Chapter 2

Adelia’s Point of View

I didn’t know what was worse. The pain in my chest or my dry throat. Or the fact that I could feel several pairs of eyes drill into me.

All of the above.

Groaning, I lifted my eyelids. It took me nearly a minute of fighting my own body for them to work. But when they did, the sunlight in the room burned the backs of my retinas with zero remorse.

“She’s awake!” Alvara called beside me, the picture of relief.

Cool hands touched my right arm as she leaned in to inspect me. “Fucking hell, Adelia! You nearly gave all of us a damned heart attack!” She hissed and squeezed my tender flesh.

“Water,” I croaked.

How long was I out? By the feel of my throat, an eternity. It shouldn’t have been more than a few hours, considering the sun wasn’t close to setting yet. Late morning, maybe.

Hell. I had so much paperwork to do today. With Christmas being around the damn corner, several children's homes needed toys and supplies to surprise the kids.

My eyes lolled back into my head, dipping my world into blackness for a second.

“No. No. She’s losing consciousness again,” Alvara exclaimed. Nails dug into my flesh, forcing my skin to break from the pressure.

I growled lowly and rightened my eyes. Flicked her fingers out of my flesh.

“I’m fine-“ I rasped, sounding like a hag in winter.

There was a rustle of chains in front of me. Muffled exclaims of some sort.

Intruders. Running down the hidden stairwell. Leading the people towards Alvara’s side of the house. Dargan firing his gun and…

I was shot. I was fucking shot and it had been Dargan. The fucker was going to buy me a shit ton of chocolates for this. A fucking Mini-Cooper sounded better for the damage he had fucking done.

Machines blared beside me.

Alvara was hovering over me now. Had clicked a few buttons on the medical bed so that it inclined a bit.

But all of the noise and images faded away when I locked eyes with a man on the opposite side of the room.

Dark, ebony skin. Chiseled jaw and strong cheekbones. A pronounced nose just above a closely trimmed beard. And the darkest eyes I have ever seen in my life. Neared black.

Breathlessly beautiful.

There was instantly a spark between us. Tension that lit my entire body on fire. The man stilled his movements when we locked eyes. Stopped pulling on the chains that bound him to the ground.

“Drink, Adelia!” Alvara commanded beside me and I snapped back into myself.

She tipped the cup to my lips and I drank. And drank. And drank until the water was done but my mouth felt more like mud than sand.

“More, please,” I asked, voice soft.

From the corner of my eye, I could still make him out. Noticed the way he observed me. Watched me. Noted the smallest movements of my body as I drank again.

I leaned into the bed. Scooted my ass just enough to get into a comfortable position. “What the hell happened?”

“You nearly fucking died, that’s what. Then Dargan nearly died because of him,” Alvara nodded toward the chained man.

“What?”

“We assumed you are mates. When you were shot, Dargan is very sorry about that by the way, this gentleman over here went all ape shit and nearly killed him for it. It took Ciaran and Bellamy to get him off of Dargan.” Alvara explained more.

Slowly, she dragged a chair to my bedside.

Alvara sat down beside me. Grabbed for my hand and held it gently in hers. Her gorgeous face lit up in a large smile.

No wonder she was blessed with more than one mate. Whilst I was blessed with none.

Or now one.

But that was an entirely different can of worms.

The fucker had broken into my house. Assaulted me. Wanted to kill my friend. Now he was chained to the ground in front of my bed for goddess only knew what reason.

“Okay. I can live with that. But why is he in my room?” I asked.

Instead of Alvara answering, a gravelly voice came from the door.

“Because he threatened to burn this entire house down if he couldn’t supervise your recovery himself. Promised to kill Dargan slowly in the process as well,” Ciaran said from the door. Leaned against the frame. “How are you doing?” He asked.

“Good, considering your Omega shot me in the heart.” I bit out, rolling my eyes at him.

Ciaran barked a laugh. “Not your heart. Just below it, luckily. Although, your healing was a lot faster than it should have been. It was rushed, even by an Alpha’s standards.”

Oh great. Now I was abnormal as well.

“We are just happy that you are fine, Del. Don’t listen to the brooding male,” Alvara quipped and spared Ciaran a side glance that should have frozen him over within seconds.

He seemed to shrug it off. Rebounded with a smile that left Alvara mooning over him.

Ciaran walked into the room. Tried to give the male on the ground a wide berth before he stopped beside his mate. He tentatively touched my exposed foot. Looked at me with a cloud of sorrow around him.

It was the most emotion the Alpha of Eiecrunt had ever shown me.

“We are all glad that you are fine and I promise that Dargan will buy you anything that you might want.” He said, smiling down at me.

The rustling of chains snapped the Alpha out of his sorrowful state.

All our heads whipped towards the ebony man tied to the floor. He was shaking now. Vibrating, almost, against his chains. Eyes promised fury when they looked at Ciaran.

“Get your hand off of her,” He growled lowly. His voice was deeper than any trench in the ocean. Had a distinct Northern African accent.

“So, he speaks.” Ciaran mused and plucked his hand away from my foot.

I didn’t miss the small amount of dread that washed over his face in that second. The slight tremor that crawled down his spine.

“What do you mean he speaks? He has been here this whole time and you never thought to question him?” I asked, not thrilled at the idea that the man had stared at me this entire time.

Even whilst unconscious.

Ciaran and Alvara looked sheepishly at each other. “We didn’t want to question him further. If he is your mate-“

“I am,” The man cut her off.

This was met with a death glare from Alvara. One that left the room with an icy feeling all around us. “As I was saying. We wanted to be decent people and let him have this small mercy of making sure you recovered. He is your mate, after all. We knew he would only fight us more if we didn’t let him stay with you.”

“And he had remained mute for the entire day you were out.” Ciaran chimed in.

Ciaran’s eyes remained on the man. Stared him down ferociously.

“Well, I’m awake and well now. Stop being decent people, take him to the cells, and question him. He broke into my fucking house.” I growled out.

A small part of me shied away from the ferocity in my voice. The cruelty. It reminded me too much of the person I once was.

“You will have them cut me up in order to get answers from me?” The man asked, voice thick with disbelief.

I sent him a glare. Balled my hands into fists. “I will have them do it simply because you broke into my fucking house and wanted to kill me. Now, be thankful I don’t come and interrogate you myself.”