Even after years at his side, being held so close still unsettled her. Heat crept into her cheeks as she met his steady gaze. There was no sign on his face that he knew she had just secured approval to leave him behind.
“I was thinking about the infirmary,” she said lightly. “There’s been a lot to handle.”
His eyes narrowed slightly, as if weighing her answer, but he let it pass. Instead, he crouched in front of her, lifting the hem of her trousers to examine her swollen ankle.
His fingers pressed carefully along the joint.
She hissed at the sting.
Without hesitation, he slid one arm beneath her knees and the other behind her back, lifting her as though she weighed nothing.
“It’s not minor,” he said. “You’ve strained it badly. You shouldn’t be walking for a few days.”
The courtyard guards glanced their way, and Adriana stiffened.
“Put me down,” she whispered urgently. “People are watching.”
He ignored her protest entirely and smacked her lightly on the hip when she tried to wriggle free. “Stop struggling. You’re injured.”
Despite everything, her wolf reacted to his touch—an instinct she despised.
He had only taken a few strides toward the infirmary when his communication crystal vibrated in his pocket.
He paused, shifting her weight slightly as he answered.
A bright, sugary voice floated from the device.
“Nathanie? Are you at the manor? I think I’m coming down with something. Could you check on me? I feel terrible.”
Olivia.
Adriana didn’t need to see the name etched on the crystal to know.
She watched his expression soften almost immediately, the stern Alpha replaced by something gentler.
A small smile curved his lips.
Adriana lowered her gaze and began counting silently in her head.
One.
Two.
Three.
Before she reached ten, he stopped walking.
Carefully, almost reluctantly, he set her back on her feet.
“There’s an urgent matter,” he said, avoiding her eyes as he steadied her briefly. “Someone at the manor needs me.”
Of course they did.
She forced a faint nod.
“I understand,” she replied evenly.
He hesitated for half a heartbeat, then turned and strode away, already issuing quiet instructions through the crystal.
Adriana remained standing in the courtyard, her ankle throbbing, watching his retreating figure.
The decision she had made in the council chamber no longer felt uncertain.
If she left this territory, there would be nothing here holding her back.