Adrian
The moment Jamie falls in my arms, my chest tightens like I'm the one that just took this hit. Like this is all affecting me and maybe in some way, it actually is. I feel his pain inside me. Theres a cry from my wolf, one that I don't know how long I can hide it.
I look at him, and his breathing in my arms is shallow but steady, sweat dampening his hair. He's close. Too fucking close. He came close to losing control in front of all those humans. I lower him onto the couch, crouching beside him. I know bringing him here wasn't the smartest decision, but I couldn't think.
I just needed him safe.
And this is the only place that he'd be safe.
Luca is still behind me, i can hear his breathing, and the anger in it. I really don't want to have to deal with him right now.
"This is insane Alpha," he breathes out in the silence of my living room. His voice is sharp and seething with judgement. "How could you bring him here? to the house? Adrian, what are you doing?"
I glance over my shoulder, baring my teeth in something that isn't quite a frown. "Keeping him alive. Protecting the pack."
"You should've left him."
The words hit harder than they should. My wolf growls in my chest, loud enough that Luca stiffens from the fear of my retaliation at his words. He's messing with things that he doesn't understand. No Beta should ever question their Alpha, and even though I've given him the leverage to be free, that doesn't give him the right to question me.
"You think I could've walked away?' I say, my voice too calm. "You saw him. He's shifting, Luca. He's not just some kid who got bit, he's fucking surviving the bite."
Surviving a wolf bite is not something that has been successful since our ancestors. Luca should know better than to question my decision. There's more to it.
"That doesn't make him safe," he fires back. He steps closer, crossing his arms like he's bracing himself. "You've been blind since the second you scented him. And I know that could mean he's your mate, but it might also be a trap from whoever did this. This—" he gestures at Jamie's body. "Might be a liability. What happens when the elders find out. Dom is out to prove that you're incompetent for this job. What happens when he loses it in public again, and people see what he is?"
All scenarios that could happen.
I know that.
My hands curl into fists. The image flashes hot in my head. Jamie in the library, terrified, shaking, his eyes glowing gold while humans looked at him with so much curiosity. He was in pain, and I couldn't help taking it away from him.
"Then I'll make sure they don't. I'll tie him to my fucking bed if that would keep him safe."
Luca's eyes open wide. "You can't keep him in your bed forever."
I rise to my feet slowly, deliberately, letting the weight of my wolf fill the room. "Watch me."
For a beat, it's silent except for Jamie's uneven breathing. Luca's gaze flicks to him, then back to me, unreadable.
"You're not thinking straight," he mutters.
"No." My voice roughens. "I'm thinking clearer than I ever have. He's mine, Luca. That bond isn't going anywhere, no matter how much I try to fight it. So, if the elders want him gone, they'll have to come through me."
Luca exhales, shaking his head. "God help us all."
Maybe he's right. But as I look down at Jamie, fragile and burning with something he doesn't understand yet. I know I'd burn the whole world before I let anyone touch him.
Luca leaves and as I carry Jamie to my room, I think about what the consequences of my actions could be. Jamie doesn't stir. His breathing stays shallow, uneven, the faintest tremor in his hands even in his sleep. I've seen wolves die from shifting, but I've never seen a human stop the shifting process. He was half broken, half burning, clinging to something fragile and fierce all at once.
The door to my room creaks and I know there's only one person that would enter my room without knocking. Bev walks into the room. "Relax," she mutters. She moves quietly, her hair pulled back, her expression curious. My sister always had that look, like she sees more than she says. Her eyes land on Jamie and i go protective again.
Even though I shouldn't.
She's my sister.
"So, it's true."
"Not now," I warn, my voice rough.
She ignores me, circling the couch, studying him like he's some puzzle left on our doorstep. "He's human."
"Not anymore."
Her brow furrows. "But that shouldn't be possible."
I don't answer.
She shifts her gaze to me, arms crossed. "And yet here he is. In your house. With you watching over him like he's—" She stops herself, but the word hangs heavy in the air. Yours.
"Careful," I say softly, but there's steel under it.
Bev doesn't back down. She never does. "You've barely slept for days. Luca says you're distracted. And now you drag some half-turned kid into the house?" She tilts her head, eyes narrowing. "Tell me why, Adrian. Tell me why him."
I glance at Jamie, limp against the cushions, his face too pale, his lips parted as if even breathing is a battle. The sight alone makes my wolf bristle, protective, furious at the idea of anyone questioning why.
"Because I couldn't leave him," I admit.
Bev's eyes widen slightly, then soften in a way that makes my chest ache. "You mean you wouldn't."
I don't deny it.
She sighs, shaking her head, and crouches on the other side of Jamie, studying him quietly. "Then you'd better be ready. Because if the elders catch wind of this… they won't see him as a miracle. They'll see him as a threat."
I clench my fists until my nails cut into my palms. "Then they'll have to come through me first."
Bev looks at me for a long moment and finally nods. "Then I guess we stand together."