Chapter 7 You Weren't Planning To Walk This Road Alone, Were You?

• In an instant, everyone’s eyes turned toward the man who had remained silent until now.
• My gaze was drawn to him as well, and I happened to meet Adrian’s deep green eyes—dangerous, sharp, and impossible to read.
• For one fleeting second, I had the illusion that he was the mate fate had chosen for me.
• But in the past, whenever I had seen him, I had never felt anything like this.
• William was clearly stunned too.
• Because no one had ever dared speak up for me, the neglected wife.
• Adrian was the only exception.
• When he was young, he had left the pack and built his own world.
• Now, he had established not only a business empire of his own, but also a larger pack.
• Even if every Alpha in the country lined up to offer him a drink, he might not even lift his eyes.
• A man of his level had no reason to interfere in William’s family affairs.
• Yet he spoke for me.
• Why?
• I didn’t have time to think about it.
• The chief elder had already come out of the small room and said Rocco’s wolf spirit had stabilized.
• William let out a breath of relief, then looked at me again, his voice turning cold.
• “Julie, no matter what, this ends tonight.”
• “Fine.”
• I reached into my bag and pulled out a document.
• My heartbeat was steady.
• “Since you brought it up—”
• I threw the papers in front of him with a sharp sound.
• “Then I’ll trouble all the pack members and elders here to serve as our witnesses.”
• The divorce agreement lay open on the table.
• William froze, his pupils narrowing. He clearly hadn’t expected me to be this prepared.
• I curled my lips into a cold smile.
• “Under the eyes of the Moon Goddess, sign it and sever every bond between us. From this moment on, we are done.”
• Without waiting for his reaction, I turned and left.
• I didn’t want to stay there for another second.
• I could feel every wolf’s senses tighten.
• Their breathing stopped.
• In their eyes, the way I had thrown those papers down was probably worse than biting straight through William’s throat.
• William’s fingers trembled.
• He had been humiliated by me in public.
• In the corner, Adrian had returned to the posture of a spectator watching a show.
• He seemed to be enjoying it.
• And… he seemed interested.
• The moment I walked out of the space where William stood, it felt as if I had finally pulled myself free from a giant trap.
• I went to the parking lot and found the car I had driven here.
• Night had deepened.
• The forest air was damp and cold.
• My wolf blood stirred faintly, restless beneath my skin.
• My ears were filled with the thunder of my own heartbeat.
• I touched my forehead.
• The burning heat confirmed one thing.
• I had a fever.
• I didn’t want to look back.
• I couldn’t.
• I, Julie, still had at least that much pride left.
• So, I gritted my teeth and opened the car door.
• But less than a minute later, I didn’t even have the strength to start the car.
• Dizziness swept over me. I understood very clearly that if I drove in this condition, there would only be one outcome. A wrecked car and a dead me.
• My hands were too weak to even hold the steering wheel steady.
• Just then, someone knocked on my window.
• I slowly lowered it.
• The moment I turned my head, I met those deep eyes.
• Adrian’s voice was steady and magnetic, carrying the unmistakable pressure of an Alpha.
• “Julie, do you need me to give you a ride?”
• At that moment, the wolf in my chest stopped thrashing.
• I froze.
• Adrian?
• Why was it him?
• The corners of his eyes were narrow and slightly upturned, carrying a natural cold nobility and a dangerous aura.
• Under the dim car lights, his wolf scent was steady, like the quietest predator deep in the forest.
• The humiliation from earlier was still lodged in my chest like a thorn. For a moment, I didn’t even know how to speak.
• “It takes at least an hour to drive back to the city from here.” Adrian looked at me. There seemed to be concern in his eyes but that had to be my imagination.
• “You weren’t planning to drive back alone, were you? In this condition?”
• Of course not.
• That was what I thought.
• I had only been planning to walk back later.
• William would not come after me. Nor would he suddenly grow a conscience and send me home.
• I had long since gotten used to relying on myself.
• “Thank you…” I was answering purely on instinct.
• Every movement I made had slipped out of my brain’s control.
• I unbuckled my seat belt, opened the door, and stepped out.
• “I’ll have my driver bring your car back later.”
• I followed him to his car.
• I pulled the door open and had just sat inside when the world suddenly tilted hard to one side.
• A stronger wave of dizziness hit me. I almost fell out of the seat.
• My stomach churned. My head felt as if two wolves were tearing it apart.
• Every bone in my body felt like it was being ripped open.
• My wolf spirit was dangerously unstable. At this point, I no longer needed an elder’s examination to know that.