“I have given you all the honesty that you need,” he said, his voice cracking a little. “I told you in the carriage that I must do something to thwart Briarwood and that was more than you needed to know.”
“I cannot speak of what Briarwood means to do. I do not care about his plans. What I want fromyouis connection,” she insisted. “I am tired of having to guess which Wolfcrest I will get to interact with. Would it be the man who bought me a pretty necklace at the fair? Or will it be the man who treats me like a delicate ornament, pretty but unnecessary? You were warmer toward me when you did not even know me yet. Perhaps I cannot really blame you for being hot and cold. I came with the burden of Briarwood’s nuisance.”
“I have to keep my distance, Daphne,” he gritted out. There it was. She could feel his feelings rising to the surface. Anger, shame, and terror were all there. “The only way to protect you is by keeping my distance from you. Do you not see? The moment I publicly defended you, Briarwood came sniffing again. He enjoys knowing that he is affecting me much more than he affects you.”
“You want me to trust you with my life,” Daphne said, “but you must trust me, too, with your truth. Yes, we have a charade more than a marriage, but it does not mean that we have to live like enemies. The unity must not only be a front if you want us to succeed against Briarwood or any other hurdles Wolfcrest will face.”
Adrian closed his eyes, looking strained. He let out a ragged breath. It was almost like he was trying to escape her presence, blocking her out. Her chest clenched at the thought. “I do not think our marriage is a charade,” he whispered.
“Then, what do you think we have here?” She waved her hand around the room.
“Do you want the truth?” he asked, surprising her that he’d even ask the question.
His voice was rougher and harder, sounding more like the man he must be after dark. He was no longer the man who even attempted to sound smooth and controlled in social gatherings or even when talking to Reverend and Mrs. Nicholson and her family.
No. The real Wolf was starting to come out.
“My title as the Duke of Wolfcrest is nothing more than a shield. It is a respectable front. The Duke is the man who signs treaties, pays taxes, owns a large amount of land, and the man who has political influence.”
Daphne’s heart thundered in her chest. She felt that he was getting close to telling her exactly what he had been up to at night and how he had gained a reputation as the Wolf.
He stepped closer, his eyes never leaving hers. His amber eyes locked on hers and she could see how his own admissions were causing him something akin to pain or perhaps remorse.
“The man who truly deals with monsters like Briarwood is nothing more than a monster himself. He holds the resources to protect Wolfcrest and to protect you.”
“The Wolf is nothing more than a nickname, Your Grace,” Daphne pleaded. “Perhaps it is a persona, but it is still you. It is part of you and does not explain how you can go hot and cold on me.”
“I live two separate lives, Duchess,” he insisted, shaking his head in a single motion of denial. “I don my armor when it is necessary. Wolfcrest and the money that comes with it are not enough to destroy evil men like Briarwood. I must be willing to do dirty deeds if I want to fight and defeat him.”
Then, Adrian took a step back. The distance made Daphne gasp. She wanted him to trust her with all his truths, but he was beginning to pace the room, as if lost in his truth.
“Duchess, the Wolf is not just a nickname. The Wolf runs the Obsidian Card, the most infamous gaming hell that gentlemen frequent in secret. It is not like the quaint gentlemen’s club lords are expected to visit when they are bored. No. It is an underworld empire built on cruel power and intimidation. Men lose their fortunes and honor in its secret places. Some people even lose their lives. It is a place of desperation and greed, and I thrive in it,” he spat, as if he were angry and disgustedwith himself. “I am the law in the empire, as I gather the secrets of men who go home to their wives acting as if they have done nothing wrong but are collecting debts every night. I make people disappear. There are a few in Society who whisper that I kill the poor souls who cross me wrongly. But they do not know…they do not know what I have done or what I am willing to do to protect all I hold dear.” He gritted his teeth. When he spoke again, his voice came out low and brusque. “My reach is extensive, but it is not all-encompassing. I do have the coin and information to manipulate people. Secrets? They are a commodity. Briarwood is aware of that. He operates in the same way. Now, he knows that you matter to me, and he will capitalize on that.”
Adrian turned toward Daphne once more, his eyes full of anguish and self-hatred. “It is how I knew that Briarwood was dangerous. When I met you by that path, I knew that you were too pure for that man. I did not think twice about coming to your rescue. I had to save you from him, but I did not stop to think about how I could save you from myself. The Duke is a respectable man, even with hints of rumors clinging to his name. On the other hand, people fear the Wolf. Which one do you want me to be?”
Daphne could not say anything, then. She wanted to hear more from him, and she was afraid that if she spoke out, he would stop. Adrian’s hands were in fists at his sides.
“I must keep my distance from you,” he continued, “but it has become hard. I spent years in darkness, and I can only give you that. Moments of warmth with you are nothing but lies that I tellmyself. You are too good and pure to be ruined by someone like me.”
A profound silence followed. Daphne could hear the sounds within the estate, little rustlings from a distance. Footsteps. Whispers. She could hear her heartbeat, as it hammered against her chest, making her feel helpless.
She processed his confession. Contrary to what he expected, she did not feel horror. She only felt clarity.
His hotness and coldness were because he believed himself to be two men, with only one worthy of happiness. The dark wolf seemed to dominate, though, and he was now willing to give it up.
Daphne knew she must talk to him. She walked on the thick rug towards the Duke, barely making a sound.
“What is my role then?” she asked. “The moment you claimed me as your wife you placed me within the sphere of your influence. You see me as something delicate that must be preserved, but you are not doing me any favors by doing so. It just makes you look more like Briarwood. He views me the same way, fascinated by how he thinks he can mold me. Control me. It was my mother’s fault for being the first to do that to me.”
Adrian’s eyes flared. She knew he did not like being compared to Briarwood or her mother. He didn’t want to be associated with the abuse that she had suffered.
“That is not what I said. But I know that if I let the Wolf touch you, I will destroy the goodness that is in you. You do not deserve that. You are strong. You are the only light in my life. The only purity.”
“So, you think you will be left with nothing but filth if you let me in? If you tell me your secrets? Am I that insignificant to you, Your Grace? If I were so important to you, you would tell me who you really are. I want to know the things that you have gone through. What your family went through.”
The mention of his family had his shoulders slumping in apparent defeat. It was as if she had intruded upon his most private thoughts and brought them out and into the open. His eyes went down to the floor.
“Of course you are not insignificant. You are far from it, Duchess. You have become everything to a man who is trying to survive.”
