She had met Adrien once before—at that party. But seriously, what the hell was a vampire doing here in a werewolf territory? Not just any pack, the royal pack.
Next to her, Kaelith muttered a string of curses under his breath, his jaw tight. And yes, not to forget that her supposed mate doesn't like him as well. So, what were the odds?
Adrien strolled toward them with that same cocky swagger it almost looked he was high, and dude was grinning like he owned the place. With an exaggerated ease, he dipped into the same mocking bow as last time.
"Ms. Aether," he drawled, smooth and smug. "How amusing it is to see you here, of all places. Looks like fate's got a twisted sense of humor, throwing us together again."
She noticed the way his eyes swept over her, lingering shamelessly. His gaze dragged slowly down her bare legs, which were barely covered by the skimpy skirt she was wearing. And yeah, lust was clear as the sun in his eyes, and he wasn't even bothering to hide it.
Kaelith let out a threatening growl, noticing the trail of his gaze, and stepped in front of her, blocking Adrien's view with his body. His voice came out low and sharp.
"Back off, leech. Keep your eyes—and your filthy thoughts—off her."
Adrien arched a brow, unfazed, his grin tilting slyly. "Funny, I wasn't looking or talking to you." His tone dripped with mock courtesy.
"Any sane man won't be able to resist a sight like that." Isaldora rolled her eyes at his old-school ways. "Perhaps you should keep that snout of yours out of matters that don't concern you… mutt."
Kaelith's jaw flexed. Without warning, he slipped an arm around Isaldora's waist, pulling her against him in a single, possessive move. She rolled her eyes at his alpha theatrics, irritation flashing across her face. But his touch spreaded all the tingly tingles thorough out her body.
"Everything concerning her is my business." He said firmly, his tone lined with pride and steel. "She's my mate."
Isaldora caught the pride and raw possessiveness in the way he said it, and despite saying that she was disgusted by his touch, she felt her stomach flip.
Adrien's amusement, however, only deepened. He let out a low whistle, his eyes darting between the two of them,
"Well, well, well," he exclaimed. "Kaelith Duskbane finally finds his mate… after all this time. Now that's news worth knowing." His voice was sharp, mocking, loud enough to catch the ears of anyone close enough to hear.
"I suppose Ms. Aether already knows what you are," he added slyly.
Isaldora didn't bother giving a reaction to him, but she felt Kaelith's grip tighten at her waist, heat rolling off him in waves.
"Then I can properly introduce myself." She saw Adrien's lips curve into a dark smirk as he dipped into a slow, predatory bow, "My lady, I'm Adrien Marcus Valemont, crown prince of the damned or you can say vampires."
Ohh.. so that's why his aura felt different, he's royalty. Interesting, but what was to showoff about that. she thought aquinting her eyes a bit.
Adrien straightened, eyes dropping down her legs once more before sliding back up as he threw a dark wink at her. "Still, what a shame. I could've given you a much better offer—and one hell of a time, beautiful. I still can though." He winked again.
Kaelith let out a guttural growl, ripping through the air, his dark eyes flashing in almost wolf mode as his aura grew darker. Isaldora, sighing, lifted a hand to his shoulder, pressing lightly to keep him from snapping and doing something shitty. Of course, to her, in his possessiveness.
"She is mine," Kaelith snarled, his voice a razor's edge. "—and if you so much as breathe wrong in her direction, I'll tear your undead throat out and make you watch your own ashes scatter."
And the walls almost felt like they would collapse under the power radiating off his aura. Who knows what would have happened if Isaldora hadn't been touching him?
Adrien just smiled wider, clearly entertained, feeding on Kaelith's rage, like he'd just found the perfect nerve to mess with.
And Isaldora saw right through it. Adrien was doing it on purpose, to rile Kaelith up. And judging by the way Kaelith's aura was practically suffocating the air, it was working.
She almost rolled her eyes. Adrien was baiting him, and Kaelith was taking it like an amateur. It was childish.
"Calm down," she almost snapped at Kaelith, irritation cutting through the air.
He let out a low, annoyed growl, his jaw flexing as his dark eyes flicked to her.
"Act like a genius, not as a wounded puppy. He's messing with you on purpose. And you are mindlessly just getting riled up like a dumbass." She rubbed her forehead, already getting a headache. Why was everyone around so dramatic? Why? Why?
Adrien's grin curved darker, clearly amused by her calmness. "Fascinating," he said, voice smooth. "Ms. Aether… for a human, you're coping with a beast rather impressively."
Isaldora's eyes narrowed at him in a death glare. Oh no no. Don't you dare test me, leech. "And, I'm impressed at how profoundly you're proving what an asshole you are."
She snapped at him, and she could see Adrien's grin flicker, irritated.
Before the tension could snap any further, a sharp, commanding voice echoed through the space. "What's going on here?"
All three turned, and Isaldora realized they had caught the attention of a crowd, with curiosity written all over their faces.
"Adrien," another sharp, authoritative voice cut through, directed at the vampire. "Didn't I warn you not to stir up trouble?"
Adrien simply shrugged, feigning innocence, his grin returning instantly. "I was just talking, there's no harm in that now, is it?" he said smoothly, voice light, as if nothing had happened.
"Kaelith… is there a problem here?" Isaldora saw the person who had probably intervened first, asking Kaelith with a calmness that was covered with sharpness.
She felt the weight of his calculating eyes flick over her sharply before settling back on Kaelith.
Kaelith exhaled slowly, straightening himself, though his arm never loosened around her waist. "Everything's fine," his eyes flicked to Adrien, who was still smirking,
"We were indeed just talking. Nothing else, father," he said evenly, looking back at his father.
Oh, no wonder he looked like Kaelith. What was his name? Uhh, yes, King Klaevan.
Her eyes swept across the group. From their aura alone, she could tell they were all high ranks.
"Who's this young woman?" one of the women piped up, eyes locked straight on Isaldora as she scanned the room.
"I'm guessing she's why things got a little loud," the woman added, and Isaldora rolled her eyes. At this rate, they were gonna roll right out of her skull. Isaldora scoffed.
The woman kept eyeing the way Isaldora was pinned to Kaelith's side, his hand locked tight on her waist. And it wasn't just her—every pair of eyes in the room was glued to them. Isaldora didn't bother to care. This is getting boring.
However, Kaelith turned slightly toward the woman. "Sereyna," he addressed the woman briefly before looking back at Isaldora, his eyes held such warmth and an emotion she couldn't name.
"She is my mate," she heard him exclaim, and honestly, she had to bite back a scoff at the way everyone around looked.
Honestly—what was with the theatrics? It wasn't as though he'd announced something so unusual to look this dumbfounded.
A mate was the most natural thing in their world, yet they stared like he'd done a taboo. She rolled her eyes again, and she'd already lost track of how many times now.
"We… didn't know you had found your mate, Alpha Kaelith. You never mentioned it before to us." Someone among the crowd spoke next, surprise clear in their voice.
"How could I introduce her to the council, Mathew, when I just found her recently?" Kaelith said sternly, matter-of-factly, and the person just gave a slight nod.
"Then I guess we should congratulate you," said another man as he stepped forward. Isaldora watched him close the distance, laying a light pat on Kaelith's shoulder with a rare smile."Congratulations to you. Both of you," he added, his gaze flicking to her for a moment.
"Thank you, Alpha Klade." Kaelith gave a firm nod, shoulders loosening just slightly.
Isaldora, however, studied Klade's face carefully and found no trace of mockery there—only genuine acknowledgment. Huh. That was new. Because really, in moments like these, wasn't a snide jab or a backhanded comment practically mandatory? What a letdown.
Then, as if knowing what was missing, right on cue, a low scoff followed, shifting everyone's attention, landing on none other than Adrien's so-called father.
"And isn't this… fascinating." He leaned forward, his cold eyes sliding over Isaldora as though he were examining something unworthy of being in their presence.
"That his mate's a mere human." He mentioned, more like sneered, actually, in total disdain.
Isaldora felt instantly the way Kaelith's muscles tightened, and she could swear she clearly heard the way his jaw ticked.
Isaldora? Yeah, she wasn't fazed. Not even close. If anything, she looked like she was fighting back a laugh. Maybe she would've reacted differently to the disrespect if he had said all that knowing who she really was—because then? Oh, he'd be choking on his own damn words. But since he didn't… she was entertained.
In fact, to spike him, she arched a brow and smirked at him, mocking him.
And yup, she got the reaction she wanted as he hissed, baring his teeth.
"Are you mocking us, girl? Don't you know who we are?"
"Well, apparently, I do not," Isaldora stated flatly, blatantly, as in a 'duhh' tone, and rolled her eyes slowly, like he wasn't worth the energy.
"How dare you have the audacity to talk to me in such a tone?" he sneered, stepping forward like he was on fire, and Kaelith growled, warning him.
And if it wasn't enough, Adrien, the asshole, also joined his father dearest. The duo and Kaelith were glaring at one another furiously,
"Haaaaaaauuugh~"
A long, obnoxiously loud yawn cut through the air, echoing in the corridor.