Chapter 3 Secrets beneath the surface

Elena didn't go to class the next day. She just... couldn't. Her head wasn't right, and she didn't want to risk seeing him again. Adrian. His name felt too familiar already, like it was finding its way into the cracks she was trying to seal.

She stayed in her room most of the morning. Curtains closed. Lights off. She curled up on the bed, blanket over her legs, notebook beside her but untouched. She thought about writing. Journaling. Something to let it all out. But the words wouldn't come. It was like her body had shut down to protect her.

It was always like this when she got too close to someone. That old panic, that cold warning in her chest. Her instincts told her to run before it got worse.

And Adrian... he was danger in every form. Not just because he was powerful. But because he saw through her. And she wasn't ready for that.

Her phone buzzed once. A message from an unknown number.

"You okay? Didn't see you today. - A"

She stared at it for a long time. She shouldn't reply. She knew she shouldn't. But her thumb moved before her brain could stop it.

"Needed air."

No emoji. No name. Just two words.

A few seconds later, her phone buzzed again.

"Want company?"

She stared again.

He didn't push. He just asked.

She didn't reply. But part of her wanted to say yes. A part that scared her.

---

Adrian stood outside the campus building, one hand in his pocket, the other holding his phone. When she didn't respond, he didn't text again. He didn't want to make her pull away more.

He wasn't used to chasing anyone. People usually came to him. Pack members. Students. Girls. Business contacts. He always had people around, but none of it ever felt real. They wanted something from him. Status. Power. Or just his name.

Elena didn't want anything. In fact, she wanted to be left alone. And that was the first reason he couldn't stop thinking about her.

She felt real.

And something about her pulled at him in a way nothing ever had. The bond wasn't clear yet. Not like how his father described it. But there was a thread between them already, thin but strong.

He knew she was hiding something. Pain shaped her like shadows shape glass. He saw it in her posture, the way she flinched when people got too close. Like she'd been broken and forced herself back together.

He respected that.

Even if it made getting close nearly impossible.

---

Later that night, Elena finally left her dorm. She waited until most people were already inside. The air was cool, the wind brushing her cheeks as she walked through the quiet paths behind the school. She didn't know why she was going toward the rooftop garden. The same one from the note.

She had told herself not to go. Not to give him any more space in her life.

But her feet didn't listen.

When she reached the stairs that led up to the roof, she hesitated. Her fingers gripped the railing. Her heart beat too fast. She could leave now. No one would know she even came.

But she kept climbing.

And he was there. Sitting on the stone edge, looking out at the forest. His jacket was slung over the bench beside him. The moonlight touched his face just enough to make him look almost soft.

He didn't turn around when she walked up. He just said, "Wasn't sure if you'd come."

"I wasn't either," she replied.

He looked at her then. "But you did."

"Don't make it a thing."

He smiled, but not in a cocky way. More like he understood. He moved his jacket aside and nodded toward the bench. "You can sit if you want. Or stand. I won't ask questions."

She slowly sat down, her hands in her lap.

For a few minutes, neither of them said anything. Just the wind. The trees. The soft hum of lights far below the roof.

Then he spoke again. "I used to come up here all the time. Before my life got too loud."

She looked at him. "Your life is loud?"

He let out a short breath. "I'm next in line for the pack. And I run a company. I don't really get to be quiet anymore."

She nodded, not sure what to say. She didn't really understand that world anymore. She had left it behind.

"You're not like most Alphas," she said finally.

He looked surprised. "You've known a lot of Alphas?"

She shrugged. "One."

"Was he the reason you left your pack?"

Her fingers twitched. "You said no questions."

"Right," he said, sitting back. "Sorry."

More silence.

Elena looked at the moon. It was nearly full. Not quite. But enough to make her feel it in her blood.

"I don't shift anymore," she said, almost without thinking.

He turned his head slowly. "Why not?"

"I just don't."

She didn't want to explain the rest. The fact that shifting reminded her of pain. That her last shift ended with betrayal and blood. That she hadn't felt safe in her wolf form since the night Damien marked her... then rejected her.

"I stopped because I had to," she added.

Adrian didn't push. He nodded, like he understood more than she expected him to.

"I haven't met many wolves who just stop," he said after a bit.

"You haven't met many like me," she replied.

"No," he said softly. "I haven't."

They sat like that for a while longer. Not touching. Not talking. Just existing near each other.

It was the first time in years that she didn't feel completely alone.

---

The next few days passed quietly. Elena went to class again. She kept her distance from people, but she noticed that Adrian wasn't trying to talk to her in public anymore. He gave her space, and somehow that made her trust him more.

They saw each other a few times in passing. A nod. A glance. That was it.

But at night, she sometimes found herself walking the same path to the rooftop. And sometimes he was already there.

They didn't always speak. Sometimes they just sat there, side by side, saying nothing at all.

It felt strange. Safe.

And that scared her more than anything.

Because things that feel safe don't stay that way.

She knew that too well.

---

One evening, as she stepped onto the roof, Adrian was already waiting. He had a box next to him this time. Inside was a small thermos and two mugs.

"What's this?" she asked.

"Tea," he said, pouring a cup. "It's not poisoned, I swear."

She almost smiled.

He handed her a mug, and they sat down.

"It's nice out tonight," she said quietly.

"Yeah. I like this part of the month. Before the full moon. Everything feels still."

She sipped the tea. It was warm and tasted like honey and cinnamon.

"Thank you," she said.

He looked at her. "For the tea?"

"For not asking me to explain everything. For not being... too much."

Adrian leaned back, resting on his hands. "I don't need your story to know you've survived some serious stuff."

Her throat tightened. She didn't know what to say to that. It was the kindest thing anyone had said in a long time.

He went quiet again, then asked, "Do you ever think about going back to your old pack?"

"No," she said quickly. Too quickly.

"I didn't mean-"

"I can't go back," she interrupted. "There's nothing left for me there."

"Okay."

She exhaled, her breath shaking a little. "Sorry."

"You don't have to be."

She looked down at her hands. "You're really different, you know."

"How so?"

"I expected someone like you to be arrogant. Loud. Full of yourself."

"And?"

"You're quiet. Like me."

Adrian smiled, just a little. "Maybe that's why I keep showing up."

She stared at him.

He didn't say anything else. Just sipped his tea and looked out at the sky.

And for once, she didn't run.