Adrian's POV

I lurked in the shadows, watching her every move. I saw it all, from the moment  she walked into the hall with her shoulders slumped and her eyes filled with uncertainty, to the moment Jason proposed to Arnold's daughter and the hall went crazy with excitement. A girl took her hand and dragged her  through the crowd-to see their Alpha and his mate obviously- and I lost sight of her.

Moments later, my ears picked up her voice, it slit  through the noise, blurring  everyone else out.

"Celia...I can't breathe." she winced in agony. Then came the realization that her wolf had finally surfaced. "My wolf...Celia, I have a wolf." And finally, the part that changed everything. "Jason. I need to tell Jason!"

She went quiet again until she saw them- Arnold's  daughter and Jason.

"You are my...mate, Jason. What are you doing with her?!" Her voice pierced the silence 

the moment she called him her mate.

In a fit of rage, she called Jason out-a brave move I must say-screaming and asking why he had waited for her if he was only playing her all along. Long story short, Jason, being the doucheback he was, severed the bond without blinking-Twenty-five years of love and friendship, gone.

I clenched my fist, unable to stand Jason having yet another thing he didn't deserve. But my fury vanished almost immediately, replaced by a sly smile as I stood up. Before I could get to her, the crowd had already encircled her, hurling  demeaning insults.

I threw off the hat that aided my disguise.They recognized me instantly, and a  wave of fear spread across the room.I didn't spare any of them, I just walked toward her- the one I had come for. The crowd moved out of the way without being told, revealing her collapsed on the floor.

As I got closer, my chest constricted as if something was forcefully tugging at my heart. Even though the pain was intense, I didn't stop. I kept walking until I heard my wolf call her my  mate in my mind.

The Moon Goddess was indeed bored. That was the only logical reason I could find for such a sudden miscalculation. How could she and I be mates? First,  it was Jason, and barely ten minutes later, I was Vivica's second-chance mate?

When I got to Vivica, she froze. Her body language told me she felt it too.She crawled back, creating as much space as possible between us.I dropped to one knee in front of her.

"You feel it too, don't you?" 

After a moment of hesitation she looked at me and nodded.I offered her my hand. "Then come with me. Let's get you out of this hellhole."

____

"That woman isn't just some lowly intruder like you all think,"Arella blurted, taking a sharp breath before continuing. "She is Vivica Hale, daughter of Xavier Hales-the  traitor from two decades ago."

My eyes narrowed in absolute horror. The elders slowly turned to me, their expressions screaming for answers.But I was too concerned about Vivica, who was trembling violently beside me, to care.In a swift motion, bolted out of the room.

I followed suit.

"Dane, you don't..." Arella tried to stop me, but a hard glare was all it took to shut her up.I sprinted after Vivica, catching up to her in the archway.

"Where are you going?" I grabbed her hand.

"Anywhere but here!" she yelled.

"Vivica, look at me." 

"There's nothing you can say to make me change my mind" she spat. She was already crying on her first day in my territory.

"Forget everything Arella said in there. It doesn't change anything," I assured her. "And about your father,I'm sure he didn't betray your pack."

She whirled to face me the moment I said that.

"What did you just say?" For the first time, her red-rimmed eyes peered into mine with flinching.

"I believe your father is innocent. We just need to find the actual culprit and vindicate him."

"Is that  possible? I mean... I know it is, but I've been digging for years without any luck." she explained with a sudden burst of enthusiasm.

Something about the way her eyes twinkled with hope made my chest tighten. I felt a strong urge to cup her face and kiss her senseless, but I'd be ruining my plans. I couldn't love her, I shouldn't love her. Everything must be strictly business if I must reach my goal.

"That's because you've been digging in the wrong places," I sighed, taking a step forward. "From now on, I'll do the digging.Your father will be vindicated, and you'll have no reason to ever run again."

Her eyes pooled with tears. She pressed her lips together to keep from crying. I cupped her face in my palms. "You are safe here. Stop trying to run away."

She nodded, a streak of tears streaming down her cheeks.

"We have collectively decided not to accept this...this traitor as one of us," One of the elders interrupted.I turned to find them standing at the door.

"Theo."

"Yes, Your  Highness?"

"Get the necessary documents ready. Vivica will be ascending the throne in two weeks."

Vivica's POV

"Get the necessary documents ready. Vivica is ascending the throne in two weeks." 

When those words left Adrian's mouth, the hallway went dead. My eyes widened.I tried to object, but my words came out as  a helpless stutter. What was wrong with Adrian? Was this some sort of a joke ?

"Adrian...I mean, Alpha Adria-"

"Call me Adrian," his deep voice urged, his gaze  dropping to mine.

"Isn't this too-" 

He placed a finger on my lips before I could finish. "I told you already. You aren't the same woman you were hours ago," he whispered. 

When he turned to address pack elders who were too stunned to speak, his face hardened.

"The meeting is over, Elders."

"Of course," they chorused, before walking away heavy  in silence.

Theo pressed his lips together and gave Adrian a curt nod before heading out himself.

"Okay, Ms. Hale. How about I show you to your suite?"

"Mmm" I mumbled, letting him lead the way.

We walked toward an elevator at the far left. Adrian pressed a button  and the door slid  open. Once inside, he punched the floor number -fourth floor-and the elevator lurched upward.

"Thank you," I muttered, averting my gaze to hide the tears threatening to spill over.

"For what?" He tilted his head toward me.

"Everything," I said, pausing for a moment. "I don't know where I would have gone after such an embarrassing moment at the Full Moon party."

"It's nothing, Vivica. I should have come for you long ago but I was-" He stopped halfway, he must have realized he said something he shouldn't have. 

My head shot up instantly. "You knew all along? That we were mates?"

"No. It's not about our mate bond," he said, his face softening. "I just wanted to get you out of that place. For your father's sake."

"My father? You knew him?" A smile glinted

 on my face.

"Who doesn't know Xavier Hale? The greatest warlord to ever exist." He made a face-a playful exaggeration that I found genuinely funny. 

I chuckled awkwardly. "That's not what I meant."

"Mhm. I get you"He dipped his hands into his Jean pockets and looked ahead. "I got my first training from him. At first, I thought Vane wanted him to kill me and was just using the  training as a cover"

I gave a small laugh. "Why would you think that?"

"Because I was too young for the things he was making me do" He stressed, a subtle smile growing on his face. "But it turned out it was all for my own good"

The elevator dinged and we stepped out. My eyes scanned the fourth floor, which looked even more luxurious than the ground floor.

"This feels like...heaven" I whispered, the words escaped my mouth before I could stop them. 

"I'm glad you like it.  It's your home from now on," he said. "Let's get you to your suite."

We walked down the hallway and a girl who looked to be in her early twenties approached us.

 "Good day, Alpha." She greeted, bowing her head lightly. 

"Good day, Melissa." Adrian replied. 

Melissa walked toward the  elevator, but her gaze must have dug  deep into my back, because I spun instinctively. I caught her staring just before she looked away. 

"Give me your hand," he requested.

I offered my hand without thinking. He pressed my thumb onto the fingerprint scanner. When the smart door beeped and  a green light flashed, a digital voice echoed, "Finger print saved."

He typed something into his phone, then looked at me. "Speak after the door handle blinks yellow."

"What do I say?" 

"Anything. I just  need to capture your voice."

The handle blinked yellow. I cleared my throat and spoke. "My name is Vivica Hale."

He looked at me and nodded with a lopsided smile. "Correct."

Again, the handle blinked green. He twisted it and ushered me  into the most surreal apartment I'd ever seen in my life. 

The suite was cozy-the perfect place to be after a hellish day. It felt like the kind of place you can run back to after tanning to escape the heat. Rich wood veneers covered the corner walls of the massive living room. A large flat screen television sat in a pristine white console, and sets of light brown couches faced the television, with a simple yet beautiful dining area at the back. 

"Hey Crisy, open the blinds," Adrian said.

 I started to hurry toward the cream-colored curtains when he caught my hand and  pulled me back. "Not you."

"Oh..." I whisper, my cheeks heating up in embarrassment. 

The curtains opened on their own, revealing a floor-to-ceiling window. Outside, the shadows of trees danced  to the wind while the moon cast its warm glow on the water.

"I'll ask Elena to help you settle in.  I've got work to finish." 

"Sure."

"Ok. See you in a bit," he said casually, before turning around  and  walking out of the suite. 

The moment he left, I dropped onto  one of the plush sofas and looked around in absolute disbelief.

I eventually left the living room to check out the rest of the suite. The bedroom, restroom and walk-in  closet were just as massive and opulent, with mirrors of various artistic cuts hanging in all the right places. 

"open the curtains" I whispered uncertainly, and they didn't budge.

I cleared my throat and tried again."Crisy, open the curtains."

A few seconds passed before the curtains parted, exposing yet another alluring night view through the floor to ceiling glass window. 

"This is beautiful," I gasped, forgetting the turmoil of the day as I walked toward the glass. 

I stood there for a moment, admiring the body of water below. Everything happening was too beautiful to be true. From Adrian's nurturing words to his abrupt decision to make me Luna, and now, a whole suite to myself? Back at Red-Bone, I was given the worst of everything: food, bedding and clothes. Even healthcare had been an issue. But here, Adrian Ladi everything in front of me as if I were royalty. What blew my mind the most was how he stood up against his pack members for me-a nobody. 

I exhaled and began to nibble on my fingernails. "You have to be careful, Vivica. This is too good to be true,"

'You need to relax. This might just be the Moon Goddess' way of compensating you for all the troubles you've been through,' my wolf, Tisha, said. 

"Oh please. Why did it  take her this long to do it?"

A alarm went off, startling the shit out of me as it notified me of someone at the door. I rushed out of the bedroom to get the door. When I opened it, a  servant girl, I could tell from her uniform, was standing outside. 

"Come in," I said, holding  the door open for her.

"It's almost time for dinner. His majesty asked me to accompany you to the dining hall." Her tone was rigid and direct. I didn't need a soothsayer to tell me she didn't like me.

"The thing is...I  don't have anything to change into," I sounded like a kid who was too scared to voice an  opinion.

"That has been sorted by the Alpha. I'll help you prepare your bath before your outfit arrives." 

With that, she disappeared into the bathroom. The sound of running water echoed in the background shortly. She came out a few moments later and told me I could go in.

"Thank you,"

I entered into the bathroom and locked the door. One by one, I stripped off my clothes. I dipped  my toe into the water, before fully soaking my body in the scented liquid.

As soon as I  settled in and rested  my back against the tub, I closed my eyes and exhaled loudly. 

"This feels so good."

I was so worn out from working day and night that the only thing I wanted was to sleep. As I close my eyes I gradually drifted off until I heard a knock. 

"Your clothes are on the bed. I need to go to Lady Arella," the girl announced.

"Okay!" I shouted, loud enough for her to hear. "Thank you for your help!"

No response came. 

***

After almost an hour in the shower, I stepped into the cozy bedroom draped in a white towel with my hair in a wrap. The white fur rug  at the vanity table squished under my feet as I sat in front of the mirror.  One of the drawers contained a hair dryer; I blew it over my damp head and wild strands of auburn hair flew in all direction.

I finished my hair and ran a lip gloss  on my lips. I almost bolted out of the room when I realized I hadn't used any body spray. I might have spent more than an hour in the shower, but the stench of hardship wouldn't disappear overnight. The least I could do for Adrian was to look my best, that way it wouldn't be obvious at  first glance that he made a terrible mistake.

Vivica's POV

My stomach churned loudly the moment I stepped into the dining hall.

"I thought you were never going to come down," Adrian  stood up as soon as he sighted me.He left his seat to pull out a chair for me.

"Thank you," I said, smiling uneasily as I took my seat. 

"This is my aunt, Miranda," he pointed to the woman sitting  directly opposite. "Aunt, meet Vivica, my mate."

"Hello, Ma'am," I said with a polite smile.

Miranda only nodded, refusing to look up from her plate. 

"And you've  met Arella already," Adrian added. 

"Yes, I have." I nodded.

A servant approached us with a plate and carefully placed it in front of me. "Alpha Adrian initially  asked me to take your meal  to your suite, but since you are here, I guess you'll be eating with the others."

"Sure." I answered politely.

"I thought you got lost on your way here" Adrian picked up his cutlery and wiped it with a serviette.

"I actually did. I had to ask one of the guards for directions." 

He paused,  glancing  at me."Wait. You came here by yourself? What about  the maid assigned to help you?"

"Uh..." I looked around awkwardly, unsure of what to say. "I asked her to leave because I needed some time to myself."

"Oh. Okay. You should have called her when you wereready."

"It didn't cross my mind."

"It didn't cross your mind, or did you just not know how a smart home works?"

Arella mocked. 

"Arella," Adrian's voice called in a low, warning tone. "Don't do this."

"What?" She sip from the  glass of water in  front of her. "I only asked her a question. Why are you making it seem like an attack?"

"That's enough, Arella," Miranda spoke for the first time. She added a piece of meat onto  Arella's plate . "What did I tell you about talking while eating?"

"I'm grown now,Mom." Arella returned the meat to her mother's plate. "And stop picking things from your plate and dumping them in mine. There's more than enough meat on the table."

I lowered my head to avoid their gaze as they continued their exchange. I had other things to struggle with anyway-like using a knife and a fork. It had never been my thing; even when I was a kid, every effort  my late parents had made to teach  was useless.  I'd rather use a spoon.  

"You don't even know how to use cutlery?" Arella scoffed. "This is hopeless."

When she looked up and saw Adrian's gaze strained on her, she instantly apologized, to him, not me."Sorry. I'll keep shut and mind my business."

"Better."

We continued our meal in silence. When we finished eating, tea  was served. Arella and her aunt wanted theirs at the yard instead, leaving only me and Adrian at the table. 

"Did you enjoy your meal?" He asked the moment his family left.

"Yes. Thank you for the meal. It was sumptuous."

"You don't need to thank me, Viv. You are my responsibility, okay?"

I nodded.

"Good."

I picked up the little tea cup and sniffed the content.

He chuckled lightly. "It's chamomile,"

"Smells delicious" I said as I brought the cup to my mouth.  

"Careful. It's still very-"

"Ouch!" I cried out. The  steaming liquid bit my tongue, and I nearly spilled  the rest on myself.

Adrian stood up quickly and took the tea from my hand. 

"Are you okay?" He looked very concerned, but his face showed he was suppressing a strong urge to laugh.

"Go ahead and laugh. It was stupid of me to drink it that way."

"No. I wasn't going to laugh," he lied,  keeping  a straight face. 

"If you say so."

***

Adrian accompanied me back to the fourth floor. Once we reached the entrance of my suite, he stopped.

"Where is your phone?" He asked.

"I didn't bring it."

"Why?"

"Because you dragged me here, telling me I didn't need anything."

"Oh. I did." He muttered to himself. "Will  get you one tomorrow."

"I can ask Celia to bring mine, if that's okay with you," I suggested. 

"It's not an issue."

"Thank you. I should go in now."

"Okay. See you tomorrow."'

I watched as he entered a suite at the far end of the hall before I went in myself. Just as I was about to shut the door, someone held it open from outside. Miranda's face appeared through the gap,  and I was forced to let her in.

"I didn't know it was you," I said, trying to smile. "Please have a seat." 

Miranda didn't spare me a glance, just like she had done in the dining hall.

"I see you are boldly reaping where you didn't sow" she walked around the living room with a dangerous precision, her eyes scanning the suite like she was seeing it for the first time. "I can't believe he gave this place to you after I  pleaded  with him to let me have it."

My eyes widened,  unsure of what I had just heard.

"And now he's letting you, a total stranger, who has zero idea of what luxury is, have it. "

She whipped around to face me. "I doubt you even understand what you have here, let alone know how to appreciate it."

"I'm so sorry, ma'am. I had no idea you wanted this place. This is even too much for me. I'll ask him  for  a smaller place so you can have this." I spoke abruptly.

"Enough of the fake innocence, Vivian." 

"Vivica, Ma'am."

If stare could kill, the  one she gave me after I corrected would have sent me to hades.

"Girls like you act naive and innocent, pretending not to need anything whereas your aim is to hoard everything. Which is normal for people like you who grew up with nothing. You might be able to fool Adrian, but not me. I'll expose the real you before you sink your greedy claws into his life."

"You  are definitely wrong about me. I don't want anything from Adrian, he brought me here himself and told me-"

"Quiet! You don't talk until I'm done." She pinpointed. "Like I said, I'll make Adrian see you for you really are and have you thrown back to the gutters where you belong.until then, enjoy while you can" 

She scanned me from head to toe before storming out of the room. 

I closed my eyes and sighed aloud. "Looks like this circle isn't ending any time soon."