19. Adeline

NINETEEN

Adeline sat silently. She kept her eyes on the traffic, but her attention was anywhere but. The idea of Carl forcing her hand made her sick.

Griffin explained, in as much detail as he could, that she was his fated mate. It explained the connection she felt with him, but she had never heard of such a thing. It sounded preposterous.

On the other hand, how else could she explain her feelings for him? And after the night they spent together, how could she give herself to someone else? Then again, if it meant keeping her girls safe, she might have to.

A wave of nausea threatened to overwhelm her, and she raised a knuckle to her mouth to stifle the urge to vomit all over the black leather of Griffin's truck. Even with Tobias on her heels, she had never felt this miserable.

Surely, if she didn't want to marry Carl, he wouldn't force her, would he? No one was that deranged. And if she was Griffin's fated mate, no one else would want her, would they? Didn't mates mean they belonged to each other?

She snuck a look at Griffin from underneath long lashes. He had one elbow perched against the window, his head resting against his hand while his other hand gripped the steering wheel tightly.

He was tense. The cut on his arm from his earlier encounter with the wolves had mostly healed already. She leaned over and ran her finger across the abrasion. He glanced down at her fingers as they ran over his skin.

"It'll be gone in the next couple of hours," he said gruffly.

She withdrew her hand, but he caught it in his and held it. His touch eased some of her anxiety, and she gripped his hand tightly. Now, with their hands laced together, she couldn't bear the thought of being with anyone else.

How could she sleep with someone else after the night she shared with Griffin? She couldn't do it. The thought of another man's hands on her body was almost enough to demand that he turn the car around and take her back.

If they were fated to be together, surely nothing would come between them. The only thing she could think to do was pray. Before she could fret over it any longer, Griffin pulled into a short line of cars that were waiting to board the ferry that would take them to Carl's private island.

"Is everyone in these cars shifters?" she asked, looking around.

Griffin didn't bother following her gaze. "I'm sure," came the brief reply.

He drove slowly onto the ferry, wedging himself between two smaller vehicles. The men who got out of the cars noticed him immediately and nodded in his direction. Griffin lifted his hand off the steering wheel in acknowledgment but stayed in his truck.

As the ferry took off, Adeline tightened her grip on Griffin, and he brushed his thumb over the back of her hand.

"It's going to be okay," he said gently. "Everything is going to be fine."

She wasn't sure she believed him. If everything was okay, why was he so tense? Why did he seem angry despite his tender touches and soft-spoken words?

All around their truck, people were getting out of their cars and talking loudly among themselves. Adeline caught bits and pieces of their audible conversations, but what really captured her attention was that none of them seemed keen on floating over to Carl's island.

When she questioned Griffin on it, he had a vague response. "It was extremely controversial building a pack house on an island."

Having no idea as to proper pack etiquette or why building off the mainland would be contentious, Adeline pushed for more of an explanation.

"Wolf packs prefer to be on the mainland. If you think about it, the old alpha's house is on the mainland, and there's plenty of room to run and shift. That's what wolves need. They need freedom and space. Not the confinement of water and a tiny patch of earth. It's unnatural."

"The old alpha's house," Adeline repeated. "Your house."

Griffin clenched his jaw but nodded. "Yes, my house."

"And you didn't want the new alpha to live there?"

Griffin snorted. "It wasn't that, but to answer your question. No, I didn't want Carl living there. It's a family house, and it's mine. Carl wanted to build off the mainland because he wanted to feel like he owned the entirety of the pack. He wanted to own the whole island, to be king of it, so to speak. I'm also under the impression that Carl doesn't want to live under my father and grandfather's shadow. If he lived at the old alpha's house, everyone would constantly compare him."

Adeline was thoughtfully silent for a moment. Mari had said that Carl didn't like Griffin because most of the pack was more loyal to Griffin and Mari Presley than they were to him. If it wasn't for Griffin's PTSD from his time in the service, Griffin would be the alpha.

Adeline hadn't really thought about that too much, but now, as she sat there, it occurred to her how terrific of a leader Griffin would be.

"For what it's worth, I think you would have been a great alpha."

She wasn't sure what made her say it, but at that moment, it seemed important for him to know she thought that. The only acknowledgment that he heard was the sound of the leather steering wheel straining under the tightness of his grip.

The ferry ride was relatively short, and as they docked and Griffin backed out, Adeline felt her nerves thin even further. He released her hand and wrapped his instead on the back of her headrest so he could turn his body further to see out the back window.

Once they were safely on land, Adeline looked around. The island was small, but the compound was huge. No, huge wasn't the right word. It was colossal. Intimidating. It was too much.

Griffin parked and got out. He walked around the car and opened her door.

"It's okay. Come on."

She got out of the car and stood near him as they walked up to the compound. Twenty-foot-tall iron gates surrounded the building. It looked more like a prison than a home.

The seven thousand square foot house was a Spanish-style colonial made of thick stucco walls with a red tile roof. The enclosed courtyard was swimming with shifters who watched Griffin and Adeline's every move.

They walked through the arched doorway onto terra cotta tiles. The wrought iron balustrade banisters leading up a circular stairwell made Adeline feel like she was in the presence of royalty.

She hated it. All she wanted was to go back to Griffin's house and curl up on the leather sofa in the den with his arms around her. When a shifter rounded the corner and came up to them, she grabbed his arm and practically hid behind him.

"Hi. You must be Griffin," he said with a smile. "And you must be Adeline. My name is Allen. Alpha Carl has asked me to show you to your rooms. He sends his sincerest apologies that he couldn't greet you himself, but the duties of running a pack have consumed most of his time."

Adeline sensed that it took all of Griffin's willpower not to roll his eyes in the man's face.

"Tell the good alpha it's of no consequence," Griffin growled. His tone gave the impression that it was, in fact, of paramount offense that Carl had not been there to greet them, but Adeline chose to keep her comments to herself. "By all means, Allen. Please, lead the way."

Allen took the lead and led them through a series of long hallways lit by amber sconces every few feet. The monotony of the long walls was taken up by paintings, each depicting dark scenes such as sinking ships in a stormy ocean, black lakes under a cloudy sky, and windowless houses in a dim forest.

Nothing about the art was bright and cheerful. It was creepy and dark. Adeline's skin crawled every time they passed a new painting. She clung tightly to Griffin's arm as they continued their ascent up a staircase.

Allen paused at the top of the stairs and pushed open a door.

"This, sir, is your room. Miss, if you'll follow me."

Her wide eyes turned first to Allen and then to Griffin. "Wait, why can't we stay together?"

"Oh, no, miss. Women stay in the East Wing. Men stay in the West. It's proper that way, and that's what the alpha wants."

Griffin smiled at her reassuringly. "It'll be fine, Adeline. I'll meet you shortly. Go with Allen."

It was the very last thing she wanted. With a shake of her head, she clung tighter, absolutely terrified of being alone in this large, strange fortress of a house without him.

"You'll be fine. Go." Griffin shrugged his arm out of her grasp and pushed her gently along.

Adeline followed Allen, doing her best to hold back tears. The corridors seemed darker without Griffin. If she had any sense at all, she'd abandon Allen where he was and run back into Griffin's arms.

But she didn't do that. Instead, she squelched her fear and followed closely until Allen finally stopped in front of a door and opened it for her.

"This is your room. If you need anything, please don't hesitate to ask."

She nodded once before stepping inside and closing the door. She wanted to be as far from him as possible. The moment she was alone, she pulled her phone out of her pocket. She felt alone. Figuring the sound of her daughters' voices would comfort her, she called Mari.

"Hey, Adeline. Everything okay? Did you guys make it to the compound safely?"

"Hey, Mari. Yeah, we're here. Everything is fine so far. I was hoping to say hi to the girls. I miss them."

Mari sighed. "Oh, jeez, Adeline. Orion took all four kids out for ice cream, and he left his phone on the table. I'm looking at it. Do you want me to have them call you when they get back?"

Adeline's heart sank in her chest. Not knowing where she would be when they would call, she decided against the idea.

"No, that's okay. Just tell them I love them and that I can't wait to see them."

"Will do. Talk soon."

They hung up, and it wasn't long after the call that Griffin came for her. Seeing him was an instant relief, even though they had barely been apart for forty-five minutes.

"We're going to meet Carl for dinner," he said.

Adeline nodded and followed him out of the bedroom and down the stairs. It seemed to take less time to go downstairs than it had to find their rooms.

The dining room had a massive, hand-carved wooden table that could easily fit a hundred or more. A man already stood in the room, drinking a glass of wine. His oily gaze turned toward Adeline and Griffin the moment they walked in, and Adeline felt her stomach heave.

Please, dear God, don't let this be Carl.

"Adeline, this is Carl. Carl, this is Adeline."

Carl's dark eyes narrowed as he ran them up and down her entire body. She felt like a hunk of meat being served on a dinner table.

"Have a seat, please. I'm thrilled to meet you."

Adeline sat next to Griffin as Carl barked orders at the nearby servants. He treated them as if they were untouchables at the very bottom of the hierarchy. She stared at the alpha in horror as he demanded to be served first. He was a dictator. A tyrant.

"Watch what you're doing, you idiot!" Carl screamed at a young woman filling his plate with mashed potatoes.

She could feel Griffin stiffen beside her, and she heard the rustle of the tablecloth as his fists clenched. Still, his mouth remained uncharacteristically closed. She would do anything for her girls, anything at all. But she hoped, desperately, that it wouldn't come down to having to marry Carl.