Chapter 0005

A week later,

On our way back home from school, I noticed Jaxson and Liam talking in hushed whispers and chuckling. I glanced at them, and the moment they felt my eyes on them, they went silent. Hazel had been smiling and teasing me since morning, which was unusual. My friends were acting strange, and it was getting on my nerves.

I stopped and turned to them. They quickly stopped in their tracks and looked at me. I pinned them with a hard stare. Hazel glanced at Jaxson nervously. He was suddenly interested in reading a poster across the street with a ghost of a smile on his lips, and Liam kept his gaze fixed on the road ahead of us.

“Guys, what is it?” I asked.

“N-Nothing.” Hazel was quick to reply. “It’s nothing, right, guys?”

I turned to Jaxson and Liam.

“Yeah, yeah,” Liam replied.

I could feel them hiding something from me.

“Why are you guys acting weird?”

“No, we’re not,” Jaxson responded. I looked at them in suspension for a minute and sighed. My mind flicked to Adrian. He must have been woken up by now. The thought brought a strange rush through me; the pull and urge to be with him were constant, and it made me so confused.

“I’m tired... I just want to go home,” I groaned.

“So eager to go home,” Hazel teased. I rolled my eyes and turned to her.

“Yeah, she has a patient, guys,” Liam added. “Handsome patient.”

“She’s been nursing his wounds and taking good care.” Jaxson nudged his shoulder at mine and smirked. I could feel my cheeks turning crimson.

“Stop it, guys,” I said, blushing hard.

“So smitten by the handsome patient,” Hazel laughed while pinching my cheeks. I glared at her in annoyance and slapped her shoulder. “Stop it,” I said, my cheeks flushing at her comment. They’ve been teasing me non-stop since they learned about my argument with my brother about Adrian’s training.

“Admit it, you have a crush on him, don’t you?” Jaxson asked, his smile widening. They all laughed at my flushed face.

“What?” I widened my eyes at his question. “No, no, I don’t have a crush on him.” I shook my head and tried to sound convincing, even though I couldn’t hide the blush creeping up my neck.

“Yeah, we know,” Liam said.

Is it that obvious? Did they notice the skip in my heart whenever those hazel orbs met mine?

Adrian had been a constant presence in my thoughts. There was an undeniable tension whenever I was with him—a silent exchange of glances that spoke volumes. Whenever my friends visited him to check up on him, they noticed everything.

It has been several days since we brought Adrian to my house. His wounds are almost healed, but not completely. I could tell that we were all more at ease around him, and I noticed him slowly getting used to my presence. His one-word responses were still the same, but I could feel him put his guard down around us.

As soon as I reached my home, I noticed the lights in the living room.

It must be Adrian.

I made my way to the front door and pushed it open with a hopeful smile on my lips. My eyes spotted him in the kitchen, cooking something. I placed my school bag on the couch and headed to the kitchen.

“Hey,” Hearing my voice, he looked at me. “Hi, how was your day?” He asked, his brown-golden eyes meeting mine.

“Good.” I smiled and sat on the tool on the kitchen counter. “What are you doing here anyway? I told you to take a rest, didn’t I?”

“Yeah, but I wanted to make something for you.” He said it with a small smile on his handsome face. My eyes were fixed on his face, his handsome side profile, and the rare smile on his face. The sight captivated me. I was unable to tear my gaze away from him.

I could feel my heart fluttering with a stirring of emotions that I couldn’t quite put into words. What is this feeling? He’s a complete stranger, I know nothing about him, but why do I feel this way whenever I’m with him?

“You don’t have to do that,” I said, and with great difficulty, I pulled my gaze away from him. I felt the warmth rush through me at the thought of his effort for me.

“I want to.” He said, “Please consider it a small token of my gratitude for everything you’ve done for me.” And I stood still, completely at a loss for words, watching him cook.

Without letting him see my flushed face, I quickly excused myself and rushed to my bedroom. I shut the door and pressed my back against it. I kept trying to control my breathing, but I couldn’t. A huge grin appeared on my face, and I was unable to control the butterflies running through my stomach. I covered my face with my hands.

“Goddess,” I grinned while pressing my head back to the door.

***

I took a shower and dressed up in casual clothes. I tried my best to control my stupid, fluttering heart before making my way downstairs. As I made my way to the living room, my eyes caught the sight in front of me that left me utterly speechless.

Rowan, Liam, Hazel, and Jaxson, along with Adrian, were standing in the living room, which was decorated with balloons and a beautifully decorated cake sitting on the table. My eyes widened in surprise as I realized what was happening.

Everyone was grinning at me as I strolled towards them, unable to hide my happiness and surprise. I couldn’t believe that I had forgotten my birthday, for which I had been waiting forever.

“Wha-what’s all this?” I stuttered as if I could contain the joy bubbling inside me.

My brother stepped forward and wrapped his arms around me, lifting me up and swirling me around.

“Happy birthday, little sister!” He exclaimed, his voice filled with affection and joy.

“Rowan, put me down.” I laughed, feeling a rush of happiness through me.

“Happy birthday,“ My friends hugged me one after the other, showering me with their best wishes and gifts.

“Thank you so much for everything,” I said to my friends.

“You should thank Adrian, it’s all his plan,” Liam said, looking at Adrian.

My heart skipped a beat when he said that, and my smile widened when my eyes moved to Adrian. My heart slammed against my ribcage as he approached me. When his brown-golden eyes held mine, everything disappeared around me.

“Happy birthday, Morana.” He said it in his husky, deep voice, his eyes shining with affection. In all these days that I spent with him, I had always seen him hiding his emotions, locking them perfectly behind those mesmerizing eyes, but not today. I see it in his eyes—the affection and adoration in them, which shook my core.

It made me overwhelmed with unknown feelings that rushed through my entire body. I had never in my entire life experienced something this deep and effective before. My eyes moved to his extended hand, and I saw a small box beautifully wrapped in a golden-colored gift wrapper with a red ribbon.

With my trembling hands, I took the gift and began carefully unwrapping it. A soft gasp left my lips when I gazed at the beautiful golden chain with a unique pendant. What captivates my attention is the intricate design that adorns the pendant: a small, twinkling star attached at the bottom, nestled in the curve of the crescent moon.

“So beautiful,” I said, my voice full of awe and wonder. “Thank you, Adrian.”

My eyes met his. “Thank you for everything.”

As I held the chain in my hands and was about to fasten it around my neck, it slipped through my hands, but before it could hit the ground, Adrian, at lightning speed, caught it in his hand and extended it towards me.

“Thank you,” I said, flushed with embarrassment as I met his gaze. Our hands touched, and suddenly electric jolts shot through my body, sending shivers down my spine. My breath stuck in my throat.

“MATE,” a soft feminine voice, echoed in the depths of my mind; it was clear and commanding, yet hauntingly familiar.

I stilled.

Everything around me stilled.

My heart skipped a beat. I felt the word echoing in my mind like a thunderclap, which left me stunned and breathless. Time seemed to slow down, and suddenly I became aware of the connection—the mate bond connecting Adrian with me—and the strong pull towards him. The sensations that I never felt before, the raw and primal instincts that stir deep in my soul.

Suddenly, something snapped. As quickly as it came, the overwhelming sensation stopped, and all of a sudden it vanished. It left me confused and bothered. The mate bond I felt just seconds before seemed to stop. I don’t understand it. I can’t feel the mate bond anymore. Why is it?

But I could feel the presence in the depths of my mind—a faint whisper of something undeniable and powerful—my wolf. She appeared. I was no longer wolfless.

My eyes met Adrian, and I could feel my heart skipping a beat when I saw the coldness in his eyes. It was empty and emotionless.

“Morana?” My bother stepped towards me. “Are you alright?”

I glanced at my brother and nodded my head. “Yeah.”

Rowan stared at me, suspicious and worried.

“Don’t lie to me, Morana, you don’t... look good. Is everything alright?” he asked, concerned.

“I…I felt my mate bond.” I hesitated, unsure of how to explain the sudden disappearance of the mate bond. “... and I don’t feel it anymore.”

“What?” My brother said, confused.

“I don’t know. It was there one moment, and it just... vanished.”

Everyone went silent.

Is it all my imagination? The intense feelings, the mate bond, the pull I felt minutes before—how did it all suddenly disappear?

What’s happening to me?

Is Adrian really my mate?

Before I could question everything that happened, footsteps caught my attention. I dragged my gaze from Adrian and saw Elliot, our pack Alpha’s son, our soon-to-be Alpha, my bully in the school, strolling towards us.

He stood before me, his expression serious and determined.

“Happy birthday,” He said that, and the next words escaped from his lips, turning my entire world upside down. “My little mate.”

“Mate?”