Page 32 of Noah

There it was—his words sounded harmless, even friendly, but there was an undercurrent to them I couldn’t ignore.

Adrian tilted his head. “The summit’s been interesting so far. You know, these gatherings are a good way to foster trust between packs. Especially when there’s so much at stake.”

I kept my face neutral, even though every muscle in my body tensed, wondering if he was trying to get at something.

“Trust is important,” I replied, keeping my voice even.

Adrian nodded slowly, a smirk playing at the corners of his mouth. “It’s good that this summit is happening here. Pecan Pine’s done well hosting it. Cooper must really need the support of the other packs, though. I can see why. His position isn’t an easy one.”

I clenched my jaw but forced myself to stay calm. Diffuse. Keep things neutral.

“He’s worked hard to earn that support,” I said, choosing my words carefully.

“Of course,” Adrian said smoothly. His voice dropped slightly. “Especially with all the changes. It can’t be easy, especially after Ryder. A lot of pressure to keep things stable. Wouldn’t want history repeating itself, right?”

My fingers curled into fists at my sides before I forced them to relax. He was digging, but I wasn’t going to let him bait me.

Adrian watched me, his smirk widening. “You’ve changed. The old you would’ve snapped back by now. Where’s that fire?”

I ignored him, reaching for the untouched drink in front of me.

The burn of the alcohol didn’t come close to the fire simmering in my chest. I refused to give him the satisfaction of a reaction.

Adrian straightened suddenly, closing the distance between us. His voice dropped into something sickly sweet, like poison coated in honey.

“Maybe you just need something to bring it out of you,” he murmured, his hand settling heavily on my shoulder.

A shiver raced down my spine, not from fear but from the tension in the air.

My wolf stirred restlessly, every instinct urging me to do something. Push him away. Show him he wasn’t welcome.

“Adrian—”

“Sorry I’m late.” Jackson’s voice sliced through the air, sharp and clear.

Adrian’s hand dropped from my shoulder, and both of us turned toward him. Jackson stood a few steps away, his gaze locked on Adrian, expression unreadable.

Adrian leaned back against the table, a smug grin returning to his face.

“Just keeping Noah company,” he said with a shrug, his tone light, almost teasing.

Jackson’s eyes flicked to me briefly before narrowing back at Adrian. “Meetings ran late,” he said evenly. “Back-to-back sessions aimed at resolving tensions with hostile packs.Oneof the other pack leaders didn’t even bother showing up. Made everything longer than it needed to be.”

His tone was casual, but the way his gaze lingered on Adrian was anything but.

Adrian scoffed, shaking his head. “Discussions at these things are always useless. Just talk, talk, talk. Nothing ever gets done, and even if it does, it changes the moment the summit’s over.”

“Maybe,” Jackson replied, “but since your second, Carter, was there, we were able to draft a preliminary plan. A good one, actually.”

Adrian’s smirk faltered, but only for a second, before it came back sharper than before. “Carter’s thorough. Probably overkill, though. That’s just his style.”

“Overkill is better than chaos,” Jackson countered smoothly, taking a step closer.

The air between them thickened. Adrian leaned in slightly, eyes gleaming. “You’ve got a lot of faith in a process that barely works.”

“It works when people actually put in the effort,” Jackson countered.

Adrian’s eyes narrowed, golden irises flickering with something dangerous. “Effort? That’s rich, coming from?—”

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