The Hybrid King's Hidden Mate

Chapter 12: A Guarded Person

-Ronan-

Seth had finally texted me, but the news wasn’t good: she had been attacked. I had anticipated something like this happening when I let her go. Trouble was bound to find her. However, it didn’t mean I liked it. In fact, I hated it. Nonetheless, there was nothing to be done about it now. At least I hoped she had learned her lesson.

We had a hospital set up in the house, equipped with everything necessary to treat serious injuries. As I entered the examination room where I knew she was, I was almost struck by a small flashlight that a doctor would use to examine a patient’s eyes. It hit the wall beside me instead.

“Get away from me!” she growled at our doctor.

And it was clear she had learned nothing.

Here we go again! I smiled a little, as I heard my wolf speak.

So, despite disappearing for many years, it was evident he still retained a sense of humor. That was reassuring to discover. In fact, it was really reassuring. The fact that he had the strength to find some amusement in the situation, evidenced by what I would call a smile—if wolves could smile—meant he was improving.

He was making a comeback, all thanks to this little firecracker who had a penchant for throwing things and speaking her mind, even to those who could easily overpower her. I mean, did she lack awareness of the gravity of the situation, or was she just that stubborn?

It is nice to see. Never thought I would like stubborn, my wolf commented.

Me neither.

Adrianna had been so compliant and gentle, but only compliant toward me, of course. To others she was still a queen and a ruler, but she would never spit in anyone’s faces or throw vases and flashlights at them. No, this one liked to bite the hand that fed her.

“If you would just let me...”

“Touch me and I will bite the hand off!” she told Gavin.

Gavin looked utterly exhausted. She hadn’t been here for long, yet it seemed she had already given him a headache. My warriors, positioned around her, appeared equally fatigued. I wasn’t sure if they were solely here to monitor her or if Gavin might need assistance to restrain her. She sat on the examination table, blood staining the side of her face, but otherwise appearing unharmed. However, her expression betrayed intense anger.

“He is just trying to help,” I said and closed the door behind me.

“Did I ask for his help?” she retorted.

She surprised me. I hadn’t expected her to say that, and I froze on my way over to her.

“He is a doctor,” I remarked.

“Who still needs my consent. I have not given it. Therefore, he cannot do an exam,” she stated, lifting her chin in the air again and crossing her arms.

Who raised this little one? I wondered.

Certainly, someone who told her not to give a flying f*ck, my wolf replied.

“So, you do not care if you have a concussion or internal bleeding?” I countered.

“I’m fine,” she said.

“Oh, I’m sorry, did you go to medical school at some point in your life?” I challenged.

She narrowed her eyes, clearly displeased that I was speaking to her in the same manner she was addressing us. I could comprehend her initial hostility, but this was becoming absurd. Seth had rescued her from some human male, the circumstances of which I was still unaware. Seth had only provided me with the most essential details, but apparently, the scoundrel had also attempted to assault her, filling me with a desire to tear him limb from limb.

We will find him another day, my wolf assured me.

That we would. Though I was surprised, it wasn’t other wolves or vampires she had run into. No, it was a human.

“I want to go,” she insisted.

This again, I growled internally.

“Sure, where do you want to go?” I asked.

“Away from here,” she snarled.

“Well, the door is there,” I said and stepped to the side and sweeping my hand through the air.

My warriors, including Gavin, appeared shocked by my decision, because why would I allow her to leave again? Especially after she had been seriously injured just two days after her first departure.

However, I didn’t intend to let her run off once more. She seemed exhausted, injured, and trembling slightly. I couldn't discern if it was due to the chill or if it was the aftermath of adrenaline and fear slowly dissipating. Nevertheless, I knew that if she attempted to take a single step, she would likely collapse.

“If you can make it over there, go ahead. No one here will stop you,” I promised.

She looked around herself, clearly not trusting me.

“I let you go once. They won’t stop you,” I said.

She watched me a bit suspiciously, but then she lowered her arms, accepting I was speaking the truth. She placed her hands on the table, and jumped down, thinking her legs could actually carry her, that this little episode had not had an impact on her at all.

However, the moment her feet touched the floor, her legs broke under her. Luckily, she still had a hand on the examination table, so she didn’t fall to the floor. Gavin stepped to her side, but she was quick to tell him not to come close.

“Don’t touch me!” she snarled.

“Why her?” I mumbled to myself, placing a hand over my eyes.

She is strong, my wolf commented.

I didn’t doubt that.

She would fight until she couldn’t, he pointed out.

And Adrianna wouldn’t? I replied.

Adrianna always relied on us. She couldn’t even hurt a small frog that had found its way into our room, and you know she hated frogs.

I did remember that. She had screamed on top of her lungs, and I had run into our bedroom from a room that was connected to it. She had been shaking and looking at something I couldn’t see. I had asked her what was wrong, and with a shaky hand she had pointed in front of her.

It was then I noticed a small green frog in the middle of the room, just staring back at Adrianna, not caring about her fear or screams. I laughed. So. Hard. She didn’t like that, but of course, I quickly became her hero, as I removed the frog.

This one is very independent. She would never need us to remove anything. If we tried to help her, she would simply tell us to sit down while she took care of the problem herself.

So I could understand what my wolf meant. She was truly proud, willing to accept help only when she asked for it, and I couldn't imagine her ever seeking assistance unless absolutely necessary. If confronted, she wouldn't hesitate to fight back. She wouldn't be afraid, freeze, or scream for help.

Instead, she would find a solution to whatever challenge lay before her. If that meant confronting her attacker, she would do so without hesitation. Even now, she dared to meet the gaze of every man in here and tell them to f*ck off.

So, I had been right. That was why my wolf wanted her, why he claimed her: her strength. Even now, though it appeared pathetic, she rose to her feet, straightened her back, defiantly showing everyone here that she would not fail.

Slowly releasing her grip on the table behind her, she took a step forward. Once again, her leg seemed on the verge of breaking under her weight, but she managed to maintain her balance. Glancing over at Enzo, I could tell he, like me, found the situation pitiful.

I could see that everyone wanted to help her or at least offer support, but I knew that if we attempted to assist her, she would likely scream at us or perhaps even bite us, as she had threatened to do with Gavin.

She had already bitten me once. Sh*t, I thought, remembering how she had sunk her teeth deeply into my skin. I wasn’t sure her fangs could have gone any deeper. I didn’t recall Adrianna ever biting me that hard. She was the only one, besides this little hybrid, who had ever drunk from me.

I considered it a sacred act, like giving a piece of myself away. I didn’t derive pleasure from drinking from anyone else besides Adrianna. If I could have maintained my full strength without drinking, I would have chosen that option.

However, I needed to be at the peak of my abilities. I couldn’t afford to grow weak, and relying solely on regular food would have rendered me too feeble. I couldn’t fulfill my role as king if I were weakened. I couldn’t have sought retribution against all those who harmed my beloved mate and my son if I hadn’t continued to drink from others.

Now you don’t have to feel so disgusted anymore. We have her, my wolf reminded me.

Did we? I couldn’t envision a future right now where she would ever let me get that close, and I wasn't sure I wanted her near me either. It meant risking too much—risking my heart. Even though the thought of her blood was undeniably tempting, it was simply too close.

“See!” she pointed out proudly, as she took another step without falling. “I am fine.”

“I would believe that if you weren’t shaking so badly.”

“I am not shaking,” she denied.

Denial really was an ugly thing sometimes, but in this case, I just felt sorry for her. Often, when people turned out this stubborn or very proud, it was because they had learned to only rely on themselves. They couldn’t wait for others to offer them a hand, because they would end up dead before anyone did.

Her actions actually told me a lot about her. Adrianna had been brought up in the safety of her parents’ home. She had been both guarded and loved. Whatever she pointed at, she was given. Her father was one of the fiercest and bravest men I had ever met. No one dared to defy him.

There was no reason for Adrianna to turn stubborn or feel like she couldn’t ask for help, because everyone was right there, ready to help her over even a small puddle so her dress wouldn’t get filthy. It was actually a wonder she didn’t turn out cruel or too spoiled, but she had had the purest of hearts I had ever seen.

This one, I mused internally, contemplating every facet of the little hybrid. She was guarded, and people only became guarded if they felt afraid or abandoned. How had she grown up? Where had she been all this time? Who turned her into this person?