Ashley’s POV
“What’s up, sweetie? Why are you here so early, and why do your eyes look like you’ve cried a river?” Mabel asked as I walked into her office at the hospital. The moment I saw her, I broke down into tears.
“Sweetie,” she hugged me tightly, concern etched on her face. “What happened? It’s supposed to be a happy day for you-your first day at your new job. Why the tears?”
“I… I got fired on my first day!” I sobbed, unable to contain my despair.
“Oh my God!” Mabel gasped, her grip tightening around me. “What did you do? They can’t fire you for no reason at all!”
“We… we were in Steven’s office for introductions, and when… when he was leaving, he stopped by my side and winced in pain, so I… I just touched his hand and asked if he was okay.”
“And then?” Mabel prompted, her eyes wide with disbelief.
“And then he fired me!” I cried again, the tears spilling down my cheeks.
“That darn CEO! How can he just dismiss you because you touched him? That’s insane!” Mabel yelled, her frustration palpable.
“I mean, why give you the job if he was going to snatch it back on the first day? That’s pure cruelty!” she continued, shaking her head in disbelief.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, and it swung open.
“Doctor Mabel, please keep it down; I’m attending to a patient,” a young man in a doctor’s coat said, irritation creeping into his voice.
“Oh, I didn’t realize I was that loud. My apologies, Doctor James,” Mabel said, looking sheepish.
The young doctor glanced at me with a puzzled expression before turning to leave. Just as he reached the door, he stopped and turned back.
“I thought your team had a surgery scheduled for 11:00, which is right about now. Aren’t you supposed to be in the operating room, Doctor James?”
“Yes, yes, of course! It actually slipped my mind, but I’ll be there right away,” she said, hurriedly putting on her coat.
The doctor stared at us for a moment before walking away.
“I’m sorry, sweetie, I really have to go right now,” Mabel said, squeezing my hand gently.
“Don’t worry, I’ll be with Mom,” I replied, wiping my tears.
“Be strong; all will be well,” she said before rushing out.
********
Steven’s POV
I lay on my bed, lost in thought about everything that had happened just hours earlier. Suddenly, a loud scream pierced the air, jolting me from my reverie.
‘What’s going on?’
The door burst open, and Liam rushed into my room, panic evident in his eyes. “You should come stop Maya; she’s destroying everything in the house!” he exclaimed.
I followed him downstairs, and the sight that greeted me was chaos. Maya was wreaking havoc, throwing home equipment around and physically pushing anyone who got in her way.
“Maya!” I called, but my voice was drowned out by the noise.
“Stop this, Maya!” I shouted again, but she continued her rampage.
“I said enough!!” I yelled as I grabbed her wrist, slapping her hand away.
“How dare you? How dare you slap me?!” she yelled, her face flushed with anger.
“And how dare you make such a mess in my mansion!” I retorted, my patience wearing thin.
“Your mansion? Well, it’s going to be ours after our marriage, so I can do whatever I want here!” she shot back defiantly.
“And who said the marriage is still going to hold?” I challenged.
“What?! You’re joking, right?” she asked, her brow furrowing in confusion.
“You heard what your goddess said. It was your idea to meet her, not mine,” I replied coolly.
“I don’t care anymore about what the goddess said, but here’s what I have to say: you’ve already told my father about our union, so you must marry me in seven days, Steven. Else, my father will be so angry he’ll bring the whole pack to come devour you and your pack. Need I remind you, my father is the Alpha of the Oakwood Moon Clan, and he is just as ruthless as you are?”
“Maya….”
“Seven days, that’s all you’ve got to decide whose wrath you fear more, the goddess’s or my father’s.” She turned to leave, but I pulled her back.
“I’m scared of no one, and I won’t tolerate anyone threatening me. I could kill you right now, and tonight I would still sleep like a baby without a second thought. But I won’t do that. You know why? I love an intriguing challenge, so run along, little wolf. Go report to your daddy. I’m curious to see what he can do to me.”
She stared at me for a moment, disbelief etched on her face, before scoffing, “You’ll regret this.”
“Make me,” I replied with a smile that didn’t reach my eyes.
“Fine, you asked for it,” she said before storming out of the mansion.
“This is the best decision you’ve made in a while, Steven. I’m right behind you on this one. So should we start looking for Ashley?” Liam asked, grinning.
“I never said I was going to be mated to Ashley,” I replied, my tone flat.
“But the goddess said…”
“I don’t care about what she said!” I snapped.
“Fine then,” Liam nodded, his expression turning serious. “But think about the pack. Are you okay with putting the whole pack in danger?”
Ignoring him, I climbed up the stairs, my mind racing.
“Last time, the priestess said only you and those you share blood with were affected by that perilous headache, which means your sisters, Freya and Freja must have been affected too. It’s quite alright that you don’t care about me, but are you okay with putting them in danger too?” he called after me, making sure I heard him as I walked away.