chapter 5- A wolf's protection

Chapter 5 – A Wolf’s Protection

The echo of the gunshot still rang in Elena’s ears long after the chaos had stilled. The Moretti guards had scattered into the night like hounds unleashed, chasing the ghost of the gunman who had vanished into darkness. But Elena remained on the cold stone ground, her body pressed against Adrian’s, his hand firm on her wrist as if even the shadows might steal her away.

When he finally released her, she sat up, chest heaving. “You knew this would happen.”

Adrian’s silver eyes glinted like the moon itself, calm despite the danger. “I suspected. Now we both know.”

“You used me as bait,” she accused, voice trembling with fury.

His jaw tightened, but he didn’t flinch. “If I wanted you dead, you’d be lying here in blood. What you saw tonight proves my point: someone is targeting you. Not for what you’ve done—but for what you are to me.”

The words sank into her like poison. To him? She wanted to spit back, to deny the claim, but the memory of his body shielding hers silenced her tongue.

Back inside the estate, the storm of activity had grown louder. Men moved with precision, reporting, searching, whispering about betrayal within their ranks. Elena followed Adrian down the hall, her eyes catching fragments of his world—the cold loyalty in his soldiers’ stares, the weight of respect and fear in every bow of their heads. He was more than a man here. He was a wolf among lambs, and they obeyed.

When they reached his office, Adrian closed the door behind them. The room smelled of leather and smoke, lined with shelves heavy with books and files. A map of the city sprawled across his desk, marked with pins and notes. Every street, every corner—his domain.

“You’re angry,” he said, unbuttoning his jacket and tossing it onto a chair. His voice was quieter now, stripped of command.

“You put me in the middle of your war.”

His eyes met hers, steady and unyielding. “You were already in it the moment your brother drew blood against my family. I didn’t choose this for you. Fate did.”

The mention of her brother clawed at her chest, igniting the fire she had tried to bury. “Don’t you dare speak his name. Don’t you dare pretend you understand what I lost.”

For a heartbeat, something raw flickered in Adrian’s expression—guilt, regret, or maybe a truth he wasn’t ready to share. But then the mask returned.

“Elena,” he said, her name rolling off his tongue like a secret, “I can’t promise you safety. Not in this world. But I can promise that as long as you stand beside me, no one will touch you without answering to me first.”

The certainty in his tone sent a shiver through her. She wanted to hate him, to turn away from the promise laced with power, but her heart betrayed her. It beat faster, louder, pulled by something she couldn’t name.

“Protection isn’t free,” she whispered.

A slow, dangerous smile curved his lips. “No, it isn’t.” He stepped closer, his shadow falling over her, his presence overwhelming. “The price is trust.”

Elena’s throat tightened. “And what if I can’t give you that?”

“Then,” Adrian murmured, his voice brushing against her skin like silk, “you’ll learn that wolves don’t wait for consent. They take.”

His words burned through her, half threat, half promise. The air between them crackled, her dagger heavy in her hand though she couldn’t lift it.

Before she could speak, the door burst open. One of his men rushed inside, breathless. “Boss. We found something. The shooter wasn’t alone. There’s a name… someone from the inside.”

Adrian’s gaze hardened, the softness gone in an instant. He straightened, all trace of the man replaced by the wolf. “Who?”

The guard hesitated, eyes flicking toward Elena before he answered.

Adrian’s voice turned to steel. “Say it.”

The name fell like a knife between them, and Elena felt her world tilt. Someone she thought she could trust had betrayed her—and the Morettis.

Adrian’s hand tightened into a fist. “So it begins.”

Elena’s pulse raced as she realized the truth: she wasn’t just a bystander in Adrian’s war anymore. She was a target. And the wolf at her side might be the only thing keeping her alive.

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