Beneath the Alpha's Moon
Chapter 44: Curiosity

Chapter 44: Curiosity

ADRIAN’S P.O.V.

I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve wandered through these woods, each step familiar yet ever-changing in its own way.

The cool night air wove through the trees like a soft whisper, and the earthy scent of moss, wet leaves, and damp soil clung to the ground beneath my boots. I’ve lived in this town—this sanctuary—longer than anyone could truly understand. Ten thousand years... a stretch of time so vast it was almost unfathomable to human minds. You’d think that after all those centuries, I would feel the weight of it. But to me? It was the blink of an eye.

The mountains surrounding us had always been more than just a backdrop—they were like the embrace of an old friend, wrapping the valley in their quiet, protective arms. This place has been mine for so long, a piece of land I built from the earth itself, stone by stone, brick by brick. I had crafted every inch of it—every home, every corner of these streets—until this town became more than just a place. It became a secret, a whispered promise that only I knew how to guard. And I have kept it safe for all these years, shielded it from the outside world like a treasure too precious to be found.

The people here? They knew me. They respected me. Hell, they feared me too. And they should. Over the centuries, I allowed that legend to grow, weaving myself into the very fabric of their stories. They said I was a ghost who wandered these lands, a phantom of the valley who didn’t age, never died. Some believed I was the god of the mountains, sent to protect this land from those who would harm it. Legend was what they called it—but I knew the truth. They didn’t know the half of it. They didn’t realize I had been here before them, before the first settlers even thought to plant their roots in this fertile soil. I had watched them carve their homes into the earth, unaware of the force standing just beyond their gaze. And they certainly didn’t know what I was... or who I really was.

Tonight, I found myself once again in these woods, just as I had so many times before. There was a strange comfort in the solitude of this place, in the hush of the trees and the stillness of the night. But I wasn’t alone. With me was Harry, my right-hand man, the only one I trusted completely. We were hunting, but not for the usual game. No, tonight’s hunt was far darker, more necessary. There were men—hunters—who had crossed a line in this town. They had been violating its peace, harassing the locals, raping women. The thought of it made my blood boil, a rage so old and so deep that it pulsed through my veins like a curse.

When the mayor came to me with the news, I didn’t hesitate. I couldn’t afford to. I immediately called Harry, Carlos, and Brian—three of my most trusted—and sent them after these men. I told them to make sure they paid. Make them beg for their lives, drain them dry of blood, and leave them as if they were never anything more than refuse. These men had broken the rules, and I don’t tolerate that. Ever. They had sealed their fate the moment they set foot in my town.

When it was done, there was no satisfaction. Only the hollow echo of their screams, the dark stain of their blood soaking into the earth. Their bodies lay abandoned, discarded in the dirt like the insignificant things they were. In the end, they meant nothing. They were a blip in the course of my existence, a mere inconvenience. But they had to be dealt with, and so they were.

We were heading back to my mansion, the moonlight casting its pale glow over the stone path that wound through the trees. The night was quiet, but then—then I caught it. The scent. At first, it was just a faint trace, like a breeze that passes you by, but it lingered. It wasn’t normal. It stayed with me, curling in the air like a pull on my senses, something alluring and unsettling.

"Adrian," Harry murmured, his voice low, almost a whisper. He stopped in his tracks, his nostrils flaring as he sniffed the air. "Do you smell that?" His gaze sharpened, his expression unreadable.

The wind shifted, carrying with it the scent, stronger now, pressing in on me like a memory I couldn’t quite place. Something—someone—was near.

I didn’t even need to answer. I already knew what it was. It wasn’t like anything I’d ever smelled before. It was sweet—so sweet, like the scent of wildflowers after the rain—but there was something else there. Something that didn’t quite sit right. Something that felt... other.

We followed the scent, moving silently through the trees, until we saw her.

She was bent over, her fingers gently plucking wildflowers from the ground near a small cottage. The kind of cottage that looked like it belonged in a fairytale, nestled on the edge of the woods, surrounded by the soft hum of the night. Flora’s place, I knew. She owned the diner in town, always with a warm smile for me when I passed by. She treated me like her son, always offering me some food or a drink, as if I needed it. She’d been good to me, and that wasn’t something I took lightly.

But this girl—this woman—she wasn’t from here. Not from my town.

Her skin was smooth and rich, like caramel dipped in honey, her curly brown hair cascading over her shoulders in a perfect mess. Her beauty wasn’t the kind you saw in glossy magazines or in the streets of the city. No, it was the kind that stopped your heart in its tracks. It was real. Raw. I don’t know why, but as I watched her, I couldn’t tear my eyes away.

She wasn’t tall, she wasn’t curvy in the traditional sense, and yet—she had a way about her. Something in the way she carried herself, in the simple grace of her movements. She wasn’t trying to be beautiful, but god, she was. There was something in her brown eyes that held secrets—mysteries I didn’t understand, but I wanted to.

This was bad. I had to cut off whatever this was before it sprouted roots.

I was about to speak, to give the order to my men to take her down—before Harry’s voice stopped me cold.

"Adrian," he whispered, a note of urgency in his tone. "She’s pregnant."

Pregnant. With not one, but two babies. I hadn’t noticed at first, but then—when Harry pointed it out—I saw it. Just a slight curve to her stomach, barely noticeable, but it was there. A heartbeat. I could hear it. Two steady heartbeats, slow and calm, like the ticking of a clock.

And then I smelt the other thing.

The scent of werewolf.

It hit me like a tractor, and I felt my chest tighten. I looked at my men, and I could see it in their eyes—anger. Harry, Cole, and Brian were already agitated. Werewolves? In my town? Not in nine thousand years had one dared to step onto this land. We’d wiped them out. Every last one of them.

Harry’s hand went to his weapon. "We should kill her. Now," he said, his voice low and filled with menace.

I held up my hand. "No."

Something about this woman, about her—it stopped me. For the first time in centuries, I was unsure. I didn’t know what to do, and that scared me. The anger, the rage that should’ve burned through me—it didn’t come. There was only curiosity. Why was she here? Why had she come? Why did I care?

"You can’t be serious? Wherever a claimed werewolf mate is, the werewolf most follow." Brian muttered, the disbelief in his voice thick.

But the look I gave them? That was enough. No one moved.

"I’ll handle this," I said, my voice calm and steady, as if I had all the time in the world. "No one touches her."

The words felt strange coming from my lips, but there they were. I was intrigued, yes, but I was also captivated. This woman had entered my life like a storm, and I didn’t know whether I wanted to shield myself from it or let her tear me apart.

But one thing was certain—I wasn’t letting her go. Not yet. Not without finding out everything about her. Why she smelled like werewolf mate but didn’t act like one. Why she had two babies inside her and still looked so... delicate.

The answer was a mystery I intended to unravel. And if it meant breaking every rule I’d set for myself, then so be it. I was going to figure out exactly what made her so irresistible to me.

And I was going to keep her—whether she liked it or not.

"Stay here," I told my men. "And keep quiet. I’ll go speak to her."

Follow current novels on freewe(b)novel.c(o)m