Hade's Rose

Chapter 28: Stopped at the Gates

Hadrian's paws thundered against Ardel's polished stone paths. The late evening sun cast a pinkish hue over the wooden houses and storefronts, bathing the city in a soft glow. As their king charged through the outer gate, the guards snapped to attention, stepping aside to avoid impeding his path.

Logically, Hadrian knew his mate was safe. The bite had forged a steady bond, a quiet pulse in the back of his mind confirming Rose's well-being. But logic couldn't quell the storm of emotions raging within him. Raised to master both his human and wolf natures, Hadrian had always prided himself on control. Yet, since meeting Rose, that control had slipped more times than he cared to admit.

He wasn't sure what he'd do when he saw her. Human customs frowned on public displays of affection, unlike the tactile ways of wolfkind, or so his schoolmasters had taught him. Rose, by all accounts, was reserved, a woman who kept to herself, as her peers had told him. The memory of biting her against her will gnawed at him. Further invading her space would only deepen the rift, yet he knew he needed to see and hold her again.

His wolf snorted in frustration. Silence seemed the safest course, impossible to err if he stayed quiet. Hadrian slowed as he neared the palace, his heart pounding from both the run and the anticipation of seeing Rose. Her calm mood, sensed through their bond, eased his panic slightly.

"Stand clear!" a sentry bellowed, signalling the wardens to open the palace gate. The towering Wolfgate creaked open, its wide wooden panels dwarfing the main entrance.

Panting, Hadrian padded into the courtyard and lapped noisily from the oak barrels set out for the guards.

"Hades!" A frantic feminine voice cut through the air, followed by a gruff, "My Lady, stop!"

Hadrian whipped around, a growl rumbling in his chest, tail low. The growl faded as he saw his cousin Cleo stumble from the shadows, her movements erratic. Leon and Daniel, his Beta and Gamma, trailed close behind, trying to restrain her without knocking her down.

"Hades! I must speak with you!" Cleo cried, dodging their grasp until the two men gently but firmly seized her shoulders, holding her back. Panic etched their faces, Leon and Daniel's fear was understandable. Hadrian, an Alpha King separated from his poisoned mate for a week, was a volatile force.

Let her speak, Hadrian commanded, sending the psychic message to his men without force.

Cleo stilled as their grip loosened, though they kept her at a safe distance. Hadrian's claws scratched the dirt as he stretched, his piercing gaze urging her to hurry.

Her words spilled out in a rush, growing frantic. "I had nothing to do with it! The chocolates weren't mine. We had a lovely time, talked for ages - well, not ages, but long enough. Daniel can vouch for me!" Her voice grew shrill, her words disjointed. Hadrian's patience waned; he turned, eager to see Rose and leave his men to handle his erratic cousin.

"But when I got back to my quarters, you have to believe me, Alpha! Someone planted more Curyn in my things. I didn't know it was there until Daniel found it!" Cleo's voice broke into hysterical sobs, her words barely coherent. The mention of Curyn snapped Hadrian's head back, his yellow eyes narrowing.

"That's enough, Lady Cleo," Daniel interjected, worry lacing his tone as a growl vibrated from Hadrian's chest. "I said I'd speak to the King later."

The menacing rumble silenced Cleo, who collapsed to her knees, tears streaming as her wolf instincts forced her into submission. Leon and Daniel froze, tension coiling in the air. Hadrian paced toward them, snorting sharply, the courtyard's shadows seeming to creep closer to the quivering girl. Several long seconds passed, as the King's eyes pierced the sobbing wreck on the floor.

Leon nearly spoke, but Hadrian turned with a grunt and padded toward the doors across the quad. Sort it out, he projected to Leon, who remained motionless until his Alpha disappeared from view.

Hadrian slipped into the transformation room and entered the palace proper. Behind him, Daniel rounded on Cleo, his voice sharp. "Are you mad?"

Cleo sobbed, crumpled like a discarded cloth on the ground.

"Leave it, Gamma," Leon said, his calm but firm tone cutting through Daniel's anger. He knew better than anyone the extent of Hadrian's recent rages, his control fraying in the weeks since Rose's arrival. With measured care, Leon helped Cleo to her feet and guided her back to the palace, Daniel trailing behind, muttering but no longer seething.

They escorted Cleo to her chambers, only to find her temporary guard unconscious and bound within.

"How -" Leon began, raking a hand through his hair in disbelief.

"I didn't want him to think I was a murderer," Cleo whispered, sniffling.

Daniel, freeing the Deltaguard, couldn't resist a sarcastic jab. "Oh, and knocking out your guard screams innocence?"

To stem a fresh wave of tears, Leon summoned a medic with a psychic message, his focus on diffusing the chaos left in his Alpha's wake.