Chapter 47
BENEATH HER DARKNESS: The Alpha's Little Demon
047 â Team Adan LUCY.
Adan and I spent the whole afternoon in the middle of the forest without my necklace around my neck, and we just talked about anything under the sun. To my disappointment, the voice in my head did not return as much as I had hoped.
With a heavy heart, I decided to call it a day and told him that maybe we could try again some other time. âWe should go back to the packhouse. Iâm hungry.â
âHow about we try one last time?â Adan asked as he slid down from the boulder where we were seated and stood in front of me.
âWhat do you mean? Arenât we trying for a long time already?â
âI will let Beast out, and see if he can connect with her. You know, wolves can detect each other better when they are in their wolf form.â
A smile curled on my lips as I nodded my head. âYes! We can do that!â
âBut please donât seduce him.â
âWhat? Itâs not my fault your wolf likes me.â I rolled my eyes at him playfully.
âHe does. I have to make a deal with him before I will let him out.â
âOkay. But letâs try that, maybe he can push her out this time.â
Adan leaned forward and pecked my lips before brushing his lips against my cheek. âYouâre mine.â
âAlways...â I replied in a soft tone before watching him walk away from me.
He slowly slipped his clothes off his body without taking his eyes off me, and I knew he was teasing me. I had to clamp my legs together and remind myself to breathe, or I would end up drooling. I had seen this man naked too many times by now, but every time still felt like the first time. I didnât think I would ever get used to this.
Once he was fully naked, Adan crouched on the ground and gave me a wink before he leaped forward, and soon, his body shifted and his paws landed on the ground with a loud thud before he walked toward me.
I stood up from the big boulder and dropped onto my knees in front of Beast.
My hands cupped his jaw as I rubbed it a bit harder, just the way he wanted. âHey, you handsome Beast, help me connect with my wolf?â
With his tongue out, Beast let out a guttural growl before he began licking my face, and I just let him. After a while, we sat next to each other and stared at the forest view in front of us.
âAre you bored?â I asked. Although I was okay with just sitting next to him, and he was behaving really well, I missed the arms that cuddled me.
Beast growled and lowered his entire body to the ground, his head resting on his front paws, as if bored.
My tail sprouted out from my back, and I extended it longer than usual before I began tapping Beastâs head. He immediately rose to his paws and began jumping around, trying to catch my tail, but I was faster.
Soon, he was growling too loudly, annoyed at being taunted, and he was baring his fangs at my tail, and I couldnât help but giggle.
No wonder Adan was hot-headed. Beast was exactly like him. I was enjoying watching him get pissed off as happiness and contentment overflowed from my chest.
He was too big for my thin tail, but he couldnât catch it.
I was laughing heartily, and before I could control it, I began to see red and feel a burn on my hand. My right palm started to glow so brightly that I dove faster than I could think to where my necklace was and ended up rolling on the ground.
My tail retracted, and the burn subsided. I was lying on my back, facing the sky above, my chest heaving as I berated myself for being so careless.
âAre you okay?â Adan was hovering over me, completely naked, but it was the least of my worries.
âI summoned fire,â I said in a low voice. My throat felt so dry.
âIt didnât come out.â
âBut it still... what if my father felt it?â
âSssh... Itâs okay. Iâm here, we will find a way.â Adan helped me sit up before he picked up the necklace from the ground and placed it around my neck. âIâm sure it was nothing, but if anything happens, we will face your father together.â
âI donât want to go back to the underworld.â
He cupped my face, and my eyes began to water. âI told you I wouldnât let you go back there, and I mean every word I said.
We just have to be careful next time.â
I nodded my head as Adan ran his knuckles against my cheek. âDo you think I should go away? So the pack wonât be in danger.â
âNo. You will stay here. I will think of something. But at least we know you summon fire when youâre angry and when youâre happy. Extreme emotions.â
âI want to control it, but how can I when I canât even use it?â
âI wish I had answers for you, but I too had no idea. I never had a demon girlfriend...â His mouth tugged into a grin, and I knew he was trying to lighten up my mood.
I smiled at him before I scooted my body into his. âLetâs go back home.â
âYes, Beast will take you home.â
I pulled away from his chest and stared at him. âAre you sure? I donât want him to attack anyone.
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His eyes suddenly dilated, and I knew I just hit a spot on Beastâs ego.
Adan chuckled and shook his head. âI told him he could spend more time with you if he behaved around our people.â
âAnd?â
âHe just growled at me. But we will see.
âNo! Weâre not taking a risk. Did you see how many were injured last time he was out?â
âI trust that you can tell him to behave. If youâre around, he fails to see other people. Do you recall Ethan? He had every reason to kill him, but he just attacked him until he could not fight anymore and went for you.â
âFine, I will just talk to him then.â
âGood. It settled then. I need to tell Collin and Kingston what happened.â
âIf my father shows up...â
âWe will face him together.â
âAre you not worried about the danger? He might kill you...â
âIâm sure he would want to, but I wonât let that happen. So just relax.â
I knew Adan was just trying to pacify me, but this was getting real already. The last thing I wanted was to put him and the whole pack in danger. I was sure my father would not harm me, but he would not have second thoughts about killing everyone in his path.
It was for the same reason I often wondered if he killed Mom so he could take me away. I guess I would never find the answer, but I would not let him touch Adan. Not on my watch, not in my lifetime.
I needed to find a way to protect him, even if it meant binding my life to him.
âAdan,â I said as I folded his clothes to take with me when I rode Beast.
âHmmm...â
âYou said you sent out a tracker days ago to find a witch whoâd been to the underworld? Did you get an answer already?â
âThe red mountain is two daysâ travel by foot from the nearest city unless he found someone who could take him up there.
The worst-case scenario is one week. It could be less if he were fortunate enough to persuade her in a single day.â
âHe went there alone? What if he died along the way? Then no one will tell us.
âHeâs a mercenary, a good one at this kind of job, so I never doubted him. He knows how to deal with witches and vampires. So Iâm sure weâll hear from him soon, and Iâm sure heâll bring the witch with him.â
âWhat did you offer the witch in return?â
âA home within the territory.â
âAre you sure about that? How did you know if she can be trusted?â
âIâm laying all my cards on the table now, Lucy. Either I take a risk with her, or I have nothing on my side to protect you.â
âIâm sorry I brought you trouble.â
âNo time for apologies. Iâm all in, Team Lucy all the way. Remember?â
I flung my arms around him and slammed my face onto his chest, letting his masculine scent calm me down.â
Thank you! Iâm on Team Adan too! All the way! I will protect you from my father...â
âYou will?â
I nodded my head. âI wonât let him harm you, Adan. I promised that.â
He didnât reply, but his arms around me tightened, and his lips pressed a kiss on the crown of my head.
I blinked back my tears before I tilted my head to beam at him. âIâm ready to ride Beast whenever you are.â
âYup. Letâs go home. Iâm starving.â
âMe too,â I giggled softly, even though my heart was still worried.
I was expecting my father to just pop out of nowhere like he did when I killed a rabbit. He appeared in front of me even before Mom could rush out from our house to the backyard, where I accidentally burned the rabbit I was chasing. I got pissed off because I couldnât catch it, and before I knew it, I had already set it on fire.
But he was still nowhere here. I hoped he didnât feel it or that he was busy doing something that kept him from feeling that connection to me.
I was hoping as well that the red mountain witch would come and meet us.
And that she would be kind enough to answer our questions and see if she could bind my life to Adanâs. It was my only hope that my father would not kill him.
But I had to keep this secret from Adan because I was sure he would not allow it.
Adan shifted into his wolf, and it took me out of my thoughts. Beast slumped his body to the ground, allowing me to climb up on him without any problem. I laid Adanâs clothes on his back before I lowered my body over it and snaked my arms around his neck, clutching his fur tighter.
Beast slowly stood up and began walking until his pace picked up and he began springing through the forest. I closed my eyes as I felt tears begin to trickle down my face.
I think this was what Grand Alpha Aurelius was talking about. Perhaps I was already so in love with Adan that I didnât want to see him get hurt or, worse, dead. I would do everything to keep him alive, and if the witch of the red mountain would not be able to help me â maybe it was time to leave and be on my own again.