CHAPTER 110: HE HAD A MISTRESS...

Emerald tossed her phone onto the bed and quickly kicked off the covers. She couldn’t slow down her racing thoughts, so she didn’t waste any time. The pieces were finally shifting.

A mistress? It wasn’t what she or Adrien had expected, but it was something.

And something was all she needed to move forward.

She rushed through her morning routine: brushing her teeth and bathing, brushing out her hair with one hand and pulling on a clean set of clothes with the other.

It was still early, but Adrien had said to keep him informed, and this was big enough that it couldn’t wait.

Once she was ready, she grabbed her phone and made a beeline for his quarters, practically jogging through the stone corridors.

When she reached his door, she knocked twice. There was no answer.

"Adrien?" she called softly.

Still nothing.

Emerald tested the handle, and the door wasn’t locked. She opened it and peeked in. "Adrien?"

The room was quiet except for the soft sound of water running from the bathroom. Steam was escaping through the crack under the door, so she figured he must be in the shower.

She stepped inside and waited near the centre of the room, pacing a little. The idea of a mistress had thrown a wrench into Adrien’s golden image of his brother, and she wasn’t sure how he was going to take it.

She barely had time to collect her thoughts when the bathroom door opened with a hiss of steam.

Adrien stepped outside; his hair was wet and tousled from the shower, sticking against his forehead. He had a towel wrapped low around his hips, and drops of water still sparkled on his skin.

Emerald’s brain short-circuited.

His chest was broad and well-defined, and his abs were impressive. She definitely tried not to let her eyes wander down to that perfectly sculpted V-line. But the fvcking did... fvcckk!

Adrien’s brows lifted slightly in amused surprise. "Well," he said in a low and teasing voice, a smirk playing on his lips, "if you wanted to see me naked, you could’ve just asked."

Emerald blinked, then immediately looked away, refusing to meet his eyes. "Could you not start with that?"

He chuckled. "I mean, you did walk in on me in a towel."

"You knew I was coming!"

"I really didn’t," he said, sounding amused. "You’re the one who showed up uninvited."

"Put something on."

"I would, but someone’s standing between me and my clothes."

"Adrien."

He laughed softly. "Alright, alright. Pass me something then, unless you’d rather I get dressed right here."

She rolled her eyes and walked toward his wardrobe, making a point not to glance in his direction. "You are so annoying."

"But charming."

"Debatable."

She grabbed a folded black shirt, a pair of pants and tossed them over her arm. "Here. Just... take these."

"Would you like to turn around and—"

"I swear to the Goddess—"

She held the clothes out behind her. "Here," she said, turning carefully and holding them out with her eyes squeezed shut. "Just take them."

Adrien reached for them... but just as she took one cautious step forward, her foot landed in a small puddle of water left from where his body had dripped onto the tile. Her foot slid out from under her.

"Ah!!!" she yelped.

Adrien quickly caught her, his strong arms wrapping around her waist. But the sudden movement threw them off balance, and they both fell backwards, landing softly on the rug with a gentle thud.

Emerald sprawled awkwardly on top of him. Her hands pressed against his chest, her hair falling into his face.

"Goddess..." she blinked, bracing herself against him. "That was..."

Then she looked down and immediately shrieked. "ADRIEN!"

His towel was gone... gone. And she was staring at his fvcking cock.

Fvcking hell, he was well-endowed.

"OH, GODDESS ABOVE," Viola screeched inside her mind, sounding way more enthusiastic than the situation should allow. "EM, WHY ARE WE SCREAMING? IS IT BECAUSE OF WHAT I JUST SAW? BECAUSE HOLY MOONFIRE..."

’Shut up,’ Emerald hissed under her breath.

"I’m just saying. If that’s what he’s hiding under those teasing smirks, we may need to re-evaluate our bedroom rotation schedule..."

’I. Am. Not. Discussing. This. With. You.’

"Then don’t discuss. Just stare. Gods, I love being alive."

Adrien winced playfully, drawing her attention back to the situation. "You’re shouting like this is the first time you’ve seen a man naked."

She pushed at his chest. "That’s not the point!"

He leaned in slightly, his voice dropping to a low murmur against her ear. "It’s nothing you won’t see again eventually... or feel."

Her face burned. "Adrien!"

He met her eyes then, and she realised suddenly how close their faces were. His gaze dropped to her lips.

She felt her heart leap into her throat, her breath catching as he leaned in closer and closer and...

Knock knock.

They both froze.

A maid’s voice floated in from the hallway. "Alpha Adrien, shall I bring your breakfast to your room or to your private dining quarters?"

Adrien sighed, still not moving. "Room’s fine."

"Shall I ask the Lady..."

"She’ll be having breakfast with me," he interrupted, eyes never leaving Emerald’s.

"Very well, Alpha."

They heard the footsteps retreat.

Emerald shoved him off and rolled away, scrambling to her feet. "Get dressed, for Goddess’ sake! Before I punch the hell out of you."

He laughed as he stood, grabbing the clothes she’d originally picked out. "You didn’t have to look down, you know."

"I didn’t! It was...! That was an accident!"

"A very flattering accident."

She turned her back on him with a groan. "I came here to talk about your brother, not get an unsolicited anatomy lesson."

Adrien chuckled behind her as he finally got dressed. "Alright, alright. I’m dressed. Now," he said, combing through his hair. "What was so urgent that you had to barge into my room during bath time?""

Emerald turned back to face him. "I got word from my uncle. He found something."

Adrien’s playful smile faded slightly. "Go on."

She took a deep breath. "He thinks your brother was having an affair. A mistress. One that no one knew about officially, but... there were whispers. It wasn’t a fling either. It was long-term."

Adrien stared at her, silent.

"I know that’s hard to hear, but if it’s true, it might explain why someone would want him gone. A secret like that... it could’ve been dangerous."

Adrien exhaled slowly and sat down on the edge of his bed. "That doesn’t sound like him."

"You sure?"

He looked up at her. "No. No, my brother wasn’t... he loved his mate. They were bonded, Em. Everyone in the pack knew it."

"I’m not saying he didn’t care about her. But people aren’t always what they seem."

"I looked up to him. We all did. He was such a good person with strong values. If he was having a secret relationship, I just don’t get why he would do that."

"People aren’t perfect, Adrien. Even the ones we look up to." Emerald approached him. "But if we want to figure out what happened to him, we can’t ignore potential motives or rule out any possibilities."

Adrien ran a hand through his hair and stood again, pacing. "I don’t even know where to start. He never said anything, never gave any hints."

"What about his inner circle? Any unusual meetings? Places he went without reason?"

"Not that I remember. He always kept his affairs, both personal and political, tight."

A brief moment of silence passed, and Emerald allowed it as she saw the distant look on Emerald’s face.

"He was good. He led with integrity. I worshipped the ground he walked on when I was a kid."

Emerald didn’t speak. She knew better than to interrupt that kind of grief.

Adrien finally sat on the edge of the bed. "You think someone killed him over this? A jealous mate? The mistress herself?"

"I don’t know yet," Emerald said. "But it’s a start. And it means his death might not have been random."

His eyes met hers, weary but determined. "I need to know who she was."

"We’ll find out."

Emerald opened her mouth to say more, but her phone suddenly buzzed in her pocket. She reached for it and unlocked it, only to see a new message: ARES

She unlocked the screen and read it.

ARES:I hope you’re ready to fulfill my wish.