CHAPTER 50

Isla’s POV

I clutched the file where I had documented every single thing that led to the finding of Chloe's involvement. Adrian had to stop trusting her. So, I hurried to his office, hoping to help him figure out the truth and also to stop Chloe. She was dangerous.

But as I approached his door, I stopped, noticing the strange smell muffled in the air. My wolf stirred uneasily inside me. "Something is off!"

I peeked through the crack in the door and froze.

Chloe was draped over Adrian seductively as he sat on his chair. Her hands caressed his shoulders as she whispered something in his ear and then bit it slowly. The sight sent a jolt of rage through me. She was wearing a tight, body-hugging dress, flaunting herself around him, just like before. She then sat on his lap seductively and Adrian didn't stop her. I clenched my fists, fuming. When she was about to get bolder and kiss Adrian, something inside me snapped. My fists clenched as jealousy surged within me, hotter and sharper than I had ever felt.

I was about to storm inside and stop them, unable to stomach the sight any longer. But then something glinting caught my eye. Chloe’s hand reached into her bag as she pulled out something. A knife.

And I had never felt more afraid.

Without thinking, I burst into the room just as Chloe pulled the blade back, ready to strike.

"Adrian!" I shouted, rushing towards them.

Chloe jerked back, startled, her eyes widening in shock. She wasn't expecting me. For a split second, our gazes locked, and she chuckled viciously. She was no longer the girl I knew, but something darker. Then, without a word, she darted toward the window and disappeared into the night.

I turned to chase after her, but before I could move, Adrian’s hand shot out and grabbed my wrist. "Isla," he murmured, his voice thick, eyes unfocused. His grip was tight, almost desperate.

I spun around and saw the dazed look on his face. Something was wrong. I could smell it. A faint, bitter scent of poison. My eyes widened in realization. Chloe must have drugged him before I got here. No wonder she got so close to him.

"Adrian, snap out of it!" I demanded, shaking his shoulders, but his body was already moving on instinct. He pulled me closer, his hands tracing the curve of my waist, then lifting me effortlessly onto the desk after he cleared everything on top of it in one move. My breath hitched as he leaned in, his lips brushing against my neck, igniting something raw and electric inside me.

"Adrian, wait—" I protested weakly, but his hands were already roaming over me, his touch igniting sparks that made my body betray me. I wasn't sure if it was because of what I witnessed earlier between him and Chloe, or all the dreams, the tension, or the push and pull between us. Despite everything, despite knowing this wasn’t the real him, I couldn’t stop the wave of desire that crashed over me.

This time he kissed me like he had some feelings for me. It was deep, passionate, and possessive. It was firm yet gentle. His fingers tangled in my hair as his lips trailed down my collarbone. He grazed his fangs on the soft skin where mates mark each other, sending a shiver down my spine. For a brief, unclear moment, I lost myself in him. How could I not?

Before I knew it, my hands slipped under his shirt, moving all the way up to his chest, feeling the hard, toned planes of muscle beneath. His skin felt hot under my touch, and his heart was pounding beneath my touch.

"Isla," he whispered my name again, this time with more urgency. The way he looked at me with admiration, made me wonder if he needed me as much as I needed him. His hands roamed freely over my body, sliding up my thighs, leaving a trail of heat in their wake.

"Aah!" I bit my lips trying to stop the moan that escaped my lips as his mouth found the curve of my shoulder. He bit down gently, sending waves of pleasure rippling through me, ripping a moan out of my throat.

Excited, his hands moved with urgency, as he got bolder. He slipped them beneath my clothes, his fingers tracing every curve of my body as if he were memorizing me, claiming me as his. I gasped as he pulled me closer, his hands moving slowly up and up and up until they rested above my breasts.

“Adrian…” I breathed, my voice trembling with desire. He responded by pressing his lips to mine again, the kiss rough and hungry. His mouth traveled lower, trailing kisses along my collarbone and my chest as I arched up, wanting more and more and more.

That's when one of our phones dinged, snapping us out of the passionate haze.

We looked at each other, gasping and panting, battling the whirlwind of emotions surging through us and the parks flying around us. There was no denying that we wanted each other despite our many differences. But now... and at Adrian's office... with everything going on... Then his hateful remarks, his angry actions, and how he had brought Chloe with him to the training ground flooded through my mind. His demand that I had to act as Elara's replacement whenever he wanted, played through my mind repeatedly like a broken tape recorder.

I pulled away first, angry, fixing my clothes with shaky hands. "This..." I began, struggling to find the words. Frustration simmered beneath my skin. "Is this all I am to you? Just someone to use when you are drugged or drunk or angry? Or..." My voice trembled. "Or when you miss Elara?" I fumed.

Adrian sat up, his face contorted with confusion and guilt. "Isla, no—"

"Then what was that?" I snapped, standing up and backing away. "I came here to warn you, to help you, and you just..."

I hissed, getting up from the desk and putting some distance between us, so I could think clearly. I glared back at him, clearly pissed. "You never trust me, Adrian. You always believe everyone else first. Even Chloe."

His expression hardened at her name, a flash of realization crossing his face. "Chloe," he muttered under his breath, running a hand through his hair. "She drugged me, Isla. This... wasn't supposed to happen."

 "Of course, she drugged you. And she tried to kill you! I saw it with my own eyes." I laughed bitterly while Adrian gawked at me, his eyes flashing with regret.

I picked up the file that had fallen sometime and threw it at his desk. I scribbled the flower shop address on a blank paper and shoved it into his hand. "You need to investigate her properly, Adrian. She is part of something bigger, something dangerous."

Adrian stared at the file, his jaw tight, but he said nothing.

"I have given you everything I have found. Her connection to the Mandrake flowers, and her involvement with Elara’s death. The address of the flower shop where she had been hiding in plain sight." I turned away, my heart aching with a mixture of anger and hurt. "Do what you want with it."

I walked out of his office without looking back. My chest tightened with frustration and the sting of betrayal.

Adrian’s POV

I didn't want coffee, but when Chloe insisted, I thought of taking one sip. But the moment I tasted the coffee, I knew something was off. But by the time, it was late. I realized it was drugged. My mind was foggy, and my vision started to get unfocused. I knew what Chloe was doing to me, but still couldn't do anything about it.

And then Isla had burst into my office, the fire in her eyes piercing through the haze. Even in my drugged state, I knew what I had seen. Chloe was with a knife, ready to strike. Isla had saved me.

But instead of thanking her, something came over me when I touched her. I couldn't stop. I wanted her so madly. I ended up dragging her into something far worse. The desire, the need to have her—it overwhelmed me. I hadn’t meant for it to happen like that.

And now... Isla was hurt, again.

Her accusations still echoed in my mind. Did she really think I saw her as nothing more than a tool for my desires? That couldn’t be further from the truth. I know I was wrong to ask her to be Elara's replacement. But I had never once looked at Isla and seen Elara. Never. Isla was... different. She had always been.

But how could I explain that? How could I make her believe that she was someone very important to me? That she mattered to me more than I could admit?

I looked down at the scattered papers she had left behind. Chloe. The Mandrakes. The connections to Elara’s death. It was all there, right in front of me. She constantly asked me to investigate it properly, and I chose to believe what I wanted to, guided by my jealousy and anger.

I needed to fix this. But first, I needed to find Chloe before it was too late.