Page 57 of Clashing With The Grumpy Wolf

As my breathing steadies, I pull back slightly, embarrassed by my outburst.

"I'm sorry. I don't usually break down like this."

"Don't apologize," Adrian says, his voice gentle but firm. "Not for this. Never for this."

I wipe at my face with the sleeve of his borrowed flannel. "It's just been a lot."

"I know." He brushes a strand of hair from my face, tucking it behind my ear. "Do you want to talk about it?"

The question hangs between us. Do I? The wall I've built around my past, my fears, stands tall and strong, a fortress protecting me from further hurt. But Adrian waits patiently, making space for whatever I need. Maybe this is why I decide to tell him everything. Because he demands nothing of me; he’s just ready to accept whatever I give him.

"Have I ever told you about my old boss, Vera Castell?" I ask, my voice barely above a whisper.

Adrian shakes his head. "The name sounds familiar, though."

“She’s the owner of Castell Events, the biggest event planning firm in New York City. Celebrities, tech billionaires, old money families, they all want Vera to handle their special day." I take another sip of tea, gathering my thoughts. "She was my boss, but more than that, she was my mentor."

Adrian shifts to face me better, giving me his full attention. The intensity of his gaze would be unnerving if it didn't make me feel so seen.

"I idolized her," I continue. "Started as her assistant right out of college. I wanted to be just like her—confident, successful, respected. I worked seventy-hour weeks, canceled vacations, missed family events, all to prove myself to her."

The memories rise like ghosts, things I've tried so hard to keep buried.

"What happened?" Adrian asks gently.

I take a deep breath. "It was a celebrity wedding. A Hollywood power couple. The bride wanted everything to be perfect, down to the last detail."

Adrian waits as I gather my strength to continue.

"There was a leak. Someone gave the tabloids intimate details about the ceremony, the dress, even private vows. The couple was furious, threatened to sue."

I stare into the fire, seeing not the flames but Vera's cold eyes as she summoned me to her office that day, in front of the clients.

"Vera called me in, showed me the tabloid spread. Then told me she knew I was the leak." My voice hardens. "But I wasn't. I would never break a client's confidence like that."

"Of course you wouldn't," Adrian says with such conviction that warmth spreads through my chest.

"It didn't matter. I was the perfect scapegoat. She fired me publicly, made sure everyone in the industry knew I was 'untrustworthy.' Called all her contacts to blacklist me." My fingers tighten around the mug. "Overnight, I went from rising star to industry pariah."

"She set you up," Adrian growls, a hint of wolf in his voice.

I nod. "It took me months to figure it out, but she was the leak. She had started a romantic affair with a journalist and trusted the wrong man with her client information. She was set up and when the backlash came, she sacrificed me to save herself."

Adrian's jaw tightens, his eyes flashing briefly with that emerald glow.

"I had to start over from nothing. I left New York and came to Portland, then built Ever After & Co. client by client, referral by referral. This dragon wedding…" I swallow hard. "It's my chance to break through, to prove I belong in this industry despite what Vera did."

"That's why you've been pushing yourself so hard," Adrian says, understanding dawning in his expression.

"If I fail now, if this wedding falls apart, it’ll ruin what little reputation I managed to build back. I'll lose everything I've worked for."

The admission costs me, laying bare my deepest fear. Adrian takes the mug from my trembling hands, setting it on the coffee table. He captures my cold fingers between his warm palms.

"That won't happen again," he says, his voice steady with absolute certainty. "I've got you. You will never have to face a crisis like that on your own. Not ever again."

The simple declaration hits me with unexpected force. Not empty reassurances or attempts to fix what happened. Just a promise to stand beside me, whatever comes.

I study his face, the strong line of his jaw, the steadfast look in his eyes, the slight furrow between his brows that appears whenever he's deeply serious about something. And I realize with startling clarity that I trust him completely. I trust this man, this wolf, in a way I haven't trusted anyone since Vera's betrayal. And I don’t care that I met him merely two weeks ago. I know somewhere deep in my gut that I can trust him. That he would never, ever hurt me.