Chapter 3

For those three years, no matter how many she-wolves Adrian brought home, every one of them left first thing in the morning.

This was the first time he'd kept his lover around for breakfast.

Lucy wanted chestnut waffles for breakfast.

Marina was still half-asleep when Adrian hauled her up to shell chestnuts. "Hurry it up. We're heading out at nine."

Marina had frostbite on her hands, throbbing and itching. The tough chestnut shells dug into the sore spots. Oozing blood coated her wounds, and the pain made her tremble.

Adrian glanced at her hands, about to say something.

Lucy bounded downstairs and snuggled up in Adrian's arms, acting all clingy. "Adrian, you were so naughty last night. You hooked up with me so many times. The sheet is dirty. It's so embarrassing. I don't want the cleaner to see this."

Adrian raised an eyebrow and stroked Lucy's hair dotingly. But when he turned to Marina, his voice turned icy. "Once you're done shelling the chestnuts, hand-wash the bed sheet upstairs.

"Make sure your blood doesn't drip into the wash basin. It makes me sick."

Marina bit down hard on her lip, fighting to hold back every whimper of pain.

On their first night together, the sheet was stained with her blood.

Adrian carefully cut out that spot, treating it like a priceless treasure as he pressed it to his chest. "This is proof that my sweetie totally belongs to me, and I'll keep it with me forever."

But now, even the blood on her hands made him recoil in disgust.

After Marina finished shelling the chestnuts and placed the waffles into the oven, she slipped several layers of gloves onto her bloodied hands quietly.

After she stripped off the sheet, she squatted in the bathroom and scrubbed it hard. Several silver needles burst right through the rubber and drove deep into her palms.

She cried out in pain, her feet slipped, and she crashed heavily into the wash basin.

Needles pierced her knees, arms, and chest. Her breathing grew ragged, her head lolled to one side, and she blacked out.

*****

When Marina came to, she was in the hospital. Her head throbbed like hell.

She was about to rub her temples when Adrian grabbed her hand and held it down. "Don't move."

His tone sounded impatient, yet a faint flicker of sympathy lingered in his eyes. "The healer said your hands need a few days to rest."

He sat by the bed and picked up a bowl of oatmeal.

His long fingers scooped up a spoonful, held it to his thin lips and blew softly, and then brushed his lower lip against it to test the heat. "It's perfect. Open your mouth."

Marina opened her mouth on instinct. The bland oatmeal slid onto her tongue, but she tasted a bitter-sweet tang.

It had been three years since she'd felt this kind of tenderness and affection from him.

Before Marina realized it, tears were sliding down her cheeks.

Adrian's hand paused for a second, and for a brief moment, his heart gave a painful squeeze.

He reached out, about to wipe away Marina's tears, when Lucy suddenly appeared outside the ward.

She sobbed as she flung herself into Adrian's arms. "Adrian, I'm sorry for Marina. I saw the sheet was snagged this morning, so I tried to stitch it back up.

"But I'm clumsy and dumb. I messed the whole thing up and left my sewing kit tangled up inside the sheet."

Lucy lifted her right hand, showing a faint pale-red scratch across her wrist. "An eye for an eye. I pricked my own wrist to punish myself. I hope Marina can forgive me."

"Don't be silly." Adrian shot to his feet at once. Frantic and furious, he pulled Lucy tight in his arms, his eyes full of concern. "Marina is not worth you hurting yourself.

"It's only some surface wounds for her, and you'd go and harm yourself like this."

Without glancing at Marina, he swept Lucy up and rushed off to find the healer.

Marina stared down at her own hands wrapped in thick layers of bandages, and a bitter smile tugged at her lips.

Back in the day, if she nicked her finger trimming her nails, Adrian would panic and forbid her from doing it herself.

Every winter, he'd knit cotton gloves for her by himself and put them on her, making sure her hands stayed warm.

But now, with her hands covered in frostbite and wounds, he brushed it off and said it was merely surface-level injuries.

Three hours later, the healer finally turned up. He examined Marina while grumbling. "This is crazy. Some she-wolf got a tiny pinprick earlier, and her mate insisted she get a full-body check-up. Total waste of my time."

After looking Marina over, his frown deepened. "You're in really bad shape. Your body was already weak, and now you might not even make it through the next two weeks."

"Two weeks?" she asked.

Adrian was outside the ward.