Chapter 27 – The Alpha's Fury
The gallery had gone silent.
All eyes followed Adrian Zhou as he cut across the polished floor with the precision of a predator. His presence swallowed the room whole—an aura so sharp it left people stiffening, breathing shallow, afraid to move.
Leon, of course, stood tall, a smirk carved into his lips. "Ah, Adrian," he drawled, the picture of calm amusement. "I was just enlightening your—"
"Shut your mouth." Adrian's tone was ice. He didn't even glance at Leon. His gaze was locked on Ethan.
Ethan's pulse hammered as Adrian's hand clamped firmly around his wrist. His touch wasn't gentle; it was possession, iron forged from anger. "We're leaving," Adrian growled, pulling him away from the canvas of shadows and blood.
"Adrian—" Ethan gasped, stumbling after him as murmurs erupted behind them. Leon's laughter cut through the noise.
"Run if you like, but you can't keep him blind forever."
Adrian froze for half a second, his shoulders rigid, then shoved the doors open and dragged Ethan into the night air.
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The rain had eased, but the city still gleamed wet under the streetlights. Adrian pushed Ethan into the waiting car, his jaw clenched so tight Ethan thought it might shatter. The car door slammed shut with finality, trapping them in a cage of silence.
The Alpha sat opposite him, hands braced against his knees, head bowed as if struggling to contain the storm brewing inside.
Ethan opened his mouth, but the words tangled in his throat.
Finally, Adrian looked up. His eyes burned—not just with fury, but with something rawer, more dangerous. "What the hell were you thinking?" His voice was low, trembling with restraint. "Do you have any idea what kind of man Leon is?"
Ethan swallowed hard. "I—I just wanted to see—"
"To see what?" Adrian snapped, leaning forward. His scent—dominant, heavy—filled the car, pressing against Ethan's chest. "To see the lies he parades as art? To let him twist your mind against me?"
Ethan's breath shook. "He showed me things, Adrian. Paintings. Stories. He—"
"Paintings," Adrian spat, his eyes flashing. "Staged spectacles. Do you think a man like Leon won't buy brushstrokes, won't bribe broken people to play along with his narrative? He's been poisoning the truth for years."
Ethan's fingers curled tightly in his lap. "But what if some of it is true? What if—"
Adrian's hand slammed against the seat beside Ethan, startling him. Not a strike, but close enough to make the air crackle.
"Don't," Adrian rasped, voice hoarse with something like desperation. His face was inches from Ethan's now, eyes dark, breath sharp. "Don't you dare put me in the same shadow as him. I've bled to build those centers, Ethan. I've buried things to protect Omegas from men like Leon. And you…" His jaw trembled, the anger in his voice laced with a trace of pain. "…you went to him."
Ethan's chest twisted. He had never seen Adrian like this—so raw, so close to breaking.
Adrian drew back suddenly, running a hand through his hair, fighting for composure. He looked out the window, the city lights reflecting against his sharp profile.
For a long moment, only the hum of the engine filled the air.
Then, quietly, almost as if it slipped out, Adrian said, "Do you trust me, Ethan?"
The question pierced deeper than the anger ever could.
Ethan's lips parted, but no sound came. His heart wavered between the image of Leon's damning paintings and the truth in Adrian's trembling voice.
And silence was all he gave.
Adrian's jaw tightened at the lack of answer. He leaned back into the shadows of the car, his eyes closing for a moment, expression unreadable.
"Fine," he murmured, voice flat now, but the edge of hurt lingered. "We'll see if I can make you trust me."
The car surged forward into the night. Ethan sat frozen, knowing one choice had pushed them onto a dangerous path where love, power, and betrayal tangled beyond undoing.