CHAPTER 104: EMOTIONAL SUPPORT...

Seraphina didn’t wait for a reply.

She stared at Adrien a moment longer, something unreadable flickering in her expression, then turned on her heel and walked off without saying a word. Her heels echoed through the hallway like punctuation marks at the end of a tense argument.

Neither Emerald nor Adrien spoke until the sound of her footsteps faded.

Then Emerald exhaled sharply. "Well," she muttered, "that was a hell of a show."

Adrien rubbed a hand down his face. "I’m sorry."

Emerald glanced at him. "You’re going to be doing that a lot if she keeps showing up."

He chuckled under his breath, but there wasn’t much humour in it.

"She definitely came with a motive," Emerald said.

"I know," he agreed. "It’s not like her to show up without a plan. She never made a move unless she had an endgame."

"Then you need to find out what that is. Because I have a feeling she’s not going to stop with a few passive-aggressive comments."

Adrien gave her a sideways glance. "You think she’ll actually try something?"

"She wants her old life back," Emerald said in a tight voice. "I mean... she practically announced it in front of the council. And there’s no telling how far she’ll go to get it."

Her eyes darkened slightly, and Adrien noticed the shift. "You okay?"

Emerald nodded, but her mind was elsewhere. She suddenly thought of Alia and Talia, recalling the deceptive smiles, innocent facade and the women who could hide sharp words behind sweet talk.

"I’ll protect you," Adrien said suddenly, his voice sounding quiet but firm. "I’ll get her to leave. I promise."

Emerald looked at him. "Just make sure she doesn’t try to kill me before that happens."

Adrien laughed, and so did she, but only briefly.

Then her expression sobered. "I’m serious, Adrien. You saw how she looked at me. That wasn’t some ex trying to stir up drama. That was someone trying to reclaim something she thinks belongs to her."

"I won’t let her," he said.

"Then don’t," she replied.

A brief silence followed before Adrien gave a soft sigh. "Come on. Let me walk you to your room."

He walked her to her room, the silence between them less tense now. When they reached her door, Adrien turned to her. "I’m sorry, Em. I planned for today to be... quiet and meaningful, just the two of us." He rubbed the back of his neck. "But now I’ve got to deal with her first."

Emerald nodded. "It’s fine."

"I’ll come by later, okay? Once I’ve sorted some things out."

Emerald nodded. "Good luck."

"I think I’ll need it." He hesitated. "Try to rest."

"Try to stay out of trouble," she replied.

He chuckled and leaned in, brushing a kiss on her cheek. Then he turned and left.

—

Adrien shut the door to his study with a soft thud and leaned back against it for a second, exhaling hard. His fingers ran through his hair before he finally moved.

The room was warm and dimly lit, lined with old books, maps, and scrolls. He sat at the large oak desk and scanned the arranged mess before him.

Papers were already stacked in neat piles. Reports from scouts, trading numbers, expansion proposals...

He barely had time to blink before there was a knock. Before he ushered who was knocking, the door opened and a tall, young man walked in.

"Nice to see you too, Kion," Adrien said without looking up.

Kion’s voice came from the doorway. "You summoned me for the council, and then adjourned before I got there."

Adrien raised an eyebrow. "That’s because you’re late. Where were you?"

"I was dealing with some issues in the barracks," Kion replied. "Took longer than expected. I hope I didn’t miss much."

Adrien grunted. "That depends. Do you consider Seraphina returning and suggesting I replace my mate with her ’not much’?"

Kion blinked. "Seraphina? As in..."

"Yes. That Seraphina."

Kion whistled under his breath. "She still looks the same?"

Adrien gave him a look. "Seriously?"

"I’m just asking," Kion grinned. "What happened?"

"She made a scene, undermined Emerald in front of the whole council."

Kion’s face sobered. "Shit."

"Yeah."

There was a brief pause before Kion asked, "You alright?"

Adrien frowned. "Why wouldn’t I be?"

"You sure?"

"I’ve been over her for years."

Kion didn’t answer right away. He just gave Adrien a slow, knowing look.

Adrien sighed. "I’m fine. It’s just... annoying. She left years ago. She rejected me, and now she thinks she can walk back in and play the Luna card?"

Kion raised an eyebrow. "You loved her long before you two were mates, Adrien. You used to talk about her like she hung the damn moon."

Adrien looked away.

Kion continued. "I’m not saying you still feel the same. I’m just saying... I know what it was like. And if you’re feeling anything, like anger, confusion or grief, I’m not going to judge you."

Adrien let out a dry laugh. "Well, aren’t you the emotional support Beta today?"

Kion smirked. "Only because I don’t want to clean up after you punch a wall."

Adrien waved him off. "I’m not going to punch anything. Like I said, I’m over her. Emerald is my mate now. That’s who I want."

Kion held the stare for a moment longer before nodding. "Alright. Just sayin’... if you ever want to talk..."

"I know where to find you?" Adrien asked with a half-smile. "I couldn’t find you when shit was going down."

Kion laughed, then leaned against the desk. "My bad. So... what now? You gonna tell the council to back off about naming a Luna?"

Adrien’s smile faded. "They won’t wait forever."

"No, they won’t."

"I know," Adrien muttered. "But I’m not going to force Emerald into something she’s not ready for. She has her own pack. Her own life. She has three other mates who won’t let her go easily."

"So what’s the plan? Confront Seraphina?"

Adrien nodded. "I have to."

"She won’t go quietly."

"Doesn’t matter. I’m done letting her screw with things."

Kion nodded in agreement, then gave a dramatic stretch. "Whew. You deal with your crazy ex. I’ll go get food."

Adrien smirked. "Real supportive."

"You love me."

"Unfortunately."

Kion chuckled and moved towards the door, but on his way out, he bumped into a drawer near the side cabinet. A few papers slipped out and fluttered to the floor.

"Really?" Adrien muttered.

"Shit, sorry," Kion said, already stepping into the hallway. "I’ll get those later."

"Leave it," Adrien called. "I got it."

The door clicked shut.

Adrien stood with a tired groan and crouched to gather the scattered pages. Most of them were just old inventories and land records. But as he gathered the last bundle, his eyes caught on something unusual.

A faded, leather-bound notebook.

His fingers froze.

He hadn’t seen this in years.

He flipped it open, and the handwriting on the inside cover made his breath catch. It was his brother’s journal.

Adrien sank slowly into the chair behind him, heart suddenly pounding.

He turned the first few pages, filled with notes on politics, family affairs, and reflections on the burden of leadership.

Then... something tucked between the last pages.

A folded letter.

Adrien’s fingers trembled slightly as he opened it. It wasn’t addressed to anyone. But the writing... it was his brother’s, no doubt.

And as Adrien read the words, a chill slid down his spine.