Chapter 11
Reyna Cruz:
“Huh! You’ve got some nerve showing up after what you did,” Hunter’s tone was harsh, brimming with anger. I kept my head down and pretended to work, haunted by memories of the pain he’d caused when he plucked me from his garden and tossed me onto the road to wither.
“I’m not here to dwell on the past. If I’d known I’d run into you, Alpha King Hunter, I’d never have set foot in this office. But… I’m here because I honor the agreement I made with my rogue leader.” I finally raised my eyes and nearly lost my composure when his gaze met mine.
There was no affection in his eyes, but it still stung to have them locked onto me. “Your rogue leader?” he scoffed.
“I’m a rogue now, and he’s every rogue’s king.” I corrected him. My palms were getting sweaty, and my feet. trembled with pain, but I maintained my composure remarkably well. It seemed to bother him that I was so at
ease in his presence.
“What happened to the man for whom you risked everything?” The smirk on his face as he brought up my past was utterly distasteful.
“The same man who then abandoned you to face all the blame alone,” he chuckled at my betrayal, relishing i
“That man… I believe he’s now engaged to the woman for whom he jeopardized our relationship,” I observed, and I watched his eyes narrow, clearly displeased.
Fortunately, before our conversation could escalate into a heated argument, Jeffrey returned with coffee and
tea.
“Thank you, Jeffrey. I’ve glanced at the title and the content-” I paused as Jeffrey smiled and cut me off.
“Alpha King Hunter’s initial draft. He wanted to give it a shot, so we thought we’d have a foundation to build on,” Jeffrey’s explanation prompted me to muster a forced smile, which quickly turned into a disappointed pout.
“Well, I didn’t find it to my liking,” I stated, closing the file and pushing it away on the table. Hunter’s jaw clenched, and Jeffrey held his tongue..
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“But that’s alright. It’s not like he’s mastered this. Let’s leave the copywriting to the professionals,” I said, rising from my seat and smoothing down my hair. Hunter’s gaze remained fixed on me, which was rather obnoxious.
“And Jeffrey, if it’s feasible, please arrange a separate office for me. I don’t care about fancy decor; those things have never interested me anyway. I simply value having a private space,” I stated while maintaining good posture, though Hunter continued to glare at me from across the table.
I knew it wouldn’t be long before he lost his temper with me over some minor issue. Still, it was surprising to be on the receiving end of his withering glare.
Back when we were together, he had never used a harsh tone with me until the whole hotel incident.
I collected the files and left the office to head home for the day, as it was my first day and I had the flexibility to leave early.
While waiting outside for my car, my son called. He informed me that he had asked the driver to take him and
Polline to the nearby park, Consequently, I had to wait.
Twenty minutes passed as I played games on my phone while waiting for the driver to return. I didn’t want to rush my son, and I was hesitant to call a cab since this was rogue territory. Wearing nice clothes and carrying anything valuable while calling a taxi was risky, as there were many criminals roaming freely.
I typically didn’t use my phone much unless I was working, but today, I needed something to occupy my mind; otherwise, I felt I might break down.
‘Are you ready to discuss it?‘ I knew my wolf had been waiting for me to calm down so that she could talk about the entire encounter with Hunter.
‘There’s nothing to discuss. The man I met is a stranger now, I fought back tears and focused on my phone’s
screen.
“Miss Reyna!” I snapped out of my internal conversation with my wolf when Jeffrey called my name. I lifted my head to see him and Hunter heading towards their cars.
“I thought you had left already,” he smiled, approaching me, while Hunter rolled his eyes and remained by his
car.
“Yeah, my… my driver is running late,” I chose not to mention my son. It wasn’t that I was embarrassed of him; ! simply intended to keep him a secret.
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“How about we drop you off at home?” Jeffrey turned to Hunter, offering me a ride. I suspect he didn’t catch the annoyed and uncomfortable look on Hunter’s face.
“No-,” before I could decline, Hunter interjected, “Jeffery, are you forgetting something? We’re on our way to the store to buy a gift for my dear Luna Queen.” His words were deliberate.
Instantly, I was reminded of Tara. I suppressed my sadness and smiled at Jeffrey. “My car will be here in a minute. Please don’t change your plans for me.”
Jeffrey appeared a bit disappointed that he couldn’t offer me a ride, then he returned to join Hunter.
As they drove away, I started taking deep breaths as anxiety crept over me. For some reason, all these years, had hoped that karma would catch up with them. But seeing them do so well made me lose hope in any form of justice.
Fortunately, the driver arrived to pick me up before I could sink into loneliness. I arrived home and hurriedly made my way to my bedroom.
My son was in his room with Polline, so I planned to join them after I’d freshened up. When I finally went to spend time with them, Polline had already prepared dinner, and we were in the process of eating..
“Mom, can I go to sleep? I played a lot at the park today, so I’m very tired,” Turner asked as he finished his meal, politely requesting to leave his chair. Unlike what I had heard from other single parents, my Turner was always understanding and well–mannered.
“Of course,” I replied with a smile, and he jumped off the chair to give me a hug before walking away. Following his lead, I got up as well.
“It’s okay. Go ahead; I’ll take care of the dishes,” Polline offered, waving me away as I collected the dishes, easing
my burden.
“Thank you; you’re a big help,” I expressed my gratitude to Polline before going to my son. I tucked him into bed and stayed beside him, holding his hand. My mind was consumed by thoughts of the office and the looming disaster of seeing Hunter every day. It felt like a ticking time bomb.
‘But he has his own business and pack to take care of. I’m sure he’ll only occasionally visit this office, Nera tried to make sense of the situation and provide some comfort.
‘You’re right. I hope that’s the case,‘ as I focused on this possibility, I felt a little more at ease.
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‘Also, after seeing me today, he’ll probably do his best to avoid coming here,‘ I added, acknowledging our mutual disdain for each other.
Polline caught me just as I left Turner’s room after he had fallen into a deep sleep. She was standing outside, leaning against the wall.
“Tell me what happened today?” Polline’s stern expression made me wonder how she found out that something had occurred which required a discussion.
I
“Guess who the CEO is?” I said, walking with her downstairs to get a glass of wine.
“The Rogue King,” she confidently stated.
“The second one,” I added, hesitating before saying his name, “he’s partnered with someone else.”
“Oh no!” Polline, who had been preparing a drink for us, suddenly halted and turned to me with an apologetic smile. It wasn’t a secret that the only person who could upset me was Hunter.
“It was so challenging to be under the same roof as… him again,” I confessed. As I spoke, I couldn’t hold back my emotions any longer and instantly broke down. I had kept my feelings in check for hours, but I knew I could pour my heart out in front of Polline.
She gave me a quick, comforting hug and patted my back.
“What’s disheartening is that they’re still together and thriving,” I confessed. I was aware that I sounded somewhat vindictive for wishing ill upon them, but considering the unfairness of what they had done to me, was hard not to feel that way.
“Or maybe karma was just waiting for you to confront them, so you could witness the troubles they go through Polline whispered, breaking the hug and offering me a drink.
We chatted for a while, and then she accompanied me to my room to rest. I had no plans to sleep; I wanted to drown my sorrows in alcohol. So, after she had fallen asleep, I sneaked out of my bedroom to have a few more drinks.
I knew she wouldn’t approve, which is why I had waited for her to doze off. After two more drinks, my body began to ache in a peculiar way.
‘Nera! What’s happening to you?” I asked, filled with worry.
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‘I can’t stop myself from transitioning. You need to leave the house and head into the woods, the urgency in her
voice shocked me.
‘Are you sure? Can’t you resist the urge to transition?‘ I panicked and pleaded, but I heard a grunt from her.
‘Go to the woods, right now,‘ she repeated herself, leaving me with the uneasy feeling that there was no other choice, even though it was the middle of the night.
‘This time? It’s not safe for anyone to be out in the woods at this hour in the rogue community,‘ I expressed my concerns, but it seemed like there was no other choice.
‘I can’t hold back–, as she screamed inside me, I hurriedly grabbed a white coat and my boots. It was going to be.
the scariest night ever.
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