Chapter 4 Unexpected spark's

Elena told herself she was just tired. That was the reason she kept ending up on the rooftop at night. That was the excuse she used when she caught herself thinking about him during class. She'd repeat it in her head like some broken song.

I'm just tired.

I'm not catching feelings.

This is nothing.

But deep down, she knew it wasn't nothing.

Something was changing.

And that scared her more than anything.

It started small. A feeling in her chest when she felt him near. A flicker in her stomach when he looked her way. And every night they spent sitting in silence or sipping tea or sharing random stories about books and music-it all added up.

She didn't know when it began to matter. Maybe it always had.

But it was different now.

He was different.

Not the cold Alpha she expected.

Not the monster she feared.

Just Adrian.

Quiet. Still. Patient in a way she didn't expect someone like him to be.

She caught herself smiling sometimes when he said something dumb. She'd look away quick so he didn't notice, but it was happening more than she liked to admit.

It was happening again tonight.

They were sitting on the bench on the far side of the garden, the city lights flickering in the distance below. Adrian was leaning back on his elbows, telling her about the time his wolf almost shifted during a board meeting back in his dad's office.

"I was sixteen," he said, shaking his head. "The finance guy brought in numbers that didn't add up. My wolf got so pissed, my hands were already starting to change."

Elena laughed, really laughed this time. "You almost shifted in front of humans?"

"It was bad. My dad had to clear the room and pretend I was having an allergic reaction or something. He made me sit in a walk-in freezer for twenty minutes."

She covered her mouth, trying not to laugh louder. "You? The big bad CEO prince? In a freezer?"

He grinned. "My pride never recovered."

She shook her head, still smiling. "You're such a mess."

"Yeah, but you're smiling. So I'll take it."

Her face fell just a little at that. She looked down at her cup. "It's rare. Me smiling."

"I figured."

He leaned forward now, elbows on his knees, eyes on her.

"You don't have to tell me why," he said gently. "But I'm glad I got to see it."

That silence came again. Not the awkward kind. The kind that holds everything you're afraid to say.

Elena let the words sit there, warm and soft. And for once, she didn't shut them out.

---

The next day, things felt... different.

In class, Adrian didn't sit next to her, but she could feel his presence like always. That low hum in her chest that warned her when he was nearby.

She kept her head down. Pretended to focus on the notes.

But her mind wasn't in it.

Everything about this was beginning to slip out of her control. Her life had rules. Stay low. Stay quiet. Don't get attached. Never trust an Alpha again.

But here she was. Breaking every one of them just by showing up.

She packed her books quickly once class ended and rushed out, needing space. The air outside was colder than usual. Or maybe it was just her nerves. She walked fast, not caring where she was going, as long as it was far from campus.

She ended up near the back trail that led toward the forest again. The leaves crunched under her boots, and the wind made her eyes water. She pushed her hair out of her face and walked deeper, letting the sound of the trees drown everything else out.

She didn't hear the footsteps until they were too close.

"Elena."

She stopped. Her stomach turned when she heard his voice.

She didn't turn around right away. "What do you want?"

"I saw you leave fast," Adrian said, slower now. "Thought maybe something happened."

She sighed and turned, crossing her arms. "You don't need to follow me."

"I wasn't following. I just... I was worried."

Her voice dropped. "Don't be."

He stepped closer but stopped a few feet away. "Did I do something wrong?"

She shook her head. "No. That's the problem."

His brow furrowed. "What?"

"You're not doing anything wrong, Adrian," she said. "You're being kind. You're showing up. You're making me laugh. And it's all too much."

He stared at her. "Too much?"

"You're making me feel again," she said, voice cracking. "And I don't know if I'm ready."

Adrian looked like he wanted to speak but held himself back.

"I've already trusted someone before," she went on. "I gave him everything. My loyalty. My name. My wolf. And he left. Left me like I was nothing."

Adrian's jaw tensed, but he didn't interrupt.

"I can't do that again," she said, voice lower now. "I won't survive it."

"I'm not him," Adrian said finally.

"I know," she said. "But my heart doesn't."

She turned to walk away again, but this time he caught her wrist.

Not tight. Not forceful. Just enough to make her stop.

"I'll wait," he said.

She looked back at him.

"I'll wait as long as it takes. You don't have to trust me yet. You don't have to feel anything. But I'm not going anywhere."

Elena didn't move for a long time.

And then... she nodded.

Just once.

---

That night, she couldn't sleep.

Again.

She lay on her side, staring out the window, the moon glowing through the curtains. Her heart was too loud. Her thoughts too sharp.

Adrian's voice echoed in her head.

I'll wait.

No one had ever said that to her before. Not like that.

People always wanted things fast. Answers. Emotions. Loyalty. Love.

But Adrian offered patience.

She didn't know what to do with that.

She wanted to run. She wanted to trust him. She wanted to scream. She wanted to be held.

She wanted everything and nothing all at once.

And it was driving her insane.

---

The next day, something felt... off.

Not with her.

With the air. The people. The atmosphere.

Whispers followed her through campus. Students looking at their phones, whispering behind hands. A girl in the hallway brushed past her and muttered something under her breath.

Elena paused. "Sorry, what?"

The girl turned around. "Oh, nothing. Just didn't realize the Alpha had a new toy."

Elena's chest tightened.

"What did you say?" she asked.

The girl smiled in that cruel way people do when they know they've struck something.

"You know what I said."

Elena's face went cold. "I'm not a toy. And you have no idea what you're talking about."

"Sure," the girl said. "Just ask his ex. You're not the first one he played."

And then she walked away.

Elena stood there, frozen.

Ex?

Adrian had an ex?

Her chest burned.

She had no right to feel angry. They weren't anything. Not really. But still, it hurt.

It hurt in a place she didn't even know was still alive.

---

That evening, she didn't go to the rooftop.

Adrian waited.

He stayed there until the moon rose fully, until the tea in the thermos went cold.

But she never came.

He didn't text her. He didn't call.

But something in his chest... it hurt.

A warning.

Like something had just shifted between them.

And not in a good way.