19. Shiro

19

Shiro

F or the rest of the morning, I couldn’t look Adam in the eye whenever we spoke. I’d look at anything else but him, and I knew he found it irritating. I didn’t want him to be annoyed with me, but fuck, I couldn’t help myself. Anytime I saw his face, I’d remember his naked body and the way he had touched me, and I’d start feeling hot and bothered and my heart would race like crazy, apart from the fact that I wouldn’t have been able to pay attention to what he was saying anyway.

It was nearly one in the afternoon when the doorbell rang, which meant Chase was finally here. Thank goodness for that because I didn’t think I could bear being alone with Adam much longer. The hot, intense atmosphere I felt with him around was just too much for me at the moment.

Adam was on the phone with somebody and it sounded important, so I said to him, “I’ll get the door.”

From the distance, he nodded, and I left the living room and headed to the front door. With a grin on my face, I reached my left hand out and turned the handle. As I swung the door open, I expected to see Chase’s tall, lean frame before me, but instead, I saw a woman standing there.

She was beautiful, I guessed, with blond hair and green eyes, and she was wearing a nice-looking dress and coat. She stared at me for a moment, and I, too, stared at her, wondering who she was. Then she flicked her gaze to my fox ears, widened her eyes as if in horror, and she started screaming her head off like a banshee.

The noise was ear-deafening, and I panicked the moment I realized what was going on. Of course, she didn’t expect to see a fox boy opening the door of a penthouse, right? But who was she?

My mind raced, and it came down to only one conclusion. The woman must be Adam’s girlfriend.

Fuck, I knew it. I shouldn’t have stay with Adam. Now I had caused trouble for him.

The woman was still screaming as I continued to panic, freaking the hell out with no clue what to do. I had never had much contact with women before, except Mom, and I certainly had never had any contact with a human one.

“Beastkin! Beastkin!” she shouted hysterically, pointing at me. “Help! A beastkin! Help!”

Help? But I didn’t do anything to her. I didn’t even touch her.

She thrust the door open wider and I staggered back, my heart racing. Then she threw her bag at me, attacking me. I saw it coming and swiftly shifted away in time, and the bag hit the wall of the hallway with a loud thud .

Adam came rushing over, and the moment he saw the woman, he said, “Fuck!”

When the woman saw Adam, she ran to him, wrapping her arms around him and clinging to him, crying hysterically, “Adam! A beastkin! There’s a beastkin in your home.”

Adam grabbed her firmly by her arms as he moved her away from him and said, “Debra, calm down.”

“A beastkin,” she said, pointing at me. “There’s a beastkin!”

Adam turned to me then and said, “Shiro, go to your room.”

Still freaking out and more than a little shaken, I mutely nodded and then hurriedly left. Inside my bedroom, I shut the door and then sat on the bed, wrapping my arms around my knees as I stared into space.

Debra, that was her name. Debra was Adam’s girlfriend, and she had turned up to spend the weekend with him. Shit, I had the nagging feeling that Adam had a girlfriend and that she’d turn up, if not sooner, then later. I knew if I were to stay with Adam, this sort of thing would happen, so why didn’t I leave? Why didn’t I want to leave? Oh, yes, of course it was because I was in love with Adam and the thought of leaving him was just too unbearable for me.

“Adam…” I said his name softly. “I’m sorry. I’ve caused you trouble. I didn’t mean to.”

A knock came at the door moments later, and I jolted, my heart now racing. It must be Adam, here to tell me to leave.

Fuck, I knew it was coming. No man would choose a beastkin over his girlfriend. I was sure she’d demand that I leave, and Adam, the loving boyfriend, would do whatever she wanted.

No. No. I didn’t want to leave Adam.

The door opened and Adam appeared. He came in and then closed the door behind him. My heart felt like it was about to break any moment now.

Please don’t tell me to leave, Adam. Please don’t, I chanted inside my head. I kept my mouth shut, however, and as Adam came to sit on the bed beside me, I held my breath, my body tense.

He grabbed my hand, the injured one, and I tensed even more.

“She didn’t hurt you, did she?” he asked gently.

I swallowed hard and mutely shook my head.

Adam moved in close and cupped my chin with his hand. He nudged my face up until I met his gaze. He chuckled and said, “I was wondering how long you were going to avoid looking at me.”

Because I couldn’t bear this anymore, I said, “Are you here to tell me to leave?”

He looked at me hard, and the longer he gazed at me, the tighter and more tense I became, waiting for him to tell me the inevitable.

“What made you think that?” he asked.

“That woman,” I said. “Your girlfriend, she’d want me to leave. She won’t have me staying here. I know it. I’m a beastkin. ”

He moved in closer and asked, “What made you think she’s my girlfriend?”

Why was he asking me that? It was obvious, wasn’t it?

I said bluntly, “She came to stay with you during the weekend.”

Adam burst out chuckling, which made me frown. When he stopped, he said, “She’s not my girlfriend.”

She’s not my girlfriend, he said. The words kept echoing in my head, and I felt like I could melt with exhilaration. The tension left me then and I widened my eyes. “She’s… not?”

He shook his head. “In fact,” he said, “I don’t have a girlfriend. That woman, Debra, she’s a work colleague, and I have an idea as to why she’s here.”

That woman was not Adam’s girlfriend. Adam didn’t have a girlfriend. His words made me feel so relieved and happy that I could cry.

I took in a deep breath, and Adam touched my face, caressing my cheek with his thumb. “You don’t have to worry about anyone else barging in like this again.”

I wasn’t quite sure what he meant by that. I asked, “So what’s happening with Debra? How are you going to explain to her about me?”

“There’s no need for an explanation,” he said. “I don’t owe her one.”

I tilted my head to one side. “No need for an explanation? But what if she contacted the institute and…” I trailed off, thinking about the horrible scenario if the institute were to turn up. They’d take me back to the red department and they’d do horrible things to Adam. The th ought scared me into paralysis and I started panicking. No. No. I didn’t want anything to happen to Adam.

“Shiro! Look at me!” Adam’s voice jolted me and drew my attention to him.

My heart racing and my body shaking, I said, “Adam, I’m scared.”

He said, “There’s no need for you to be scared, Shiro. It’s going to be all right. I won’t let anything happen to you, got it?”

I wanted to believe him, I really did, but how could he stand up to the institute, a massive organization backed up by the government, by the whole country? Even if he was indeed an alpha, even if he was a boss of a mafia clan.

The doorbell rang, and I gasped, thinking it was the institute here already.

No, not the institute, I reminded myself. It’d be too early. It had to be Chase this time.

“I’ll get the door,” Adam said as he stood. Before he left, he mentioned, “Debra is still here. She’s in the study room, so don’t go in there.”

I nodded.

When the door closed, I sighed. Once again, I reminded myself that Adam didn’t have a girlfriend and that he wasn’t kicking me out. That sense of relief and joy swept over me, and I said softly, “Adam, I love you.”

“Shiro?” I jolted, my fox ears perking up.

Lan? That was Lan’s voice. But what was he doing here? Oh, no! What if Debra saw him?

I got off the bed and dashed out the door, and the moment I was in the hallway, I came to a complete stop. Standing there was Adam and another man. He was tall and lean and he looked slightly like Adam, and I knew instantly that he was Adam’s brother.

Adam had a brother?

The man came toward me, and standing inches from me, he caught my chin in his hand, the way Chase had done previously when he had first met me. The man then nudged my face this way and that, and he said, “Fuck, you look even more beautiful in real life. Do you realize you’ve caused trouble for a lot of people?” He let me go then, and Lan popped his head out from behind Adam.

“Lan,” I said in relief.

He grinned at me. He said, pointing to the man before me, “So he’s my boss, Master Nolan, and he’s the big boss’ younger brother.” He pointed to Adam.

It took me a second to take that in. So, Adam was the big boss, as in the boss of a mafia clan, and this man named Nolan was his younger brother, who was Lan’s boss? Okay, this meant that everyone was related somehow, and Lan chose now to tell me this?

Lan came over to me and hooked his arm with mine. He said, “So stuff happened, right?”

If he meant Debra, then yeah, stuff definitely happened.

“Shiro, take Lan to your room and don’t come out until one of us comes to get you,” Adam said.

I wasn’t quite sure what was going on, but I guessed they were going to be dealing with Debra. I nodded and then led Lan toward my room. Inside, I shut the door as Lan made himself comfortable on the bed .

“So,” I began. “Tell me everything. Why you pretended you didn’t know Adam and everything else.”

Lan sighed and then pulled a pillow onto his lap. He patted the spot beside him and said, “Okay, but first, come sit down.”

I obliged and moved to sit next to him. He then wrapped his arms around me and hugged me tightly. “Ah, I missed doing this. It’s always so cozy hugging you, Shiro.”

Yeah, Lan was always a bit too clingy around me. Aka, too. Kuro though, he had always been a bit of an older brother, looking after us and protecting us, just because he was a few months older than us.

“So Adam is an alpha,” Lan said. “He’s the big boss of the Sullivan Clan.”

The Sullivan Clan. I had heard of them before from the streets. They were one of the big three in New York City.

“But aren’t alphas only urban legend?” I said. That was what Janet said at least.

Lan shook his head. “No, they’re not. Most people think they’re urban legend, but they’re not. Well, I would have believed that, too, until I met one for real. Actually, make that three for real, like in the flesh. They are rare, but they do exist. One thing is for certain, the one who inherits the clan is always an alpha because they are the only one who can control the others under them.”

“But aren’t most of the mafia members human though?” I asked.

Lan nodded. “Yeah, but they still listen to the alphas. I don’t know how it works, but they respect the alpha and love him. All the clan’s members are pro beastkin, meaning they stand for beastkin, care and respect our kind; that’s why we can work easily with them.”

I nodded in understanding. There were people like that, too, huh? Respecting the beastkin.

“Also,” Lan continued. “Master Nolan, my boss, he’s an alpha, too, but he’s more like the number two in the clan, so he’s Master Adam’s right-hand man. Dr. Chase is also an alpha, but he doesn’t like to be in any clan so he’s on the fence and works with all three big clans in New York City. He’s Master Adam’s best buddy.”

“I see,” I said. “But if Adam is the big boss of the Sullivan Clan, how come he’s here and not operating from like a mansion or something?” I asked.

Lan shrugged his shoulders. “He’s currently on sabbatical leave, apparently, and because he’s not at work, Master Nolan is super stressed.”

“But Adam is working though, right?” I asked.

Lan nodded. “Because he got bored not doing anything, I guess. In my opinion, he should be returning to his actual work. A ton of people and beastkin depend on him for survival. His work is very important.”

I guessed Lan was right. Being the big boss of a mafia clan, Adam’s job was very important, with hundreds of people’s livelihood depending on him. But what would happen to me if Adam were to return to his formal life as a mafia boss?

The thought frightened me. One thing was for certain; I wouldn’t be able to fit in anywhere in his life if he were to return .

“So right now,” Lan said, “Master Nolan is currently working on that woman and erasing her memories.”

“What?” I asked. “What are you talking about?”

Lan said, “Oh, I forgot to explain. Alphas, they have some sort of special abilities. It comes with being an alpha, naturally. Master Nolan can manipulate and erase memories, so right now, he’s doing that to the woman who saw you. Otherwise, you would be in serious trouble, right? She might call the institute, and Master Adam wouldn’t like that. It would piss him off and we might have to prepare for war or something. So, the only solution is to erase her memories.”

“Oh,” I said. Was that why Nolan turned up? I sighed. Adam would go that far to keep me safe? He’d call in his brother to erase Debra’s memory of me?

He cares. Adam cares.

I groaned, feeling emotions overwhelming me.

“You okay?” Lan asked.

I nodded. “Yeah.”

Wait a second. War? What did Lan mean by war? Just because of me, there might be a war?

I opened my mouth and was about to ask Lan to clarify when a knock came at the door. I shut my mouth again as the door opened and I saw Adam. He said, “All good now,” as he walked into the room.

I sighed and then relaxed.

“Does that mean we can come out?” Lan asked.

Adam chuckled. “Yes.”

“Awesome,” Lan said and merrily hopped off the bed. Then he headed out the door, calling, “Master Nolan? Can we like stay for dinner? ”

“Of course we’re staying for dinner,” I heard Nolan mutter darkly. “We deserve at least a meal after I’ve gone out of my way on my day off to come here and fix Adam’s shit.”

Lan burst out laughing. “Yeah, you say that but you were freakin’ happy when Master Adam called you before.”

“Shut up, you little rascal,” Nolan quipped.

Shaking his head in mirth, Adam said, “Those two always get along so well.”

I nodded. “Yeah. Sounds like it. They must have known each other for a long time.”

“Three years,” Adam said. “They’ve known each other for three years.”

“That is a reasonable time.” I sighed and then said, “Adam. Thank you.”

Standing there beside the bed, he ruffled my hair. “You’re welcome.”

I licked my lip and then said, “I didn’t know you were a mafia boss and an alpha.”

“What?” he asked. “You scared of me now?”

I shook my head. “No, I’m not scared of you or anything because I know you’d never hurt me.” I looked him in the eye and said sincerely, “I’m awed. I mean, you’re awesome and I can’t say enough how much it means to me that you helped me out and stuff.”

“Mm-hmm.” He leaned down and kissed me on the forehead.

I sighed, savoring the sweet moment. Shit, I desperately wanted to raise my face to his and kiss him back on the lips. But alas, Adam moved back .

The doorbell rang again, for the third time today, and I still jolted. Well, after that incident with Debra, I think doorbell ringing will get me a little unsettled for a while.

“I’ll get it,” Lan said loudly from the living room.

“Come on,” Adam said. “It has to be Chase this time.” He chuckled.

I nodded. “Third time lucky,” I said as I followed him out the door.

I was just about to enter the living room across the hallway when Lan said loudly, “Holy fuck!”

Since he sounded so shocked, I turned to look at him and it appeared he was standing there, frozen. What was wrong with Lan?

“Shiro, come here!” he shouted. “Shiro! Come quick!”

“Lan?” a familiar voice shouted. “You’re Lan, right?”

I felt my body tense for a second, and then I held my breath. Aka? It sounded like Aka. I rushed down the hallway and came to stand behind Lan, and there I stood frozen, just like Lan, as I stared at Aka in front of the door beside Chase. He was holding a brown bag of something.

Because I couldn’t help myself, I burst into tears as I walked over to Aka, my legs weak. Aka dropped the bag to the floor and then rushed to me, wrapping his arms around me tightly. He was also in tears.

Chase said, “Oh dear.”

I couldn’t believe it. Aka. It really was Aka and he was here. But how? But…

I hugged him tightly, never wanting to let him go .

Aka said, “Shiro. Oh, shit, I thought I’d never see you again, but… I’ve been searching for you and Kuro and…”

“I’ve been searching for you, too,” I said.

Suddenly, I felt Lan behind me, hugging both me and Aka. “Yay! The team is back. Well, not fully yet, but at least three of the four of us are back together.”

Aka laughed as tears ran down his face. “Lan, you silly wolf. Man, I missed you so much. I thought I’d never see you again after they separated us.”

“Yeah, me, too,” Lan said. “I thought I’d actually die in the mine, but I’m tough and persistent, so I won’t die that easily, apparently.”

“What the hell is going on?” Nolan’s voice came from behind us. “Holy shit. What’s with this weird scene? Lan, why the heck are you in tears?”

Lan turned to his boss then and grinned, tears running down his face. “Reunion, Master Nolan. Reunion.”