Mira froze, her mind going completely blank.
His mouth crashed against hers.
The kiss wasn’t tender or needy, it was claiming.
His hand slid to the back of her neck, his fingers tightening as he tried to deepen the kiss.
Mira didn’t respond, didn’t melt into the kiss.
She didn’t move.
For a split second her body betrayed her with shock—the freeze response locking her in place.
Then she pushed against him.
“Adr—”
He silenced her by crushing his mouth to hers again.
She felt panic surge, sharp and immediate.
Her lungs burned.
Her eyes watered as she shoved at his chest—harder this time.
Her wolf surged awake, ears perked—not in longing but in fury.
A warning snarl rose in her throat, threatening to spill.
He pulled back abruptly, dragging a hand through his hair, frustration flashing across his face.
His breathing was heavy now, his irises flickering dangerously close to yellow—a sign his wolf was on the edge.
“Stop fighting it,” he muttered.
Mira stared at him in disbelief, slicing through her panic.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” she hissed, moving back, trying to put as much distance between them as possible in the tight backseat.
Adrian advanced instead, moving closer.
“You think I don’t see it?” His jaw tightened.
“The way you still react to me.”
Her stomach twisted.
“You’re my mate, Mira.
You don’t get to act like I’m a stranger.”
Mira scoffed.
There it was.
His actions didn’t come from longing, or love, it was possession—ownership.
“I don’t belong to you,” she shot back, her anger rising with each passing second.
His expression darkened.
“This distance?
This attitude?” he continued, voice lowering.
“It’s an act.
Ivy told me.
You’re trying to provoke me.
You’re testing me.”
Her blood ran cold.
“Ivy?” she repeated.
“You want me to chase you,” he pressed, moving closer again.
“To prove I still claim you.”
Claim.
The word scraped against her nerves.
His delusion ignited a spark in her, one she fought so hard to control.
“I don’t want you chasing me,” she said, each word deliberate, as though talking to a child.
“I want you away from me.”
She turned, reaching for the door handle.
She didn’t get far.
His hand wrapped around her arm and yanked her back.
“Stop pretending,” he growled, leaning in again for another forced kiss.
That was it.
Something in her snapped clean in half.
Her blood ignited, heat roaring up her spine, fury sharpening her vision until all she could see was him–and the audacity written across his face.
She didn’t hesitate.
Her palm connected with his cheek in a sharp, brutal crack.
The sound echoed across the parking lot.
Adrian’s head snapped to the side.
Silence followed.
Mira’s chest heaved, but she didn’t look away.
She took a step back, fighting back the growing fear.
Slowly, he turned back to her.
His expression was no longer stunned.
It was dangerous.
She clenched her fist, raising her chin despite the way her heart pounded in her chest.
“You just—”
His phone rang.
The sound sliced through the moment, cutting off whatever he was about to say.
His jaw flexed, his eyes still locked on hers as he pulled it from his pocket.
“Ivy?” His tone shifted instantly, softer.
Mira watched the transformation with something colder than anger.
He paused.
Then Adrian’s expression changed completely.
He smiled, a real one that stretched across his face.
“The heartbeat?” he breathed.
Mira didn’t wait to hear more.
She shoved him back, hard enough that he stumbled a step.
“Go,” she said, her voice steady despite the tremor still humming beneath her skin.
“Your beloved is waiting.”
His eyes flickered between her and the phone.
She held his gaze without flinching.
“That’s where you belong,” she added.
“I’ll be there soon.” He murmured into the phone, before ending it and turning to Mira.
Silence settled between them again.
Mira expected him to leave, to turn around and go be with his lover but he didn’t move.
He stood rooted in that spot, looking at her.
This time, it was different.
He didn’t look at her with anger or that wild possession, he looked at her with certainty.
“You don’t have to do this,” he said, softer.
Almost coaxing.
“I know why you’re upset.”
Mira’s brows creased.
“Upset?”
He stepped closer—not touching her this time, but invading her space all the same.
“The picture,” he continued.
“I saw it.”
A chill slid down her spine.
“What picture?”
His jaw tightened.
“Don’t pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about Mira.
You and King Evren.
In the stairwell.”
Her pulse skipped, her mind instantly going back to the stairwell, when the King had stopped her fall.
“You looked intimate,” he continued, something bitter flickering in his eyes.
“His hand on you, around your waist.
You leaning into him.”
Understanding dawned slowly.
Someone had taken a photo.
And circulated it.
“That’s why you’re acting like this,” Adrian pressed.
“You think I don’t care?
I lost control because I care, Mira.
Because seeing you with him—” His voice roughened.
“It did something to me.”
Mira stared at him.
So that was it.
Not remorse for trying to force a kiss, not reflection.
It was jealousy.
A desire to own her.
“You ‘lost control’,” she repeated flatly.
“You assaulted me.”
His expression hardened.
“I kissed my mate.”
“You forced yourself on me.” She countered.
“You’re angry because you wanted him to touch you like that,” Adrian snapped.
“Because you liked it.”
The accusation hit—not because it was true, but because it was deliberate.
She inhaled slowly.
Control.
She needed to control herself.
“He didn’t touch me like that,” she said evenly.
“I slipped.
He caught me.
That’s what you saw.
That’s all it was.”
Adrian’s gaze searched her face, suspicion dancing in his eyes.
“That’s all?” he demanded.
Mira swallowed, exhausted by the exchange.
“My interactions with King Evren are business,” she replied, sighing softly.
“That’s all it is.”
Adrian still didn’t buy it.
He remained rooted in his spot, his eyes sharp.
“You are still my mate.” Mira whispered, averting her gaze to the ground.
“I won’t lie to you.”
Adrian sighed, then stepped forward, as if to touch her but she took a step back, avoiding his touch.
“I believe you.” He smiled, his shoulders finally relaxing.
“I’m negotiating a partnership.” Mira blurted, taking advantage of the opportunity.
“It requires capital approval.”
His eyes narrowed.
“Business.”
“Yes.” She met his gaze, a small—practiced—smile on her face.
“I’m traveling to the capital to finalize the contract.”
The lie wasn’t complete.
It simply wasn’t the whole truth.
He studied her for a minute, his eyes roaming her features, as if looking for something.
“Fine.” He finally exhaled.
“You’re still my mate,” he said quietly.
“No matter how far you run.
No matter what deals you sign.”
Mira nodded, resisting the urge to correct him.
“Yes I am.
Even if I’m not the one carrying your child.” she replied.
His jaw tightened again, but this time he didn’t argue.
He stepped back.
“No more shutting me out?” he questioned.
Mira nodded.
“No more.
My apartment is open to you anytime.” she answered calmly, playing the right cards.
He hesitated.
“Okay then.
You can go on your trip.” He turned to leave, then paused.
“I’ll come help you pack.”
Mira didn’t respond, just watched him walk back to his car, his shoulders raised in triumph.
She remained where she stood until he drove off.
Only then did she allow herself to exhale.
She would leave soon, and she would make sure to never come back.
She turned, heading to her own car.
The events of the night replayed in her head.
A photo.
Circulating.
Which meant someone wanted this narrative.
Someone was watching her.
The same person who had pushed her down that stairwell.
She would get to the bottom of it.
After she was done finalizing her divorce.