Chapter 94 - You’re her brother

HADRIAN

The tall girl walks into the room when she’s done arguing with the guy in charge. They have strange names around here and I didn’t bother to remember. She holds two glasses of whiskey in her hands and I can smell the notes of oak, smoke and caramel.

Emma closes her mouth like a vice and shuts her lips, but her words still hang in the air.

*You shouldn’t have come here.*

Her words make me angry, scratch that, furious. They send flames to my chest and core. I feel like my breath turns into flames when I exhale. I have every muscle in my body locked in place to prevent myself from picking her up and carrying her over my shoulder. The need to make her my mate again feels imperative.

Her blue eyes are intoxicating and confirm with every look that she’s my mate. Nero is barely awake, but he recognizes the presence of his mate. Nero is weakening every day and even being around Emma is not enough now. I need her to become whole again. I need my mate.

Emma doesn’t understand that we’re two parts of a whole. One cannot live without the other. Once we recognize our mate we need to bond. If not, the connection will destroy us. It’s a cruel thing.

The tall girl places a tumbler of whiskey on the coffee table in front of me. The glass of amber liquid is stark against the pink coaster. She comes close enough for me to distinguish her scent. Pine, freshwater rain and acorns. She smells like the forest. I’m not annoyed by the scent, it smells good, but not mouth-watering.

Not like the sweetest and most divine dessert that stands in front of me with her wild white hair, blue eyes and tight-fitted jeans. *Definitely dessert-worthy.*

Emma fidgets with her hair and looks awkwardly around the room. She avoids looking me in the eyes. “You should uhm, clean them first.” She backs away further until she reaches the doorway. “Then use the ointment twice a day.”

I take the glass of whiskey and let the liquid flow down my throat as I watch her disappear out of sight.

“That was strange.” The tall girl says as she watches Emma walk out of the doorway.

I don’t look at the girl. My complete focus is on Emma.

She can walk away now, but I will get her back. I’m still a wolf and we like to hunt.

———————

The one in charge emanates a laid-back vibe while he shows me around the town. People greet him when we walk past. He smiles at everyone, including me. The only one who smiles at me is Emma. People usually fear me.

The people in the town watch me with intrigue. They welcome me because they don’t know what I am. They wouldn’t be welcoming if they knew. I have seen the damage to this town. There’s a glue holding these people together and it’s strong. It’s their collective hate for werewolves.

I saw the fear in Emma’s eyes. I remember her words telling me that they cannot know. I know I have to keep a cover. Luckily nobody knows who I am. They have never seen the Crown Prince, so they don’t know what he looks like.

The leader, Dex, explains to me what they do here and what their goal is. *Kill my father.* He shows me the sharp silver arrows as he explains their plan.

I watch the glint of silver as he puts it back in the case. An arrow like that doesn’t even have to hit his heart, anywhere in his torso or stomach will do enough damage. The burns will destroy any organs it hits. The bleeding will be too severe and the healing too slow.

He tells me I can stay in one of their rooms. I discard my shirt and clean the wounds like Emma said. Cold water runs over the burned tissue of my arms and hands. It momentarily relieves the simmering heat.

The silver significantly slows the healing process except for the spot that Emma touched on my left hand. Those burns were the worst, but now they are almost healed. I bet I would heal completely in minutes under her touch.

When my skin is clean and dry, I rub the ointment on the burns. The texture is thick and soothing. It’s cool and relieves the burning heat emanating from my skin.

The door of the bathroom opens and in the doorway appears a familiar face. Blonde hair sticks out in disarray. His palms rub into sleepy blue eyes. They widen when they spot me and I notice that they match those of Emma. “What the fuck?”

I’ve seen this man before. Last time he was pinned under my arm against the marble wall of the palace. On the day of the choosing ceremony. “I know you.”

He tried to stop me from choosing Emma as my mate. He tried to threaten me with a silver dagger against my back.

“Hadrian?” He runs a hand through his hair and panic starts to settle in. His hair springs to all sides. He feverishly looks around him and back to me. “What the hell are you doing here?” He whisper-yells and locks the door of the bathroom behind him. The bathroom is not large, but the man manages to squeeze himself into the space.

I walk back until the cold tiles hit my bare back. “I’m treating my burns.”

“You’re treating your—” He shakes his head and rubs his temples. “I mean, what are you doing here in Aldea?”

The presence of his dormant wolf is clear in his aura. I can sense the fact that he isn’t human. Werewolves can distinguish between humans and a dormant wolf. We can sense the supernatural even if their wolf isn’t present. I’ve never perceived him as human back when he was in the palace. Just the other guy who was with him.

The wheels are turning in my brain and things click into place.

“You’re her brother,” I conclude.

I start to connect the dots and I can’t believe the answer is right here. Lucas has a dormant wolf just like Emma because they are only half human. “You’re Lucas.”

“Thanks, I didn’t know that.” He says with a roll of his eyes.

I frown at his answer. *How could he not know that?*

“You shouldn’t have come here.” Lucas turns back and forth in the small space, not minding the lack of space between us. His shoulder brushes against my chest.

“Emma said the same,” I grumble.

“It’s a miracle, my sister agrees with me.” His hands fly up in the air and hits me in the shoulder. “You should leave.”

“I can’t.”

“You don’t understand.” Lucas grabs my shoulders and attempts to shake me, which only happens marginally. “You’re a dead man if you stay here.”

I wince when I can feel the stitches tug at my skin. *What is it with these humans touching me?* I shrug my shoulders free from his grip.

He doesn’t understand that if I leave, then I’ll die too. Were not meant to live without our mate. Denying it will eventually disconnect my connection to my wolf and to the Moon Goddess. It will kill me.

“Have you seen those arrows downstairs?” Lucas gestures to the door that leads into the hall and downstairs to the living room. “If Dex finds out who you are, then I can guarantee that at least three of those will hit you straight in the chest.”

One would be enough to kill me, three seems excessive.

Lucas taps three times to the center of my chest. He holds my stare and waits until his words reach their impact. “You’re not leaving, aren’t you?” He eventually says.

“No.”

He sighs in disappointment and rubs his forehead. “You’re just as stubborn as my sister, you’re perfect for each other.”

“I know.”

“That was sarcastic.” Lucas deadpans and sends me a scowl. “Are you here to hurt my sister?”

I growl at the idea of hurting Emma. “No.”

Lucas looks at me with wide eyes and runs a hand through his hair. “This is going to be a disaster, you don’t even act human.”

Lucas hooks an arm around my neck and pats my chest. “We have a lot of work to do buddy.”

The door swings open again and Dex freezes when he wants to step into the bathroom. He watches us with raised eyebrows. “Sorry guys, didn’t know it was occupied.” He says with a chuckle and a curious glint in his eyes.

I follow his gaze down to Lucas’ hand placed on my bare chest and Lucas does the same.

“This isn’t what it looks like,” Lucas says and quickly detangles himself from me.

Dex raises his hands and steps back from the door. “No judgment from me. Just lock the door next time.” He says with a laugh and closes the door.

Footsteps and another chuckle sound through the hall.

“I can’t stand that guy,” Lucas says when the only thing I hear are voices downstairs. Lucas has the same complexion as Emma and I can see the embarrassment color his neck and jaw.

I listen to Dex talking to the other guys downstairs and I cross my arms. “Me neither.”

From what I’ve seen so far he’s touching Emma way too much. If it were up to me the touches from him would be non-existent. Werewolves know not to touch another mate. We’re possessive creatures and understand the importance of distance. The scent lingers at every touch, even for a moment. I noticed the lingering scent of my mate on his hands.

“He’s just always….”

“Touching Emma.” I fill in and fury builds in my veins.

“Right. He’s always right.” Lucas directs a scowl to the door. “It’s frustrating.”