Adrian's POV
At this point, I might as well be talking to a damn wall.
I knew Hazel would be upset. I just didn't expect this.
So I did the only thing I could, I went to her.
I found her in the training grounds, practicing alone. She moved with deadly precision, every strike sharp and powerful, like she was imagining my face at the receiving end of her attacks.
I approached carefully. "Hazel…"
"Don't." She didn't stop moving, her back turned to me.
I sighed. "You're mad. I get it. But at least talk to me."
She spun, slamming a dagger into the training dummy's chest. "Oh, now you want to talk?" She crossed her arms, glaring at me. "Funny, because the last time I checked, you were too busy flirting with Selene."
I exhaled sharply. "I wasn't flirting.."
"Oh? So spending all your time with her, laughing with her, standing too close, that's not flirting?" She scoffed. "Could've fooled me."
I clenched my jaw. "That's not fair."
"What's not fair is you making me look like a jealous fool in front of the entire pack," she snapped. "What's not fair is watching my mate act like I don't even matter."
"That's not true.."
"Isn't it?"
Her voice was laced with hurt, and that.. that was what made my chest tighten.
She wasn't just angry. She was hurt.
I reached for her, but she stepped back.
"I don't want your apologies, Adrian," she said, voice cold. "I just want to be left alone."
And with that, she turned and walked away, leaving me standing there and stupidly watching her go, feeling something I hadn't felt in years.
Helpless.
I refused to give up. If words wouldn't reach her, maybe actions would.
A private dinner. Just us. No pack business, no interruptions. Just me and her.
I had everything set. The table was beautifully arranged, with candles flickering against the dim evening light. The scent of roasted meats and spiced wine filled the air. The night was perfect.
I waited and and waited, and waited. She never came.
The food grew cold. The candles burned low. And I sat there, staring at the empty seat across from me, realizing just how deep the damage went.
She wasn't just ignoring me, she was making sure I felt it.
So here I am, sitting at the training grounds, staring at the sky, trying to figure out how the hell to fix this mess. when, of course, the last person I need to see plops down beside me.
Selene.
She stretches out her legs, glancing at me with amusement. "Wow. You look terrible."
I glance at her briefly before returning my gaze to the sky. "Not in the mood, Selene."
She hums, ignoring me. "Like someone who lost a fight with a very aggressive squirrel."
I exhale sharply, trying to summon patience.
"Are you trying to be annoying, or is it just a gift?" I mutter.
She smirks. "A gift, obviously."
I groan and drop my head into my hands.
"This is pointless," I mutter. "She's never going to forgive me."
Selene tilts her head. "Not with that attitude."
I shoot her a glare. "Do you have an actual point, or are you just here to enjoy my suffering?"
She grins. "A little bit of both. But I do have an idea."
I arch a brow. "Should I be worried?"
She leans in, voice conspiratorial. "You want Hazel's attention back, right?"
I nod, watching her warily.
"Then make her jealous."
I blink. "What?"
Selene smirks. "She thinks you like me, right?"
I scowl. "I don't."
"Yes, yes, of course," she waves a hand. "But she thinks you do. Which means, if you spend more time with me, laugh with me, train with me, make it seem like I'm your new favorite person, she's going to start wanting your attention back."
I stare at her, incredulous. "That's insane."
She shrugs. "So is sitting around waiting for her to forgive you when she clearly won't."
I exhale sharply, about to argue, when a thought creeps in.
Would it really be so bad?
If it worked, if it will get Hazel to look at me again, to talk to me again, then it wouldn't really be such a terrible idea?
I study Selene.
She's irritating, disastrous and completely unpredictable.
But she's also not interested in me, not like that.
This would just be a game. A harmless trick to get Hazel's attention.
...Right?
I sigh. "This is a stupid idea."
Selene beams. "So you're in?"
I groan. "Unfortunately."
She claps her hands. "Oh, this is going to be fun."
We were in the training grounds, surrounded by warriors cooling down after an intense sparring session. Hazel stood off to the side, sharpening her sword with slow, deliberate strokes.
I knew she was watching.
Selene, standing next to me, leaned in slightly, lowering her voice as if she was about to share a secret.
"Do you know what I learned today?" she asked, a smirk tugging at the corner of her lips.
I sighed, already sensing whatever she was about to say would be nonsense. "What?"
She grinned. "That wolves wag their tails when they're happy."
I frowned. "That's common knowledge."
She tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Right. But you know what's interesting? You never wag your tail."
It took me a second to process her words.
Then, she looked me straight in the eye and said, dead serious…
"Are you emotionally repressed?"
I barked out a laugh, A real loud and sudden unexpected laugh.
The warriors nearby turned, startled by the sound.
Hazel's hand slipped on her blade, her fingers jerking just enough for the sharp edge to nick her skin.
She hissed under her breath, but I saw the way her shoulders stiffened. The way her fingers curled into a tight fist like she wanted to punch something.
Like she wanted to punch Selene.
" Yes, we're getting somewhere."
The entire pack was gathered in the grand hall, a roaring fire casting flickering shadows across the stone walls. Hazel sat across from me, silent, brooding, stabbing at her food like it had personally offended her.
Selene, seated beside me, was in her usual unfiltered, crazy mood.
She reached for the platter of roasted meat in front of me, but her fingers brushed my hand in the process.
A small, innocent touch.
Or at least, it should have been.
But for some reason, I felt it.
A quick, sharp jolt like the static shock of touching metal.
Selene didn't seem to notice. She simply grabbed a piece of meat, grinning as she bit into it.
But across the table, Hazel did.
I saw the way her grip on her fork tightened, her knuckles turning white.
I saw the flicker of something raw and dangerous flash through her eyes.
Then, she stood up abruptly, shoving her chair back so hard it scraped against the floor.
The entire hall went silent. She didn't say a word. Didn't look at me, she just walked away.
This was supposed to be a game, just a way to get Hazel back.
But somewhere along the way, I lost control.
Because while I started this just to make Hazel jealous…
I'm starting to actually enjoy Selene's company.
At first, I convinced myself it was just amusement.
And for the first time, I wondered if maybe.. **just maybe… **I had taken this too far
But truth be told, Selene, she's unlike anyone I've ever met, she was fearless, unfiltered, and completely unpredictable. She doesn't cower in my presence like most people. She doesn't fear me, despite knowing exactly what I'm capable of.
Instead, she pushes back, and somehow I actually like it.
I like the way she talks, bold, unafraid, saying things no one else would dare say to me.
I like the way she moves graceful but completely unaware of it, like she doesn't even realize the effect she has.
I like the way she challenges me, tests my patience, keeps me on edge in a way no one else ever has.
It's dangerous.
Because for someone who has spent his whole life in control… Selene is disrupts everything.
This wasn't supposed to happen, this was never supposed to happen.
And yet, when she turns to me, eyes bright, lips curled into that amused, mischievous smile…
I don't want to look away.