Adolphus' POV
I wasn’t myself.
Something inside me was unraveling, the edges of my memories fraying and reforming into pieces that didn’t quite fit together.
Flashbacks haunted me, coming in jagged fragments, blood on the ground, fire consuming everything, the sound of screams echoing in the night. I could see faces, blurred yet familiar, but no matter how hard I tried to hold onto them, they slipped away like sand through my fingers.
And through it all, there was her.
Katrina.
I hadn’t seen her since got demoted to an Omega. I had demanded answers, but Cassandra only smirked, brushing me off with empty reassurances that Katrina was being "taken care of." That she was safe.
Lies.
I could feel it in my bones. Katrina was anything but safe.
I didn’t realize where I was going until I found myself standing by the river, the same river where they had found me. Where everything had begun.
The moment I stepped onto the damp earth, something inside me settled. This place called to me, whispered to me in ways I couldn’t explain.
I stared at the water, watching it rush past in steady waves, and for the first time in days, my mind felt clear. Then I heard the soft footsteps and a scent hit me before I even turned around.
Katrina.
I turned sharply, my heart pounding as I saw her stepping through the trees. She was moving cautiously, glancing around as if she was searching for something. But she looked different, tired, worn down, yet still so fiercely Katrina.
Relief surged through me, so strong it almost stole my breath.
"Katrina!" I rushed toward her, my hands reaching for her, but before I could touch her, she shoved me back hard.
"Don’t touch me," she snapped.
I froze, stunned. My chest tightened as she turned away, already prepared to leave.
"Wait!" I moved quickly, stepping in front of her. "Just listen to me."
She clenched her jaw. "I don’t want to hear whatever lies you have, Adolphus."
"Lies?" I blinked, confusion washing over me. "What are you talking about?"
She scoffed. "Please, as if you don’t know." Her voice shook, but it wasn’t just anger—it was hurt. "You took my title from me, don’t act as if you care."
My hands balled into fists. "Of course, I care! I’ve been looking everywhere for you! Cassandra wouldn’t tell me where you were—"
"And you believed her?" She let out a humorless laugh, shaking her head. "You just went along with whatever she said?"
I exhaled sharply. "I didn’t just ‘go along’ with anything, Katrina. I had to play along until I could figure things out. I needed to find you—"
Her eyes darkened. "It didn’t look like you were searching for me when you were kissing Cassandra."
The words slammed into me like a physical blow.
My mind reeled. "What?"
She stepped closer, eyes blazing.
I shook my head. "It wasn’t like that."
"Then what was it like, Adolphus?" She tilted her head, waiting for an answer. "Tell me."
I clenched my jaw. "She kissed me."
"And you just let her?"
"I—" I exhaled, running a hand through my hair. "I didn’t kiss her back, Katrina. I swear it."
Her expression didn’t change.
I took a step closer. "I only want you. You have to know that."
She hesitated, her hands tightening into fists at her sides. I could see the battle raging inside her, the war between trusting me and walking away forever.
"I don’t know what to believe anymore," she whispered.
"Then let me prove it to you," I said, my voice raw. "Katrina, please."
Her lips parted slightly, her eyes searching mine. For a moment, it was just us, just the sound of the river and the pounding of my own heart.
Then she moved. She reached up, gripping my face as she crashed her lips against mine. I barely had time to react before I was kissing her back, pulling her against me, pouring everything into that moment.
Every ounce of desperation. Every bit of longing. Every unspoken word. She was fire and fury, and I needed her. But then, just as suddenly, she shoved me away. Before I could speak, her palm connected with my face hard. The sharp crack echoed in the night.
My head snapped to the side, my cheek stinging from the force of the slap.
I turned back to her, stunned. "Katrina—"
Her eyes blazed. "Did you sleep with her too?"