Aurora’s pov
Ryan left for a business meeting, and I got back to work. I took short breaks here and there until it was finally time to leave. He had left me in Jamie’s care.
He’s such a romantic. I couldn’t help but smile.
“You’re thinking about him, aren’t you?” Sophie’s voice startled me. I hadn’t even noticed when she walked in.
“When did you get in?” I asked, quickly trying to wipe the blush off my face.
“I knocked three times, and you didn’t open up. I decided to let myself in and caught you daydreaming. I even called your name,” she said, standing there with her arms crossed.
“I wasn’t daydreaming,” I said casually as I stood up and started packing my things to leave.
“Are you guys dating now?” she asked out of nowhere.
“Who? What are you talking about?” I asked, pretending not to know what she meant.
“I’m talking about the boss.”
“Oh… umm… we aren’t dating,” I said quickly.
“But he kissed you. In front of everyone. And you guys looked like you were about to make out when I came in earlier,” she pointed out.
She was determined to know what was going on, but even I didn’t know how to explain it.
“Yeah, we just kissed. It ends there,” I said, looking at her.
“Do you like him? Because I can tell that he likes you… Have you seen how he looks at you?” Sophie asked.
I couldn’t help but blush.
“Yeah, I like him too,” I admitted as I grabbed my bag and started walking to the door.
“You’re going to give me the full details soon, aren’t you?” she asked.
I was grateful that she didn’t pressure me. I loved her for that.
“Yes, Sophie, very soon.”
She walked out the door with me, and I locked it with my key card. We took the elevator down together, and when we reached the lobby, she went her way while I went mine.
I spotted Jamie casually sitting on a bench outside the office building. The moment he saw me, he stood up and walked to the car, opening the door for me.
“Thank you, but you don’t have to do that when I’m alone,” I said.
He just smiled and gestured for me to get in.
“I want to sit in the front with you,” I suddenly said.
“What?” he asked.
“I want to sit in the front. Or did Ryan tell you I can’t?” I challenged.
He quietly closed the back door and opened the front for me. I mouthed “thank you” since he didn’t seem to want to talk.
I made myself comfortable while he got into the driver’s seat and started the car. He wasn’t speeding.
So he’s a werewolf.
I turned to him and kept staring. He noticed but tried to keep a straight face.
“Is there a problem?” he finally asked, eyes still on the road.
“No, no problem. But can I ask you something?” I said.
“You want to ask me something?” he repeated.
“Yes, that’s what I said,” I answered.
“Okay, go on.”
“How old are you?” I asked.
“Twenty,” he said.
“I’m nineteen,” I said.
“I know.”
I didn’t bother asking how he knew.
“So, you’re a werewolf?” I asked.
The question caught him off guard. He hit the brakes hard, and the car came to a sudden stop.
“What are you talking about?” he asked.
“You can stop pretending now. Ryan told me.”
“The Alpha, sorry, my boss told you that?”
“You don’t have to pretend anymore. He’s the Alpha, the leader, and his eyes are red,” I said, smiling widely at him.
For some reason, I found the whole thing amusing. He, on the other hand, didn’t seem to know what to say. He probably didn’t want to get into trouble for revealing anything else.
“We’re in the middle of the road. Move,” I finally said after looking around.
He continued driving, but after a few minutes, I noticed he tensed up.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
He didn’t answer. Instead, he increased his speed.
I looked in the rearview mirror and saw a car following us.
Before I could turn back to face the front, Jamie slammed on the brakes so hard that I almost hit my head. Thankfully, I had my seatbelt on.
There was a car parked right in front of us.
I looked around. The road was empty. He must have turned onto another route while trying to escape whoever was following us.
“Stay here,” he said as he stepped out of the car.
My heart was pounding in my chest. What was happening?
A man stepped out of the car ahead of us. He was huge.
Then I saw it-his claws were out. He wasn’t smiling.
His fangs were bared, and his eyes were… yellow.
That’s a new color. Aurora, focus! You’re in trouble!
Jamie’s claws extended as well, and as the huge man charged at him, Jamie met him halfway.
While they fought, the door of the car in front of us opened. My breath hitched.
Karen stepped out.
She walked past the fight gracefully, as if she had no care in the world. Another woman followed behind her-just as beautiful, but colder.
They both approached me. My hands trembled as I locked the car doors and gripped my seatbelt as if my life depended on it. Sweat beaded on my forehead. My heartbeat was faster than a drum solo.
Was she here to kill me?
Before I could grab my phone from my purse, the second woman shattered the car window. Glass rained down on me. I closed my eyes tightly, hoping to keep the shards out.
Before I could react, she yanked the door open and grabbed me by the hair, dragging me out. Karen just watched, enjoying the show.
I turned my gaze toward Jamie. My heart nearly stopped at what I saw.
He was on the ground, beaten, bloody, unmoving.
The woman kept dragging me, and Karen extended her claws. She traced them lightly over my cheek, then down my neck.
“We meet again,” she said with a smirk.
“Please,” I whispered, tears welling in my eyes. I didn’t want to die. Not now. Not ever.
“Why are You saying please, I’m not gonna hurt you once you say that you would stay away from Ryan.” She said as she gripped my neck.
I didn’t say anything. I kept quiet and continued shivering.
Karen’s grip on my neck tightened, her claws pressing against my skin just enough to make me feel the sharp sting. My breath came out in short, ragged gasps, and my heart pounded so hard I thought it would burst out of my chest.
“Say it, Aurora,” she whispered, her voice too calm for the terror she was inflicting. “Say you’ll stay away from him.”
Tania chuckled darkly beside her, enjoying the show. “She’s stubborn. I like that,” she mused before suddenly slamming her knee into my stomach.
Pain shot through me like fire, knocking the breath out of my lungs. I collapsed onto my knees, clutching my stomach, gasping for air. Tears blurred my vision, but I refused to let them fall. I wouldn’t give them the satisfaction.
Karen crouched beside me, running a clawed finger down my cheek, smearing my tears. “You think you’re special? That you matter to him? You’re nothing but a distraction. Ryan doesn’t belong to you, Aurora. He belongs to our kind. To me.”
I clenched my fists, my body trembling in pain and anger. I wanted to fight back, but what could I do? They were stronger, faster, and crueler than I could ever be.
Tania suddenly grabbed my hair and yanked my head back. “You’re lucky Karen wants to keep you breathing,” she hissed, her breath hot against my skin. “If it were up to me, you’d already be dead.”
Then, without warning, she slashed my arm with her claws. The sharp pain burned through me as warm blood trickled down. I screamed, biting my lip to stop myself from sobbing. The metallic scent of my own blood filled the air, mixing with the sickening satisfaction in their gazes.
“Still won’t say it?” Karen taunted, gripping my chin once more, forcing me to look at her.
I swallowed hard, tasting copper in my mouth. My body was shaking, but I met her eyes with all the defiance I had left. “I won’t say it.”
Karen’s smirk faltered for a split second before her claws traced down my neck. “You’re brave, I’ll give you that. But bravery doesn’t save lives.”
Then, she dug her claws into my side.
I screamed so loud it echoed through the empty road. The pain was unbearable, blinding, like fire tearing through my flesh. My vision went black for a second, and I thought I was going to pass out.
Then I heard it.
A roar.
It was deep, wild, and filled with rage. The ground beneath me almost shook from its force.
Karen’s grip on me loosened, and I blinked through the pain to see her eyes widen slightly before she took a cautious step back.
I turned my head slowly, barely able to focus through the haze of pain and blood, and that’s when I saw him.
Ryan.
But this wasn’t the Ryan I knew.
His eyes burned a deep, menacing red, glowing like molten lava in the darkness. His body radiated pure, deadly fury. His hands were clenched into fists, his sharp claws extended. His teeth, longer and sharper than I had ever seen, were bared in a snarl.
A beast. A monster. A storm of rage ready to destroy everything in its path.
And he was looking directly at Karen.
Karen straightened, her confidence wavering for the first time. “Ryan,” she said, her voice almost gentle, as if she could calm the storm brewing before her.
But Ryan didn’t respond.
Instead, he let out another deep, guttural growl, his entire body trembling with the need to kill.
And in that moment, I knew.
Someone was going to die tonight.