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And Luna made no effort to deny the claim. But Adrian thought he saw her lip curl up.
“Whatever,” Luna said, still resistant. “Don’t think it means anything.”
Adrian’s eyebrows rose to the top of his forehead, and for a moment, he stared at her in confusion. “It means everything,” he said. “Don’t you feel what I’m feeling? I’ve never met you before in my life, and I’d die for you.”
Luna folded her arms together either in defiance or because of the cold. Adrian thought he could see that under her cloak, she wasn’t wearing anything. Her bare neck revealed itself just under the wool covering.
“Uh … sir,” Robert said. “Should we leave you alone with the woman?”
The enforcer was clearly torn between his to protect the alpha and his desire to give them privacy.
“There’s no need,” Luna said. “I’ll be on my way soon. I’m just passing through.”
Adrian shook his head. “Please don’t,” he said quickly. “I need to know who you are. I need … more.”
“Why?” Luna asked, taking a cold, rigid stance. “Like you said, never met me before in your life.”
Adrian had to think fast. “Whatever you’re running from, trouble clearly is following you,” Adrian said. “You’ve got cuts on your face, and you pilfered that robe from somewhere. It doesn’t fit you at all.”
She stood firm, not replying or giving him an inch.
“So I can’t just let you leave when you bring trouble right to my pack’s doorstep. I’ll set you up somewhere. And maybe, in a few days’ time, you can be on your way once we sort everything out.”
She looked like she wanted to argue, but something kept her rooted to the spot. She lifted her nose and took a deep breath in. Her eyes narrowed. He saw the gears in her head turning. She was clearly mulling something. What could it possibly be? Did he not smell good enough for her?
He was about to sniff his armpits but stopped when she began to speak.
“Very well,” she said. “But know this. I’m not staying because you asked me to. I’m staying because it’s in my best interests to watch your pack. I think we could learn from each other.”
Having clearly seen the tenseness of the exchange, Adrian’s enforcers returned to his side, flanking him on the right and left.
“That’s entirely fine,” Adrian said. “And my guards will keep an eye on you.”
He turned to look at the enforcers next to him. All five of them stood at attention, ready to follow his commands.
“I have a cabin for you on the edge of pack lands,” he commanded. “You’ll stay there, in safety, for the foreseeable future. At least until you can convince me, you’re no longer a threat.”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Luna replied, her lip curling in defiance.
He felt bad about giving her such cold treatment, but she offered him no other option. He needed to know who Luna was.
The strings of fate never pulled idly. If she was his mate, he wanted to believe that she must mean him no harm. But these were trying times, and he couldn’t be sure.
“Can I talk to you for a moment, sir?” Herald requested.
Adrian looked from Luna to Herald, then back at the rest of his guards. He didn’t want to leave Luna alone, knowing what she must be capable of. She threw him off her with remarkable ease. There weren’t many who could do that.
He wished he could trust her. But as Adrian nodded to the rest of his guards, he only stepped away, knowing they would keep an eye on Luna in his absence. As Herald led him away, the other enforcers walked Luna over to the fire. Adrian couldn’t help but long for her despite knowing nothing about her.
When they were a good distance away, Adrian finally spoke.
“Yes?”
“Is it true that she’s your mate, sir?” Herald asked.
Adrian looked at Herald in confusion. “I didn’t just orchestrate a lie, conveniently, in front of everybody,” Adrian said. “Yeah. She’s my mate.”
“But how do you know?”
