It was early spring and the sky was just starting to brighten. A heavy rain had enveloped the entire city in a damp coldness. Adriana, dressed in a trench coat and carrying an umbrella and a trunk, arrived at the La Vida Ferry Station.
The rain was too heavy, there were no ferries available for sailing, but she could see a small boat. It didn't look like it was doing legitimate business but with her situation, she couldn't care less. She has to go home. After many years, she had prepared herself for this very specific day. They all think she was gone but they're in for a surprise. It's been years since she last saw her family- or can she even call them her family. Years she spent on preparing herself just for this day.
Taking a deep breath, she stepped onto the boat.
"Hello? Is anyone there? Can you take me across the river? I'll pay double." Adriana walked inside the boat and she was about to say something but her words got stuck in her throat.
In the cabin of the boat, she saw only a man with a mask on, shirtless with blood all over his abdomen, holding a gun in his hand with the black muzzle pointed at her. Her wolf was instantly in flight mode but at the same time, the sight of the shirtless man made her wolf tingle. She didn't like how her wolf and all the other wolves in general are always thinking of mating and nothing else even while held at gunpoint.
A scream threatened to come out of her mouth but the man's gun stopped her from doing so. Instinctively, she raised both her hands, dropping her trunk with a thud. If she makes a wrong move, she's definitely going to die. Her wolf side wanted to protest but she could also smell the blood mixed with the man's scent. It was intoxicating and it was not something she should be smelling, especially her wolf.
She knows very well the man is a wolf too. Wolves can smell each other and she bet he could smell her wolf deciding whether to run or to stay and stare at him being naked.
"P-Please-"
But the man was quick. One moment he was on the floor and the next, he was next to her. He pulled her into his arms and covered her mouth. His hands were cold against her skin and she could feel the blood on her back. It was not an ordinary feat for him to move like that. They are wolves and they are naturally faster than average but this man...she could tell he is not someone ordinary. He looked like he's had some sort of training.
"If you don't want to die, shut up," he warned and she could only stifle her cry. All the thoughts inside her head were racing. She can't die today!
"Take off your clothes, hurry!" he ordered and thoughts were getting mixed up inside her head. At that moment, the sound of footsteps and voices came from outside. Next, they heard voices.
"This way, I swear I saw him escape this way. How could we not find him?" said a man outside. Adriana is not sure what was going on but she was certain that the man holding her hostage now is the one being looked for by the men outside. Is this man a killer? Did he do something bad? If he does the same to her then she will not hesitate to let her wolf out--
"Look, there's a boat over there. Could he be on it?" the man outside said. She isn't sure if they were even looking at the boat where they are now but she prayed they are. She prayed someone would come in the boat and save her.
She heard the man mutter a curse and whispered, "Don't scream or you're dead."
Adriana clamped her lips and suddenly, he tore her dress. She was about to yelp but then she remembered what the man said. She is powerless against him. She has trained to be who she is today but a wolf can also sense when the other is superior. She could sense that this man is way stronger than her and could kill her should she make the wrong move. Moreover, he has a weapon. What can she do about it?
She was scared but she remained still as the man continued to rip her dress. She couldn't help the blush on her cheeks too as she was already almost naked in front of him. She could almost imagine her wolf side wagging its tail at her body being stripped naked. Damned wolf.
"Are those people looking for you?" she whispered.
The man didn't answer her question but stared at her. A smirk curved his lips.
"Be natural. We're going to deceive them and you are going to have to be convincible. Understood?"
Adriana doesn't understand but she nodded, nevertheless.
The man's expression was devoid of any warmth and he looked like he wasn't kidding when he told her he's going to kill her.
Outside, the sound came again "Should we check it out?" They are nearing the boat judging from their voices.
"Check it out! Better to make a mistake than to let him cross the river! Otherwise, how can we explain it to Julian?"
Adriana's eyes suddenly narrowed. Julian? They're not talking about her ex-fiance, are they? But then, this is the Aerilon pack. There is only one Julian in this place. The men outside were definitely talking about her cheating ex-fiance.
Julian was chasing the man in front of her? Adriana couldn't help but wonder who this man is.
Regardless of who he was, the enemy of Julian is automatically her friend! Helping him might even benefit her own plans in the future...
Taking a deep breath, Adriana made a decision. She's going to help him get away from Julian. If it would mean misery for Julian, she would happily contribute to that misery.
"You...lie down," she said in a low voice. The man looked at her questioningly but she doesn't have time to explain. Besides, wasn't the man planning the same thing earlier? She's just being cooperative now.
Then she quickly opened her trunk and took out a bottle of perfume, spraying it in the cabin. The fragrance of the perfume suppressed the smell of blood.
"What are you doing?" asked the man but she did not respond. She removed the tie from her hair and made her hair looked disheveled as much as possible.
"I am helping you," she answered and pulled the strap of her underwear so to make it more believable.
The man was looking at her unbelievably and she rolled her eyes before she threw herself towards him.
"Embrace me," she said. "You want to make this believable, right?"
The man stood frozen but then she felt his hands around her naked waist, pulling her closer. The contact of her skin on his clothes was enough to send bolts of electricity throughout her whole system. She ignored it, thinking that she is doing this to help this man escape. She's doing this to cause problem for Julian.
Adriana pushed the man and they fell with a thud on the floor. The people from the outside certainly noticed it but Adriana couldn't care less. She sat on the man's chest and then slid down until she was sitting near his crotch.
"Aren't you going to remove that damned mask?" she asked. "They're going to recognize you."
"Just cover me," he said and before she could say something, his hand went to her nape to pull her down to him. Her hair fell to the floor, completely covering the man's face from the intruders.
And she started breathing hard and moaning like it was the best day of her life.
Behind the mask, she could see the man was looking at her amusingly and then she grabbed his hand and placed them on her hips. The footsteps were nearing so she leaned closer to him, covering his face with her hair as she continued to grind on top.
At the same time, the curtain from the cabin opened and the people from the outside was greeted by an obscene scene of a woman grinding on top of a man. The next thing they noticed was the smell of strong perfume.
Adriana feigned getting surprised and pissed at them so she threw an empty cup she found nearby towards the people who just came in.
"What the heck are you doing in someone else's boat?" she yelled and the men stared at her naked back, making her more annoyed.
"Get out!" she screamed and the men panicked and rushed out of the boat. However, one man remained.
"Would it be alright if we check the whole cabin?" he said and Adriana couldn't believe it.
One of the man who rushed out came back and took the other man. "He was shot and he wouldn't have time for something like this. Let it go." He then pulled the man away.
She made sure there was none of them near the boat before she started to stand. "Alright, they're gone," she announced.
She breathed a sigh of relief and turned her head, only to meet the intense gaze of the wounded man, who was now running a fever. She could see the pain and repression in his eyes.
Then, she keenly sensed that the man's body was in heat.
She lowered her head and took a glance, noticing that besides the wound on his abdomen still bleeding, there was a strong and sturdy a little bit further below the abdomen.
Realizing what happened, heat crept to her cheeks. Her wolf was starting to feel giddy and she could clearly smell the lust from the man. She knows very well the man could smell what her wolf feels too.
"You...ruffian!" Adriana exclaimed and with a flick of her wrist, she cut through the man's mask with her dagger.
With her precious dagger, she swiftly cut through the man's mask. Her dagger was a treasure, capable of cutting through ordinary things easily. She estimated the thickness of the mask and made sure that she could cut it open without harming the man's face but it only produced a spark and left a shallow mark on the surface.
Both the knife and the mask were made of refined iron!
"Do you intend to kill me?" The man suddenly calmed down, gripped Adriana's wrist bone, and exuded a cold and icy aura that seemed to lower the temperature in the cabin.
Despite being experienced in self-defense and combat in general, Adriana involuntarily shrank her neck before steadying herself.
She calmly replied, "I was nervous, and my hand slipped."
The man's eyes narrowed. "Is that so?" The man tightened his grip, and Adriana winced in pain. "I just saved you earlier. Shouldn't you be kinder to me?"
"You just tried to kill me," he said blankly.
"Because you're a pervert!"
"Anyone would have a hard on with what you were doing-"
"Stop it!"
A smirk formed on his lips and Adriana's heart thundered. She was still naked and they are in a very compromising position.
She observed the man. He should be very tall, and in this narrow cabin, his head almost touched the ceiling. One leg was straight, and the other was bent, taking up almost half of the cabin's floor space.
He hid most of his face behind the mask, and his black eyes squinted with deep, cold light. His thin lips pursed tightly, and his overpowering aura seemed capable of crushing everything, including her.
This man was no ordinary man.
"Who are you?" the man asked.
"And who are you?" Adriana replied.
He played with the dagger in his hand. She didn't realize he got her dagger! "You ruined my plan. How should you compensate me?"
Adriana frowned, puzzled. When did she ruin his plan?
The man said, "There was heavy fog on the river today. If you hadn't come on board, my boat would have sailed into the fog. You delayed me, giving those people time to catch up."
If she hadn't boarded the boat, there wouldn't have been such a threatening confrontation.
He leaned forward, and the cold blade was pressed against her left cheek. "You're a cunning cat, and your claws are sharp. But do you know that no one has dared to put a dagger to my neck before?"
Adriana held her breath.
The man's gaze fell on Adriana's face. It was tender and fair-skinned.
Then he moved down to her lips. He had heard that women's lips were soft. Suddenly, much to Adriana's surprise, he leaned over and bit her lip. She wasn't able to move.
When the man was done, he leaned back, a satisfied smile on his lips. It is indeed soft, he thought.
"You..." Adriana wanted to give the man a slash with her knife again, but she had no weapon. So, she prepared to slap him.
The man, however, backed away, climbed out of the cabin, and began to maneuver the boat with his back toward her.
The boat swayed and soon started to move toward the direction of the thick fog. Adriana stared at the man's back. His gun was casually placed beside him.
If she acted fast enough, she could pick up the gun, blow his brains out, and push him into the river. He's getting away from Julian and if she kill him, Julian would never find him. She'll hit two birds with one stone!
The thought of finishing off the man flashed through Adriana's mind and it was tempting, but she quickly suppressed it.
