9. Adrian

NINE

Aheavy rock guitar solo pumped over the speakers. The weights fell from Adrian's arms, vibrating the floor with its impact. Adrian cricked his neck, catching his breath as he looked around his private gym.

I've stuck to my plan for a solid month, he thought. So why is Chloe still on my mind?

He paused his music and took a seat on the closest bench.

Opening his phone, he paid no mind to the endless messages from women looking to sleep with him, instead giving in to his curiosity.

He knew his commitment to avoiding her was a simple lie. He'd given in to temptation many times and sought Chloe on every social media platform. Sometimes, it was to obtain information, and sometimes, it was to lay eyes on her beautiful face again.

"Hmm," he muttered when he noticed her profile came up as a recommended search.

Figuring he must have searched her enough times for his phone to catch on, he clicked on her profile and browsed through her photos.

As his eyes lit with fascination, his mind piqued with interest at the thought of a life with her.

He thought of a different life where she was a dragon shifter herself. He even contemplated the notion of being human, an idea that didn't outright disgust him. At least then, he'd be with Chloe.

Maybe we could have been together.

His inner dragon again protested his opposition, urging him toward the fantasy he couldn't ignore. It told him that despite his reservations, he couldn't ignore destiny.

Just watch me.

He grumbled and wiped himself with a towel, closing the gym entrance behind him. A few minutes later, he stood in his shower cubicle, eyes closed as water rained down on him.

The steam served as a temporary comfort, but his mind kept returning to the inevitable.

The Full Moon Masquerade was fast approaching on that very evening, the very same event where he had met his fated mate a month ago.

There was nothing Adrian could say or do to distract himself. This full moon was going to be particularly different.

Will another woman successfully satisfy me if I go? Will it merely be a waste of time?

Many questions mixed with his inner dragon's voice as he rubbed his temples in agony. He could attend and easily find a woman to sleep with him, but for the first time, he felt unsure.

Ever since that fateful night with Chloe, no other person sparked his arousal. The full moon was only serving to amplify his feelings of sexual frustration.

That's when an idea occurred to him, suddenly and out of nowhere.

He quickly sent a text to Dan, informing him of a prior engagement interfering with attending the party tonight. Just when he thought he had found the perfect solution, Dan's reply deflated him.

While I understand you're a busy man, your absence might be seen as a snub to the wolf pack. It's up to you.

It was true that he couldn't risk hurting the relationship between the dragons and the wolves, which meant that he had to go. There was no other option.

He dressed in silence while his mind and his inner dragon shouted at him.

A few hours passed. Adrian drove slowly up to the entrance. He arrived late on purpose, and his mood had only worsened since that morning.

The valet took his car as soon as he exited the vehicle.

He dawdled outside before forcing himself to enter the manor.

What more could he possibly expect to find?

He had no intention of fucking anybody. He would make nice and say hello, and then he would leave.

Despite being late, it seemed like the party still hadn't entered full swing. There was only a faint preamble of the kinds of unruly and unapologetic sex these parties invited.

Amid the bumbling partygoers, he spotted Dan in the lounge chatting with his wife, Sabria.

"Finally," he groaned.

He froze in place, looking in the open library door to his far right. Standing there in the frame was Chloe, her attention fixated on another shifter, a woman whose face was concealed by a mask.

His body sprang forward like an arrow from a bow, but he stopped himself and mingled with a nearby group. Watching from a distance, he wondered what the woman could possibly want with Chloe.

A faint hint of jealousy crept irrationally through him, then expanded and grew more menacing. It was urging him to pry Chloe from her present company and take her for himself.

I won't do that, he protested.

Surprise took him as Chloe started walking toward the exit.

Adrian tilted his head in confusion. She was fully dressed, an indicator she'd arrived not long ago, so why was she leaving so soon?

He could sense how sad she was.

His dragon urged him to follow her out the door, but another idea came to him.

He approached the dragon shifter she'd been talking to, shocked once she lifted her mask for a moment.

"Gayle Defranco." The name slipped off of his tongue like a forbidden curse. Disbelief was all he felt as his former childhood friend approached him.

With each step, more of their shared past came rushing back to him … the bloodied war between their families, how his family had triumphed and killed all of hers …

He clenched his fist as she came closer, wondering what she'd do now that she'd spotted her enemy. Her arms around him caught him off guard, his defense already melting.

"Adrian Dracos, you are more handsome than you were a hundred years ago."

She planted a polite, tender kiss on his cheek as they parted.

"It's a long time to work on yourself," he said, unsure of himself. "Who were you talking to?"

She seemed far more gregarious than he remembered.

"Oh, Adrian, I wish you had come just a moment ago. That was a human friend of mine, Chloe. You know, some asshole told her that she was his fated mate, then proceeded to ghost her entirely."

"That's … not right." He gulped and blinked, wondering if he was dreaming.

"I think he just wanted to fuck and leave her. But then again, that is the point of these events."

He flashed her an uneasy smile.

"No true mate would do that." She sighed. "Anyway, how have you been? You're looking quite appetizing tonight."

He found her hand suddenly resting on his chest. Clearing his throat, he stepped back. It wasn't right.

"What's the matter?" she asked. "Am I coming on too strong? It's my first time at this, so you'll have to guide me."

Adrian didn't know what shocked him more, her apparent niceness in excusing the war a hundred years ago or the fact she wanted to sleep with him.

"Your offer is generous, and maybe in another world," he said, trying not to cringe. "But the thing is, I've made a commitment to someone else."

"A playboy like you has committed? To one person?" she retorted in disbelief.

"A lot can change in a hundred years." He laughed.

"Hmm, suit yourself. If anything, your resistance only makes you hotter in my eyes."

"You're too kind, kinder than I expected you to be."

She laughed. He might have been imagining it, but it almost sounded like a cackle.

"It's been decades since the war, Adrian. Let bygones be bygones. This is a new era in our lives, and I, for one, intend on making peace."

Adrian glanced over his shoulder. Now that the worry of Gayle was gone, he wanted to go after Chloe.

"I better leave," he told her. "It was good seeing you again, Gayle."

He quickly left during the middle of her farewell, and in a moment, he was outside. Already, he was picking up the trail of her scent and was discouraged when he bumped into the valet on his way out.

"Leaving so soon, sir?"

Adrian had no time for these petty routines. He needed to go after Chloe. The pull was far too strong to ignore.

"I'm looking for a woman with black hair and a curvy figure. I'm not sure what dress she was wearing, but she may have come through here just moments ago."

"Ah, yes, I know who you speak of," said the valet with a smile. "She's already gone, though, I'm afraid. Is there something else I can do for you?"

Adrian shook his head and turned away, seething with frustration. At that moment, every last ounce of his efforts was taking its leave.

For a month too long, he'd avoided his fated mate. No matter how he tried, he knew now that it was futile.

If I avoid this any longer, it might drive me insane.

His inner dragon roared with approval.

"We've waited long enough," grunted Adrian.

He looked up to the full moon, the mere sight of it rousing his animalistic drive to seek Chloe out. He let the moonlight consume him, driving him into action.

Retreating around the building's rear, he found a relatively quiet area.

Making sure there was nobody around, wondering why he was suddenly concerned with modesty, he ripped off his suit. In the blink of an eye, he was in the skies, soaring through the air.

He let his instincts take control, following Chloe's scent trail.

He was tired of running away. It was time to run toward something.