?" Adrian inquired.

"I'm sorry, but you said I could have more if I wanted—" Serena said, fiddling with the hood's rope.

"Yes, I will be right back," Adrian said as he took the plate from the tray and walked out the door, locking it behind him because he didn't trust her yet and couldn't leave her unattended.