After Griffon left, his assistant walked in .Andre handed a morning-after pill to me and said respectfully, Ms. Palmer, please take it as usual. ”Griffon would never allow me to get pregnant. Not only was I just his contracted lover, I wasn’t even a wolf shifter. I’d always grown up around wolves, and had spent time in the shifter orphanage, but I never phased into a wolf at puberty. No one knew where I came from, though the assumption had always been that at least one of my parents had to have been a shifter in order for me to be dropped off at the shifter orphanage. Staring at the small pill in the palm of my hand, my heart started to hurt even more. I wasn’t sure if the pain was caused by my heart failure or Griffon’s cruelty, but regardless, it was so intense that I struggled to take a breath. “Ms. Palmer…”When I didn’t immediately take the pill, Andre urged me along with a nervous expression.
He was probably afraid that I would caused trouble since it had been my last night with Griffon. I swallowed through the pain in my chest and tossed the pill in my mouth. I didn’t even bother with water, forcing it to dry. Andre let out a sigh of relief, then took the apartment and checked his briefcase and placed them in front of me. “Ms. Palmer, this is Mr. Knight’s compensation for you. In fact addition to the real estate and cars, he had also placed five million dollars in your account.” How generous. Too bad, he never knew what I truly wanted. “I don’t want it.” I set my mouth in a grim line and shook my head. Andre was stunned and confused. “Do you think it’s not enough?” My heart shattered beyond what I’d thought possible. Even Andre thought I was doing it for the money. It was too much. So much money, plus an apartment and a luxury car. Was he afraid I would ask him again for more money in the future? I picked up the bag beside me with a bitter smile, took out a debit card, and handed it to Andre. “This is all the money.
Griffon paid me over the years. I never spent a single penny, and I don’t want it. The pin is his birthday. ”Andre was dumbfounded, a confused look making his brows furrow. I didn’t care whether he believed me or not. I placed the card on the pile of documents. Then I left the penthouse without another word. Winter was cold in Arcadia. I walked down the empty street, alone and shivering. The shadow of my thin figure was cast on the ground by the streetlight, gaunt and fragile. I tightened my beige coat, gritted my teeth, and walked back to my apartment in my high heels. I pushed the door open. It was huge inside, taking up an entire floor. Despite the warmth inside and the luxurious decor, the apartment couldn’t dispel the chill that flooded me. I sat on the sofa, staring blankly at my surroundings for a moment. Then I began to pack. Griffon had purchased this apartment for me to live in so that I would be close to his penthouse, able to rush over at a moment’s notice. I had loved that he wanted me close by, wishing and praying to the goddess above that somehow it meant more than what it really did.
Since he didn’t want me anymore, I didn’t want anything that came from him. Taking out my suitcase, I opened the closet and pulled out all of my clothes. I hadn’t brought many things with me, and it didn’t take me long to pack up everything and leave. I packed quickly and efficiently, with no outward emotion, nothing like the girl from five years ago. The desperate, crying girl who’d begged Griffon to purchase my virginity. After getting into the car, I sent a text message to Andre. The key code for the Hudson Apartment is 0826. Andre returned to the Knight Pack headquarters, handed the documents to Griffon, and told him what Taya said with an indifferent gaze, Griffon glanced at the items on his desk. His stoical gaze fixed on the debit card. “You checked the balance?” “Yes, Alpha.” “Is there additional money in there?” “Yes, Alpha.” Andre nodded. The exact amount Griffon had paid Taya for her virginity. Griffon frowned, and Andre heard his wolf rumbling. After a moment of staring at the card, he stretched out his hand, picked up the piece of plastic, and snapped it in half, his claws starting to extend. He pushed the pile of documents toward Andre, his fingers curled and starting to crumple the papers. He was clearly resisting his wolf’s urge to shred them. “Get rid of it then. ”Andre opened his mouth and wanted to say something nice, forget Taya, but the Alpha had already turned away and was looking at his phone, a snarl on his face. He knew better than to speak when his Alpha was like this, so he picked up the pile of documents and left the office. I took my suitcase to my best friend Harper Duke’s. I gently knocked on the door and waited.
Harper had grown up with me in the same orphanage, and we were like sisters. Except Harper had her wolf. “If anything happens, come home,” Harper had said when Griffon took me away five years ago. It was because of Harper that I could leave everything from Griffon behind. As soon as Harper opened the door, a broad smile appeared on her face when she saw me.“What are you doing here?” I tightened my grip on the suitcase. “I need a place to crash,” I said quietly. Only then did Harper see the suitcase, and the smile on her face disappeared, a look of worry replacing it.“What’s wrong?” “I just broke up with him.” I forced a smile to hide my pain.Harper looked closely at me and saw past my pretense in a matter of seconds. Her eyes narrowed, then she frowned. I knew how I looked. I was thin and pale, my eyes sunken. Harper hugged me tightly. “Don’t worry. I’m here for you.” I couldn’t help but tear up at her words. I hugged Harper and patted her gently on the back. “I’m fine. Don’t worry.” Harper knew how much I liked Griffon, how much more I wanted the powerful, distant Alpha. We shared everything. Over the past five years, I had worked hard to earn the amount Griffon had paid me, so I could give it back to him. I was so naive and innocent, I believed that if I returned the money, his feelings for me would change. Maybe then we could be something more than just “employer and employee.” But I couldn’t have been more wrong. Harper remembered that rainy night five years ago just as I did. If it weren’t for Silas Johnson, I wouldn’t have met Griffon. If the accident never happened, I could have had a happy life. I didn’t want to burden Harper with my sorrow. After gently pulling back from the hug, I smiled and said, “Girlie, aren’t you going to let me in? It’s freezing out here!” I stood there, forcing myself to believe that I would soon recover from this. For orphans like us, who had no one to rely on, being abandoned was just another day, right? Harper took my suitcase and led me into the house. “You don’t need a place to crash. This is your home, too.” After that, she turned around, fetched clean pajamas, and handed them to me. “Go take a shower. I’ll make you something to eat, and you can get some sleep. Don’t think about anything else, okay?” “Okay.” I took the pajamas and nodded.
Harper had always been like this. She was unconditionally good to me, like a beam of light that sliced through the darkness. Most other people didn’t know what to do with me. I lived in a gray area…raised by wolves yet not a she-wolf. It was a pity that I suffered from terminal heart failure, and my life was soon coming to an end. Had I been blessed by the goddess with my wolf, there would be other options, other treatments. But with no wolf to help me heal… If Harper found out that I was going to die soon, she would be devastated. And the last thing I wanted to do was burden her with that knowledge. I gazed at the busy figure in the kitchen and slowly walked over. “I want to quit my job.” Harper nodded in agreement and said, “You should. You’ve been working so hard for so long. God, you must be exhausted. Quit your job and take some time to yourself. Don’t worry about anything; I’ve got your back.” I wrapped my arms around my best friend and squeezed her tightly, filled with too many emotions to verbalize them. Then, I turned around and went to the bathroom with tears in my eyes. Fate had never favored me. If Harper and I were meant to be apart, I should use the last three months of my life to be with her. To be with someone who truly loved me.
The next morning, I applied makeup to conceal my pale face and lips and went into the office to quit my job. Just as I sat down and was about to turn on the computer to write my resignation letter, my colleague Brielle came over. “Have you seen the email?” I shook my head. I’d spent the whole weekend in Griffon’s penthouse; I hadn’t had time for anything else other than him and…recovering from him. “Lila sent a letter saying that Elder Thorns' daughter is taking over today,” Brielle said. I had no impression of the elder daughter , so I wasn’t interested. Plus, I was about to quit anyway. Brielle, on the other hand, was very intrigued. “I heard she had just returned from studying abroad in one of the European pack cities, so she doesn’t have much work experience with pack politics and business. Is she even qualified?” Another colleague, Margaret, sneered and said, “Who would dare question her? She’s the long-lost love of Alpha Knight.”
Oh em gee, REALLY? Brielle’s jaw hung open in shock. She pulled Margaret close and whispered excitedly, “Didn’t you say that Alpha Knight wasn’t interested in women? Sounds like he might have a secret love! And she’s the future head of our firm!?” Margaret patted Brielle’s hand with a smile. “You really should try to be more informed about these things, Brielle.How can you work here and not know all this hot gossip? Our jobs literally revolve around pack politics.” “Well, come on, hurry and tell me now. I’m all ears!” Brielle said, tugging at Margaret’s sleeve. Margaret lowered her voice. “Alpha Knight and Elder Thorin’s daughter were childhood sweethearts. Rumor has it, Alpha asked her to be his Luna five years ago. But she turned him down to focus on her studies, said she didn’t want the responsibility of that, so they split up. They haven’t spoken since. But as soon as Ms. Thorin returned to the country, Alpha Knight personally went to the airport to pick her up. That’s enough to
A strange sense of shame flowed through me, after spending so many years as this woman’s “substitute”. Tara walked up and smiled gently. “You’re an assistant in the CEO’s office, right? Was it Taya?” I tried to calm my pounding heart, lowered my head, and nodded. “Yes, that’s right, Ms. Thorin. Nice to meet you, Taya.” Tara looked at the time on her watch. “ I’m going to hold a board meeting in half an hour.Can you make me a coffee and bring it to my office? I need a little pick-me-up.” I was a little hesitant. Griffon was still there, after all. But I hadn’t resigned yet, so I had to do whatever Tara asked. I had no choice but to nod, thinking I would ask Brielle to bring the coffee to my place. “Thank you. Tara walked out with her head held high, the textbook image of a confident, powerful she-wolf. Her self-assurance and brilliance were a stark contrast to me. I was a counterfeit Tara. Useless, something to be discarded once the real thing was attainable. I stood there motionless
When I heard that name, my body stiffened. I slowly turned from Roman’s unwanted embrace and looked toward Griffon, who was standing in the elevator. I couldn’t see his expression clearly because I was too far away, but I felt his eyes staring at me without blinking, could see the glow of his wolf in them. The coldness emanating from his gaze seemed like it could devour me instantly. As soon as Brooks Thorin, an elder and the chairperson of Midwest Packs Corporation, walked in, he saw Griffon.He quickly walked over. “Griffon, why are you here today?” Only then did Griffon look away and reply to Elder Thorin. “I brought Tara here.” Gone was the cold wolf, and instead I watched as his “mask” came on and his demeanor changed. Elder Thorin nodded satisfactorily and said, “Thank you for your time. Tara hasn’t even been back twenty-four hours, and you have already run her around.” “It’s my pleasure to escort your daughter, Elder Thorin.” Griffon nodded his head politely. Go on ahead. Don’t
Roman wasn't concerned about my feelings and tore off my pajamas. When his calloused hand touched my lower back, I screamed in fear. “Roman!” The deafening scream stopped Roman’s wandering hand. But he only paused for a moment before pulling at my clothes again. I could sense that his wolf was taking over, and if that happened even more, I wouldn’t be able to get through to him. I’d experienced it when Griffon’s wolf took over, and no words could get through to the animal. Likewise, I regretted not bringing a baseball bat to the door to beat him to death.“Roman, if you dare to rape me tonight, I promise you’ll see me back in court tomorrow!” Roman’s hand paused again, but then he sneered, as if he had heard a great joke. “You think I’d be afraid of seeing you in court? A Beta against a Little girl with no wolf?” he scoffed.I clenched my fists. “I know your pack is powerful, but I swear I’ll make your scandal public!!” “Sure, go ahead. It’s been awhile since I made headlines anyway.”
Just as I was done with my preparations, Roman sent his assistant, Mason, to pick me up. Sitting in that Maybach, I thought Mason would drive me to Roman’s place, but I was taken to a mall. Stylists and makeup artists surrounded me, curling up my waist-length hair and applying exquisite makeup to my face. I was dressed in an expensive evening gown, tailored to fit me perfectly. A diamond necklace that was worth millions was placed on my neck. I looked at myself in the mirror. Noble, elegant, and refined. But I didn’t feel like myself. I looked more like Tara.If Griffon had seen me like this, he might have thought I was trying to mimic her. I smiled bitterly. Finally, I was all dressed up, and Mason took me to Nightshade. It was the largest nightclub in Arcadia. The people who came Here, they were either rich or powerful, both human and shifters alike. Species didn’t matter…only money and power. The place could guarantee these people their privacy. There were virtually no security cam
It seemed that Griffon was not interested in Roman's comparisons. Roman said nothing more and led me to sit opposite him. As soon as we sat down, a man in an expensive suit opened a bottle of wine and handed it to me “Taya Palmer, right? Can you drink? I didn’t know who this man was, and the suddenness of his offer made me feel uneasy. I hesitated, unsure of what to do. I wasn’t sure if he was a wolf or not, so I didn’t know if he was offering me regular wine, or wine laced with wolfsbane. Wolfsbane would kill me. Seeing me hesitate, the man suddenly smiled. “Don’t worry. There isn’t any wolfsbane in this.” The man’s gentle demeanor put me at ease. I accepted the wine and took a small sip, but I still felt unsure about drinking it.The woman sitting next to the man noticed my hesitation and began to sneer. “Beta Starke, the girlfriend you found is awful. Preston kindly poured her a drink, but she was too scared to drink it. How rude.” Preston… This must be Griffon’s cousin, Preston Kn
Let’s draw lots now. Each pair that draws the same number has. To switch seals. And no sitting next to each other! Khloe put the paper balls on the table and paired up those who drew the same number automatically. There were four players in the first round, and the others would line up. Those who got the numbers 1 or 2 played first. Unfortunately, I got number 2. I raised my eyes to look at the other side. It turned out that Griffon had gotten the number 1, which meant we were in a hostile situation. Khloe, who had also gotten the number 1, raised her eyebrows at me as if to say, “Wait and see.” “What about the other 2? Who got it? After hesitating momentarily, Preston opened the paper ball in his hand. He smiled at me and said, “I’m not good at playing cards.I have to count on you.” I responded with a smile that was uglier than crying. I was a well-behaved girl who always listened to the orphanage director when I was young, listened to my teachers in school, listened to my boss, and
Roman took the opportunity to hand over a bottle of wine. “Alpha Knight, why don’t you let Taya pour a glass of wine for you?” Roman had wanted to see me undress in front of everyone, but he quickly realized that I was his date and that he had publicly referred to me as his girlfriend. He would look like a fool if I took my clothes off in front of everyone-especially an Alpha. And that was the only thing that saved me. Preston reacted quickly and agreed with Roman. “Let her buy a glass of wine as punishment. Pour After that, he signaled me to pour wine for Griffon. How…how was pouring him wine a punishment? I looked up at Griffon.His face was blank, and I couldn’t figure out what he was thinking…if he was thinking anything at all. He’d been holding a glass of wine all evening, but I’d yet to see him take a sip of it. I didn’t know what kind of wine was in his glass, if it was laced with wolves bane or not. I mustered the courage to pick up the expensive red wine on the table, walked