CHAPTER 5

CHAPTER 5

Cynthia

Weak laughter splutters out of me. "W-What is this? Are you drunk?"

"You don’t feel the connection between us?" Adam cocks his head, looking intrigued.

I stare at him, my heart feeling unsteady in my chest. "Whatever… Whatever game you’re playing, it’s not funny. I came here for a meeting, not to be harassed."

I try to make my voice firm, but his presence is making my insides feel strange. My panties are growing damp, and panic is beginning to set in. Ever since that night with him, I’ve been feeling strange. My body feels strange. It was Tony who met me the next morning and gave me a pill to help me feel better. The pill did help, and I’ve been taking it daily from him. I never thought much about it. But now, I’m beginning to freak out.

"You…" I stare at him. "I don’t know what your game is, but I’m not interested. You’re mistaking me for somebody else."

"Am I?" Adam just smiles. "Take off your blouse, and if there is no star-shaped birthmark on your lower back, I’ll admit I’m wrong."

My jaw tightens. "Excuse me? That’s it. I’m done here!"

I turn around only for him to grab me by the waist and whirl me around until my front is pressed to his.

"What’re you––"

He pulls up my blouse, ignoring my struggles, and looks down. A chuckle leaves his mouth, "Pretty birthmark you got there."

I push him away, furious. Fixing my blouse, I scowl at him, "What the hell do you want? If you’re trying to blab on me to your father, he won’t believe you."

"Now, why would I do that?"

He leans forward, and I can feel my traitorous heart begin pounding all over again. "Getting my fated mate in trouble hardly sounds like the ideal thing to do."

His eyes are locked on mine, and I see amusement dancing in his eyes. Does he think this situation is funny? I’m quivering with fear over what Jonathon will do to me, and he’s having a laugh at my expense?

I try to muster up some confidence. "I don’t care what you have to say. We’re not fated mates. I would––I would know if we were!"

"Would you though?" His amusement is gone, replaced by a frown on his face. "You should have realized it the moment you took in my scent outside the bar. Father must have really kept you sheltered for you not to even understand your own basic instincts."

My hands are trembling now.

He’s not joking.

He really thinks we’re fated mates.

I was never taught what other children of my kind were. I was locked in the attic or isolated when other children my age were taught how to hunt, how to shift, and how to get in touch with their animals. I stumbled on most of those things well into my teen years. My first shift had been painful, triggered by an extremely vicious beating. I had been further punished for allowing my animal out.

I stare at Adam.

I don’t know if he’s lying or not. My instinct and experience with this cruel world tell me he’s lying, that he just wants to hurt me like everybody else. But my wolf’s strange reaction to him has me questioning myself. What if he’s not? What does that mean for me? The next alpha of this pack, the one Jonathon has enlisted my help in removing, is my fated mate?

"You look like you’re having doubts." Adam takes a step back. "You’re exuding pheromones, Cynthia. Pheromones that are aimed at me but also act as a warning to other wolf shifters that you’re taken. I’m surprised my father or Norman haven’t said anything to you. Are you by any chance taking a pheromone blocker?"

I go still. "What?"

"A pheromone blocker," he repeats patiently. "It helps dilute your scent so it’s harder to pick up on your pheromones."

I open my mouth only to snap it shut as I remember the pill Tony has been giving me every morning without fail. He must have known, I realize to my shock. He must have scented the pheromones. I recall the panicked look on his face when he looked at me. He had then used a different route and made a brief stop somewhere. Whenever I was sick as a child, I was never taken to a healer. It was Tony who gave me some medication to make me feel better. That was why I hadn’t questioned him.

Perhaps I should have asked him. Perhaps I should have been more vigilant about what he was giving me.

"You look like you’re going to keel over any minute." Adam puts his hand on my lower back, guiding me to the chair. However, I jerk back.

"Don’t touch me!"

Panic and fear are brewing within me.

What’s going to happen to me? Jonathon will kill me. Or worse, he’ll force me to mate with Adam, and then he’ll hurt me to get to him. I don’t win in any scenario.

"You need to calm down, Cynthia," Adam says, slowly. "I’m not trying to hurt you here."

"And I’m expected to believe that?" I give him an angry look.

"Yes," he says simply. "I’m your fated mate. Our bond comes before every other loyalty we have, even to the pack."

That has me feeling confused. "You’re lying."

"I’m not."

He’s not yelling at me or screaming, or even trying to force himself on me like Norman has attempted to do multiple times. In fact, all he seems to be trying to do is have a calm conversation with me.

I close my eyes briefly.

I need to relax and stop letting my emotions guide my reactions. I’ve faced plenty of tough negotiations. I should simply treat this as one of those moments. Fated mate or not, my life cannot change. The blood debt tying me to the Moore family will not be erased. I will always be a slave.

I open my eyes, and my heart feels more steady.

"Fine." I meet Adam’s gaze. "Let’s say I believe you. So what?"

His brows furrow together. "What do you mean, so what? I’m your fated mate, Cynthia. We cannot stand on opposing sides. You’re working for my father and supporting him when your loyalty should be with me."

My lips curve in a painful smile. "And what? You think Jonathon is going to let me come and work for you? You think it’s that easy?"

"I think that my father is trying to usurp my position as the future alpha, and as my fated mate, I think you should be supporting me instead of Norman," Adam says firmly. "I am the rightful future alpha, and I have done far more for this pack than my father ever has or Norman ever can."

I press my lips together into a thin line.

He’s not wrong. Even I’ve heard of Adam’s success stories in the pack. He had introduced several reforms into the pack which have grown our pack by leaps and bounds. His social work in the pack is unparalleled, and a very sore point for his father. Jonathon has done nothing much for the pack, financial or social. But when the time comes and he nominates Norman as the next alpha, overturning traditional pack laws, there will be an uproar since the scale will weigh heavier for Adam’s deeds.

I am aware of all that. I also know that if Jonathon succeeds in putting Norman in the alpha seat, this pack is doomed. The only thing is that I don’t care. Nobody has ever cared for me, so why should I care about them? Not one packmate has vocalized the public abuse Norman puts me through. Everyone knows that Jonathon never does anything when the issue of Norman’s violence against me is brought up. But not once has anybody mentioned it to the pack elders or tried to force Jonathon into a corner so that he actually deals with the issue. Nobody has ever questioned why I wasn’t allowed to take classes with the other shifter children, or why I have not once seen the pack healer for an annual check-up, which is mandatory for every other wolf.

So, let them burn.

Even if it comes at the cost of my freedom.

I cross my arms over my chest. "I don’t care about who becomes the next alpha. I care about this deal, which is the reason I’m here. Norman messed up the negotiations, but KDL Foods has plenty of resources that your company has yet to acquire. If you let us take you over then your company gets a better chance to succeed."

Adam’s lips curve, mockingly. "How generous of my father? And where will I be in all of this?"

"You will, of course, be involved."

"Don’t lie to me, Cynthia," Adam sneers. "My father fully intends to steal my company and toss me out so that he can claim all the success I’ve had over these past years. You must be very loyal to dear old Dad for you to be willing to stab your own fated mate in the back like this."

I grind my teeth. "I’m doing my job, and if you look at the numbers, you are nowhere near the success KDL Foods has managed to achieve in the last two decades."

"And where is your success now?" Adam gives me a cold smile. "You’ve lost contracts due to my brother’s brazen attitude and arrogance. You’ve started cutting corners and skimping on quality, and as a result, a portion of your customer base has shifted to my company."

A flush of humiliation crawls up my neck as I curse Norman silently.

"It’s just a temporary fluke due to a change in management," I counter.

Adam scoffs, taking a seat across from me. "Don’t insult my intelligence, Cynthia. Maril Food has been around for a couple of years now. We’re making a name for ourselves in the industry. We’ve begun providing food to human schools for shifters, using the label of ’special dietary needs’. We’re a pioneer in this. Nothing your company has done can even begin to match what we are doing for ourselves. So, what can you truly offer us?"

The taunting edge of his voice makes me want to kick him. But the fact is he’s not wrong. If a couple of years ago I had sat before him with this offer, I would have been able to make a more convincing argument. But Norman has single-handedly dragged our reputation through the mud. He’s wrecked years of my hard work, putting me in a position where I cannot even face the customers I had once signed on.

"Tell you what?" Adam leans forward, grinning. "If you can convince me on even a joint project with KDL Foods, I’ll consider your offer after seeing how your company works on that."

I stare at him for a couple of seconds, feeling a hint of doubt crawl into my head, "Why’re you throwing me a bone when you so clearly don’t want anything to do with KDL Foods?"

Adam’s smile broadens. “This is the first thing my fated mate has asked me for. I can’t let you walk away from here empty-handed, now can I?”

My heart trembles at the easy affection in his voice, and for a moment, just a heartbeat, I feel a stab of wistfulness.

I’ve never gotten an ounce of affection from anyone, and the way he’s so casually treating me like I somehow matter to him, makes me want to weep. It takes me a minute to compose myself, and I’m about to say something when there’s a knock on the door.

Adam presses a button on the table, his gaze still holding mine. The door behind us opens, and a man walks in. "There is a message for Miss Rose from Mr. Norman Moore. It’s tasked as urgent."

My head swivels around. "What is it?"

The man looks slightly uncomfortable. "He’s ordered you to return to the office immediately."

From the look on his face, that’s not all.

"What else?" I get to my feet.

He refuses to meet my gaze. "I’d rather not say. But perhaps you should return."

The staff at this club are very well trained to keep their opinions to themselves. For this staff member to break protocol, Norman must have said something ghastly. I don’t want to have him repeat it in front of Adam, so I just give him a terse smile. "Thank you."

I’ve just taken one step when Adam’s hand curls around my wrist. When I turn to look at him, his expression is tight. "Don’t go."

"Excuse me?" I give him a startled look.

"Don’t go." He looks tense.

"I’ve been call––"

"You’re not a dog that has to run every time Norman calls you," Adam snarls.

I flinch at his harsh words, but that’s exactly what I am. An enslaved dog to the Moore family.

I pull my hand away, feeling small and worthless. "I have to go."

He glares at me, but the anger in his eyes doesn’t faze me. I’ve seen worse fury and have survived it. What is he going to do? Hit me because I’m not obeying him?

When he gets to his feet, I can’t stop myself from flinching.

He notices the movement, and his gaze narrows. "What was that?"

"Nothing." I turn around, suddenly feeling ashamed of my own reaction.

I hear the chair scrape against the ground and then Adam says, "I’ll walk you out."

The staff member immediately jerks his head up, and for a moment, he looks terrified, "I-I can do that, sir. You don’t need to bother."

"Excuse me?" All the previous warmth that had been in Adam’s voice vanishes as he looks at the man. "What do you mean by ’bother’?"

"I…" He looks like he’s going to piss himself.

What is going on?

"I can go by myself," I say. "I just need my phone."

"I’ll be walking down with you." Adam’s voice is hard.

It’s a stupid thing to argue over, and I’m just about to let the matter be when the staff member presses again. "I can do that, sir."

"Do we have a problem?" Adam’s voice is wintery cold. "Since when has the staff at Dilante house become so presumptuous?"

"N-No, sir," the man stammers, his face white.

"What’s your name?" Adam demands.

"Stop it," I hiss at him. "You’re going to frighten him into a heart attack. Leave him be. He was probably trying to be polite."

"I want his name."

"And I want you to stop making a scene. You’re going to get him fired for no reason!"

Adam glares down at me, and when I hold his gaze, annoyed, he finally relents.

"Come on." He puts his hand on my lower back, gently urging me out of the room.

I follow him outside where the female manager is waiting for us. She opens the box, and we take out our phones. I feel a little embarrassed about having Adam see the state my phone is in. It’s an old model, on its last leg.

He doesn’t comment on it, simply picking up his phone.

"The elevator is this way," he says, and before I can say anything, the staff member who had been insistent on walking me out himself suddenly rushes toward us.

"The staircase is this way, sir!"

If looks could kill, the man would have seized up and died on the spot with the way Adam was gazing at him.

"We’re taking the elevator." Adam’s upper lip curled.

"But sir––"

"Is there a reason your people are so persistent?" Adam demands, shooting the manager a displeased expression. The woman looks at the male staff member, her lips pressed into a thin white line.

"Please accept our sincerest apologies," the woman says, through gritted teeth. "I’ll deal with this matter personally."

"Can’t you just ignore him?" I hiss at Adam, feeling awful for the man. "Maybe it was his first day at the job."

"They wouldn’t have let a novice near the VIP rooms," Adam tells me, ushering me toward the elevator.

"I can go by myself." I’m beginning to feel self-conscious again.

"Our conversation is far from over, Cynthia." Adam meets my gaze. "We’re fated mates. That transcends any other loyalty you may have."

"Look," I lift my hand, "I’m going to stop you right there. As far as I know, you could be making this whole fated mates thing up. Second, I’m here to talk business. I intend to convince you to work on a joint project. KDL Foods might have experienced some hiccups over these past couple of years, but we are still an industry leader, and you cannot deny that."

Adam studies me, the corner of his lips quirking. "If you displayed half this amount of passion for me, you might just sweep me off my feet."

I freeze.

I’ve never been so blatantly flirted with, and I don’t know how to deal with it.

Just then, the elevator doors open, and I hurry inside, trying my best to block his path,=. "I can take it from here."

But Adam ignores my attempts, gently lowering my arm and walking inside.

"How do you expect to convince me on this joint project when you’re trying to keep me at arm’s length?" He smiles as he watches me.

"By email."

"I hardly check my email."

"I’ll call you."

"My phone is barely charged most of the time."

"I’ll write you a freaking letter!"

Adam sighs. "Now that’s just inconvenient for me."

"And why is that?" I demand, infuriated.

"Because I won’t get to see you."

Is this man daft?

The Adam I remember was aloof and cold. This man is nothing like him!

"Look," I say, tightly, ’for the last time––"

The elevator suddenly jerks, and the lights go out.

I go still.

"What’s happening?" I ask, my voice unsteady. "Why aren’t we moving?"

"There must be some issue with the elevator," Adam murmurs. "Wait."

He presses the emergency button, but nothing happens. He presses it again.

"It’s not working?" It’s hard to keep my voice calm.

"That’s odd," Adam tries again. "It usually lights up."

He looks around. "The emergency lights should also have turned on by now."

I wrap my arms around my middle. "M-Maybe they’ll turn on soon."

When I was young, I would often get locked in the broom closet. It was a dark enclosed space that smelled musty and was always filled with spiders. As I grew up, the space became smaller and smaller until I would often find myself cramped. I have severe claustrophobia as a result. Even in a large space like this elevator, in the dark, I feel like I can’t draw in air.

I’ve always tried to hide my weaknesses, but some just can’t be hidden.

My hands are trembling as I quietly gasp, feeling as if all the oxygen is drying up, as if the walls are closing in around me. My heart is beating so fast, desperation clawing inside of me.

I can’t breathe.

I can’t get enough air.

I––

A pair of arms wrap around me, and a firm voice orders, "Breathe. Breathe, Cynthia."

I have to be strong. I can’t let him know––

"I c-can’t!" I gasp out. "M-My heart. My heart feels like it will burst!"

Two of my greatest fears combined–small spaces and the dark–have me trembling against my will.

"Nothing is going to happen to you," Adam says, his voice permeating through the darkness. But it’s not enough. Nothing is enough. My legs feel weak, tears streaking down my face.

"I want to get out."

"Cynthia," Adam sounds alarmed, "Cynthia, look at me."

But I feel blind. Even with a wolf’s eyesight, I can’t see anything. My fingers dig into his shirt as I cling to him. All feelings of shame and humiliation have gone out the window. This is about survival.

"I can’t breathe," I whimper, my heart pounding against my ribcage. "There’s no air."

Adam is quiet for a moment, and then he murmurs, "Then take mine."

I feel his hand on my jaw, and then his mouth descends on mine. My wolf, which has been panicking, suddenly calms at his touch. My body leans into him. His mouth moves against mine, gentle and warm, and the fear drains out of me. One hand holds me against him, the other is on my nape. Everything else is disappearing. It’s only Adam and his touch, and my heart is quivering for an entirely different reason now.

Safe.

I feel safe.

I feel warm.

I claw at him, trying to pull him closer.

However, my chest is hurting, and the ache is growing bit by bit. My knees give way, and I stumble to the ground.

Adam’s voice is dim in my ears, and I hear him shouting at someone. This pain is coming in waves, and I don’t know what’s happening, but if this is how I go, I’m happy with it.

I’m being moved, and I hear a familiar voice. "Cynthia! What happened to her? You bastard! You did something to her, didn’t you?"

Norman!

Even in my hazy state, I can piece two and two together.

The staff member who was being so persistent, Norman interrupting the meeting and then showing up here. This isn’t the first time he’s pulled a stunt like this.

"Gerald, bring the car around. We have to take her to the healer!”

"The fuck you are! I’ll take her!"

A grunting sound, and then Adam’s calm voice. "Bring the car around, Gerald."

"Who do you think you are?" Norman shouts. "She’s mine! I’ll take her!"

"Look at yourself," Adam says, disgust dripping from his voice. "I’ve seen the way you treat this girl, Norman. If I hand her over to you, you’re more likely to throw her on the side of the road. No. I’ll take her to the healer and make sure she’s seen to."

"You think I’ll let you––"

"Restrain him," Adam orders, and I hear Norman grunt and shout. However, I’m not paying attention anymore. My chest is still hurting. Adam will take me to a healer. Adam won’t hand me over to Norman, at least not without a fight. He’ll make sure I’m safe.

I’ll be safe.

With this last thought, I allow the darkness to wrap around me.