My Cold-Blooded Alpha Came Home and Found His Younger Self Calling Me Wife Chapter 02

My Cold-Blooded Alpha Came Home and Found His Younger Self Calling Me Wife Chapter 02

Ten minutes later, every light in the living room was on. I sat in the armchair with my arms folded while eighteen-year-old Adrian lounged across from me, his varsity jacket hanging open as if he belonged there.

He looked exactly like my husband, minus the coldness and hard control carved into him by years of power. Black hair fell across his forehead, and his eyes were bright with curiosity and restless defiance. Even his cedar scent was sharper and stronger than it would become in adulthood.

It took me ten full minutes to accept the absurd truth: something had gone wrong with time. Twelve years ago, Adrian had just graduated from Lakeside High. While walking beside the man-made lake near the school, he had entered a maintenance tunnel.

The moment he pushed open the door at the other end, he stepped into my apartment. Back then, he had not yet taken control of the North Bay Pack or completed his adult wolf awakening.

And he certainly had not formed a mate bond with me. That explained why my mark had not reacted.

“So you’re the woman I marry in the future?”

Young Adrian looked me over without the slightest hesitation. I nodded.

“We’re legally married, and we formed a mate bond three years ago.”

He let out a dismissive laugh.

“At least my future self has decent taste. His life looks miserable, though.”

His gaze swept across the overly tidy living room.

“He has you living in a place that looks like a staged model home? There isn’t a single sign that two people share a life here. Is thirty-year-old me really that hopeless?”

I did not answer right away. My marriage to Adrian had always been an alliance between the Carter and Blackwood families. My family needed access to art-world resources.

His family needed support from the Pack Council. We both got what we wanted. For three years, we had looked like the perfect, unshakable couple in public.

Behind closed doors, we were more like business partners who happened to share an apartment. He handled cross-border acquisitions and pack affairs. I ran a private gallery in Pioneer Square.

Having nothing in common was not even the worst part. The real problem was that he was almost never home. If we shared a bedroom twice in one month, it meant he had somehow carved two nights out of his schedule.

Adrian at thirty was always controlled, precise, and painfully dull. Looking at the lively, sharp-tongued boy in front of me, who did not even know how to rein in his scent, I found him unexpectedly entertaining.

“You’ll find out soon enough whether he measures up.”

I leaned back in the chair.

“But why did you make that sound during the call?”

Young Adrian leaned forward, and the untamed scent of a young male wolf closed around me.

“I just wanted to see how pathetic thirty-year-old me had become.”

He made no effort to hide his disgust.

“He got married and still leaves his mate home alone all the time. If I were him, I’d be ashamed of myself.”

I laughed before I could stop myself. He watched me, his voice turning soft.

“Is being with him really that boring?”

He knew exactly when to play innocent. I reached out and ruffled his hair. It felt surprisingly good beneath my fingers.

“It is.”

“So what are you going to do about it?”

His eyes lit up at once.

“He won’t be back until tomorrow, right?”

He caught my wrist and dropped his voice to a provocative murmur.

“I’ll keep you company tonight. I promise I’m a lot more fun than that old man.”