Page 52 of Noah

I checked my phone, seeing a new message from Jackson.

Jackson: Might be a little delayed. Hudson and Dad have a lot to say.

Not surprising.

I grabbed a plate, loading it up with food, and made sure to save some barbecue ribs for Jackson. He liked them.

As I moved toward an empty table, I found myself thinking about breakfast, about the way Jackson had cooked for us.

How unexpectedly sweet he could be. I smiled to myself, setting my plate down.

But before I could sit, a hand clamped around my wrist.

My body tensed, instinct flaring. I spun around fast, heart pounding, expecting Jackson—but the scent was wrong. Familiar, but unwelcome.

Adrian.

Dread curled in my gut.

He stood close, too close, his grip firm but not bruising. His lips curved into a smirk that made my stomach churn. “Fancy seeing you here, Noah.”

I yanked my wrist free, stepping back. “What do you want, Adrian?”

Adrian chuckled, tilting his head. “What, no congratulations for my big win?”

I stared at him, unimpressed. “You mean the race you cheated in?”

His eyes darkened, but his smirk didn’t fade.

“Winning is winning.” He stepped forward, crowding into my space again. “You looked real good watching me, you know. Almost like you enjoyed it.”

My stomach twisted. My wolf bristled, not in fear, but in anger. “Back off.”

Adrian ignored me, eyes raking over my face, my body.

“You know, you could’ve had me, Noah. You still could.” Adrian’s voice dropped lower, smooth and coaxing. “You and I, we’d be good together.”

I clenched my jaw. “I already told you—I’m not interested.”

Adrian clicked his tongue. “Yeah, yeah. You keep saying that.” His gaze flicked to my lips, then lower. “But you and I both know you’d like it.”

My stomach churned, and this time, it wasn’t just anger—it was disgust. I took a deliberate step back. “Stay the hell away from me, Adrian.”

His expression flickered, something dark and possessive flashing in his eyes.

“That’s not very nice,” Adrian murmured. “You sure you want to talk to me like that?”

Something inside me snapped—no, not just me, my wolf.

Normally, I wasn’t the type to lash out, but even my pack mates, even Griffin, knew that when someone pushed me too far, I got scary.

The problem with jerks like Adrian was that they believed since they were on top of the food chain, they could do whatever the heck they wanted.

I could imagine Adrian acting like this around his pack all the time but this was Pecan Pines.

Our territory and the wolves in our pack didn’t let anyone else push them around. We learned our lesson after suffering a fool of an alpha like Ryder.

Before I could stop myself, I shoved Adrian, hard, sending him stumbling back. My vision narrowed, my pulse pounded, and a deep growl ripped from my throat.

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