Chapter 5: Chiara

Adrian was mad.

I could feel it in how he gripped my waist, fingers digging into my skin. That would bruise, for sure. It was another thing I had to hide and ignore.

But what I was most concerned about was the man kneeling before us. I watched him from the corner of my eyes, drinking in his scruffy appearance and bloodied face. Matted dark hair stuck to his tanned forehead, and his dark gray eyes were shadowed. There was a flash of hurt and sorrow, but they were gone so quickly that I thought I might've just imagined them. A faint scent of pinewood permeated the room, making my wolf stir for a bit before returning to slumber again. It wasn't surprising, given how much she's been hidden.

The man looked at Adrian and me with mild interest. They called him The Rogue Wolf. His story had haunted packs for more than a decade: a wolf-shifter who had gone mad and slaughtered his members.

Rumors said that it must've been a disease that caused his rampage, while some theorized that he was simply a bloodthirsty shifter. Nevertheless, it's been a cautionary tale around the table, a morbid reminder to not always be trusting, even with your own pack members.

And the man responsible for such wide terror was right in front of us.

Adrian shifted me on his lap until I was straddling him more fully. Then, he looked back at the Rogue again. "Where were we? Ah. Right. My offer."

The Rogue bit his lip, eyes flashing to me briefly before staring at Adrian again. He remained silent. 

This made Adrian smirk as he toyed with a strand of my hair. "See something you like?"

The Rogue scoffed and shook his head. "You make me gag. Put her down, and let's talk properly."

Adrian chuckled. He tried to look amused, but his tight grip around my waist told otherwise. "Hm? Why the sudden change of mind?"

'Change of mind?' I echoed in my head.

My gaze bounced between the two alphas as I tried to decipher what was happening. I had no idea what their conversation was about before I entered, but it seemed they'd reached some sort of understanding now.

The Rogue's face remained neutral until his eyes shifted to me again, and a devilish smirk stretched across his cheeks. "I know lies won't work on you, so I'll be honest. You have a very pretty little thing on your lap. Is she up for grabs?"

I gasped, my hand clutching my chest before a snarl was ripped out of my throat. I loathed Adrian, but there's one consistent thing I was grateful for him about. He never shared me. Whatever sick, twisted game he came up with, he had always kept it between us.

He would never agree with The Rogue. He's a possessive, selfish, egotistical Alpha. He wouldn't.... he wouldn't...

So why was Adrian staying silent?

"Alpha - "

"Quiet."

Adrian's sharp bark made me flinch. I balled my fists on my lap to stop the tremors in my body. The bitter taste of fear coated my tongue, making me sick with nausea.

The Rogue raised his brow. "Well?"

Adrian took a deep breath, his fingers in his free hand tapping rhythmically on the armrest. "You will work directly under me."

My world tilted on its axis as my vision dimmed in and out.

"Adrian..." His name was a whispered plea. I couldn't believe I'd reach a point where I would rather beg to stay with him. Just who was this man? How could this mere rogue manage to bargain with the Pack Alpha? Was he that strong?

Adrian ignored me as he continued to list his demands. "I want your loyalty. You will be an official member of the Galway Pack after the initiation ceremony. From this day on, my word will be your law. You will not disobey me."

The Rogue seemed to weigh Adrian's words, but he nodded in agreement. "And what do I get in return?"

Usually, by this point, Adrian would be laughing and telling whoever he was dealing with that their lives were enough. He would've been threatening them already, laughing as he said that they were lucky he didn't kill them... or worse.

However, all he did was smile. It didn't reach his eyes and was more akin to a grimace. "You're a fool if you think I will give my wife to you."

His words sent both relief and dread to me. I didn't want to be with Adrian, but I neither wanted to stay with the Rogue. He was a stranger. Who knew if he was more evil than the Pack Alpha himself? At least I was familiar with Adrian. With enough time, I knew I could get rid of him. Flinging me to another man was a different story. That meant I had to start from scratch.

The Rogue huffed. "This looks like a deal with all the mess and none of the benefits."

"You can have... one benefit," Adrian said, shrugging. In addition to the tasks I will be giving you, I will assign you as my wife's personal bodyguard."

I flicked my gaze to the Rogue, and my heart dropped when I saw him smirking. This was a farce. It didn't matter that Adrian hadn't explicitly given me to him. His being my personal bodyguard would provide him ample opportunity to do whatever he wanted.

I gritted my teeth and glared at the Rogue. He was looking at Adrian with a smug expression on his face. Given how tight Adrian's hold was on me, he didn't like it. Nevertheless, he kept his mouth shut.

His property. That's really all I was to him.

"I accept."

Those two words sealed my fate. Adrian pushed me off of his lap and approached the Rogue. He called on the patrol group again to release him.

The Rogue languidly stood up and stretched his limbs. A lazy smile adorned his face as he held out his hand. "I'm looking forward to working with you, Bossman."

Adrian sniffed and looked down at the man's outstretched hand. He grabbed it with too much unnecessary force. "I hope you won't disappoint me," he said in a grave voice, showing how close his wolf was on the surface.

All throughout, the Rogue simply smiled. As the two Alphas stepped away from each other, he turned to me with glinting eyes. However, Adrian stopped him before he could advance any further.

"Ramon," Adrian barked, and a tall man with a hulking figure entered the room. Ramon Galway was Adrian's cousin and his official right-hand man by name. Everyone knew, though, that the Pack Alpha had never really wholly depended on anyone.

"Show our new pack member to his quarters," Adrian continued.

"Soon-to-be pack member," the Rogue interjected.

"Semantics," Adrian snapped. "Go."

With a roll of his eyes, the Rogue finally relented and followed Ramon out of the room. He looked back at me one last time, his dark eyes overcast with indistinguishable emotions. My wolf roiled inside me, and I gulped nervously as my imagination assaulted me with countless morbid possibilities.

Before I could sink further into panic, Adrian grabbed my arm and dragged me out of the room. His men immediately made themselves scarce, and a new fear made me shudder.

Here I was, worrying about the Rogue when I was still in the presence of an equally terrifying predator.

What could I do when I'm stuck between two evils? What choice did I have between the only options presented to me?

None.

Or perhaps I could choose the lesser evil among them.

The cogs in my head turned, and a plan began forming. There's a reason why Adrian had stooped so low just to earn the Rogue's loyalty. I needed to know what drove him to do this, why he needed him.

Perhaps revenge was still within reach. Until then, I needed to endure and survive whatever was coming.