Chapter 15: Not ever
"Wolfsbane."
Adrian’s voice is calm as he pushes Cameron’s unconscious body toward me.
My heart lurches as I reach out and catch him, his weight collapsing into my arms. Despite the sheer size of him—**all hard muscle and sharp edges hidden beneath tailored suits—**he feels weightless. My fingers instinctively curl around his broad shoulders, pulling him close, cradling him like something fragile.
Because to me, he is.
I planned for this. I’d prepared the wolfsbane just in case we needed to bring him back by force, a small dose hidden away in my bag. I’d hoped—desperately hoped—I wouldn’t have to use it. But when he’d almost rejected the bond, the words forming on his lips, I’d felt something cold and hollow wrap around my heart.
He might not have known, but that was one of the scariest moments of my life.
"Thanks for stopping him," I murmur, my voice quieter than I expect as I glance at Adrian.
He shrugs, ever casual. "No biggie."
But his eyes betray him. There’s something sharp lingering there—a calculation, a curiosity. He studies Cameron’s unconscious form in my arms, his gaze lingering on the way I’m holding him like he’s something precious.
Because he is.
Cameron’s scent floods my senses—clean, crisp, with a faint undertone of something wild, something untamed. It settles me in a way nothing else can, grounding me even as my heart races.
"This is so odd," Austin mutters, stepping closer, his brow furrowed. "Is your true mate a... human?"