ADRIANA’S POV
Xander has this way of gaining my attention even when my mind isn’t there. I look up in time to see Zara’s back straighten. Xander is standing less than a foot away from us now and I try to look at anywhere but him while I work on getting my breathing under control. I know for a fact the way my heart is beating isn’t just because of the exertion.
“Alpha,” Zara bows her head in respect.
“Can you give us a moment?” he asks, though his tone suggests it isn’t a question. Zara, who knows how he is, is already out of the room before I even have a chance to catch my bre
ALPHA XANDER’S POV“You smell like wolf,” I’m greeted with those words as I enter my office. I look at Donovan who has a glass tumbler at his lips, the sparkling amber liquid is almost empty.“What are you doing here?” I ask instead, glaring at his feet that are crossed at the ankles, ON MY DESK. “Get your legs down,” I growl and he does that immediately before sitting up.I don’t know why the fuck he spends all his time in my office when he has his, and all he does is annoy me and get on my nerves. Actually, this is the answer to my question.
ALPHA XANDER’S POVSanders is already shaking even before I do or say anything to him. Interesting.Donovan is standing behind him with his hands poised on both sides of Sanders' head. Okay, so maybe I do know why he seems so nervous. But that is what I’m looking for, a crack in his seemingly perfect exterior. I’ve already done a background check on him. He has been serving Daciana for a very long time, and she trusts him with her life.Except that is the main thing right now, I don’t. I don’t trust him with my mate’s life.
ADRIANA’S POV“Do you like this?” Daciana pulls out another short, skimpy and almost sheer dress from its hanger in her closet. I stare at it in wonder, trying to figure out where most of the parts are. A frown mars my lips and I look over what she is holding up to me to her expectant expression.“What is this?” I ask, genuinely confused. She throws her head back and laughs loudly.“A dress, Adriana. You know, what we wear to cover up.” she replies, her tone dripping with sarcasm.I roll my
ALPHA XANDER’S POVI give Daciana a look then turn to my mate, who has her eyes pinned to the floor. Even from here I can see how red her cheeks are. My eyebrows almost reach my hairline in question.What are they up to? My eyes do a quick sweep of the closet. Everything seems to be in place, I’ve been here a lot of time because Daciana likes sitting here for some reason and going through her clothes. Mostly as an excuse to go shopping. But she knows she can’t go out and there is no way in hell I’m letting either of them leave this pack until Khai is found.Aiden isn’t a threat, not yet at least. I&r
ADRIANA’S POV“What did you want to ask?” Daciana says, pulling me from my train of thoughts. I keep reading the book in my hand, to be honest, I’ve been repeating the same line, which I’m sure I’ve read before since I came out.Xander glances at me and I quickly avert my gaze, going back to my book and once again reading the same line.“The day you went out, for shopping,” he adds the last part with a pointed tone. I can see Daciana’s eyes roll from here, her brother doesn’t pay her much mind.
ALPHA XANDER’S POV I tell Adriana to stop mostly because I want to keep being in her presence more than anything else. And there Is something weird in the air, inside of me that I can only test when she is this close. I need to make sure the stress has not successfully made me lose my mind. There is no way I can explain to anybody what I’m feeling without sounding crazy. My heart is beating fast for some reason and I can feel the hairs on the back of my arms standing. I watch my sister, her face is passive, the blank look in her eyes giving nothing away. I know she is annoyed with me, I don’t think she has forgiven me for any of the things I have done to Adriana and while I hate myself sometimes when I think of the terrible way I treated her, I plan on making up for it now, in any way that I can. Daciana loves Adriana like her sister, their bond is one of a kind, something I can’t put into words. How fast they got close and how well they treat each other, it is like a match made in
ADRIANA’S POVMy heart stops for a moment before it resumes working at a faster pace. I don’t know how I guessed what Xander was about to say, but it made sense because my luck has always been terrible.The one person that can somehow tell us who my mother is, the actual truth of the story is the one that left. And I can’t help feeling guilty because the way Xander sounds suggests Aiden helped him. I doubt that though, I doubt Aiden even knows him.Not to mention, Adriana helped Aiden escape and I don’t think she will release any of her brother’s other prisoners for no reason. I heard from Zara that most of them did really terrible things. “Yes,” Xander voices his reply. I inhale a shaky breath and shut my eyes for the briefest of moments, when I open them, both Xander and Daciana are watching me closely. “Have you ever seen her picture? Anything would be of help right now.” he adds and I shake my head.The only thing I know about her is she had an affair with my father and then had
ALPHA XANDER’S POV I knew. Somehow, someway, even before she came out and said it. I knew. So I didn’t bother asking her how or what happened, only one thing came to my mind and so I asked her that.“Why?” Daciana gives me a blank look. Adriana’s emotions are all over the place and the fact that I’m feeling it so closely isn’t helping at all. I need to be rational, I need to think but I can’t. I can’t when I feel my mate thinking the worst of me, thinking of horrid things I would do to her—might.And it hurts a lot more to know I’m the reason she thinks that. Just me and no one else.“Why what?” Daciana finally asks, making me turn to face her. I didn’t even realize I turned from her until she spoke. My eyes keep finding Adriana though she is doing a good job at pretending she isn’t noticing it.“Why did you help him?” she doesn’t say anything for a few minutes, Adriana holds her breath while I just watch my sister, trying and failing to come up with why she would do that.I know she