Six years ago

Adrian's POV
My head was buzzing with information from the Alpha training I had with my father. Ever since my big T, I had been learning from him in preparation for when I reach 18 and take over our pack. It was a huge responsibility and I was honestly afraid of it. I didn't want to disappoint my pack so I was working very hard to make sure I would be able to run the pack well when the time comes. There was so much to learn, even when there was still so much time left, but I was determined to succeed. I could not fail my pack.

As I was walking back to my room for some rest, my ear suddenly picked up a high pitched giggly laugh from our backyard. Out of curiosity, I turned the other way to the balcony to take a look at who it was.

It was winter and the ground was blanketed with a thick layer of pure white snow. I could still see the snowman the four of us made a few days ago. The bright orange carrot was dropping down from the face but Henry, the snowman, still looked as cheerful as ever.

To the other side, a small light brown wolf was jumping around in the snow with a little girl sitting on the back. I could recognise that brown wolf anywhere, anytime and that little girl was none other than Lily.

My exhaustion immediately disappeared and before I knew what I was doing, I jumped into the air, bursting into my dark brown wolf form and landed graceful onto the ground with a soft thud. Being too engrossed, the two of them did not notice my presence. So I took the opportunity to creep behind them and when I found a good timing, I quickly pounced on the two of them.

"Ahhhh!!!" Lily's bloodcurdling scream pierced through the air, but when she realised who it was, she dived into me, hugging me tightly. "That was mean!" She sobbed, hitting me repeatedly. I gave her a reproachful look, asking for her forgiveness.When she didn't look up, I started to become worried. Is she all right? I quickly asked Belle through our mind link.

You scared her, she just needs some time and she'll be back to normal in no time. She replied, comforting me.

And you weren't? I couldn't help but tease her.

Of - of course not! But I'm angry at you Mister! She replied so fast I could tell she was only denying the fact.

Oh really... I taunted her, slowly moving towards her such that I was hovering over her as she backed away nervously.

Stop it! You're... you're... you're gonna hurt Lil'! She forced something out.

I sighed mentally, knowing she was right. Looking down at her, I nudged Lily with my snout gently, getting her to forgive me. Finally, she looked up at me, frowning, so I gave her my best puppy dog eyes.

One... two... three... Belle counted and on the third count, a full blown grin burst out onto her small chubby face.

"You're so cute! Wolfy!" She screamed in delight, holding my face and playing with it.

I groaned, faking annoyance, which only brought out laughter from both Belle and Lily. I smiled inwardly, knowing I managed to make them laugh.

The rest of the afternoon was spent with Lily on Belle's back as they chased after me. Obviously, being the gentlemen that I was, I let them win. Nothing beat the sound of Lily's laughter every time Belle caught up to me. We played and played until we got tired and just layed down on the snow, making snow angels, while we watched the sun set.

It wasn't until my mum called us back in for dinner did we return to the house. And by then Lily was fast asleep with a small smile on her face.

Present

Belle's POV

"What is going on here?" The alpha repeated as he helped up Wolf A and Wolf B. They were both covered in bruises, especially Wolf A, his face was swollen from the nasty punches he received from Adrian. I couldn't help but feel proud of my mate. 

As soon as Adrian left my side, Chase quickly came to wrap his arm around me. My first instinct was to jump away from him but I quickly reminded myself that this was Chase, my best friend, he would never hurt me. I took deep breaths of his scent to adjust to him being so near me. 

Wolf A was staring daggers at me, as if he had unfinished business with me. It sent shudders down my spine as images of how he was treating me flashed in my mind. I had a sudden urge to hide behind Chase's back but I knew I couldn't, I couldn't show him that I was afraid. So I stood straighter and looked away from him as if he didn't bothered me at all. 

Adrian was stalking towards the alpha slowly, as if assessing the situation and how to deal with it. The alpha had his arms crossed and was staring back at Adrian challengingly but Adrian didn't even blink an eye to his stare. He cleared his throat before speaking in an attempt to control his temper. 

"What happened was that.. YOUR beta and 3rd in command ganged up to try to rape my girl." Adrian explained, his voice shaky.

The other Alpha didn't even seem surprised, his face was a blank as a sheet of paper. He looked at the two wolves and asked, "Is it true?"

They shrugged, looking down at the floor. With that, he turned back to Adrian and said, "I am truly sorry for their actions. As their alpha, I apologise on their behalf. I will make sure this does not happen again."

"I want to request an adjustment to the treaty." Adrian stated simply, the unwavering firmness explicit in his voice.

The alpha stared at him for a long time, as if deciding what the best course to take was. Adrian never broke the eye contact, staring back at him firmly, not showing any emotion at all.

Finally, after what seemed like ages, the alpha gave a short and curt nod. "Send me the adjustment and I will look into it." He replied briefly.

I could tell Adrian wasn't too happy with his reply but there was nothing he could do about it.

Suddenly, a huge smile broke onto the Alpha's face as he started to approch me. I immediately hid behind Chase, not liking the idea of meeting him. He, however, did not seem to get the clue.

"Hello there, haven't seen you around before. I'm really sorry about what happened just now, I hope you can forgive those two. In any case, I am Daryl, its a pleasure to meet you." He introduced himself cheerily, as if nothing had even happened while extending his hand at me.

I narrowed my eyes at him, how could he be such a jerk! It was the first time I met him and I already disliked him. Sensing my displeasure, Chase was about to introduce me on my behalf but I decided that I would not show him that I was afraid of him. So I bravely stood away from Chase and spoke, "I'm Belle, and I just returned from Australia." I forced myself to put my hand into his without flinching, especially when he tightened his grip on my hand. For a moment, I panicked, not knowing what he was going to do. What he did next was unexpected as he brought my hand up to his lips gently and gave it a small kiss in a gentlemanly gesture. I had to hide the shudder going down my spine. When he made no move to release my hand, I tried to pull it back but he continued to hold on to it tightly while staring at my face in interest.Adrian was quick to remove his grip on my hand and pull me to his side. "I want your word what happened just now will never happen again. If I see any of your boys treating our pack members any way out of hand, their injury won't be as light as theirs." Adrian gestured at the two wolves as he warned, not showing any warmth in his voice.

Daryl remained calm, his face void of any emotion. He looked at the two wolves briefly before stating matter-of-factly, "you have my word."

"Alright, we'll settle the rest once the adjustment is written, let's get back to class." Chase finally spoke up, relieving the tension in the air.

Adrian nodded but said,"Chase, you go back to class, I'm bringing Belle back home."

I was about to protest that I was fine but the thought of being around so many unfamiliar males right now was not something I wanted to do, so I nodded my head lightly in response to Adrian's questioning look.

With that, Adrian guided me out of the place, holding my hand tightly, either it was to comfort me, or to comfort himself that I was fine, I didn't really care. I just cared that the ordeal was finally over, and that we were both fine. I held my head high as I exited the place, trying my best not to show them, especially the two predators, my fear.

But as soon as I got out of the school, my weak, jelly-like legs gave way and I almost fell if not for Adrian who managed to catch me in time. "Belle, are you okay!?" He exclaimed, worry thick in his voice.

"I'm fine," I reassured him, giving him the best smile I could muster. But inside, my heart was palpitating wildly, still caught up with the events that just happened.

I will be fine, no, I am fine, I must be fine. I told myself firmly, I am brave enough, and strong enough to deal with this. 

~*~

Adrian's POV

After pulling into the garage, I turned to look at Belle. She had remained quiet the whole way back home, and her emotionless face gave nothing away. I was worried, no, I was anxious. When she went missing during lunch, I could feel that something was wrong in my gut. Luckily, we managed to stop those two guys in time.

Jeff and Brian... those two guys, I had better get the guys to look out for them. Actually, the better person to look out for was Daryl, the alpha. What kind of alpha would have allowed such things to happen under his nose? There was definitely something wrong with him, especially his reaction to the whole event. He was so calm, almost as if it didn't bother him at all.

I shook my head to clear my mind, I would worry about this later. Now, I have to make sure that Belle was fine. That was the most important thing right now.

Belle was still sitting on the chair, not having moved one inch. Her glazed over eyes had the faraway look as she looked out of the window.

"A penny for your thoughts?" I asked, giving her a gentle smile.

She looked at me, returning me a smile as she extened her hand towards me, palm facing upwards. I could see that this time, her smile wasn't as forced as it was compared to the one she gave me in the parking lot of our school. When I didn't react, she waved her hand in front of my face to get my attention.

"What?" I asked, frowning as I was not getting what she was trying to say.

"Your penny?" She smirked. 

It took me a moment to get it and when I finally did, I mentally face-palmed myself.

"You're serious?" I asked.

"Of course," she stated matter-of-factly as she made another gesture to hurry me.

I shook my head at her childishness before grabbing my wallet out to take a random coin to put into her hand.

She wrapped her small hand around the coin and smiled at me satisfactorily. "Great, I wasn't thinking about anything. My mind was blank cause I'm exhausted and all I want to do right now is sleep."

That cheeky smile on her face gave it all away. She was playing me, but for some reason, it didn't make me angry. My heart fluttered for a moment. Wait fluttered? No I must have been relieved that she was fine. At least, she looked fine. I knew deep down that she wasn't, but she didn't want me to worry. That was my Bella.

I gave her a small smile and said, "All right, let's get you some sleep."

"But I'm too tired to move, will you please carry me up?" She gave me her puppy eyes and bam! There was nothing else I could do. Damn, she knew that had always been my weakness, I could never say no to that face.

I rolled my eyes playfully at her before going to her side. Should I piggyback her or carry her bridal style? Looking at her, with her eyes closed, the sun shining in her face and her rich chocolate brown hair sparkling in the sunlight; her expression was so peaceful with a small smile on her face. I felt my heart skip a beat. She looked like a beautiful angel.

"Adri?" She asked with a small voice, not even opening her eyes.

"Yes my Bella?" I answered, my nick name for her slipping out of my mouth without me even meaning to, I was just too used to it. I first started to say it just to annoy her because I knew she hated it. I loved teasing her and seeing her being angry and flustered, her lips puckering into a small pout with her arms crossed or akimbo and her forehead creased into a frown. She was too cute.

"I'm tired," she complained as a small yawn escaped her mouth.

I chuckled quietly as I put my arms around her back and under her legs to carry her bridal style. I carefully brought her out of the door and kicked the door closed. Belle wrapped her arms around my neck and laid her head onto my chest. I couldn't help but feel my heart warm up at the gesture. Giving her a small peck on her head, I brought her into the house.

Beth, Belle's mother, came rushing out of the door when she sensed her presence. Worry was written all over her face but I quickly assured her that Belle was fine, and she was just feeling a little tired and came home to rest. I didn't tell her what nearly happened because I knew Belle wouldn't want me to, she hated worrying the people around her.

Laying her down onto her bed and tucking her in gently, I was surprised when she muttered, "Don't leave me." I couldn't be sure if she was asleep, but I decided to stay with her. I was still worried about her, not knowing how she was coping, and besides, I was too lazy to go back to school when it was going to end in around two hours anyway. I lied down next to her and Belle came snuggling next to me, which I responded by wrapping my arms around her tightly. When was the last time we actually did this? The thought popped into my mind. We used to comfort each other all the time and I missed it. Especially now, when I have her in my arms, everything seemed perfect. The smell of her hair, her small frame, and her soft gentle snores - everything was so familiar to me. She was still the Belle I knew, the Belle I loved. And I missed it, I would forgive her time and time again just to have her back with me like this. Pathetic, I know.

~*~

Belles POV

"No! Stop!" I screamed but he didn't stop. His rough hands were everywhere, squeezing with his fingernails so hard I was sure it was going to leave marks.

"No, please!" I pleaded, this time my voice much softer and less firm. I was losing hope, fast.

I struggled but to no avail. His whole body crushed my small frame against the wall. There was nothing I could do.

His lips were at my neck, his teeth biting my skin. My eyes were closely shut, praying to whoever was out there to save me.

His lips traveled upwards and before I knew, it was on my lips. His lips tasted of cigarette and beer. I wanted to vomit, and when he stuck his tongue down my throat, I nearly gagged.

My heart was hitting my chest, hard and fast. The only thing that was on my mind was Adrian.

Adrian, Adrian, Adrian. What's Adrian? And then it finally registered in my mind.

"Adrian!" I shouted. And then my eyes flew open. 

"Shhh...it's alright, its alright. I'm here, I'm right here. No one will hurt you now, I promise." His soothing voice immediately reached out to me. Looking at his concerned look, I knew I could trust him. Still heaving and huffing hard, I nodded at him.

I was sweating so I kicked off my blanket and got off the bed. Adrian reached out for me, I didn't know if it was to help me up or to hold me but I quickly moved away. I could see the hurt expression on his face so I explained, fanning my face with my hand "It's nothing, I'm just feeling really hot right now."

He smirked and I couldn't help but roll my eyes. Boys...

"You feeling better?" He asked lightly.

"Yeah, it was just a dream. I'm fine." I told him. Though I could still feel my heart beating fast as a flashback of the dream past my mind. It just felt so real and disgusting. I held back the urge to vomit as I remembered the feeling of his hands, lips and tongues.

I shook my head quickly to get myself out of it. I could do this, I told myself. I would.

I could tell that Adri didn't believe me, I could see it in his eyes. He was watching me carefully, almost as if I was his prey, watching, quietly, waiting to see any reactions from me.

I sighed, turning away from his piercing gaze. Looking out of the window, I could feel the gentle wind against my skin, making me feel much better.

The sounds coming from the backyard caught my attention. The boys were back home from school and was currently engaged in a game fight. A black wolf was holding a grey wolf down on the ground while the other boys were cheering around them. Taylor had won over Jake.

I brought my leg up onto the window ledge, about to jump in to join them. But before I was fast enough to do so, Adrian caught my arm.

"What do you think you're doing?" He demanded fiercely.

"What do you think?" I retorted back, not happy with the tone he was using.

"Belle! You just fainted a few hours ago, I'm not going to let you join them in the fight!"

I huffed angrily, and insisted. "But I'm perfectly fine."

"Belle, please don't this to me. I nearly lost you." His tone was begging and that was all it took for my will to crumble.

I walked two steps before my arms were wrapped around him tightly. "You didn't lose me, and you won't. I promise."

His face was at my neck and I could feel his hot breath, causing sparks to fly through my skin. Immediately, I untangled myself from him and took a step back. This caused him to frown.

I didn't like that I caused him to frown. So when a bright idea popped into my mind, I told him about it before I even weighed the consequences.

"Well, if you don't want me to fight them, then I can fight you!" I looked at him expectantly.

He contemplated for a moment and said, "I'd rather not. You know we are of different standards. It won't do you any good fighting me. You should practise with someone around your level so that you can work on the techniques and see your improvement."

My heart sank. "Please... just like old times" I added quietly, hoping he would give in.

His lips were pressed in a straight line, and then he sighed deeply. I thought I had won this round, but before I could celebrate my victory, he ran his fingers through his messy hair and said, "Please don't do this to me, I don't want to hurt you." 

Before I could protest any further, he put up his hand. "How about let's go training. Instead of fighting, I think what you need most is training." He smiled brightly at me. "Just like old times," he added cheekily.

I fought the smile that was threatening to appear on my face. I shouldn't be happy that he had won, but alas, I couldn't hide it and my face broke into a smile.

"All right," I said and turned around quickly before he could see my smile. He didn't need any more of an ego boost.

He knew though, he always knew. But being the nice guy for once, he chose to keep quiet and instead was trying to keep his own smile from bursting out.

"Hey! Stop doing that, you look like you're having constipation." I retorted, hitting him on his chest in warning.

"What?" He smiled that mischievous smile of his as he grabbed the hand I