Adrian steps into the pack training ground, coming out of the gym, he’s wearing a black joggers and a sleeveless top soaked in sweat, which hugs his delicious muscular frame tightly.
Everyone stops the moment they see him enter, all baring their neck to him.
“Carry on,” he says, his eyes searching the crowd for Flora but he doesn’t find her.
This is the third day in a row that she hasn’t shown up to training and he can see most of the new shifters who she is responsible for training just messing around.
Is she still upset? This is the first time she ever throws a tantrum.
“Gather round,” he frowns at the group of first shifters, “make a circle. I want one on one physical combat. The loser does 500 pushups with the winner standing on his back,” he orders coldly and the group quickly do as he instructs.
He walks a distance away but not too far so he can continue to observe the first shifters and he mindlinks Flora but she blocks him.
He scoffs, a tiny smile tugging the corner of his lips.
Who would have thought his little bullet had it in her?
“Alpha! Alpha!” His Delta, Andre, runs towards him, holding out his phone, “you need to see this.”
Adrian frowns, not liking to be disturbed during training sessions.
“What is it?”
“It’s better if you take a look,” Andre replies, bowing slightly.
Adrian yanks the phone from him and an even deeper frown contorts his face, his eyes bulge in shock and he looks sharply at Andre before looking back at the phone.
It’s a video of Flora burning her wedding dress. What has gotten into her?
“Who else has seen this?”
“It’s gone viral Alpha, it’s everywhere.”
Adrian sneers, “make it disappear,” he says, shoving the phone against Andre’s chest.
“I said fucking combat, not sparring! Put some fucking weight behind your punch!”
He yells at the two people fighting in the centre of the circle and he mindlinks his Beta, stepping closer to the circle.
‘Where are you?’
‘Just outside the—’
‘Training ground. Now.’
He cuts Gustavo off, takes out his phone and dials Flora’s number but it goes straight to voicemail.
He grinds his teeth, wondering what has gotten into her. He’s not used to being ignored by her, this feels….strange.
“Alpha,” Gustavo says, bowing slightly as he appears behind him moments later, “you sounded like it was an emergency.”
“What are you doing? You don’t give the enemy a chance when he’s down, you finish him off,” Adrian says to one fighter in the group before turning to Gustavo with a cold glare in his eyes.
“Flora’s not here. Did you deliver my message to her?”
“Yes Alpha,” Gustavo nods.
“And…?”
Gustavo huffs, bringing his face close to Adrian’s ear to whisper away from the hearing of the others. “Well, she…..she said she’s on honeymoon leave and she’s not coming back.”
“She said what?” Adrian cocks his head and looks at Gustavo sharply, “without having a fucking wedding?”
“Yes. When I tried to confront her over her attitude, she wouldn’t listen. That woman, she’s something else,” Gustavo replies, an undertone of spite in his voice.
“Huh,” Adrian replies in a low tone, thinning his lips.
What could have gotten into her to that extent? He knows she has a stubborn, ill tempered side to her but never towards him.
“And you made it clear that I sent you?” He asks, his tone still full of disbelief.
“As clear as day,” Gustavo replies sharply.
Adrian scoffs, finding the whole thing rather amusing. “Does she know plans are already in place to get her a bigger wedding as I promised?”
“I told her everything Alpha, I tried my best to convince her, she just wouldn’t listen.”
“Obviously not your best, I’ll go see her myself,” Adrian sneers at him, feeling an uneasiness within.
“You have more important things to worry about, let me try again, I’ll bring her home this time,” Gutsavo interjects.
“Fine,” Adrian grunts.
****
Flora’s in bed, watching old videos of her and Adrian on her phone, sometimes smiling, mostly crying, when she hears the hurried footsteps of her mother coming towards her door before she hears the woman yell.
After moving out of Adrian’s house, she had nowhere else to go but to move back to her parents house.
“Honey! Honey! Come out! The Alpha Just parked outside,” her mother knocks frantically on her door. “Hurry up and come out. Wear something nice. The man misses you so much he had to come get you himself,” her mother chuckles.
Flora’s heart immediately races, hearing Adrian is here to get her.
He came? He really came?
For some reason, the gloom she has been feeling lifts off.
She just wants to hear what he has to say, what excuse he wants to give her this time.
She lazily makes her way out of her bedroom to the living room, only for heart to sink when she’s Gustavo standing in their living room and not Adrian.
Flora does not hide her displeasure at seeing Gustavo, a frown immediately contorting her face, knowing the reason why he is here.“Have you seen the video of you that’s trending?” Gustavo asks in a curt voice, his eyes cold, a nasty frown on his face, “have you seen what people are saying about the Alpha because of you?”“What video? What are they saying?” Sophia, Flora’s mother asks frantically, her fear filled eyes darting between Flora and Gustavo, clearly hearing from the tone of Gustavo’s voice that there might be trouble.“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Flora replies in a cold tone, crossing her arms against her chest, “if this is some—”“You may want to get off your high horse, woman. This is serious,” Gustavo cuts her off, takes out his phone and shoves it in her face.Flora freezes, staring at the video of her burning her wedding dress with shock in her eyes and her heart thuds.She had no idea there were cameras on her that day. A pang of guilt slices through her
Halfway into their journey back to Adrian’s house, the words of her father keep playing in Flora’s head. “A daughter with self respect.”Her dad may be extreme in his ways but is she really giving herself any respect right now? Is this what she really wants? Going back to him or is she doing it just to please others?“Stop the car,” she says to the driver from the back of the vehicle, making her mind to go back to her father’s house and if he doesn’t let her back in as he threatened, she’ll find a way to survive but she’s not going back to him.The same pattern will just repeat itself and she’ll find herself in more pain, anguish and regret. It is better to face it all now, once and for all.“What?” Gustavo replies from the front beside the driver.“I said stop the car.”“Keep going,” Gustavo orders the driver, looking away from her.“I swear to the goddess, if you don’t stop this car this minute, I’ll open the door and jump down and you know I will,” She replies in a cold voice, loo
Painful SeparationFlora stood firm, her gaze unwavering as Adrian's footsteps echoed on the ground. The man who had once been her world now felt like a stranger, and the words that left her lips were filled with a quiet strength she hadn't known she possessed."I already told you, Adrian. I’m not going back with you."Her voice came out even, but the rise in her chest was a strain that threatened to spill over. She clenched her fists tighter to still the tremor that ran through her as Adrian stood below her, eyes wide in disbelief."Do not be obstinate, Flora," he said, his voice smooth, almost pleading, but with an edge beneath it. "You belong at my side. You know that."A bitter laugh escaped her lips, sharp and harsh. "Oh, I know that? Is that right? Funny, because I don't recall belonging anywhere near you when you were in another woman's arms the day of our wedding."Adrian's jaw clenched, his face going hard. For one quick, passing instant, something flickered in his eyes-guilt
BreakdownFlora paced, her restless energy filling the tiny room. The floorboards groaned with her hurried steps, but she didn't pay them much mind. Her brain swirled with the echoes of last night-Adrian's expression, the way he had looked at her, the way he had walked away. The way her chest had caved in as he disappeared.Lena sat with her legs tucked under her on the bed and watched her, a mixture of concern and mirth on her face. "You're going to make yourself sick if you keep pacing around like that."Flora whipped around, frowning. "I'm fine."Lena snorted loudly. "Of course you are, definitely not like someone who's been reliving the same bloody conversation over and over inside her head for hours.Flora gave her a withering look, but there was no use lying. She hadn't slept one wink. Each time she shut her eyes, Adrian was waiting for her, lurking in her mind.Lena let out a sigh and leaned back into the headboard. "You know, you could just scream. Or hit something. That might
Life AgainFlora stood with her arms crossed, watching Tony butcher his form yet again. Her patience had officially worn thin."That's not how you hold the damn weights, Tony," she said, her voice laced with exasperation.Tony, a cocky twenty-something who thought lifting was all about brute strength, flashed her a smirk through the mirror. "Relax, Coach. I got this."Flora raised an eyebrow and stepped closer to him. "Yeah? You sure? 'Cause if you keep swinging them dumbbells like that, you're gonna blow out your shoulder. And I don't do injuries on my watch."He faltered for a second, adjusting the weight in his hands. "It's really not that bad.""Oh, great. Do it your way," she invited. "And when you are icing that arm later, then don't come crying to me."Tony muttered something unintelligible under his breath but rearranged his form nonetheless. Flora bit back a smirk.It had been a month since she joined the gym, and to her own surprise, she liked it. There was something oddly s
A RethinkAdrian sat at the bar, fingers clasped on a glass he hadn't touched. Across from him, Mark leaned back in his chair, sipping his drink with such ease it made Adrian want to punch something."She hasn't called you once?" Mark asked, an eyebrow rising.Adrian blew out a sharp breath. "Not once."Mark whistled low. "Damn. She's really done with you.Adrian shot him a glare, but Mark only smirked. "You know, I thought she'd at least come back to yell at you. Just once."Adrian ran a hand over his face. "So did I. But it's been months. No texts. No calls. She used to need me, Mark. Now… she doesn't."Mark shrugged. "Maybe that's a good thing."Adrian's head snapped up. "How the hell is that a good thing?Because that means she's stronger now. Independent." Mark set his glass down and leveled Adrian with a rare, serious look. "And if you actually cared about her, you'd respect that."Adrian clenched his jaw. Respect it? How was he supposed to respect something that only reminded h
The Space Left BehindThe door slammed shut behind her as Flora entered her apartment. Her breathing came in quick, shallow gasps. She knew her face would be streaked with tears, but she wiped them away all the same. She had been crying for the last few hours, but being alone meant it was time for the truth. Crushed, she felt the bitter cold dismissal still searing in her chest from Adrian's rejection. She had never expected this. No, she did not expect him to choose her, but certainly not to turn his back so fast.But that was the thing, right? She should have known better. She should have seen the warning signs. Adrian was always so cagey with his words, evasive when things got too personal. And now? Now he had discarded her like she was just another distraction.The apartment felt too empty, too quiet. She couldn't stand it. She needed to do something. Anything.Flora let her bag fall onto the kitchen counter, opened the refrigerator, pulled out a bottle of water, and downed it. Sh
The Struggle Within Adrian“You’re thinking about her again, aren’t you?” Alice’s voice was sharp, cutting through the quiet tension in the room.Adrian didn't bat an eyelash. He sat at his desk, papers laid out before him, but his focus was a million miles away. He could almost feel her there—Flora. That haunted look she had given him the last time they spoke, the way her face crumpled when he'd let her go, the way it broke something deep inside of him.He just couldn't get it out of his mind."Alice, please," he muttered without lifting his head. "Not now."She rounded the desk, her heels clicking smartly against the hardwood floors. "You have been like this for days. The pack notices it, Adrian. The longer you drag this out, the more they'll start questioning your leadership."Adrian's jaw clenched. "I'm aware."The words were thin, empty. He wasn't aware at all. His leadership? That was the least of his worries. The pack could go to hell if it meant he didn't have to face the cons
The BetrayalThe silence in the room was thick enough to choke on.Jace's hand tightened on the stock of his gun. Alice was frozen, her breath coming sharp and unsteadily. Adrian, weakened but defiant, forced himself to his feet, blood trickling from the fresh wound on his arm.Then, the masked figure stepped forward.Slowly, deliberately, they reached up and pulled off the mask.Kade.The air felt like it had been sucked out of the room."You?" Adrian's voice barely above a whisper, his face alight with incredulity. "You were supposed to be dead."Kade gave a mirthless laugh as he shook his head. "That's rich, coming from you." He took one slow step forward, the gun in his hand still not raised, but also still not set back at his side. "You had one chance to choose a side, Adrian. And you chose her?"Flora's spine went ramrod-straight as Kade's gaze flashed cold toward her.Adrian huffed out a sharp breath. "I never chose sides, Kade. I chose what was right."Kade snorted. "What's ri
The AmbushThe gunshot pierced the simulated silence.Flora had slightly a moment to reply before Jace seized her, yanking her to the floor as an alternate bullet ripped through the wall above her head. The air filled with the sharp scent of gunpowder." Stay down!" Jace barked, his voice slightly audible over the unforeseen barrage of gunfire.Lorne cursed, ducking behind a capsized table and drawing his weapon." You led them then?!"" No," Adrian gritted out, floundering to sit up. He was still weak, his body slightly recovered from the last fight." It's not just them." His breath came suddenly." It's worse."Flora's palpitation pounded. She risked a regard toward the door, but the murk outdoors made it insolvable to tell how numerous enemies there were.also, out of the chaos, a voice cut through the night like a blade." Adrian," the figure said, stepping into the dim light of the doorway." You should've no way come back."Flora's stomach twisted. The voice was full of venom but w
The Cliffhanger"Adrian!"Flora's scream rent the air as Adrian crumpled to the ground.Time slowed. The world narrowed. Nothing existed except the red spreading beneath him."No, no, no—Adrian!" She was already on her knees beside him, hands pressing against the wound before she even realized she'd moved. His blood was hot, slick, slipping between her fingers. Too much.Adrian's breathing was ragged, uneven. His eyes fluttered. "Flora…"Shh, don't talk," she whispered. "You're gonna be fine. You hear me? You have to be fine."Jace was shouting something, Alice was moving, but all of it was distant. White noise. The only thing that mattered was Adrian, and the fact that he was bleeding out beneath her hands.Then—another gunshot.Flora flinched, ducking instinctively over Adrian's body."Sniper!" Jace's voice was sharp. "We need to move—now!Alice cursed. “They’re trying to pick us off.”Flora barely registered the words. She was too focused on Adrian’s pale face. “Adrian, stay with m
The Last DecisionThe shot rent the night.Adrian moved before he thought. Instinct. Training. Whatever it was, it sent him diving toward Flora, pulling her down as a bullet whizzed past where she had been standing.She gasped as they hit the ground. "What the hell—""Stay down," Adrian growled. His heart pulsed in his ears. He scanned the darkness for movement.Already on his feet, gun drawn, eyes sharp, Jace repeated, "Where?"Cursing under her breath, Alice said, "I didn't see."Another shot sounded. This one hit the wall behind them, splintering the wood.Flora tensed beneath him. "They're not aiming to miss."No, they weren’t.His mind racing, Adrian thought, the shooter wasn't sloppy. They weren't panicked. That meant one thing: trained.And trained meant sent."They found us," Alice muttered. Jace huffed a sigh that was close to a curse. "Figures."Adrian yanked Flora up behind cover. "You hurt?"She shook her head. "Not yet.""Stay that way."More bullets. This time closer.A
Alice Returns"You thought you were free of me, didn't you?"Adrian froze onto the voice, his body reacting before his mind kicked in. Beside him, Flora tensed up, her fingers curling into fists. The air charged with something sharp and electric.Out from the shadows stepped Alice herself, that smirk still the same-old confident, knowing, dangerous.Jace had been leaning indolently against the door frame, and at her voice, he straightened. "Well. This is a surprise."Alice titled her head, her eyes never leaving Adrian's face. "Is it? You should have known I'd come back."Adrian exhaled through his nose, hands tensing and releasing at his sides. "What do you want, Alice?"She laughed. The sound was low and amused. "Straight to business. No 'how have you been?' No 'I thought you were dead?'"Flora crossed her arms. "We didn't think. We hoped."Alice's eyes flicked to her, a smirk tugging at her lips. "Flora. Still sharp-tongued, I see."Flora didn't blink. "And you're still alive. Unfo
Sacrifices"You're hesitating."Flora's voice cut like a blade through the silence. Adrian stood at the edge of the clearing, his fists clenched, his jaw tight. It was thick with tension; the weight of his decision pressed down on him like a storm, threatening to break loose."I'm not," he finally said, though even he didn't believe the words.Flora took another step in closer. "Yes, you are."Adrian turned to her; eyes dark, unreadable. "You don't understand."Flora's face hardened. "Then make me understand."He exhaled hard, running a hand through his hair. "If I go after Lorne, I leave the pack vulnerable. If I stay, I let him get away. Either way, someone loses."Flora watched him. "And you think you have to make that choice alone?"Adrian didn't answer.She shook her head. "You always do this. You take everything on yourself, like you're the only one who can fix it.""Because it's my responsibility," he snapped.Flora didn't flinch. "No. It's our responsibility. Yours. Mine. Jace
The Price of Loyalty“You shouldn’t be up.”Flora barely glanced up as Adrian stepped inside the tent, his voice low but laced with frustration. He stood at the entrance, arms crossed, silhouetted against the dim lantern light.“I’m fine,” she said, though the stiffness in her movements told a different story.Adrian exhaled sharply, stepping closer. “You got stabbed, Flora. That’s not ‘fine.’”She waved him off. "It's not like I planned it."His jaw tightened. He crouched beside her, eyes scanning her wrapped wound. She looked better than she had hours ago-less pale, more steady-but that didn't change what had happened. What could've happened."You scared the hell out of me," he muttered.Flora's expression softened. "I know.For a moment, there was no answer. The heft of that night yet hovered between them and would not shake. Outside the camp stirred: low murmurs, the soft shuffle of boot on dirt. Their people rallied, recovered, but the war was not over.Not yet."Where is Lorne?"
The Final TestThe air was hazy with smoke and blood.Flora cleaned her blade against her sleeve, breathing hard and fast. Bodies littered the ground around her-some still twitching, others unnervingly still. The battle had been a mess from the very beginning. Now, they were down to the last stretch, but the odds weren't in their Favor."On your left!" Adrian's voice cut through the chaos.She spun around just in time to duck, the bullet grazing her shoulder, making her stagger. She didn’t have time to react before Adrian was there, pulling her down behind the rubble, his breath coming out in ragged gasps.Adrian was already moving, sword a blur of motion as he sliced through the other opponent. They had worked together long enough by now; words were sparse. A look, a shift in stride—a look sufficed.But it wasn't survival anymore.At least, it wasn't with him.Neither with her.Adrian snagged her wrist and pulled her behind him at the very last moment, so an arrow could whistle past
A Perilous Alliance"You sure about this?"Flora shot Adrian a glare. "It's a little late to be asking that, don't you think?"He exhaled sharply, his fingers tightening around the hilt of his knife. "Doesn't mean I can't still question the wisdom of walking straight into an ambush."Besides them, their so-called allies were already moving ahead, figures draped in dark cloaks, slipping through the underbrush like ghosts. Flora didn't trust them. Not even a little. But right now, it was not an option. They needed this alliance no matter how uneasy it made her.Adrian must have sensed her tension because he leaned in enough that his voice reached her ear. "If things go sideways-"I know," she cut in, "Stay close. Watch my back."A beat of silence. Then, softly, "Always."She wouldn't let that word settle.Instead, she fixed her attention on the task before them, her grip sure on the hilt of her dagger as they moved forward toward the enemy encampment.The camp sprawled out below them, a