✦ ADRAIN'S POV ✦
I wanted to kill.
Not fight. Not punish.
Kill.
The thought burned through me like molten fire, stripping away every trace of control I had ever learned to hold. Rationality didn't exist anymore—only the image that kept repeating itself inside my mind.
Peter. Too close to her.
Peter. Touching her.
Peter. Looking at her like she belonged to him.
My fingers curled into fists so tightly the marble beneath my feet cracked without warning. I didn't even notice it happening. My body had already moved past control, storming through the mansion like a force of destruction that couldn't be stopped.
Then—
A hand landed on my shoulder.
Instinct snapped.
In the next second, I grabbed him and threw him across the room.
CRASH!
His body hit the wall with brutal force, and an expensive Italian statue shattered beside him, fragments scattering across the floor like broken glass memories.
"You've gone mad!"
Drek pushed himself up slowly, dust falling from his clothes.
"What if I died?!"
"I wanted to kill him."
My voice came out rough—lower than usual, almost unrecognizable even to me. Something wild had taken hold of my chest.
"I wanted to rip his throat out."
Drek froze, staring at me.
Then his expression shifted—subtle, but sharp.
"How dare he touch her?" I snarled again, and the room seemed to lose its temperature completely.
Silence followed.
Then Drek exhaled slowly, like something had clicked inside his mind.
"Oh."
That single sound irritated me more than anything.
My gaze darkened.
"Drek."
But he ignored the warning completely, a slow grin forming on his face.
"Adrain, you've never cared about me like this."
I didn't answer.
"You've never cared about anyone like this."
"Drek."
"I mean look at you," he continued, clearly enjoying his own death wish. "You're acting like a jealous husband."
The air turned lethal.
Instantly.
Drek swallowed, but the smile didn't disappear.
"You care too much about her."
A long, heavy silence followed.
Then—
"Are you in lo—"
My glare cut through the words like a blade.
The sentence died before it could exist.
"I don't care about her."
My voice was ice.
"Use whatever brain cells you have left and stop talking."
Drek raised both hands in surrender, but I didn't wait for another word. I walked straight past him, into my room, and slammed the door shut with enough force to shake the entire mansion.
✦ EIRA'S POV ✦
His eyes refused to leave my mind.
Not even for a second.
That terrifying stare.
That suffocating rage.
I sat curled on my bed, knees pulled to my chest, unable to breathe properly as the memory replayed itself over and over again.
I had never seen him like that. Not truly. Not until today.
For a brief moment, he hadn't looked human at all.
The thought made my entire body shiver.
His voice echoed inside me—cold, sharp, absolute. Promising violence without hesitation.
And the worst part?
I believed him.
If things had gone even slightly differently today… someone would have died.
My phone suddenly lit up beside me.
I blinked and reached for it.
Then froze.
My heart stopped completely.
Peter and Tessy.
Smiling.
Holding hands.
The headline below the image confirmed it—engagement this Sunday.
"No…"
The word escaped before I could stop it.
My chest tightened painfully, like something inside me had been crushed.
No. This couldn't happen. Not this fast. Not like this.
Tessy didn't know. She had no idea what kind of man Peter really was.
If she married him… her life wouldn't just be ruined. It would be destroyed.
I buried my face in my hands, forcing my mind to work through the panic.
Think. Think. Think.
Who could stop this?
Who would believe me?
Nobody.
Nobody except—
Adrain.
My eyes snapped open.
Of course.
He was the only one strong enough. The only one dangerous enough. The only one who could actually stop something like this.
But would he help me?
Probably not.
Actually… definitely not.
Still.
I had no choice.
✦ ADRAIN'S POV ✦
I sat at the edge of my bed, a file spread open in front of me.
Fifteen missing people.
All vanished near the forest. No bodies. No traces. No explanation.
Impossible.
We knew every creature inside this territory. Every movement. Every presence.
Yet people were disappearing like they were being erased from existence itself.
And I hated not having answers.
The doorbell rang.
I ignored it.
Then—
A scent drifted through the air.
My eyes narrowed instantly.
Impossible.
I was at the door before I even consciously moved.
I opened it.
And froze.
Her.
"What the hell are you doing here?"
My voice came out sharper than intended.
Good.
Maybe she would leave.
"I… Adrain…"
She hesitated, her voice softer than usual.
"Can I come inside?"
"No."
She blinked.
"What?"
"Tell me why you're here."
✦ EIRA'S POV ✦
I stared at him in disbelief.
Seriously?
Who greets someone like that?
I had come all the way here and he hadn't even let me step inside.
His eyes darkened.
Dangerously.
"Will you speak?"
His voice was ice.
"Or should I close the door?"
Panic replaced irritation instantly.
"No!"
I forced myself to breathe.
"Thank you for helping me today."
His expression didn't change.
"I'm really grateful."
"That's all?"
He began to close the door.
"Leave."
My jaw dropped.
"What?!"
I pushed against it immediately.
"I didn't come all this way for that!"
Something inside him snapped.
"What do you want?"
I swallowed hard, then forced the words out.
"Please help me stop Peter and Tessy's engagement."
Silence.
Everything froze.
His jaw tightened. His eyes darkened—deeper than before, colder than anything I had ever seen.
Then—
"You."
His voice dropped dangerously low.
"Get."
The door pushed forward.
"Out."
The final word hit like a growl.
I shoved my foot between the door instantly.
"Please, Adrain!"
His eyes flashed.
"Her life will be ruined!"
The pressure increased.
The door moved again.
Slowly.
Relentlessly.
"I will kill you."
His voice was deadly calm now.
"Leave."
"No!"
My entire body trembled, but I didn't move.
"You have to help me!"
He pushed harder.
Panic exploded in my chest.
Think. Think. Think!
Then—
"AAAHHH!"
I grabbed my leg dramatically.
"My leg!"
He froze.
Suspicion instantly flickered in his eyes.
Then irritation.
Strong irritation.
I smiled weakly.
"Please?"
His stare promised absolute murder.
"I don't care about you."
His voice was merciless.
"I don't care about her."
The door moved again.
"Leave."
And then—
"Wow!"
A voice echoed from the staircase.
"You two look adorable together!"
Everything stopped.
Adrain's grip loosened.
The door flew open.
And I lost balance instantly.
My body crashed straight into his.
We fell.
Hard.
For a moment, the world disappeared.
I was on top of him.
Too close.
Too still.
My breath hitched as I looked up.
His face.
His silver eyes.
Frozen. Ancient. Dangerous. Unreadable.
Something electric hung between us—heavy, confusing, suffocating.
My heartbeat went wild.
Then—
A cough.
Reality shattered instantly.
Adrain shoved me off him without hesitation.
I stumbled back, my cheeks burning.
From the stairs, the man was grinning like chaos itself.
"My Adrain has finally grown up!"
My brain stopped working.
He pointed at me.
"Why didn't you tell me about her?"
His grin widened further.
"Is she the one you've been hiding?"
Slowly.
Very slowly.
I turned toward Adrain.
Big mistake.
His expression erased every thought in my mind.
He was staring at me.
Not annoyed.
Not irritated.
But something far worse.
Pure, controlled murder.
The kind that promised consequences without words.
My stomach dropped instantly.
Oh no.
What have I done?