Chapter Fifty-Three

We finish our breakfast and make sure the dishes are put into the dishwasher. Once everything is clean and we still have a good hour or so before we have to leave, Adrian goes upstairs to get ready for the day while I perch on the sofa by the fireplace to keep warm in his absence. I scroll absently through the comments on the photos I uploaded yesterday, noting that I have a message from my modeling agency in my inbox. I open it up and read it.

“Gorgeous, Lydia! Give me a call soon, we can discuss a show coming up next month.” It’s signed by my agent, Diana with a kissing emoji behind her name. It’s been a while since I’ve heard from her or anyone else from the agency since I opted to take some time off from accepting gigs after the attack so I could recuperate. I did call Diana to let her know that I was going to be moving, but would still be willing to fly wherever I’d be needed in order to accept more gigs. At the time, I was assuming that I’d be grateful for such distractions. Now though, I have plenty on my mind already like trying to save my best friend from a disease that deteriorates his mind and trying not to be murdered by Hybrids that I just discovered exist all of the sudden.

I sigh and dial Diana’s number, deciding that she at least deserves to know if I plan on accepting this job or not. She’s been very patient with me for the past few months, so I at least owe her the courtesy. After a few rings without an answer, I realize that it’s still pretty early in the day and she may not be accepting calls yet today. I allow the line to ring twice more before deciding to hang up and wait for her to call me back. Whenever she does get herself ready for work, I know that she’ll get back to me once she notices the missed call.

Adrian comes back down the stairs without my knowledge, creeping up behind me and wrapping his arms around my neck, hugging me against his chest. “Are you calling someone?” He asks curiously, pulling back to take a seat beside me. He’s wearing a similar black sweater as me, paired with a set of black business pants and a leather belt with a gold buckle. The plain golden chains around the neck of his sweater tell me that he really did pick his outfit with the intent to match mine, which brings a smile to my face.

I reach to flick the fine chains hanging from his neck playfully. “You look good with these; very fashionable,” I confess, giving him another once-over to appreciate the way the turtle neck accentuates his biceps and pectoral muscles. “I was just going to call my agent, but I realized it’s too early for her to be working. I’ll try again later.”

Adrian raises an eyebrow, glancing down at my locked phone screen. “Oh, yeah. I forgot that you’re a big shot model,” He says, sounding somewhat impressed. He reaches to caress my cheek, tucking the purposefully loose strands of hair that frame my face behind my ear. “I’m sorry there isn’t much around here to help you with that.”

I shrug a shoulder noncommittally, turning to look out the windows at the snowy mountain tops. “It’s okay. If there are any jobs that I actually want to accept, then I’ll just fly out to them. You can take me on your private jet,” I tease, turning back to poke him in the ribs.

Adrian snickers and shakes his head, pushing me back playfully against the couch. “I can hardly expect my girlfriend to fly commercial, now can I?”

I sit up, reaching to smooth my hair down. I can’t help the way my heart flutters at hearing him call me that, despite how childish it feels. I’ve had a few boyfriends in the past, but this is the first time I’ve felt genuine butterflies around anyone. I hope that my face doesn’t look as red as it feels as I clear my throat, willing the nerves to flee. “Have you told the Pack about us yet?” I ask, hating how small my voice sounds. I sound shy despite my best efforts at playing it off. “I hate how they stare at me.”

Adrian chuckles, reaching to touch my neck absent middle as he looks at my layered necklaces. “They already knew, that’s why they were acting stupid,” He says, rolling his eyes. “I told them not to approach us so you didn’t get freaked out. I try not to be too familiar with them, anyway.”

A frown tucks at my lips at his confession. “Why not? They’re like your family, aren’t they?”

Adrian presses his lips into a line as he considers how to respond, probably trying not to sound like a dick in his honesty. “Well, sort of. Alpha’s have to be respected and sometimes making them wary of you is the best way to do that. If they get too familiar with me, they may not listen to me when it matters the most. Besides, they understand that I’m more of their boss than their friend.”

“Oh, so you’re the CEO of the Pack business,” I say, finding it easier to understand in a normal analogy. Company bosses and managers need to have a delicate balance of fraternization and respect, so they have to make sure not to be too familiar with their employees. I guess it makes sense, but I still don’t get why he has to give them such cold glares. He can ignore them without being a total asshole.

Adrian smiles slightly, dusting my cheekbone with his thumb. “Exactly. I know it’s hard to imagine, but I’m even nicer than my father is to them. He’s not exactly what I’d call a friendly person.” A distant look forms in his eyes as he mentions his father, making me quickly realize that they probably don’t have the best relationship. I get the feeling that Adrian was never watching over me of his free will after all, but because his father ordered him to do it. How could my father consider someone so Ridgid a friend?

“Oh,” I mutter, my gaze dropping from the tormented look on his face. “I don’t want to meet him, then. I’d probably make him mad,” I admit, feeling the spark ignite in my belly. I know the type of businessman very well. His father is probably misogynistic and straight-up mean to those around him, which all but answers my question about what likely happened to Adrian’s mother.

Adrian’s smile turns tight as he glances at his watch, taking my hand to pull me to my feet. “I’m not sure that can be helped, little bunny,” He sighs, looking down at me with a soft gaze. “You’re a Princess now that you’re mated to me. Not only by my Pack’s standards but also on your side of the family. The Sorcerers consider you to be close to royalty too, and you’re the daughter of my father’s strongest ally. He’ll definitely ask to meet you, probably as soon as word travels to him through the Pack.”

I marvel at the way his father’s mention can make him look so sad, despite his attempts to hide behind his smiles. “Then we should wait until my dad can get over here,” I say quickly, getting a horrible feeling about meeting the Alpha of the largest pack in the world. “Surely they would like to see each other again for such a joyous occasion.”

Adrian ushers me to the stairs by my waist, silently asking me to get ready to leave for school. His grim expression suggests that our parents may not be as close as I was originally led to believe. “I’m sure they would. Let’s get going, we need the extra time for the snow so we’re not late.”

I nod silently and head up the stairs to get my boots and coat, not at all fond of the feeling that settles in my gut. Now I have yet another thing to be worried about on top of everything else. I silently pray that the Pack isn’t going to expect me to go through some sort of ritual. After all, I’m Adrian’s Mate, because I would be against it. I’ve never been a religious person, but I still refuse to sacrifice anything for any reason, especially not to bond me to someone I only recently met. I can’t even bring myself to think about that right now, so I turn my attention to pulling on my boots and gathering my purse of the day.

By the time I get back downstairs, Adrian is waiting by the garage door with my car keys in one hand and a to-go cup of fresh coffee in the other. I follow him out to my G-wagon and we climb into the car, making the unanimous decision to let Adrian drive today.