To Feel Again [Welcome To Wolf's Peak]

Chapter Eight - Adrian

Adrian

I yawned and stretched out fully on my side in the high grass of the clearing. The days were starting to grow cooler now as winter drew closer so I took advantage of the unseasonable warmth of the day. My cat loved to soak up the heat from the sun and this was one of my favorite places to go in shifted form. It was my escape, my thinking spot and one of the most beautiful places I'd ever seen. 

When I'd first moved here I'd come to this place to think about Harry. I felt strangely close to him here. Thinking about him now still hurt and I knew that pain would never completely diminish. However it was growing easier to remember our time together without being crippled by thoughts of what if, or what should have been. Harry was a part of me and always would be but I knew he'd be upset with me for my behavior when given a renewed chance at being mated.

A twig snapped to my left and I rolled to my belly, staying low in the grass. Peering through the blades of tall grass I saw a dark figure approach my hiding place and felt my anger spike. Without conscious thought I sprang at him, taking him down. He tried to roll away from me but I sat my whole weight on him and dug my claws into his hide. The body below me shifted and my brother hissed. "Get your damn claws out of me Adrian. What the hell is wrong with you?"

I shifted above him and punched him square in the jaw. "Why didn't you tell me you'd slept with one of my mates?" I yelled.

Jacob wiggled his lower jaw and narrowed his eyes at me. "I didn't tell you because I've learned not to bring it up. Kennedy was pissed with me for so long when we first met and he found out about me having sex with Owen. It only happened one time. One! It was something that never should have happened but it did, before either of us were mated."

"I don't care about that, I know neither of you were mated and I probably could let it go if not for the fact that you're my brother and you kept that information from me even after you learned that he was my mate." I stood and paced away from him. I could hear the movement of the grass as he stood up too.

"I wasn't trying to keep it from you, obviously it would have come to light regardless. I didn't want to hurt you, or anger Kennedy again. He's happy for you, thrilled that you've mated again, but the subject of me and Owen still angers him. Kennedy might be small but believe me when I say that he's frightening when angry." He placed a hand on my shoulder and they sagged, all anger drained from me.

"I know what Kennedy went through at the beginning of your relationship, what you both went through. But I deserved to know." I both sounded and felt defeated. We'd had each other's backs since our family's deaths and it hurt that he'd kept something so important from me. "Don't ever keep anything from me again."

"I won't, I promise." Jacob circled around to the front of me. "Are we good?"

I shrugged. "Of course."

Jacob pulled me into a hug. "Let's get home, Kennedy has made cheesecake for desert." 

Kennedy had started experimenting with recipes when he moved in with us and he'd gotten very good at cooking and baking. His cheesecake was one of my favorites of his new creations. It was fused with a creme liqueur that gave it amazing flavor. "Okay but I better get a big slice as an apology." I laughed and shifted taking off through the woods in the direction of home.

My shift at work had just ended and it was one of the rare occasions when Owen wouldn't be working either. We'd arranged for him to pick me up and we'd spend some time together, just the two of us since Niko was busy with pack business.

Personally I thought that was just an excuse he gave us so that we could have time alone together. I was looking forward to getting to know Owen. The man himself pulled up just as I thought that and I rounded the car to get into the passenger seat.