Chapter 8 I Like Practical Action

• Adrian’s low, dangerous presence slowly drew closer.
• He seemed about to raise his hand and check the temperature of my forehead, but in the end, he lowered it again.
• I turned to look at him.
• His eyes were too deep, like they could drag you into some secret vortex.
• And in that instant, a crazy thought flashed through my mind—
• Adrian was unmarried, powerful, calm and mysterious.
• If I wanted to climb out of this blood-clotted swamp…
• I couldn’t do it alone.
• But the dizziness worsened in a heartbeat, like that verge-of-collapse tremor in Moon Fang Keep.
• The next second, I fell straight into him.
• He caught me on instinct, holding me steady.
• His grip was strong, but restrained in a way that was unnatural.
• Adrian frowned. When his palm finally pressed to my forehead, I felt the coldness of his fingertips.
• “Your fever is this high?”
• The lines between his eyebrows deepened.
• "Julie? Can you hear me?"
• My eyelids were so heavy that I couldn't open them. I could only manage a weak hum.
• He pulled out his phone immediately.
• “Have the doctor come to the house. Now.”
• …
• In the villa,
• The air smelled of fir wood mixed with wolf aura.
• It was intensely… Adrian.
• Half-conscious, I heard the butler’s shocked whisper.
• “Mr. Adrian, this is… a woman?”
• Then the sound of softened footsteps, no one daring to ask more.
• After I took medicine, I fell asleep again. When I finally woke fully, half an hour had already passed.
• The second my eyes opened, my entire body went rigid.
• A room in gray-black tones.
• Heavy blackout curtains.
• A tall wardrobe.
• Cold enough that there was almost no trace of human warmth
• My head was still spinning, but even through the haze, I knew this was not anywhere familiar.
• I sat up abruptly. My forehead was still burning, but it was better than before.
• I remembered getting out of my car and into Adrian’s.
• I fainted.
• After that —?
• Was this… his bedroom?
• I gritted my teeth, threw off the blanket, and forced myself out.
• The moment I opened the door, I ran into a gentle old lady.
• “You’re awake?”
• Her eyes were kind, respectful toward a stranger.
• “Mr. Adrian is in the study. If you need him, just follow the hallway straight down.”
• I nodded, but my heart started racing anyway.
• I didn’t know if it was nervous—
• Or because my wolf, every time it got close to his scent, went unnaturally quiet.
• I reached the study door and knocked.
• “Come in.”
• His voice rolled out from inside, deep as a lake in winter.
• I pushed the door open and saw him standing by the floor-to-ceiling windows.
• His figure was tall and cold, shoulders strong enough to rip through the night.
• The moment he turned around, my heart hit hard once.
• “Adrian… how am I in your house?”
• He glanced at me, his tone calm, like stating a fact.
• “You passed out in the car.
• I didn’t know where you lived.
• So, I brought you here first.
• You’ve already taken medicine.”
• “Thank you.”
• “Verbal thanks doesn’t mean anything,” he said with a teasing smile. “I like practical action.”
• At that moment, I suddenly understood. This man was interested in me, too.
• I arched a brow but stayed silent.
• Inside my chest, my wolf, Linda, was slowly, fully waking up. Her ears pricked.
• Then she commented, sounding far too invested, “Julie, did you finally find yourself a decent man?”
• Her voice existed only inside my chest, yet I still lifted my head on instinct, afraid Adrian might somehow hear it.
• I didn’t want to be the first one to reveal my feelings.
• And I definitely didn’t want to fall into another trap like the one William had set for me.
• Before I could compose myself, my eyes met Adrian’s.
• Adrian leaned against the desk, his gaze sharp, but the interest in it was almost impossible to hide.
• “Julie, your scent…”
• His voice dropped. “It reminds me of someone I used to know.”
• His tone was casual, as if he were only making small talk.
• But here, in his study, after I had just woken up in his bed, it sounded more like a test.
• I was still William’s mate. Still the Luna of the Ember Hide Pack.
• And yet, those words stirred an unexplainable tremor deep in my chest.
• Had I forgotten something?
• Where had I seen him before?
• Why did his scent feel so familiar?
• I lifted my chin, keeping my expression calm on the surface, and tugged the corner of my mouth. “Adrian, that is a very outdated way to hit on someone.”
• Adrian did not back down.
• Of course, no man could accept that kind of dismissive response from a woman.
• “Maybe we really have met before. At your wedding, perhaps?”