Chapter 8: Chapter 8: Multiple Dangers

Jasper’s POV

I stood on the highest terrace of Moon Hidden Villa, watching her car drive out from the edge of the forest. Its white body, veiled in the morning mist, looked like a fish swimming out to sea.

She was going to her internship today.

I had Zoe discreetly contact her professor to recommend that firm—it wasn’t about pulling strings, just making sure she wouldn’t get buried in a pile of resumes. I know how hard she works, and I also know how afraid she is of failure. She needed an opportunity, not a handout.

The wind blew through the woods, carrying the dampness of last night’s rain. I subconsciously touched the inside of my left wrist—there was an old scar there, one I’d carved myself with a knife the first time I lost control at fifteen. The elders said it was the price for suppressing my wild nature. But when I woke up this morning, the scar was faintly burning, like a fire smoldering under my skin.

’Is it because she’s far away from me?’

Ever since the Great Elder recognized her scent at the banquet, ripples have spread through the clan. Some say it’s a coincidence, others a trap, and some… went straight to the lake to check the land deeds. I don’t care what they think, but if anyone dares to touch a single hair on her head, I don’t mind reacquainting the Hale clan with the Young Clan Leader’s fangs.

My phone vibrated. It was the head of security.

“Sir, a car from the Goodrich family was spotted near the firm this morning. License plate ends in 8721.”

Caleb.

I closed my eyes, my Adam’s apple bobbing. “Keep a close watch on him. If he gets within ten meters of Lila, remove him immediately. No need to report.”

“Yes, sir. Also… the Second Elder sent someone to deliver this.” He paused. “He said it’s a ’welcoming gift for the Young Mistress’.”

I scoffed. “Throw it in the incinerator. Tell him it’s not his place to give gifts to my wife.”

I pulled open a drawer and took out the sandalwood box. The wolf-head totem on the lid gleamed faintly in the morning light. Ever since that night, it had been vibrating slightly, like a living heart. An elder had once said that the token of the first Wolf King would only awaken when the Destined Mate appeared.

But I didn’t dare to be sure.

’What if I’m wrong? What if she just happens to be able to calm my frenzy, but doesn’t actually belong to me?’

I would rather never know the answer than watch her stay with me reluctantly because of “destiny.”

I closed the box and locked it away in the very bottom of my safe.

Some things are destined to remain hidden in the dark.

At noon, I received a message from the butler: “Madam ate a sandwich at the firm and seems to be in a good mood. This afternoon, she’ll be participating in a discussion on an urban renewal project.”

I stared at the words for a long time, the corners of my mouth relaxing unconsciously.

It sounded absurd that even her eating a sandwich had to be reported to me, but I found it strangely reassuring.

At least I knew she was safe, that she had smiled, and that she was slowly rediscovering the person the Goodrich family had tried to grind away.

At three in the afternoon, a sudden downpour began.

I was in the middle of a multinational conference call when lightning and thunder raged outside. I suddenly remembered she had told me she was terrified of thunder—it had been a storm just like this on the night of her parents’ car crash when she was a child.

I stood up at once, interrupting the meeting. “Pause this. Get the car ready. We’re going downtown.”

My assistant froze. “Sir, the merger and acquisition agreement is scheduled for signing in twenty minutes…”

“Have the legal team sign it.” I grabbed my jacket. “If the sky is going to fall, it can wait until I get back.”

The car sped through the downpour. Rain hammered against the windshield like countless hands slapping the glass. My heart was pounding, not from nervousness, but because the beast within me was growling with agitation—it could sense her fear.

When I arrived at her firm, I saw her standing under the eaves by the entrance, clutching a drawing board and staring worriedly at the torrential rain. She didn’t have an umbrella, nor had she called for a car. She probably didn’t want to trouble anyone.

I pushed open the car door, and the rain instantly soaked my shoulder. She heard the sound and turned, her eyes widening in surprise.

“Jasper? What are you…”

I didn’t say a word. I opened the umbrella over her head and took the drawing board from her arms with my other hand. The paper was completely dry; she had used her own body to shield it.

“Get in the car,” I said.

She hesitated for a moment before climbing into the car. The heat was on full blast, and the red tip of her nose slowly regained its color. I handed her a dry towel I’d had the butler prepare that morning—it was dark gray, the same as her shawl.

“Thank you…” she said softly, lowering her head to dry her hair. Water droplets still clung to her eyelashes.

“Why didn’t you call the driver?” I asked, my voice hoarser than I expected.

“I didn’t want to… seem too special,” she said, biting her lip. “My colleagues are all working overtime. It wouldn’t look right for me to leave alone in a luxury car.”

I was silent for a few seconds, a sudden tightness constricting my chest.

’She’s always like this, making herself small, afraid of taking up space she doesn’t think she deserves. But she deserves the best treatment in the world.’

“Lila,” I said, my voice so low it was nearly lost in the sound of the rain. “You don’t need to ’act normal’ for anyone. You are Mrs. Hale. That’s a fact, not a privilege you’re abusing.”

She looked up at me abruptly, her eyes filled with surprise and a kind of panic I couldn’t decipher.

I said nothing more and just gestured for the driver to go.

On the way back, she stared quietly out the window. The windshield wipers swung back and forth as if measuring the distance between us. I wanted to say something, but swallowed the words before they could leave my lips.

’Some words change the moment they’re spoken.’

’I’d rather she understand through my actions.’

When we got home, the butler immediately came to greet us, taking the drawing board and wet jacket. I noticed Lila’s skirt was completely soaked and clinging to her legs, revealing the slender lines of her calves. My heart once again began to roar uncontrollably! I quickly averted my gaze and turned toward the study.

“Sir!” the butler suddenly called out, lowering his voice. “The Second Elder’s man was just here. He dropped off a box and left. I couldn’t stop him…”

I frowned. “Where is it?”

“Outside Madam’s room.”

I strode upstairs and, sure enough, saw a small ebony box placed outside her door. Carved on its surface was a wolf’s head entwined with thorns—the sigil of the Second Elder’s line. I snatched the box, and a piercing chill immediately shot through my palm.

“Take this and throw it away,” I told the butler, my voice as cold as ice.

“But… I think something is moving inside,” the butler said, his face pale.

I narrowed my eyes and squeezed hard. The lid burst open, and a black shadow shot out—it was a pitch-black scorpion, its stinger raised high, charging straight for Lila’s door!

My pupils contracted. The wildness inside me erupted in an instant.

The next second, I had crushed the scorpion with my bare hands. Black blood splattered onto the carpet, sizzling.

“From this day forward,” I commanded in a low, dangerous voice, “everything delivered to this villa must undergo a triple inspection. No one is to come within ten meters of Madam.”

The butler bowed deeply. “Yes, Young Clan Leader.”

I stood before her door, listening to the faint sound of a hair dryer from within, my heart refusing to calm.

’They’ve already made their move.’

’It’s because of the Great Elder’s words—”She is the destined one”—but it’s also because I… have never cared so much for any woman.’

’It seems it’s time for me to do something as well, to remind those old fools to never forget the power of the Wolf King.’

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