《The Billionaire Alpha鈥檚 Contract Lover》 Chapter 1 Chapter 1 Chapter 1 The day I found out I was dying, Alpha Griffon Knight broke up with me. Our rtionship was a contract, but when his true love came back, he didn¡¯t need me anymore. He canceled our contract and told me to get lost. ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org . I thought that after five years, his frozen heart would thaw for me. How wrong I was. So I packed my things and left. Without telling him¡­ I only had three months left to live. Taya Griffon Knight¡¯s private jetnded at the airport at 7:00 p.m., just as the sun was starting to set, vivid orange and red giving way to the bright light of the moon. Within a half hour of his arrival, he requested that I be brought to his downtown penthouse. Per our contract, I must be thoroughly cleansed ¡°inside and out¡± without any traces of perfume or makeup. As an Alpha, his senses were more perceptive than most other wolf shifters. I strictly followed his preferences and requirements, changed into freshly washed silk pajamas, and then went to the bedroom on the second floor. Griffon was sitting in front of the fire in his leather wingback chair, one ankle resting on his knee in a rxed manner, flipping through a stack of documents. When I entered the room, he gave me a nce before cing the papers on the side table next to him. ¡°Come here,¡± he demanded, his wolf shing amber in his dark eyes for a second as he narrowed his gaze at me. A chill ran over my spine. His voice was gruff and emotionless, weighing heavily on my heart as it always did. I longed, just once, to hear something in his tone when he spoke to me. But he always maintained his powerful and mysterious aura, never giving an indication of what he was thinking or feeling. I didn¡¯t dare to hesitate for a moment, worried that any dy might anger him. Keeping my head tilted down in deference to his formidable presence, my bare feet were silent on the plush carpet as I rushed over to him. As soon as I was at his side, he pulled me into his arms and onto hisp, lifting my chin with his large hand. He lowered his head and kissed my waiting lips aggressively, without any traces of the warmth I longed for. His tongue delved into my mou th, twisting around mine, and desire flowed through my body, pooling in myher regions. Griffon might seem noble and restrained to his pack and other pack elites, but he showed no such thing when it came to s ex. He was never restrained, never tender with me. No sweet talk, no soft kisses. Just hunger, desire, se x. With me, he was always the animal. Always the coarse Alpha, never the cool, calm, and collected leader that others saw. He had been away on pack business for three months; he probably wouldn¡¯t let me go easily tonight. As I had expected, he was rougher than usual. It was as if he was all feral wolf instead of just mostly wolf like he typically was. Griffon didn¡¯t stop his thrusts until I was too exhausted for more, his wolf shining in his eyes and his face twisted in a snarl the entire time. *** When I woke up, I found myself alone in bed. Instead of the usual silence I typically wakened to, I heard running water came from the bathroom. I frowned in confusion and looked in the direction of the sound,surprised to see Griffon¡¯s tall and muscled form reflected in the ss door of the shower. He usually left immediately after our encounters. No goodbye, no waiting for me to wake up. I struggled to sit up, my body spent from hours of lovemaking, and I quietly waited for the man toe out. A few minutester, the water stopped, and Griffon came into the room, a towel wrapped around his waist. Water droplets from the tips of his dark hair fell onto his bronze skin, slowly sliding down his well- defined abs. His face was finely chiseled, exquisitely handsome, with sharp, distinct features. His eyes, almond-shaped and hazel in color, were aloof and distant, deep and unreadable. Even in his human form, his dark wolf side showed through, creating even more of an enigma surrounding the Alpha. To everyone else, he was charming yet distant, friendly yet aloof and unattainable. With one nce, people could tell he was not an easy man to get along with, but notpletely impossible. To me, he was simply cold, harsh, and unreachable even when he was inside me. Seeing that I was awake, he gave me a stony look and said, ¡°You don¡¯t need toe anymore.¡± Chapter 2 Chapter 2 Chapter 2 I blinked, clutching the covers tightly around my body, my knuckles w hite as a sliver of panic raced through my heart. What did he mean? Griffon turned around, went to the side table, to the papers he¡¯d been looking throughst night. He shuffled through them, then tossed one onto the bed in front of me. ¡°I¡¯m canceling our contract. You¡¯re fired.¡± I felt the blood drain from my face, and my heart stopped for minute. Fired. Not ¡°we¡¯re breaking up. Fired. ¡± Regardless as to how our rtionship had started, regardless of how I¡¯de to feel about him, I knew this day woulde. Because in reality, we had no ¡°rtionship¡±. We were employer and employee, and I served only one purpose for Griffon. Nheless, his words stung. Chapter 2 I¡¯d never expected that he would end things so abruptly. I¡¯d thought I¡¯d have more time. Sure, I¡¯d expected his typical unemotional coldness, but this was beyond that. After being with him for five years, he gave me no reason or exnation. He didn¡¯t think I deserved that, and it was painful to think about. 2/4 Suppressing the sharp pain in my heart, I slowly raised my head from staring at the document on theC0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org. bad and gazed at Griffon. Enough time had passed with my being frozen by his words that he was now fully dressed in his typical dark suit. ¡°But¡­the contract will expire in six months. Can¡¯t we wait for a little longer?¡± My voice was somewhat pleading, and I struggled to keep it from cracking. The doctor said I only had three months left, and the only thing I wanted was to stay with him until the end of my life. Griffon remained silent, staring at me with his stoic, vacant expression, as if he were kicking away a toy he had grown tired of ying with. His silence was all I needed. His decision was final. After five long years of trying, I had failed to thaw Griffon¡¯s frozen heart. It was time to wake up from my illusion. I took the contract and stered on a fake smile, attempting to Chapter 2 3/4 feign indifference. ¡°Don¡¯t be so serious. I was just joking.¡± Then, I added, ¡°I¡¯m d this is over. I get six months off. How perfect!¡± Griffon paused as he adjusted his shirt sleeves, then lifted his gaze to me. It took everything in me to make sure there was no sadness in my eyes, to make sure the only emotions he might see were excitement or relief. The absolutest things I felt. Griffon narrowed his eyes and frowned. ¡°You¡¯re d it¡¯s over?¡± I nodded and shrugged one shoulder as if I hadn¡¯t a care in the world. ¡°Yup. I¡¯m not the little girl I was when I agreed to this. It¡¯s time for me to get married and have children. I can¡¯t always be your contract lover, can I?¡± Inside, Iughed at myself. It was impossible for me to get married or have children, but I¡¯d be dam ned if I ever let Griffon know that. I would leave with dignity and grace. I forced another smile and asked, ¡°Does that mean I can finally have a normal boyfriend once I leave here?¡± Griffon¡¯s eyes were filled with deep and unidentifiable emotions. Chapter 2 After staring at me for a while, he looked at his watch and turned to leave. ¡°Do whatever you want.¡± Looking at his back as he turned and walked away, my smile faded. 4/4 Griffon hated it when other people touched his things, including his woman. His wolf would push through, his eyes shing amber and his wsing out. But this time, there was no reaction. He truly was done with me. Chapter 3 Chapter 3 Chapter 3 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¡¯d never gained her 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 Chapter 3 cause trouble since it had been myst night with Griffon. 2/5 I swallowed through the pain in my chest and tossed the pill in my mo uth. I didn¡¯t even bother with water, forcing it down dry. Andre let out a sigh of relief, then took an apartment deed and check from his briefcase and ced them in front of me. ¡°Ms. Palmer, this is Mr. Knight¡¯spensation for you. In addition to the real estate and cars, he had also ced five million dors in your ount.¡± How generous. C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org. Too bad, he never knew what I truly wanted. ¡°I don¡¯t want it.¡± I set her mou th 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 Chapter 3 3/5 Griffon paid me over the years. I never spent a single penny, and I don¡¯t want it. The pin number is his birthday.¡± Andre was dumbfounded, a confused look making his brows furrow. I didn¡¯t care whether he believed me or not. I ced the card on the pile of documents. Then I left the penthouse without another word. *** Winter was cold in Arcadia. I walked 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 nkly at the surroundings for a moment. Chapter 3 Then I began to pack. 4/5 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 to the Hudson Apartment is 0826.] *** Andre returned to the Knight Pack headquarters, handed the documents to Griffon, and told him what Taya said. Chapter 3 5/5 With an indifferent gaze, Griffon nced at the items on his desk. His stoic gaze fixed on the debit card. ¡°You checked the bnce?¡± ¡°Yes, Alpha.¡± ¡°There is 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 stic, and snapped it in half, his ws 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 mo uth and wanted to say something nice for 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. Chapter 4 Chapter 4 Chapter 4 I took my suitcase to my best friend Harper Duke¡¯s. I gently knocked on the door and waited. 1/5 Harper had grown up with me in the same orphanage, and we were like sisters. Except Harper had her wolf. ¡°If anything happens,e 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 wide smile appeared on her face when she saw me. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± I tightened my grip on the suitcase. ¡°I need a ce to crash,¡± I said quietly. Only then did Harper see the suitcase, and the smile on her face disappeared, a look of worry recing it. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Chapter 4 ¡°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.¡± 2/5 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 with 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 might as I did. If it weren¡¯t for Ss Johnson, I wouldn¡¯t have met Griffon. Chapter 4 3/5 If the ident 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 ce 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 sooning 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¡­ Chapter 4 4/5 If Harper found out that I was going to di e soon, she would be devastated. And thest 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 thest 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 theputer to write my resignation letter, my colleague Brielle came over. ¡°Have you seen the email?¡± Chapter 4 5/5 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 Band¡­recovering from him. ¡°L sent a letter saying that Elder Thorin¡¯s daughter is taking over today,¡± Brielle said. I had no impression of the elder¡¯s 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.¡±This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Chapter 5 Chapter 5 Chapter 5 ¡°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, c¡¯mon, hurry up and tell me now. I¡¯m all ears!¡± Brielle said, tugging on Margaret¡¯s sleeve. Margaret lowered her voice. ¡°Alpha Knight and Elder Thorin¡¯s daughter were childhood sweethearts. Rumor has it, the 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 prove that he still has strong feelings for her.¡± Brielle covered her mo uth, her big, round eyes wide. ¡°Oh my god! It¡¯s like the perfect romance!¡± My heart spasmed, and mise ry spread through me. Chapter 5 2/5 So, the truth was that Griffon had terminated our contract early because his long-lost love-his real love- hade back. But if he was already in love with someone, why did he force me to sign a contract to continue our ¡°rtionship¡± after sleeping with me only once? And whenever he touched me, he went so crazy that he couldn¡¯t control his wolf. He couldn¡¯t keep his hands off me, and we¡¯d spend hours and hours in bed. Those weren¡¯t the actions of a man who didn¡¯t want someone. Just as I was about to ask Margaret where she¡¯d heard this, the elevator opened with a ding. The executive assistant to the head of the firm, L, and several department managers walked out first. Right after, a man with a face and body carved and chiseled by the goddess herself walked out. He seemed almost unreal, like he¡¯d stepped out of an oil painting, a mix of power, refinement, and indifference, always keeping a distance from others. Unlike other Alphas who were warm and friendly while maintaining their position of authority, this Alpha was aloof, stoic¡­unattainable. I would recognize him anywhere. Chapter 5 L gestured to the shifters who¡¯d stepped off the elevator. ¡°Alpha Knight, Ms. Thorin, this way please.¡± 3/5 Why is he here? I thought, watching Griffon turn and offer his hand to someone in the elevator. Then, a delicate, fair hand was ced in his, and a woman stepped out. The moment I saw her face, I understood why Griffon bought me for the night and drew up that contract five years ago. Except for a few minor differences, I had almost the exact same face as Griffon¡¯s former lover, the woman he¡¯d wanted to make his Luna. I used to think Griffon would return my feelings one day and love me for who I was, despite the fact that I had no wolf and could never truly be his Luna, but now I knew¡­ I was only a temporary substitute. My chest tightened almost to the point I couldn¡¯t breathe, and pain swept through my body, turning my face pale even despite the makeup I wore. Brielle immediately asked with concern, ¡°Taya? What¡¯s wrong? Are you feeling sic k?¡± I shook my head, and before Brielle could say anything else, L led Griffon and Ms. Thorin over. I quickly lowered my eyes and didn¡¯t dare look Griffon or the woman in the eye. I couldn¡¯t stop my hands from trembling on Chapter 5 the keyboard as L introduced them. 4/5 ¡°The assistants here are avable to help you with anything, you need, Ms. Thorin.¡± Ms. Thorin nodded, looked at us, and said softly, ¡°Good morning, everyone. My name is Tara Thorin. Starting today, I¡¯ll be the new CEO of the Midwest Packs Association.¡± Tara¡­ I couldn¡¯t seem to get enough air into my lungs, and I felt lightheaded. Memories started flooding back of me and Griffon, our bodies writhing and entwined in bed. Every time, he¡¯d softly call out my name. So softly I could barely hear it. Only now did I realize that he wasn¡¯t calling out to me, but to Tara¡­ I clenched my fists. My long nails dug into my flesh, but I felt no pain. Suffocating feelings of humiliation and abandonment overwhelmed me, and I couldn¡¯t fight back the tears. I was so stup id to have fallen in love with Griffon, the wolf who would never love me back.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org. Chapter 6 Chapter 6 Chapter 6 After exchanging pleasantries, Tara took Griffon¡¯s arm and followed L to the CEO¡¯s office. Brielle craned her neck and looked at their backs with envy. ¡°Alpha Knight personally picked her up and escorted her into the office on her first day of work? That HAS to mean he still loves her!¡± Margaret patted her shoulder and said, ¡°It¡¯s not just that. She¡¯s only just returned to the country and she¡¯s already taking over as CEO. The rest of the elders may not bepletely convinced she¡¯s up to the task. By personally escorting her on her first day, Alpha Knight is warning everyone that she has the backing of the Knight Pack.¡± ¡°He¡¯s so quick to show his love and support for her. Alpha Knight really is the perfect mate.¡± Brielle sighed. Margaret¡¯s eyes were also full of jealousy. ¡°If she weren¡¯t Elder Thorin¡¯s daughter, she wouldn¡¯t have been chosen by the most powerful Alpha in the Midwest Packs,¡± she said. Brielle shook her head disapprovingly. ¡°I don¡¯t think so. Ms. Thorin is aplished too. She¡¯s highly educated and refined, and she¡¯d obviously beautiful. She¡¯ll make a perfect Luna for him. Speaking of her looks¡­¡± Brielle looked at me. ¡°Taya¡­ don¡¯t you think you look kind of simr to our new CEO?¡± Chapter 6 2/3 Margaret came over to take a closer look. ¡°Goddess. You do look a bit like her, Taya. But honestly, I think you¡¯re way prettier!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be rid iculous,¡± I said abruptly, and then I got up and went to the bathroom. I heard Brielle behind me. ¡°What¡¯s up with her?¡± The Margaret chimed in. ¡°Maybe she¡¯s jealous because she thinks Tara is so much luckier than her, even though they practically have the same face. After all, Tara is a true she-wolf.¡± Mortification washed over me at her words, and I walked faster. I entered the bathroom and quickly took out my heart medication, turning on the faucet and scooping up a handful of water to swallow it down. Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org. After calming down for a few long moments, I sshed my face with cold water and looked up at my reflection. It was clear that illness was ravaging my body; my cheeks were sunken, my skin dull. But Tara¡­ While I was in a daze, the bathroom door opened, and in came Tara, her high heels clicking with each step. Her face was soft and delicate, with a rosy glow, and she exuded an effortless elegance. Chapter 6 It was like Brielle said. She wasn¡¯t just beautiful. She was 3/3 educated, ssy, sessful¡­ The perfect she-wolf who would make the perfect Luna. Everything that I wasn¡¯t. When her eyes met mine, inferiority pierced through me. I quickly lowered my head, pulled out a tissue, and turned to leave. ¡°Wait a minute,¡± Tara called out. Chapter 7 Chapter 7 Chapter 7 A strange sense of sham e 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 in my ce. ¡°Thank you.¡± Tara walked out with her head held high, the textbook image of a confident, powerful she- wolf. ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org . 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 Chapter 7 attainable. I stood there motionless for a while before I collected myself, exited the bathroom, and went straight to the break room. I made a coffee and went to ask one of the others to take it to Tara¡¯s office. 2/3 However, they had already been called upon to perform other tasks, so I had to deliver it myself. Timidly, I knocked on the office door. ¡°Come in, please.¡± Tara¡¯s gentle voice came from inside. After taking a deep breath, I summoned the courage to enter. When I opened the door, I saw Tara sitting on Griffon¡¯sp. Although I was me ntally prepared to see Griffon, I hadn¡¯t expected this sight. My hands trembled, and I struggled not to spill the coffee all over the floor. Afraid that the two of them would notice my difort, I quickly lowered my eyes and pretended nothing was wrong. ¡°Ms. Thorin, here is your coffee.¡± ¡°Just leave it here, thank you.¡± Nodding, I put the coffee on Tara¡¯s desk then turned to walk out. I managed not to look at Griffon once the whole time. Chapter 7 After leaving the office, my legs buckled. I leaned against the wall to regain my bnce. 3/3 The way Tara sat sofortably in hisp¡­ It reminded me of how Griffon would pull me into hisp the same way, how he would position me like that when we would have se x. Although Griffon and Tara weren¡¯t d oing anything explicit, my mind was flooded with images of them together before, moaning and grinding and making love to each other. I imagined Griffon¡¯s hands touching Tara¡¯s body while she sat in hisp, the same way Griffon had touched me first. No¡­ that wasn¡¯t correct. It wasn¡¯t me that Griffon touched first. He had definitely made love to Tara in that position, and so many more, long before I ever came along. Because I was just his recement lover. Chapter 8 Chapter 8 Chapter 8 I pressed a fist against my chest, trying to force my heartbeat to slow, fearful that my weak, human heart would stop. I struggled to return to my desk, wanting to quit as soon as possible. There was no way I could bear to see the two of them so happily in love in front of me every day. My few remaining days on Earth would not be spent watching that. I was afraid I might even lose it and walk right up to Griffon in front of everyone at the office, weeping and asking him why he couldn¡¯t love me like I loved him. After I finished writing my resignation letter, I went to ask L to approve it. L had never really liked me. She didn¡¯t try that hard to convince me to stay, and only said a few words before agreeing to approve my resignation. The whole process would take a month, and I couldn¡¯t leave immediately, so I had to take two weeks of annual leave first. I had worked at the Midwest Packs Association for five years, and the annual leave I had was fifteen days. It would make sense for me to take a break before resigning. Chapter 8 2/5 Seeing that I was in a hurry, L couldn¡¯t help rolling her eyes. ¡°I can approve your leave, but as soon as it¡¯s over you¡¯d bettere back and finish your work before yourst day.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± I replied. Then, I picked up my bag and left. As I hurried out of thepany, I saw Roman Starke, Beta of the Starke Pack. He was a well-known creep in Arcadia, and he loved to y with women-regardless of whether they wanted to y, too. I was scared when I saw him walking toward me, a wolfish smile on his face, so I quickly turned around. This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. But Roman was quicker. He grabbed my hand and pulled me into his arms. ¡°Where are you going in such a rush, baby?¡± He lowered his head, leaned close to my ear, and gently blew against me. His warm breath on my ear made goosebumps rise, and I shivered in disgust. I pushed Roman away desperately before I could think about any possible repercussions of resisting an Alpha in public, but he held my waist tight. ¡°You smell so good¡­¡± Chapter 8 375 He pushed his nose into my hair and inhaled deeply, his hands moving upward to my breasts. While Griffon had always wanted me to smell nothing like myself, Roman¡¯s wolf was the opposite. Had Roman not been such a creep, I might have actually appreciated that Roman wasn¡¯t trying to make me something else in order to be attracted to me. I pressed down on his hand and hissed out, ¡°Beta Starke, please behave yourself.¡± ¡°Behave? Why should I? That defeats the purpose of being an Alpha,¡± Roman said mischievously, nibbling on my carlobe. Roman may have looked unassuming, nothing like most of the other gruff Alphas and Betas in the Midwest region, but he was far worse. I turned my head, disgust shining in my eyes as I looked at him. But Roman didn¡¯t care. In fact, it excited him even more. The more a woman resisted, the more his wolf wanted to conquer her. And the fact that I was so resistant to him turned him on even more. Everyone knew this about Beta Starke. Chapter 8 Though, the fact that I had no wolf to bow down to the 4/5 dominance of an Alpha was probably why it was easier for me to tell him no, despite the fact that he could kil l me with one sh of his paw. Roman lifted my chin with one hand and caressed my cheek with his fingers, letting his wse out just slightly. ¡°Beta Starke, please. We hardly know each other.¡± I dipped my head, shying away from his touch. Roman had first targeted me when I went to deliver documents to the Starke Pack a month ago. Since then, he had oftene to the Midwest Packs Association offices to harass me under the guise of business. Whenever he met me, he touched me inappropriately or harassed me with rude words. I needed this job, needed to keep the Alphas and Betas as happy as possible due to myck of wolf. I couldn¡¯t afford to offend Roman, and so I¡¯d always endured his harassment. But now that I had nothing left to lose, I was no longer afraid of him. Unexpectedly, although I treated him coldly, Roman was not fazed. He gripped my face. ¡°Maybe we aren¡¯t close,¡± he growled, ¡°but if you epted my Chapter 8 offer to spend the night with me, we could get to know each other much better.¡± He was persistent, I had to give him that. I pushed him away. 5/5 The more I resisted, the tighter his grip became. I was sure that the points of his ws would be indents in my skin; hard enough to leave a mark but not hard enough to bleed. He kissed my cheek, forcefully. The feel of his ice-cold lips on my skin almost made me pu ke. Just as I was about to punch Roman in the face, I heard a voice behind me. ¡°Griffon?¡± Chapter 9 Chapter 9 Chapter 9 When I heard that name, my body stiffened. I slowly turned from Roman¡¯s unwanted embrace and looked toward Griffon, who was standing at 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 in an instant. As soon as Brooks Thorin, and elder and the chairman 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 already has you running her around.¡± ¡°It¡¯s my pleasure to escort your daughter, Elder Thorin.¡± Griffon 1led his head politely. Chapter 9 2/4 ¡°Go on ahead. Don¡¯t dy your important pack work. I¡¯ll bring Tara to visit you officially in a few days,¡± Elder Thorin said. Griffon nodded again and left. The pack bodyguards behind him quickly divided into two groups to protect him. He didn¡¯t even spare me a nce when he passed by. *** He had been so focused on Taya, Roman hadn¡¯t realized that Alpha Knight was there. He quickly let go of Taya and chased after Griffon to greet him. However, Griffon entered his car and mmed the door shu t. Dozens of luxury cars parked outside followed him and dr ove away. Having failed to catch him, Roman had no choice but to turn back and look for Taya, only to see her fleeing toward the guest elevator. Roman touched his lips, where he had just pressed them against Taya¡¯s skin. The scent of her lingered, and his wolf prowled inside of him at the excitement of hunting his prey. ¡°Mason, go and find me Taya¡¯s address,¡± Roman ordered his Chapter 9 man. ¡°Yes, Beta,¡± Mason immediately replied, following behind Roman. *** 3/4 I returned home, put down my bag, and sat on the sofa in a daze. I didn¡¯te to my senses until the phone rang. When I took out the phone from my bag, I frowned at the caller ID. Why would Andre call me? After hesitating for a beat, I answered. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Andre?¡± Andre¡¯s respectful voice came through. ¡°Ms. Palmer, I found your things here while cleaning the apartment just now. When have time toe and pick them up?¡± do you I¡¯d hoped that perhaps Griffon might be requesting to see me. My heart sank. ¡°Please throw away whatever you find.¡± I hung up without waiting for a reply. Then, I quickly deleted Andre and Griffon¡¯s contact information. Chapter 9 I turned off the phone and fell asleep on the sofa. After sleeping for a while, a knock on the door woke me up. 4/4 Recently, Harper had been working the night shift anding backte, so she¡¯d given her key to me. It was probably just hering home from work. But when I opened the door, Roman was standing there.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org. Chapter 10 Chapter 10 Chapter 10 ¡°Beta Starke?¡± How did this creep find me?! I tried to shove the door closed, but Roman stretched out hisrge, powerful arm and pushed to keep it open. Frightened, I took a step back. I was no match for a wolf shifter. Not with my current health, and not without a wolf of my own to protect me. Roman stood in the doorway, using his foot to hold the door open and cing his hands on either side of the doorframe. He looked at me with his head tilted, a shi t-ea ting grin on his face. ¡°What are you afraid of, little girl? I won¡¯t bite.¡± His eyes were jet ck, with a hint of his wolf¡¯s amber glow. When he stared at her, he exuded the excitement of a predator that had cornered its prey. ¡°Ms. Palmer, are you not going to invite me in?¡± His question was polite, but his tone didn¡¯t fo ol me. I knew what kind of person Roman was and what he would do. There was no way I was willingly letting him in. Chapter 10 ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org . 2/4 ¡°Sorry, this is my friend¡¯s house. I¡¯m not allowed to have guests without her permission.¡± I tried to close the door again, but Roman stepped in farther and closed the door behind him. Now that he was inside and the door was shu t, there was no escape, no one to hear my cries for help if I screamed. Steeling my spine, I was determined to exude any amount of control and confidence I could muster up. ¡°Beta Starke, what the f*c k are you going to do?¡± ¡°To f* c k you. Am I clear?¡± Roman growled. As he spoke, his eyes were fixed on my chest, not hiding his purpose. I had changed into a silk pajama with a lower neckline before bed. Roman was taller than me, so he could see everything from above. I quickly closed my pajamas and covered my chest. However, I¡¯d made a tactical error-I¡¯d wrapped myself so tightly that my curvy figure was now fully disyed. *** Chapter 10 Taya was breathtakingly beautiful. Her charm could not be ignored although she appeared sic k and weak. Her features were delicate and wless, with clear and dewy eyes that were as pure as crystal. 3/4 Her wavy hair was thick and glossy, spilling down over her shoulders and framing her full chest. Her slender waist and long legs stirred Roman¡¯s desire, stirred his wolf¡¯s need to im her. Her sexy figure could arouse anyone with just one nce, and Roman was no exception. When she came to deliver the documents that day, he couldn¡¯t help but want to take her right then and there. Now she was standing in front of him in her sexy pajamas. How was he supposed to stand it? Heat suffused his body, and the groin of his pants tightened. He felt like he was losing his mind, and he pushed Taya against the wall. With his hands pressing her shoulders back, he pressed his body against hers and leaned in to nuzzle the soft, sweet spot between her neck and shoulder. ¡°One million. Give yourself to me tonight.¡± *** I trembled, desperately pushing against Roman¡¯s chest to force him away. Chapter 10 ¡°Get out! I¡¯m not a prost itute!¡± 4/4 I had just stopped being one man¡¯s kept mistress, and now here was another man offering money to get between my legs. It was ridicul ous! ¡°Five million, plus a mansion.¡± ¡°Even if you give me 100 million dors, I won¡¯t ept it. You¡¯d better let me go, or I¡¯ll call the police!¡± ¡°Go ahead and call the police. Let¡¯s see who dares to arrest me, the Starke Pack Beta!¡± Roman was not afraid at all, instead dropping a kiss on my shoulder. I tried to dodge away, but he moved to kiss me on the forehead. I felt as if I were being licked by a snake, and nausea rolled through me. Chapter 11 Chapter 11 Chapter 11 Roman did not care 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 when Griffon¡¯s wolf took over, and no words could get through to the animal. I regretted not bringing a baseball bat to the door to beat him to death. ¡°Roman, if you dare to r ape me tonight, I promise you¡¯ll see me in pack 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 2/4 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.¡± Roman raised an eyebrow and smirked. He was clearly not threatened at all. I suddenly felt a strong sense of powerlessness. This bast ard wasn¡¯t just some random perve rt, but a rich and powerful wolf shifter. He could easily change the narratives in news. If I fought with him head-on, he would bury me. I couldn¡¯t match his strength, nor did I have his strong background and power. To save myself, I would have to use my brain. I softened my voice. ¡°Beta Starke, I didn¡¯t mean to threaten you with anything. It¡¯s just that I don¡¯t feel comfortable sleeping with someone I don¡¯t love.¡± Roman raised both eyebrows this time. C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org. ¡°Oh yeah? But I can¡¯t wait to f*c k you.¡± He dropped a peck on my corbone. Disgust coursed through me, yet I had no choice but to endure it at the moment. ¡°How about giving me some time? So I can get used to it. When I fall in love with you, things will get easier. If you force me now, Chapter 11 it won¡¯t be as pleasant for me.¡± 3/4 Roman wasn¡¯t convinced; he wasn¡¯t a man who cared about how pleasant the experience was for the women he f*c ked. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. As long as I enjoy it.¡± I resisted the urge to p Roman as I continued to persuade him. ¡°But se x with feelings is definitely better. Don¡¯t you want to try it?¡± Roman wasn¡¯t a fo ol. He knew I was only talking to him like this because I wanted to get away from him. He tilted his head and stared at me for a while, as if pondering whether to let me have time or not. ¡°Whatever. Se x is s ex, it won¡¯t feel too different.¡± ¡°Believe me, it¡¯s totally different. Only when two people truly love each other can they have s ex that passionate and pleasurable.¡± He leaned closer. ¡°Have you had a taste of that?¡± I stilled. The memory of Griffon holding me in his arms shed through my mind, and my heart suddenly ached. If Griffon knew about this¡­ If he knew a perve rt was trying to force himself on me, what would he do? Would he be angry? Jealous? Or¡­ I tried to imagine how he¡¯d feel. But a voice told me that he Chapter 11 would not feel any of these things. 4/4 Roman sneered at my silence. ¡°You want me to wait until you fall in love with me? That¡¯s cute.¡± He hunted for prey to satisfy his desire. He had no time to develop feelings and all that c rap for those women! Ridicul ous, and too much trouble. I felt a bit defeated, but seeing that the desire in Roman¡¯s eyes wasn¡¯t as strong as before, I tried to persuade him more. ¡°Beta Starke¡­ Roman¡­ How about three months? When I fall in love with you, I will be happy to sleep with you, okay?¡± ¡°No.¡± Roman refused, growling. ¡°I can¡¯t wait for that long. My wolf want you NOW.¡± But I sensed that there was still room for negotiation, ¡°Two months, then?¡± Roman grabbed my chin and pinched, the tips of his wsing out. ¡°Three days.¡± Chapter 12 Chapter 12 Chapter 12 S hit. I had offered three months because I would no longer be in this world by then. And if Roman still wanted me¡­well, he could go and sleep with my ashes. But three days? That was hard to ept. As I was about to reply, Roman let go of me. I swallowed the words back. In any case, I could at least get away tonight. ¡°Alright, babe.¡± Roman bent down and kissed my cheek. ¡°I¡¯ll leave you alone tonight, then. See you in three days.¡± I touched my check, resisting the urge to wipe it off, feeling disgusted. I struggled to keep an obedient face as I nodded. Roman seemed content and finally walked toward the door. ¡°By the way¡­¡± He stopped half-way and turned to give me a meaningful, pointed look. ¡°Harper is your friend, right?¡± My mask of obedience cracked for a moment. 2/5 ¡°What about her?¡± ¡°Nothing. Stay home and wait for me, okay? Don¡¯t go anywhere.¡± Roman chuckled. He didn¡¯t say anything threatening, but I knew exactly what he meant. Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org. If I dared to run away, he would go after Harper. Powerlessness once again crept up my spine, making me let go of my clenched fists. ¡°Leave her out of this. I will stay here for you.¡± Roman blew a kiss. ¡°That¡¯s my good girl!¡± Disgust in g! I mmed the door shu t and locked it, then ran into the bathroom. Getting in the bathtub, I picked up the loofah and scrubbed hard at the ces Roman had kissed and touched. Even when my skin turned red and bruised, it still felt like it wasn¡¯t enough. I washed and washed, until I was too tired to continue, and I finally started to calm down. If I didn¡¯t do what he wanted, Harper would be in danger. I had Chapter 12 3/5 to find a way to handle this situation, or goddess only knew what he would do to her. I quickly wrapped myself in a bath towel and returned to the bedroom. I picked up my phone, wanting to call the regional pack police. But as I thought of Roman¡¯s power and influence¡­I gritted my teeth and thought better of it. My life didn¡¯t matter that much. I was going to di e soon, anyway. But Harper still had a future in front of her. She was about to get married. She was going to have a mate and would have pups¡­ The life I¡¯d always wanted. I couldn¡¯t get Harper into trouble. I stood in the same ce,pletely still, and thought for a long time. Finally, I went to the Contacts on my phone, and my finger lingered on the number I¡¯d cklisted. That familiar name had my heart beating hard and fast. He was the only one who would stand a chance against Roman. But he didn¡¯t want to see me anymore. If I called him¡­would he answer? After a long hesitation, I still didn¡¯t dare to make that call. I knew Griffon very well. When he got tired of something, he Chapter 12 never gave it a second nce. 4/5 He might think I was trying to pester him if I called to ask for his help. I had chosen to walk away, with dignity¡­ It¡¯d be better not to bother him. I went to make a spare key and picked up some meds. The doctor said I should be hospitalized and wait for a suitable heart donor, but I refused. My heart issue was congenital, and for a while, my condition improved after artificial bypass surgery. But since the two hard kicks at my heart five years ago, I¡¯d started to have rpses of heart failure. Treatments and therapies didn¡¯t seem to help much. Of all the times I had longed to find my wolf¡­ Wolf shifters my age didn¡¯t have problems like this. A few months ago, I started having edema and difficulty breathing-which werete-stage heart failure symptoms. I knew the end was near. I no longer expected to find a suitable heart donor. I no longer expected that I would ever be blessed with a wolf. Chapter 12 The goddess had forsaken me, and I was doomed to remain human for the rest of my short, pathe tic life. 5/5 The meds I took were mainly painkillers and for controlling the edema. One of the only things I¡¯d ever had going for me were my looks, and I¡¯d be dam ned if I d ied ug ly. I grabbed a handful of pills and took them with a gulp. Then, I put pepper spray and aser into my bag. I couldn¡¯t think of anything better, so I would have to fight Roman head-on. One life for one life? Sweet deal! I had nothing more to lose anyway. Chapter 13 Chapter 13 Chapter 13 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 ce, 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 ne that was worth millions was ced 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 thergest nightclub in Arcadia. The people who came Chapter 13 Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org. here were either rich or powerful, both human and shifters alike. Species didn¡¯t matter¡­only money and power. The ce could guarantee these people their privacy. There were virtually no security cameras around here. And even if there were, it would be difficult to obtain any footage. The rich loved to do their nasty things at Nightshade. Roman probably also chose to bring me here for the same reasons. 2/4 Thinking about what I was about to go through, I felt like my heart was going to explode. I followed Mason out of the elevator when it got to the top floor. He led me to the door of a private room. Mason swiped a card, and the luxurious door opened slowly. Dim light and soothing music spilled out from inside, and the decor was elegant and refined. I was a bit surprised. I¡¯d thought Roman would have a more vulgar taste than this. Just then, a strong arm suddenly wrapped around my waist. Roman pulled me close and leaned down to kiss me. ¡°You look stunning today, babe.¡± Chapter 13 I fought back the urge to throw up. I turned to avoid Roman¡¯s touch, but then I saw the man sitting on the sofa. 3/4 He wore a wh ite shirt, slightly open at the cor, revealing part of his chest, and his sleeves were rolled-up. He held a winess that looked small in hisrge, strong hand. The wine was shining like blood under the dim lighting, as intimidating as the gaze he was casting upon me. I hadn¡¯t expected Griffon to be here. I¡¯d never thought he would be in the same circle as Roman. The Knight Pack controlled the economic lifeline of not just the Midwest Packs, but the entire northern hemisphere, while the Starke Pack was only influential in Arcadia. I didn¡¯t ever think they would have a reason to see each other privately. Suddenly, I was d that I didn¡¯t make that call to Griffon the other day. Otherwise¡­not only would I lose my dignity, I would have been outright rejected. After all, how could I expect Griffon to displease his friend for me? But¡­why was he looking at me like that? Chapter 13 Was he angry because he saw someone else kiss me? 4/4 Yet Griffon had already withdrawn his gaze, as if he didn¡¯t know me. My heart skipped a beat. Of course. He wouldn¡¯t care who kissed me. His wolf felt no protective instincts for me, not an inkling of possession for the woman he¡¯d practically owned for five years. I looked away and turned to Roman, ¡°Beta Starke, why did you bring me here?¡± Roman caressed my face affectionately. ¡°So you can meet some of my friends! Then we can make things more exciting.¡± A chill ran through me. I had to get away, as soon as possible. But just then, Roman dragged me over to Griffon. Chapter 14 Chapter 14 Chapter 14 ¡°Alpha Knight, let me introduce you to my new girlfriend, Taya Palmer.¡± Roman introduced me as his girlfriend without hesitation, which shocked me for a second. I hadn¡¯t expected the creep would introduce me in the way that I¡¯d hoped I would hear falling from someone else¡¯s lips¡­ And that someone was ying with his winess and wouldn¡¯t even nce at me. As if everything happening here had nothing to do with him. He looked cold and heartless, every inch the uncaring Alpha. *** Seeing that Griffon was not interested in Taya, Roman quickly made Taya raise her chin. ¡°Alpha Knight, don¡¯t you think she looks a lot like Tara?¡± When he¡¯d gone to the Midwest Packs Corporation today, he met Tara, who looked simr to Taya. After some research, he found out that Tara, who had just returned to the country, was Griffon¡¯s she- wolf. He¡¯d hurriedly gone to the Knight Pack and convinced Griffon to attend the gathering by emphasizing the resemnce between Taya and Tara, hoping to secure the project he had been eyeing. Hearing what Roman said, Griffon slowly raised his cold eyes. He looked at Taya up and down. Despite his hazel eyes appearing to be veiled with mist, no emotion could be discerned from them. After a few moments of silence and gazing at her, he spoke in a nonchnt tone, ¡°She¡¯s nothingpared to Tara.¡± His words stabbed through me, and I was sure I was going to bleed out right there. ¡°Of course, she can¡¯tpare with Ms. Thorin.¡± Roman grabbed my chin, looking down at me with contempt, and said, ¡°She¡¯s an orphan with no power or background, without even a wolf. Ms. Thorin is the only daughter of Elder Thorin, with a superior education and intelligence. How can Taya possiblypare to her?¡± Yes, how could Ipare to Tara? I pursed my lips tightly and didn¡¯t say a word, but pain still washed over me in waves. Roman¡¯s belittling words toward me were simply an attempt to Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org. tter Griffon, but Griffon didn¡¯t seem to notice him at all. He didn¡¯t even give Roman a nce and instead kept ying with his winess, keeping his head down. Chapter 15 Chapter 15 Chapter 15 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?¡± Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org. 1/2 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 regr wine, or wineced with wolfsbane. Wolfsbane would ki ll 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 epted 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. Chapter 15 2/2 ¡°Beta Starke, the girlfriend you found is awful. Preston kindly poured her a drink, but she¡¯s too scared to drink it. How rude.¡± Preston¡­ This must be Griffon¡¯s cousin, Preston Knight, also a yboy but not as depraved as Roman. When I was still Griffon¡¯s secret lover, I never met any of his family or friends. I couldn¡¯t help but take a few more nces at Preston. He looked a little simr to Griffon but not nearly as cold as him. The woman¡¯s face darkened when she saw that I didn¡¯t bother to react to what she said. If it were anyone else, they would have understood what she meant and apologized to Preston, then they would have drunk the entire ss of wine as to not seem rude. I knew what she meant, but the words were for Roman to hear not me, so I decided to y du mb. Frustrated, the woman turned to Roman. ¡°Beta Starke, without Preston, you wouldn¡¯t even have had the chance to meet Griffon, let alone talk about the project,¡± she scolded. ¡°But your girlfriend doesn¡¯t even want to drink a ss of wine. How are we going to have funter?¡± Chapter 16 Chapter 16 Chapter 16 I had thought that Roman was familiar with Griffon, not that it was Preston who had introduced them. It seemed that Roman¡¯s n wasn¡¯t just to take me to meet a few friends. He also wanted to talk business with Griffon. However, I wasn¡¯t too worried, since discussing whatever the project was would take time. That meant I still had a chance to figure out how to get away. With this in mind, my tensed body began to rx. But as I breathed a sigh of relief, Roman suddenly raised his chin and said, ¡°Drink it.¡± Dam n, I couldn¡¯t y d umb anymore. So I picked up the ss and drank it with one gulp. I seldom drank alcohol. Griffon didn¡¯t like the smell of it, so I did not drink at all. Instead of just drinking the wine down, I managed to choke on it, not used to the taste of any alcohol. Tears streamed down my face. Roman saw I was choking and held me in his arms, patting my back to help me breathe. Griffon¡¯s cold gaze fell on the hand that was holding me. Through my teary eyes, I sensed Griffon¡¯s killing intent in his Chapter 16 eyes. Finally, his wolf was showing a possessive streak toward me. There was hope¡­ But when I looked again, I found nothing in his eyes except indifference and alienation. Iughed at myself for expecting more from him. Seeing me calm down, Roman hugged me and exined to Preston, ¡°She¡¯s not the kind of girl who parties and sells her body. You¡¯ll have to forgive her for being a little¡­green.¡± 2/3 Preston smiled and didn¡¯t say anything, but the woman next to him suddenly became angry. ¡°Beta Starke, what do you mean by that?¡± Roman raised his eyebrows and said mildly, ¡°Ma¡¯am, I wasn¡¯t talking about you. Why are you so worked up?¡± ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org . The woman exploded in an instant. I was pretty sure she was a human woman, one of the types that was a groupie for wolf shifters. ¡°I¡¯m so much younger than you. How can you call me ma¡¯am?¡± ¡°You may be younger than me, but you look older than me. If I don¡¯t call you ma¡¯am, what else can I call you?¡± ¡°You¡­¡± The woman was forced into silence. She stomped her foot and Chapter 16 turned around, pulling at Preston¡¯s sleeve and acting cute, 3/3 I was surprised she feltfortable enough in a room of male shifters to act this way. ¡°Preston, look at him. How can he say such mean things to me? Let¡¯s go.¡± Chapter 17 Chapter 17 Chapter 17 Preston patted her hand and tried tofort her, ¡°Khloe, you know Roman. He didn¡¯t mean it.¡± Khloe was unwilling to let Roman off easily. Although she used to be a top escort in Nightshade, she didn¡¯t want to hear the word ¡°selling¡± again now that she was with Preston. She couldn¡¯t argue with Roman, but she could deal with his woman. ¡°Let¡¯s forget about it. We¡¯re here just to have fun.¡± ¡°But sitting here is boring. Why don¡¯t we y a game?¡± Hearing the word ¡°game,¡± everyone became interested. ¡°What game?¡± Khloe took out a few decks of cards and ced them on the table. ¡°Let¡¯s y a team card game. The losing team must take off one piece of clothing.¡± ¡°Interesting.¡± Roman was thrilled with the idea, and he agreed right away. And the other men would not resist the temptation either. Chapter 17 Concerned that Griffon might not be used to such activities, 2/3 Preston turned his head and nced at him. ¡°Griffon, they often y like this. If you don¡¯t want to¡­¡± Before he could finish his sentence, Griffon took a card from Khloe. ¡°How do we y?¡± Preston was shocked. His cousin had always avoided such ces, yet today, just because Roman invited him to meet a woman who looked like Tara, he had agreed toe and was now patiently ying games with them. That was odd. Khloe didn¡¯t expect Griffon, who was rumored to be uninterested in women, to be so easygoing and willing to y with them. She immediately smiled. Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. ¡°It¡¯s very simple. Let me exin the rules to you.¡± After exining the rules, Khloe gathered everyone to draw lots and form teams. *** I sat stiffly on the sofa, not sure what to do. Just as I was hesitating about how to refuse, Khloe seemed to read my mind and spoke up first. ¡°Everyone has to participate. Ms. Palmer, you¡¯re not going to turn me down in front of everybody, right?¡± Chapter 17 3/3 All eyes turned to me, making me feel ufortable. As if not ying would ruin the fun for everybody. I couldn¡¯t afford to offend anyone here, so I forced myself to participate. Seeing that I was willing toply, Khloe didn¡¯t say anything more. Chapter 18 Chapter 18 Chapter 18 ¡°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 ba lls on the table and paired up those who drew the same number automatically. There were four yers in the first round, and the others would line up. Those who got the numbers 1 or 2 yed first. Unfortunately, I got the 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 ying cards. I have to count on you.¡± I responded with a smile that was uglier than crying. Chapter 18 2/3 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 listened to my man in rtionships. Therefore, I had never yed card games until now. When Khloe exined the rules earlier, she spoke so fast that I didn¡¯t remember them at all. And even Preston, who often yed such games, seemed clueless about how to y. Was this intentional? I couldn¡¯t help but suspect that Khloe had cheated during the drawing lots. Khloe flipped her fingers a few times and handed me thest card. ¡°Ms. Palmer, it¡¯s time to start.¡± This new charming voice of hers made me feel uneasy. My heart raced as I realized that if I lost a game, I would have to take off my dresspletely-it was the only thing I wore. It felt like being stripped nak ed in front of everyone like a pros titute. Khloe wasContent ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org. using the game to vent her anger on me after Roman had insulted her. I knew what was happening, but the cards in my hand were terrible. In addition, coupled with Preston¡¯s sloppy y, I was getting anxious and starting to sweat. However, Griffon remained stubborn and refused to back down. Even if I yed the smallest card, he would use the much bigger number to beat me. Frustration boiled inside of me, turning my face blue. Seeing this, Roman quickly put me on hisp and comforted me. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll teach you.¡± Chapter 19 Chapter 19 Chapter 19 I was so focused on the cards that I didn¡¯t notice that I was already sitting on Roman¡¯sp. I turned around and asked Roman, ¡°How can I do this?¡± Roman took the cards in my hand, quickly made up a set of numbers, and put them out. When Khloe saw this, she rolled her eyes unhappily. ¡°Beta Starke, you¡¯re cheating.¡± Roman raised his eyebrows. ¡°Just tell me if you can beat this.¡± Khloe snorted, put away her cards, and leaned against the sofa. When I saw Khloe like this, I knew the cards she held couldn¡¯t defeat me. At this moment, her tightly furrowed brows slightly rxed. I was happy and looked back at Roman with a smile. Roman grinned and kissed me again. The cold touch instantly brought me back to reality. Only then did I realize I was sitting on Roman¡¯sp. I struggled to push him away, but Roman was reluctant to let go. ¡°If you move again, I¡¯ll have se x with you right here, right now!¡± Chapter 19 2/3 I was too scared to move anymore. I turned around with a pale face, and my gaze again met Griffon¡¯s. As I looked back at Griffon, I noticed the corners of his eyes were now scarlet, and the bloodthirsty chill of his wolf emanated from him, causing me to tremble. Was he¡­? He yed a pair of kings and beat me, followed by several bombs, not giving me any chance to fight back. So much for that thought. My expression darkened as I realized he had finished ying all his cards. Khloe said excitedly, ¡°I only have thest set of cards left.¡± Afterward, she threw a few cards on the table and raised her eyebrows at Preston and me. ¡°You lost. ording to the rules, both of you have to take off one piece of clothing.¡± Preston smiled helplessly, put down the unfinished cards in his hand, and took off his jacket. Only then did Khloe turn to look at me. ¡°Ms. Palmer, Preston has already taken off his clothes. It¡¯s your turn now.¡±ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org . Chapter 20 Chapter 20 Chapter 20 My expression froze. Preston was wearing a suit, so he could take off his jacket and still have a whi te shirt on, but if I took off a piece of clothing, I would be left with nothing on. I lifted my gaze to the crowd. Everyone¡¯s eyes were on me expectantly, and I felt like a rabbit surrounded by wolves. Which¡­I essentially was. Minus Khloe. Even Roman stared at me, waiting for me to take off my dress. 1/3 I knew thatplying with their demand would mean sacrificing my dignity, but resisting would only make it harder for me to leave this private room. I felt trapped and helpless, my fists clenched with frustration. But I was about to d ie in a few months. Why would I still clutch onto my dignity and reputation? Just as I was about to give in and start unzipping my dress, Preston¡¯s voice interrupted the tense silence. ¡°It¡¯s because I don¡¯t know how to y cards and got Ms. Palmer into trouble. I¡¯ll take off anoth er article of clothes for her.¡± Preston removed his wh te shirt, revealing his strong, defined Chapter 20 abs. Why did all of these wolf shifters have to be so good-looking? 2/3 Seeing that Preston was protecting me, Khloe became even more dissatisfied. She gritted her teeth and shot a re toward me. I avoided her gaze and looked at Preston gratefully. ¡°Thank you.¡± Preston waved his hand lightly. Just as everyone thought the game was over, Griffon, leaning against the sofa and looking disinterested, suddenly spoke up. ¡°You have to abide by the rules of the game.¡± *** + Preston nced at Griffon and felt that he was acting a bit strange tonight. He knew Taya was only wearing a dress. If she took it off, she would have to be nak ed. Griffon had never been a lustful wolf, so why did he feel the need to force her to remove her clothes? Preston found himself in a state of confusion, but he had alreadymitted to helping Taya. ¡°Griffon, I already took off my clothes. Let¡¯s change and do another punishment. Don¡¯t make her do the same one.¡±Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org. Chapter 21 Chapter 21 Chapter 21 Roman took the opportunity to hand over a bottle of wine. ¡°Alpha Knight, why don¡¯t you let Taya pour a ss 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 publi cly referred to me as his girlfriend. He would look like a foo l 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 you a ss 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 nk, and I couldn¡¯t figure out what he was thinking¡­if he was thinking anything at all. He¡¯d been holding a ss 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 ss¡ªif it wasced with wolfsbane or not. I mustered the courage to pick up the expensive red wine on the table, walked up to him, and bent down slightly. I was about to pour the wine into his ss when he suddenly raised his hand to cover the rim. Griffon stared at me and spat out, ¡°D rty.¡± 2/3 My heart sank, and the pain was almost unbearable. I struggled to catch my breath as my hand trembled, still holding the wine bottle. My body stiffened, and I gazed into his eyes. There was no trace of affection there, only disdain. It wasmonce for shifters to think that humans-or those born to shifters but who never got their wolves-were tainted. This was just ridic ulous, though. If that¡¯s what he was thinking right now, how wasn¡¯t I dirt y when he was sleeping with me for five years? No amount of cleaning myself ¡°inside and out¡± was ever going to take away the fact that I wasn¡¯t a shifter. My anger began to rise, and I stood up straight, handing the wine bottle back to Roman, upset. ¡°Beta Starke, since Alpha Knight thinks I¡¯m dir ty, why don¡¯t you pour a ss of wine for him instead?¡± *** Her voice was soft, and when she called Roman ¡°B Starke,¡± it almost made his bones go limp. Roman was burning with desire, and hugged her waist, Chapter 21 comforting her. ¡°Okay, let me handle it.¡± 3/3 He took the bottle from her hand and poured wine for Griffon. ¡°Don¡¯t misunderstand, Alpha Knight. She¡¯s not that kind of girl; she¡¯s clean.¡± Griffon snorted. ¡°Is that so?¡± The mockingughter seemed topletely dete Taya. Roman gave him a suspicious look. It was weird. Why did it feel like Griffon was making Taya feel ufortable on purpose? Was the Alpha ying some kind of game with her because she was human? Worried that Griffon¡¯s misunderstanding would jeopardize the project his pack was so desperately trying to get, Roman quickly exined with a smile, ¡°Trust me, I¡¯ve checked. She¡¯s clean.¡± Griffon¡¯s hand tightened, and it almost looked as though he would snap the winess stem in two. He raised cold, narrowed eyes and looked at Roman. ¡°And just how did you verify that?¡± Roman didn¡¯t notice Griffon¡¯s strange reaction and said proudly, ¡°I¡¯ve slept with her, of course.¡± 2ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org . Chapter 22 Chapter 22 Chapter 22 I hadn¡¯t expected Roman to lie, so I had no clue how to react. 1/3 Griffon was VERY particr and VERY possessive. I was not to sleep with anyone else, or to be involved with anyone else in any way during the duration of our contract. Even though we were not romantically involved-though I so desperately wished he had feelings for me-it didn¡¯t matter. No one touched anything that belonged to Alpha Knight, and the Alpha was very particr about his things. How they looked, smelled, felt¡­ To say that control was important to him was an understatement. The urge to exin myself to him was strong right now, but our rtionship was over, and it was unnecessary. He also didn¡¯t deserve an exnation from me after so casually throwing me aside. When I hesitated, Griffon nodded toward me and said, ¡°Fine. Let her pour the wine.¡± Roman quickly returned the wine to me and said, ¡°Hurry up.¡± Puzzled by Griffon¡¯s sudden change of heart, Iplied with Roman¡¯s urging, picked up the wine bottle again, and bent down to pour Griffon a drink. Chapter 22 2/3 Before the wine was poured out, the rim of the ss was covered by his hand again. Griffon narrowed his eyes, and a borderline evil smirk crossed his lips. ¡°Kneel,¡± he growled out low, commanding. I was taken aback by Griffon¡¯s request. I might have been his secret lover, but I was not his servant. He¡¯d never asked something like this of me before. Part of me wanted to immediately kneel at his feet, willing to do whatever it took to have him pay attention to me. I wanted him so badly, and just being near him had my insides twisting up with desire, nerves¡­lust. But then I remembered how he¡¯d tossed me aside as if I didn¡¯t matter, didn¡¯t have feelings. Treated me the same way so many people treated the girl without her wolf. I straightened up again and said, ¡°Alpha Knight, I don¡¯t know what I¡¯ve done to offend you, but clearly, something is going on.¡± I turned and ced the bottle back on the table, then grabbed my purse. ¡°I¡¯ll leave now and won¡¯t disturb you anymore.¡± I turned to leave, taking a step toward the door, but Roman¡¯s hand gripping my arm stopped me. ¡°There¡¯s no need to leave. You¡¯ll stay and enjoy the rest of the evening.¡± Then, he threatened in a low voice that only I could hear. ¡°Don¡¯t forget your best friend.¡± 3/3 Chapter 22 I quicklyposed myself. I had hoped that Griffon¡¯s anger would give me a chance to leave, but Roman¡¯s insistence on pleasing him for the sake of his project made me angry. But I couldn¡¯t drag Harper into this. I turned around, picked up the wine bottle, and knelt before Griffon.ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org . Chapter 23 Chapter 23 Chapter 23 As I kneeled, Khloeughed with delight, while Preston frowned and the others looked on as if they were watching a show. Roman showed no emotion, only ambivalence. Only Griffon, leaning back against the sofa with one arm stretched across it and his legs spread wide, looked down at me with a smug look across his face. There was no mistaking who the Alpha in the room was, and Griffon clearly knew it. I couldn¡¯t help but think of the hundreds of days and nights we had spent together, but suddenly it all felt like it wasn¡¯t worth it. I¡¯d thought I could leave with dignity, to escape this ce and these people, but I should have known better. This was the cru el reality of our different social statuses. I had slept with him for five years, destined to be trampled under his feet. Stomped down by his status as an Alpha, wolf, and billionaire. However, I had only a few months left to endure. With this thought, I found a sense of calm. I knelt down, poured the wine, and handed the ss to Griffon. Griffon took the winess, hisrge hand practically engulfing Chapter 23 il. 2/3 Just as I thought he would take a drink, he raised the ss and slowly poured the red wine over my head. As it slid down the tips of my hair, it stained my pale face, thin neck, and long dress. Frozen in ce with shock and disbelief, I couldn¡¯t make myself do anything more than look down at the wine dripping off of my, blinking slowly in astonishment at Griffon¡¯s behavior. ¡°You are so cheap.¡± Griffon¡¯s voice was so cold that it made me shiver. Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. Clenching my fists and biting my lower lip, I looked up and met Griffon¡¯s gaze, staring him in the eye. Any other time, this would have been seen as a challenge to an Alpha. However, Griffon didn¡¯t care at all. He simply picked up his handkerchief and wiped his fingers, as though touching the ss I had touched had dirtied him. His actions were like a knife stabbing into my heart. I wanted to sink into the floor, never to be seen again. Even through my shock and mortification, I wanted to ask him why he even cared enough to act this way toward me. He was the one who had dumped me, who wanted nothing else to do with me. But I didn¡¯t dare voice my thoughts out loud. I hadn¡¯t gotten rid of Roman yet. If I provoked Grifion again. I couldn¡¯t afford the oue. After tossing the handkerchief aside, Grition got up and left witho Chapter 24 Chapter 24 Chapter 24 ¡°Griffon¡­¡± Preston, who had recovered from his shock, hurriedly called out to him, but Griffon didn¡¯t even turn his head. Roman looked at Griffon¡¯s back and asked, ¡°Something wrong with your cousin?¡± Preston smiled tightly. ¡°He¡¯s the Alpha of the Knight Pack, so he¡¯s under a lot of pressure. asionally, he lets his temper get the better of him. Please don¡¯t mind his behavior. He didn¡¯t mean offense. I¡¯ll drink a ss of wine on his behalf as a punishment.¡± ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org . After finishing it in one gulp, Preston put down the ss and said gently, ¡°You two have fun. I¡¯m going to check on my Alpha.¡± He maintained his politeness and manners throughout the conversation, and since there was no reason to keep him any longer, Roman nodded and said, ¡°Until next time.¡± Preston nodded, put his shirt back on, picked up his suit jacket, and hurriedly left. Khloe looked like she wanted to y another game. But seeing that Preston had left, she had no choice but to toss away the cards in her hand and follow him quickly out the door. Chapter 24 2/3 Then, Roman and Taya were left in the private room, the silence deafening. Roman was a little frustrated, and rubbed the space between his eyebrows. He had originally hoped that after having some fun, they could discuss the project, but Griffon had abruptly left before he could even bring it up. And there was definitely something going on between Griffon and Taya, though he had no idea what that could be. The Alpha¡¯s behavior toward Taya had been deliberate. Especially after Roman had announced that he¡¯d slept with Taya. He was no longer in the mood to y. He waved his hand and dr ove the others out of the private room. After everyone had left, he narrowed his gaze on Taya. Taya sat still in her kneeling position, drops of red wine dripping down her face. The deep red of the wine running down her fair cheeks, almost like tears, made her appear stunningly beautiful, yet also deeply sad. He didn¡¯t care about her feelings right now, though. All he cared about what figuring out just what the h ell was going on that he wasn¡¯t privy to. Roman¡¯s pack needed to get this project with the Knight Pack, needed to rise up in the ranks and be more respected among the Midwest packs. One way or anything, he would get his answers. ¡°Do you know Chapter 25 Chapter 25 Chapter 25 Taya slowly raised her hand and wiped away the red wine on her face before replying faintly, ¡°Yes.¡± Roman bent down slightly and studied her carefully. ¡°How?¡± ¡°I know I look like Ms. Thorin, so one night while delivering files to Alpha Knight, I added wolfsbane to his drink, hoping to seduce him and make him sleep with me. But he wasn¡¯t affected, and he kicked me out right after. Maybe that¡¯s why he called me dir ty and cheap.¡± Her words dispelled half of Roman¡¯s doubts. He initially thought there was some kind of sexual, or even romantic, connection between Griffon and Taya. After all, if a man and woman became involved with each other, something like that was bound to happen. But he hadn¡¯t pegged Taya as a social climber who had her eyes set on Griffon to earn his love, only for her n to backfire and earn his disdain instead. However, Roman was also confused about her intentions, and why she would target Griffon. Alpha Knight was known to be inessible and cr uel. If she were looking to achieve a better social standing due to herck Chapter 25 2/3 of a wolf, or if she was looking to get money from someone rich and powerful, how could this girl have been so stu id as to target Alpha Knight? The only thing that made sense was that she wasn¡¯t actually after those things and harbored some misguided affection for him that would never be returned by someone as cold as Griffon. Taya added, ¡°I¡¯ve always wanted him.¡± There was a dim light in her eyes, glimmering with something like love, which made Roman somewhat believe her. ¡°So that¡¯s how it is, huh?¡± Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org. His mind put to ease for the time being, Roman pulled Taya up and made her sit on hisp. What did he care about her love for someone else? He wasn¡¯t looking for a mate, wasn¡¯t looking to keep Taya around after he got what he wanted from her. She wasn¡¯t suitable mate material in the first ce. A woman with no wolf? Pfft. He wiped the red wine from her face and neck with cold fingers, his other hand straying over her body. ¡°Baby¡­ I didn¡¯t expect you to be so bold as to try and bait Griffon into sleeping with you.¡± Had he been in Griffon¡¯s shoes, he would have taken the bait. H ell, he wouldn¡¯t have even needed to be drugged with wolfsbane to sc rew the delicious little Taya. Chapter 26 Chapter 26 Chapter 26 Taya My whole body stiffened. I didn¡¯t dare to move, afraid of getting Roman even more aroused. I fought to suppress my disgust and keep calm. ¡°B Starke, when I fall in love with you one day, I¡¯ll be bold enough for you, too.¡± Roman pulled me against him, my dress still soaked in red wine, pressed against his chest. He lowered his head to kiss my neck. ¡°I can¡¯t wait that long.¡± After saying that, he lifted my dress until it was bunched around my waist and started to unzip his pants. All the color drained from my face, and I struggled with all my might. But all that did was turn Roman on even more. He held me even more tightly in his arms and mped his teeth down on my neck harder. ¡°Beta Starke!¡± Trapped, I could do nothing but hopelessly try to press my hands against his chest. Chapter 26 I frantically looked around for my bag. Sh it. It was on the opposite sofa, too far out of reach. My palms were covered in a cold sweat, anxiety spreading through my body, but I had to force myself to calm down. 2/5 ¡°Roman¡­you want the project from Alpha Knight, r-right? I can get it for you i-if you let me go!¡± Roman was fiddling with his pants again. When he heard me mention the project, his fingers paused. ¡°You can help me get it?¡± ¡°My n to seduce Alpha Knight may have failed, but there was a moment when he mistook me for Ms. Thorin, and he kissed me. I recorded a video. If I use it to ckmail him and help you secure the project, he¡¯llply. Without question.¡± *** When Roman heard Taya could help him get the project, his interest was immediately piqued. The bidding for the new project would start next month, and his father said that if he could secure it for the Starke Pack, he would hand over the position of Alpha to him. However, hispetitor was the Collins Pack from Chicago, one of the top packpanies in the country. It would be difficult for him to defeat them based on reputation and talent alone. The Collins Pack had more resources and were morepetitive, could probablyplete the project at a cheaper rate. Chapter 26 All Roman could do was try to win Griffon over personally, befriend him and make Griffon want to work with him. 3/5 But dealing with Griffon was far more difficult than he initially thought. If it weren¡¯t for Preston¡¯s assistance, Roman wouldn¡¯t have been able to even meet the Alpha. Befriending Griffon would be impossible. But if Taya could somehow help him, then¡­ Something wasn¡¯t adding up, though. Confused, he asked her, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you ckmail him into being with you?¡± ¡°Who said I didn¡¯t? I¡¯ve threatened him before. I said I wanted to be his girlfriend, but he refused,¡± she replied. Roman narrowed his eyes. ¡°If he refused you, what makes you think he¡¯ll agree to anything now?¡± ¡°If he doesn¡¯t agree this time, I¡¯ll just send the video to Ms. Thorin,¡± Taya said firmly, shrugging one shoulder. Roman raised an eyebrow. ¡°You proposed this because you don¡¯t want to sleep with me. Didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± she said, in and forthright. ¡°I told you before that I Chapter 26 can¡¯t be physically intimate with someone I don¡¯t love. Right now, all I can do is help you with this project.¡± 4/5 Roman never expected her to admit that so freely and directly, especially being in the position she was in. A girl who had no power, no wolf, no pack to protect her. It made him look at her differently. A few days ago, Taya had impressed and persuaded him with her cleverness, but today she earned a bit of his admiration as well. Roman thought that Taya had no interest in money or power, so finding out that she loved Alpha Knight was surprising. No wonder she didn¡¯t have eyes for Roman. She was interested in someone far more powerful. Intelligence, ambition, tactics, negotiation. The small woman in his arms was formidable in all aspects. Maybe if he left it to her, she could help him get the Westen City project, but¡­ Roman grabbed Taya¡¯s chin, forcing her to look at him. ¡°I¡¯ll bite. Just this once. But if you fu c k up, all of my pack guards will take a run at Harper.¡± Harper was a weak spot for Taya, and just the leverage he needed to make Tayaply.Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. Chapter 27 Chapter 27 I shook with anger. How dare he threaten Harper in such a way. She had no involvement in any of this. But there was no way I was going to risk any harming to her. Not when I wasn¡¯t long for this world anyway. Once I was dead, this would all be over and Harper would be safe. I gritted my teeth. ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Only then did Roman let go of me. A hint of regret colored his voice, his fingers tightening on my chin as he stared at me. ¡°I really wanted to f uc k you. But now¡­¡± The points of his ws came out, and he licked one of his canines, leering at me. ¡°For now, let¡¯s just focus on you securing the Westen City project for my pack. I want that more than I want to f uc k you right now. After you¡¯ve gotten the project for me, we can focus on our rtionship¡­¡± I swallowed hard, trying not to flinch at his grip on my jaw. He leaned forward to kiss me-hard-and then abruptly let go of my face, turning to leave. bo was gone, Iy on the ground and breathed a sigh of Chapter 27 relief. I stood up slowly with the help of the sofa, trembling all over. I didn¡¯t know who frightened me more-Roman or Griffon. With shaky hands, I dug the medicine from my bag and took a few pills to calm my heart before struggling to leave. 2/4 After I was finally outside of Nightshade, the cold wind whipped through my dress. However, I didn¡¯t feel cold at all. Like a statue, I walked home step by step. A Town Car pulled up, blocking my way. Andre exited the car, walked up to me, and said respectfully, ¡°Ms. Palmer, Alpha Knight is looking for you.¡± I continued walking forward, keeping my face schooled as if I hadn¡¯t heard him speak. Andre reached out a hand and ced it on my elbow to stop me. ¡°Ms. Palmer, you know Alpha Knight¡¯s temper. He¡¯s not someone you can afford to offend.¡± Yes, of course, I thought, rolling my eyes. But¡­how could I offend the powerful and influential Griffon as a wolfless orphan with nothing? I couldn¡¯t imagine what would happen if I didn¡¯t listen to him. It Chapter 27 would probably be even more difficult to deal with than Roman¡¯s punishment. Heaving a sigh, I gave up and got into the car obediently, surprised to see that Griffon was in the car. I¡¯d thought Andre would be taking me to him. The differences between us right now almost made me giggle. This whole situation was ludicrous. The Alpha wolf versus the nobody human. 3/4 His designer suit and expensive cologne versus my dress reeking of spilled wine. A Rolex versus¡­nothing. All I wanted was to get out of here, to get this over with. ¡°Alpha Knight.¡± I kept my voice chilly and abrupt. ¡°What do you need?¡± Griffon turned his head slightly, pursing his lips at my tone. When I¡¯d been his lover, I¡¯d never spoken to him this way. Would have never dared to speak to him this way. His deep and gloomy eyes seared into my soul as he looked at me, and I had to remind myself to breathe as I got suc ked into the depths of his gaze. I turned my head to the side to look away from him, but he suddenly leaned over.N?velDrama.Org is the owner. Chapter 28 Chapter 28 Chapter 28 The scent of Griffon¡¯s cologne mingled with the scent of the sweet wine soaked into my dress and made me a bit dizzy. 1/3 As he approached me, I felt a bit at a loss and tried to move away from him, my hand iling a bit for the door handle. But the car was too narrow, and I could only move a little before my back was pressed against the door, my hand unable to find thetch in my haze. Griffon shifted his body so that he boxed me against the door, one hand pressed against the car window, the other hold me tightly around the upper arm. His cold eyes nced briefly over my body,nding on the diamond ne around my neck. After what felt like an eternity, he let out a contemptuousugh. ¡°It seems that your new sugar daddy treats you well.¡± Griffon let a rare smile cross his lips. However, his smile was even more terrifying than his typically stoic expression. I wanted to exin, but the word ¡°new sugar daddy¡± rendered me silent. From the moment Roman introduced me as his woman, there was no point in trying to defend myself. He wouldn¡¯t believe me anyway. Why waste the energy? Chapter 28 2/3 When I didn¡¯t say anything in response, Griffon¡¯s face darkened, all evidence of his smile erased. He raised his hand to cup my cheek, his fingers reaching to the back of my ear. When the coldness of his fingertips spread across my skin, I couldn¡¯t help but shiver. Compared to the disgust Roman¡¯s touch brought me, Griffon¡¯s touch made me feel terrified. The strength and power radiating off of him was suffocating. Even as someone without a wolf, the all-epassing dominance of his wolf, his Alpha presence, demanded I submit to him. His hand inched farther around my ear, and he grabbed the back of my head. He exerted pressure until I turned my head to look back at him. Then Griffon lowered his voice and asked frostily, ¡°When did you sleep together, and how many times?¡± He drew my head forward, and as the distance between us shortened, his scent filled my nostrils, and my skin couldn¡¯t stop tingling. I cursed myself for being weak and quickly turned my head, avoiding physical contact by surprising him with my movement. Chapter 28 3/3 And then his hand was wrapped around my throat, his thumb swiping across the spot where Roman had bit down. This time, his voice was deadly. ¡°You just had se x with him.¡±Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. Chapter 29 Chapter 29 Chapter 29 I felt the blood rush from my face, leaving me lightheaded. I quickly raised my hand and covered where Roman had kissed. ¡°No, we haven¡¯t done anything.¡± ¡°Do you think I¡¯ll believe you?¡± 1/4 He looked at me as if I were a dead person, someone who didn¡¯t matter, who barely existed. Yet¡­why did he care if I slept with Roman then? My knees trembled, but I still forced myself to exin, the words tumbling out of my mo uth. ¡°Believe it or not, I¡¯ve never slept with him.¡± Griffon gave that sneer of a smile again. ¡°I¡¯ll know for sure after I check.¡± He suddenly tore off my dress. Frightened, I covered my body with my arms. Part of me hated him for this, for degrading me this way, but the other part of me -the part that loved him deeply-was ted at the fact that he cared if someone else had touched me. Cared so much that it brought out the possessive Alpha wolf. Before I could ask what he was going to do, he parted my thighs. 2/4 Chapter 29 I grabbed at Griffon¡¯s shoulder and cursed him for being a bas tard, tried to squirm away from him. However, he didn¡¯t seem to notice. ¡°Griffon, are you crazy? Let go of me!¡± I grabbed his shoulders tightly, full of sh ame and anger and desire, my fingernails almost digging into his flesh, but he refused to let go. At least Andre wasn¡¯t in the car to see this. Griffon was pulling at my panties, almost ripping them off, his eyebrows narrowing as he was confused about something. ¡°What the hel l are you doing?¡± I was furious, but his expression told me nothing. His urgent and fierce movements seemed off,pletely unlike when we had se x. The look on his face was different now, and his brows were furrowed with a hint of anger. When he got angry, he looked like this. I used to be very afraid of him when he looked like this, but now, I was having difficulty understanding him¡­ ¡°Griffon Knight!¡± Chapter 29 I called out to him, but he didn¡¯t respond. He continued to examine my body. 3/4 ¡°You have no right to touch my body! You ended our contract!¡± Griffon finally paused. When he lifted his gaze, the corners of his eyes were crimson, like sparks in mes, scorching and intense as his wolf¡¯s rage simmered just below the surface. ¡°You won¡¯t let me touch you just because you sold yourself to Roman?¡± The word ¡°sold¡± sliced through me. Yes, I¡¯d once sold myself to him. But stu pidly, I¡¯d thought that not taking a penny from him would change his impression of me. But I never expected that he would still view me as a pr ostitute who could be bought and sold at will. My soul ached as if thousands of needles pricked it, but I forced myself to smile. ¡°Alpha Knight.¡± I hooked my arms around his neck and choked out my next words. ¡°He bought me, so I can¡¯t let you touch me. Once a man has Chapter 29 4/4 purchased something, no one else is to touch it. You taught me that rule. Have you forgotten?¡± ¡°What did you say?!¡± Griffon roared. Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org. I raised my chin slightly, leaned close to his ear, and whispered, ¡°Actually, I lied to you just now. I already slept with Beta Starke a long time ago. We did it three timesst night and two times today. Now that I¡¯m his woman, you wouldn¡¯t want to do anything stu pid now, would you, Alpha Knight?¡± 2 Chapter 30 Chapter 30 Chapter 30 The Alpha stiffened, his eyes shing with anger and malice. After staring at me, wordless, Griffon quickly pulled out some wet wipes and wiped his fingers. Seeing his actions, I couldn¡¯t help sneering. ¡°Beta Starke told you that he had slept with me. Why bother checking, Alpha?¡± I kept my face schooled, without a trace of annoyance or embarrassment reaching it, but rather with a hint of worldly charm. My indifferent attitude and repeated provocations made the usuallyposed Griffon lose his temper. It¡¯d been a while since I¡¯d seen this side of him. He threw away the wet tissue and pinched my chin. Hard. I was going to bruise. My human flesh, theck of a wolf to help me heal¡­ My body was no match for any wolf¡¯s strength, let alone an Alpha as powerful as him. There was no way he didn¡¯t see that I was in pain, especially since I was wincing, but Griffon ignored it and lowered his head until his nose was almost touching mine. ¡°Haven¡¯t I told you that no one is allowed to touch anything I¡¯ve used?¡± Chapter 30 2/3 His eyes were filled with killing intent, and he squeezed my chin with increasing force-almost as if he wanted to dislocate my jaw or break it in half. It was the first time that I had seen him THIS angry, so I was slightly stunned. I didn¡¯t mean to provoke him like this, but he humiliated me again and again. I had to fight back. But¡­ He didn¡¯t care about me. Why was he so angry? I endured the pain, raised my eyes, summoned all my courage, and asked, ¡°Why do you care if I slept with someone else? Have you fallen in love with me?¡± I had been with him for five years and had never seen him lose hisposure to this level. He must have some feelings for me, right? Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org. I stared at Griffon without blinking, trying to find a trace of love in his eyes. My heart sank as I saw only disdain. ¡°Don¡¯t you know what I care about?¡± Any hope I had was shattered. Of course, I knew what he cared about, but I was just unwilling to give up. Chapter 30 3/3 I had always known he would never love me like I loved him, but I¡¯d prayed to the goddess for just a sliver of something back. However, Griffon was different from everyone else. He was the most unfeeling, distant person I had ever met. I¡¯d thought he waspletely incapable of loving anyone¡­until Tara Thorin showed up. Chapter 31 Chapter 31 Chapter 31 With a wry smile, I said, ¡°It seems like I misunderstood. However¡­¡± I paused. ¡°I asked you before if I could have a boyfriend, and you said it was up to me. Since I have a boyfriend, it¡¯s normal for me and him to have se x, don¡¯t you think?¡± 1/3 Griffon was stunned, and his face became even darker, his eyes glowing even brighter with his wolf. Before I could stop my hand, before I could think about what I was doing, I reached up and ran my fingers over the furrows between his eyebrows as if trying to smooth them out. Trying to erase the anger on his face. This was the man I had loved for five years. How could I bear to hurt him like this? But he didn¡¯t love me-not even a tiny bit of ¡°like¡±. Why couldn¡¯t I let go? Why did I care if I managed to hurt him one tiny sliver of what he¡¯d made me feel? He grabbed my wrist. N?velDrama.Org is the owner. ¡°Don¡¯t touch me!¡± he growled. ¡°You¡¯re fil thy now.¡± I knew he would react like this, but hearing him say I was d irty again made me ache. belonged to him, it was tarnished, d irty, fil thy¡­ unfit for the all-powerful Alpha Knight. Gritting my teeth, I suppressed my emotions and looked at the hand that was tightly gripping my wrist. ¡°If you h ate me this much, if I¡¯m so filt hy, why don¡¯t you let go of me?¡± I cocked my head to the side, once again unable to bottle in my hopeful thoughts. ¡°Or¡­do you not want to let go?¡± Everything before this felt like an act I was putting on. And now¡­ Now, I was the most authentic version of myself. The woman who was desperate to receive SOMETHING from him. Griffon seemed to have seen through. The killing intent in his eyes faded away and was reced by indifference. Without any hesitation, he pushed me away, snarling, ¡°Get out!¡± I fell out of the car as Griffon opened the door that I was leaning against. My tailbone banged against the sidewalk as Inded in a sprawled heap, dressed only in my underwear and bra, my hair and makeup a mess. A secondter, my bad and the tatters of my clothes were tossed out,nding beside me. But I didn¡¯t care. I tucked my tangled hair behind my ear, picked up the torn clothes, and put them on again. I grabbed my purse and stood to walk down the sidewalk, Chapter 31 mustering all the bravery andposure I could, praying no one had seen. Just as I took my first step away from the parked Town Car, Griffon stopped me. ¡°Taya,¡± he growled low. 3/3 I turned around, a smile I didn¡¯t feel stered on my face. ¡°What? Can you not bear to part with me? Don¡¯t want to watch me walk away?¡± Without even looking at me, keeping his focus straight ahead, Griffon threw a crumpled-up check onto the sidewalk at my feet. ¡°I¡¯ve fu c ked you for five years, and I pay for what I use.¡± Chapter 32 Chapter 32 Chapter 32 I stood still for a few seconds, then quietly bent down to pick up the check. Five years ago, this money was life changing. Five years ago, I¡¯d desperately needed it. But now, it didn¡¯t matter even a little bit. Calmly, I took a step toward the car and ced the wad of paper on the car seat. ¡°Alpha Knight, you are too generous, but if I were to take your money, I wouldn¡¯t be able to marry Roman with a clear conscience.¡± It wasn¡¯t until then that Griffon realized why Taya didn¡¯t want a penny from him. It turned out that she had ns to marry a wealthy and powerful man. As he looked up at her, all doubts in his heart dissipated entirely, leaving him numb. ¡°I never want to see your face again.¡± Taya smiled indifferently, and something flitted through her eyes, an emotion or thought he couldn¡¯t ce. ¡°You won¡¯t.¡± Chapter 32 *** 2/5 Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. At the gate of Griffon¡¯s private manor, Preston quickly got out of the car. A Town Car dro ve into the garden when he was about to enter the vi to look for Griffon. A man who was nearly 6¡¯2¡å tall got out of the car. He exuded an arr ogant aura from head to toe, with a strong sense ofmand that made people dare not approach him. Even Preston felt a chill run down his spine when he saw him. He shook off his thoughts and walked up to Griffon. ¡°Griffon-¡± Preston started to ask where Griffon had gone after Nightshade, but he mped his mo uth sh ut when the Alpha¡¯s look shot daggers at him. With a low, rumbling growl, Griffon walked past Preston and headed straight for the vi. As the entrance, the servant, who had been waiting some time for him, greeted him with a bow. They¡¯d expected their Alpha to be back much earlier, but they hadn¡¯t dared to leave the door for fear of Griffon¡¯s wr ath should they not be in their proper ces when he returned home. Griffon removed his jacket and tie, handing them to the servant. Chapter 32 3/5 Then, he walked to the wet bar and grabbed a decanter full of caramel-colored liquor. He casually picked up two tumblers and poured a ss for each of them. He turned and handed one to Preston. ¡°What brings you here?¡± Griffon asked. Preston rarely came to the pack manor. He must have something to tell him, especially at such ate hour. Preston took the tumbler, sniffed, and then took a swig. Bourbon. The good stuff. He looked Griffon up and down. Seeing the Alpha¡¯s expression, which wasn¡¯t as grim as before, Preston mustered up the courage to speak. ¡°Did Ms. Palmer offend you somehow before tonight?¡± The Alpha¡¯s actions tonight werepletely out of character for him. ¡°It¡¯s none of your business.¡± Preston remained unfazed and probed further. ¡°Is she the woman you keep?¡± He knew that his cousin had a secret lover, but he had never seen her before. Something about the way Griffon had treated this woman made Preston think there was something more at y between them. Chapter 32 Griffon raised his head and clenched his jaw. ¡°What are you implying?¡± 4/5 Preston nned to probe a bit more, but when he saw the hairs on the back of Griffon¡¯s hand get longer, he decided not to beat around the bush. He didn¡¯t have long before the wolf took over and Griffon became all sharp edges and teeth. ¡°Griffon, have you fallen in love with Ms. Palmer?¡± In Nightshade, when he saw how Griffon had targeted Taya, he¡¯d already guessed that she was the woman who had been his secret lover for five years. When he first saw that Taya looked like Tara, he thought Griffon had just regarded her as a substitute while he was unable to have Tara. But then Griffon had lost control of the tight reins he held on his emotions. Strong emotion from an Alpha never led to anything good, and Griffon had always been able to maintain his rigidposure, never let anyone see what he was truly feeling. Until tonight. Until an emotion Preston didn¡¯t even think Griffon was capable of showed its face. Jealousy. Chapter 33 Chapter 33 Chapter 33 Griffon slowly, deliberately set down the ss he was holding. His ws were starting toe out now, and his fingers were clutching the ss so tightly, Preston was afraid it would just disintegrate into a thousand pieces under the pressure. Griffon looked at Preston. ¡°What do you think?¡± Preston decided to push forward. ¡°I think you like her a little, don¡¯t you? Otherwise, why would you be so angry when you heard she had slept with Roman?¡± Griffon snarled, ¡°It¡¯s in poor taste to unt one¡¯s promiscuity. With a Beta no less. So I decided to put her in her ce. Is that Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org. love?¡± Ah, so there it was. Taya had moved from a man as rich and powerful as THE Alpha Knight, to the ¡°lowly¡± Beta Starke. That made sense to Preston. Griffon didn¡¯t want people thinking that he and Roman ran in the same circles, close enough to have ess to the same women. He didn¡¯t want to be associated with someone like Roman. Moreover, as soon as Tara returned to the country, Griffon broke things off with Taya, which was enough to show that Taya was not important and didn¡¯t take up any room in Griffon¡¯s Chapter 33 heart. 2/3 Preston didn¡¯t say anything more. He raised his head and drank up the rest of the bourbon in his ss. Then he got up and said goodbye to his cousin. Griffon didn¡¯t reply. He just nodded indifferently. Preston was used to his cousin¡¯s indifference. It had been Griffon¡¯s primary emotion and attitude since he was a child, so Preston didn¡¯t take it to heart. He simply picked up his coat and turned to leave. It was raining heavily outside. His driver was waiting for him, and when he saw Preston, he rushed over with an umbre. Once in the car, Preston directed him toward downtown. While stopped at a traffic light, he saw Taya, who was only wearing a dress, hailing a taxi in the heavy rain. Her petite body was thin. The dress, soaked by the rain, tightly clung to her body, making her seem even more fragile. Her curly hair was stered to her head and stuck to her face. Somehow, despite how broken she looked standing there forlornly in the rain, it didn¡¯t affect her beauty one bit. Preston saw taxi after taxi zooming past Taya, but none of them stopped. After hesitating for a moment, he ordered his driver over to her. Chapter 34 Chapter 34 Chapter 34 I covered my eyes with a hand and vaguely saw a man walking toward me with an umbre. When the umbre covered my head, I was stunned for a moment, slowly raising my eyes to look at him¡­ It was like looking at Griffon from five years ago¡­ It was raining that day, too. I¡¯d knelt at the nightclub door and begged passers-by to buy me for a night. Many men came in and out, touching, teasing, andughing at me, but not a single one was willing to pay for me. And then a mountain of a man, who I could immediately tell was a wolf shifter by the gleam in his eyes slowly approached. When he covered the top of my head with the umbre in his hand to shield me from the storm, it was like I was looking at a god. In the dim glow of the streetlights, I¡¯d crawled to his feet, grabbed the hem of his pants, and begged him to buy me for a night. The man looked down at me with no contempt or ridicule in his eyes. He just asked coldly, ¡°Are you clean?¡± I¡¯d blushed and nodded, and then the man stretched out hisrge, strong hand to me. Chapter 34 2/3 When I ced my hand in his broad palm, I¡¯d sealed my fate. I would be tied to him for the rest of my life, and I hadn¡¯t a clue. ¡°Get in the car. I¡¯ll take you home.¡± Preston opened the car¡¯s back door, and his warm voice washed over me, mixed with the rain. Only then did Ie to my senses. It wasn¡¯t that night five years ago, and it wasn¡¯t Alpha Knight standing in front of me. It was Preston, Griffon¡¯s cousin. But Griffon and I were over. And even when we had been¡­ whatever¡­I¡¯d never been around hisContent is property of N?velDrama.Org. family. He would probably be enraged if I were associated with his family in any way, spent any time with Preston. The catch? My phone was dead, so I couldn¡¯t request an Uber. And taxis in this town were the worst. They never stopped, or they already had a passenger. Any of the nearby stores or businesses were well past being closed, so I was left with walking home in the pouring rain, continue failing to get a taxi¡­or let Preston drive me. Goddess, I wished I had a wolf so I would have a fourth option to shift and run home. I hesitated for a moment and got in his car. Water dripped everywhere off me, and the seat was soaked in Chapter 34 seconds, water pooling on the floormat beneath my feet. 3/3 All I had in my purse were a couple of tissues, and I grabbed them and tried to wipe up the seat. It was no use, though. They only made more of a mess, leaving wh ite bits behind as they disintegrated under my vigorous wiping. Embarrassment flooded me, and my face burned. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry. I got everything all wet and di rty.¡± 1 Chapter 35 Chapter 35 Chapter 35 Preston quickly turned to face the back seat and stopped me, his voice low and gentle. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. It¡¯s just water. It¡¯ll dry.¡± For a moment, I almost forgot that the person sitting in the passenger seat in front of me, who had rescued me from the rain was rted to Griffon, was part of the powerful Knight family and pack. A pack known more for its ruthlessness and power than its kindness. I shoved the remainder of the tissues in my bag, then looked at Preston uneasily and whispered, ¡°Thank you.¡± Preston waved his hand casually. ¡°Where do you live?¡± I gave him the address, and the car quickly started and dro ve in the direction of my home. ncing at Preston, I felt a little less embarrassed when I saw him looking out of the window, his attention elsewhere. All I had to do was get through this short car ride. And thankfully, he wasn¡¯t sitting in the back seat with me. I wasn¡¯t sure why he was sitting in the front seat, but I hoped it was because he was trying to be polite and give me space¡­not because he would have been disgusted to sit next to me. I¡¯d had plenty of shifters in my life who¡¯d wanted nothing to do with the human girl raised by wolves. *** 2/4 Preston looked at the thin figure in the back seat through the rearview mirror. It was a cold day for a human, and she had no coat. Yet she was still out in the rain trying to hail a taxi, which made Preston curious. Why hadn¡¯t she called someone or tried to find shelter until the rain passed? ¡°Ms. Palmer, why didn¡¯t Beta Starke take you home?¡± A look of confusion crossed her face for a second before she erased it. My wolf knew she wasing up with a lie¡­he could smell it in the pheromonesing off of her. She clenched the purse in her hand and said casually, ¡°We had an argument, and he threw me out ofContent ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org. the car.¡± Preston nodded slightly. ¡°I see.¡± He noticed she was shivering, so he turned up the heat and didn¡¯t ask any more questions. She clearly wasn¡¯t going to tell him the truth anyways. The temperature in the car rose, and Taya gradually stopped shivering-while Preston was burning up. Wolves ran hotter, and he couldn¡¯t wait to turn the A/C on once she was out of the car. apter 35 3/4 She gave a grateful look to Preston and exined in a cautious tone, ¡°I was originally nning to call an Uber, but my phone died. Everything was closed, so I was trying to get a taxi. I¡¯m really sorry to trouble you, but I¡¯m thankful you stopped.¡± Preston looked at the embarrassed Taya again in the rearview mirror before saying gently, ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Only then did Taya seem to rx. She leaned her head against the car window and closed her eyes wearily. She soon fell asleep. Not long after, the car stopped at the gate leading to Taya¡¯s neighborhood. Preston said without looking back, ¡°Ms. Palmer, we¡¯re here.¡± After a few seconds without a response or hearing any movement from the back seat, Preston turned to look at Taya. His eyes widened slightly when he saw her leaning against the car window and sleeping soundly. How utterly careless. How dare this little unprotected slip of a human sleep in a strange wolf¡¯s car so easily? Did she think just assume that he was a good person? Frowning, Preston gave his driver a meaningful look. Chapter 36 Chapter 36 Chapter 36 I was jolted awake by someone pushing me, and I struggled to open my eyes. All I could see were dark shadows, making it difficult to determine where I was. I knew my illness had worsened due to being drenched in the rain, but thankfully my thoughts were still clear, and I remembered that I was in Preston¡¯s car. Quickly, I sat up straight, thanked Preston again, then pushed open the door and exited the car. ¡°Ms. Palmer¡­¡± Preston stopped me, took an umbre from the back seat, and handed it to me. ¡°It¡¯s still raining. Take it.¡± The logo on the umbre was designer, and there was no way I was taking something so expensive from him. Especially since I didn¡¯t know if I would have the chance to return it. I softly declined, ¡°Thank you, but it¡¯s only a few steps away. I¡¯ll run.¡± Preston seemed stunned for a second. He seemed to have read my mind, and he threw the umbre at me. ¡°You don¡¯t have to return it.¡± I hated being in this position. I hated taking things from people, and I really hated that it was Griffon¡¯s cousin who was being so nice to me. But as a human of lower standing, thest thing I Chapter 36 2/3 could afford to do was offend a man from such a powerful pack. ¡°May I please have your contact information? I¡¯ll return this to you tomorrow.¡± Preston looked at me with a raised brow and a bit of a frown on his handsome face. ¡°I don¡¯t like it when people show up uninvited.¡± But¡­all I wanted to do was return his umbre. I didn¡¯t want to visit him, and I wasn¡¯t look for anything more. He ll, I didn¡¯t even have to see him in order to return the da mn thing. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean-¡± ¡°Ms. Palmer.¡± Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org. Preston interrupted me abruptly, his eyes full of warning and glowing a bit with his wolf. ¡°It does not matter what you mean. I brought you home out of kindness. If you have any other ideas, put them out of your head immediately.¡± His words made me ufortable. I didn¡¯t say anything more. Just put down the umbre and turned to leave. After two steps in the rain, I felt dissatisfied and turned back to look at Preston. ¡°Mr. Knight, thank you for bringing me home, but I require nothing more from you. Thest thing I want to do is take something that belongs to you without returning it, and I don¡¯t want to be indebted to you.¡± *** 3/3 Looking at the petite figure as she ran into her neighborhood, Preston was a bit stunned. In his experience, women like Taya would do everything they could to seduce rich powerful wolves from dominant packs such as the Knight pack. And if Taya wasn¡¯t like that, she wouldn¡¯t have started dating Roman immediately after things ended with Griffon. Taking the umbre would have been a perfect opportunity for her to work out a way to see him under the pretense of returning it. Perhaps Preston had misunderstood the little human girl¡­ Chapter 37 Chapter 37 Chapter 37 After I ran home in the rain, I removed my dress and the diamond ne and threw them into the box they¡¯de in. Tomorrow, I would send them back to Roman. His ¡°gifts¡± disgusted me, and I would never ept them. After closing the box, I went to the bathroom and turned on the faucet in the bathtub. I desperately needed a hot soak to warm me up. The chill from the rain had set deep in my bones, and my illness didn¡¯t make it better. Once the tub was full, I sank into the water with a sigh. + I held the bath ball and scrubbed my face and body, rubbing my skin red before looking at myself in the mirror, sans of my armor of makeup. My face was left with a sickly pallor, devoid of any vitality or energy, and my eyes were dimmed to the point of lifelessness. I couldn¡¯t see the light, couldn¡¯t feel the warmth. Tonight I¡¯d been treated as if I were no better than the dirt under someone¡¯s shoe. But I was a person, dam mit. And I deserved to be treated with dignity. ¡°Dignity.¡± I snorted and gave myself a self-deprecating smile in the mirror. Chapter 37 2/3 From the moment I¡¯d sold myself to Griffon, I had lost whatever little bit of dignity I¡¯d possessed. I dried my hair andy down on the bed, extremely tired, and fell deeply asleep again. After getting drenched in the rain, my condition worsened significantly. I buried my head in sleep until the afternoon of the next day. *** Harper had been on duty all night, so she slept from morning to afternoon. When she got up and prepared dinner, Taya was still asleep. She had no choice but to knock on Taya¡¯s door. She called out to her, but there was no response. Only then did she realize that something was wrong. Harper quickly pushed the door open and walked in. When she saw Taya¡¯s flushed face, she quickly reached out and touched her forehead. She was burning up! Harper quickly lifted the quilt to help Taya up. ¡°Taya, you have a high fever. Get up quickly. I¡¯ll take you to the hospital.¡± Taya, in and out of consciousness due to the fever, resisted when she heard the word ¡°hospital.¡± Chapter 37 ¡°We¡¯re not going to the hospital¡­¡±N?velDrama.Org is the owner. Chapter 38 Chapter 38 Chapter 38 Harper didn¡¯t allow Taya to refuse. Thanks to her wolf¡¯s added strength, Harper was easily able to carry the small woman, get her into the car, and drive to the hospital. As soon as Harper carried Taya into the emergency room, staff rushed over. ¡°She¡¯s not a shifter,¡± Harper hurried to tell them. Harper knew that Taya had congenital heart disease, and if the hospital assumed she was a shifter, they wouldn¡¯t give her the proper treatment. It was easy for her to run short of oxygen if she caught a cold or fever, and her body wouldn¡¯t work to heal itself the way a wolf shifter¡¯s would. Taya was quickly settled into a room, given an IV and oxygen, and monitors were set up to keep an eye on her. It wasn¡¯t until midnight that Taya¡¯s high fever slowly subsided. Harper sighed in relief, picked up her phone, and took two days off. Then she leaned against the bed and silently waited for Taya to wake. They¡¯d both been dropped off at the orphanage when they were about a year old, within days of each other. They had be each other¡¯s everything, and the only other person they¡¯d had any rtionship with growing up had been the orphanage Chapter 38 N?velDrama.Org is the owner. director. 2/3 Harper raised her hand, touched Taya¡¯s pale face, and sighed. Taya was unlucky in every way. From the orphanage, to never getting her wolf, to her heart issues. And the two men she had met and fallen for were both scu mbags. *** fell in and out of a fevered sleep. In a daze, I saw a young man reaching out his b loody hands to me. His face was full of pain. He opened his mo uth as if he had said something, but I was too far away to hear him. I subconsciously walked toward him. ¡°What did you say?¡± The young man suddenly stopped talking. His clear eyes were fixed on me. It suddenly rained heavily from the night sky, washing the youth¡¯s blood-stained face clean. Only then did I see his face. I rushed forward and shouted, ¡°Ss!¡± The scene changed, and the young man disappeared. I saw Chapter 38 myself kneeling at the door of a nightclub. A man with a ck umbre walked up to me and asked condescendingly, ¡°Are you clean?¡± I nodded with a blush and shyly put my hand in his palm. When he held my hand, I saw that the hand holding mine turned into a pair of blo ody hands. 3/3 The man in front of me also turned into that ferocious young boy. His eyes were red with the ire of his wolf. He grabbed my neck, squeezing, and roared at me. ¡°Taya! Why did you sell yourself to him? Why did you betray me? Why did you do this?!¡± I shook my head desperately. ¡°No, no, it¡¯s not like that¡­¡± I shouted and exined, but the man still pushed me away and turned to leave. I managed to catch up with him and grabbed his clothes, crying and shouting, ¡°Ss, don¡¯t go! Chapter 39 Chapter 39 Chapter 39 ¡°Taya! Taya, what¡¯s wrong?¡± I felt someone nudging me awake. 1/3 Gradually, I came back to my senses. I slowly opened my eyes, only to see that Griffon and Ss had disappeared, leaving only a worried Harper standing over me, a distraught look on her face. Only then did I realize it had just been a nightmare. It wasn¡¯t real, and I wasn¡¯t with Ss and Griffon. I was safe. At least, I had to be if Harper was here, right? I cleared my mind and swallowed my saliva. I raised my hand to get some water, only to find an IV attached to it. ¡°You had a high fever, so I brought you to the hospital.¡± Seeing that I was in a daze from the fever, Harper spoke softly, exining, then picked up the ss of water next to me and helped me drink it. After a few sips of water, I slowly regained a little life. ¡°Harper¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m here,¡± Harper responded gently. She lifted the hair on my Chapter 39 forehead that was wet with sweat, put it behind my ear, and asked softly, ¡°Are you hungry?¡± 2/3 I shook my head-slowly and with difficulty-and asked, ¡°Did the doctor tell you anything?¡± I still hadn¡¯t figured out how to talk to Harper about what was wrong with me. Now that I¡¯d fell ill and Harper had to take me to the ER, I was terrified she would now know everything. ¡°The doctor didn¡¯t say anything. When he saw that you had a high fever and were in and out of consciousness, he gave you fluids and antibiotics. They¡¯ve done a blood draw, and we should have the results any time now.¡± Harper got up and looked around. ¡°Actually, I think it might be in your chart in here already.¡± I quickly stopped her. ¡°I¡¯m a little hungry. Can you get me something to eat first?¡± Harper nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll go see what they have for you. Maybe some Jell-O.¡± After watching her leave, I struggled to get up, looking around the room. There. At the foot of the bed. My chart. Maybe the results would be in it? I slid the IV pole over enough to give me room to reach the folder and picked it up. Chapter 39 3/3 The blood test would show my heart failure, and thest thing I wanted was for Harper to see it. She would be devastated. We had grown up together and relied on each other for survival. If Harper knew I was about to d ie, she wouldn¡¯t be able to bear the blo w. I wanted the rest of my time with her to be happy¡­N?velDrama.Org is the owner. Chapter 40 Chapter 40 Chapter 40 I tore the blood results into pieces without looking at the paper, then threw it into the trash can so Harper wouldn¡¯t see it. I¡¯d make up something to tell her about why they weren¡¯t in my file if she asked. Hopefully, getting me food would distract her from it. I turned around to push the IV pole back to the spot it was in before I¡¯d moved it, ncing out the window as I did so. The window in this room looked out over the parking lot, and I saw a few luxury Town Cars driving in and heading toward the ER entrance. When they came to a stop, a group of wolf shifter bodyguards in ck suits exited the cars and escorted Griffon out. He hurried into the hospital with Tara in his arms. When I saw his anxious look, my heart sank. I¡¯de to the emergency department because of a heart attack when I was with him. What kind of reaction did he have then? I remembered him standing by the bed and looking down at me while I was curled up in pain. He¡¯d thrown an AMEX ck card at me as if I were a beggar. Chapter 40 2/4 He¡¯d thought I was pretending to be sic k to gain his sympathy and get more money from him. There was a mor of footstepsing down the hall, getting closer and closer to my room. Since this was the ER ward of the hospital, the rooms weren¡¯t private. The walls facing the hallway were ss, and Griffon would be able to see me as he passed. But when Griffon rushed by my room, he didn¡¯t even look my way. Harper chose that moment toe back, holding a tray with red Jell-O on it. When she saw that I had moved around in bed, sitting up at the edge of it, she hurried over. ¡°You just recovered from a high fever. You should beying down, not trying to get out of bed.¡± Harper set the tray down and then came over to gently push me toy down again. ¡°Don¡¯t be so careless with your health right now.¡± Warmth spread through my heart at her concern for me, though all the concern and care-taking in the world wouldn¡¯t help me get any better. I pursed my lips and smiled. Harper peeled the top off the Jell-O and said, ¡°I¡¯ll go see if your blood test results are in. Why were you trying to sit up? You weren¡¯t going to get up and get it, were you?¡± When I hemmed and hawed and didn¡¯t answer, she furrowed her eyebrows, and I could see her nose wrinkle up a bit as she sniffed. Chapter 40 Dam n her wolf¡¯s abilities to scent out my nerves and know I wasn¡¯t telling her something. 3/4 ¡°Where¡¯s the report? Show it to me,¡± she demanded, putting her hands on her hips. Shi t. I didn¡¯t want to lie to her, but¡­it was for her own good. ¡°I was going to find the doctor, but then he came in and told me the results.¡± ¡°And?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just a blood test. I¡¯m fine,¡± I replied calmly. Harper stared at me, a serious expression darkening her face. I rarely saw the super protective nature of her wolf take over, but it was written all over her right now. ¡°You¡¯re different from everyone, Taya. You¡¯ve had a heart attack before, and you¡¯re not a shifter. You can¡¯t just get better like most people can. You have to take this seriously.¡± For the millionth time, I wish werewolves could be created like they were in books. You mated someone and they could turn you, make you like them so you could be together much longer than the average human¡¯s lifespan. It would be so much easier than¡­this. I mustered up a smile I didn¡¯t feel. ¡°I know. The doctor said that I was fine. My heart is fine. Don¡¯t worry.¡± Harper¡¯s eyes narrowed a smidge more, and then what seemed Chapter 40 4/4 like a look of relief touched her face. She handed the Jell-O to me. ¡°I managed to find red for you, instead of gross lime green.¡± She made a disgusted face. I took the wiggly food and the spoon, then took a bite. Crisis averted. For now. *** Harper looked at Taya¡¯s pale face. She wanted to say something but stopped herself after thinking over it for a second longer. She was pretty sure she¡¯d heard Taya call out to Ss. After so many years, it was the first time she¡¯d heard Taya say his name. Harper wanted to ask about it, but she didn¡¯t want to reopen Taya¡¯s deep scars. Especially now, when Taya was in the hospital. It was probably better to leave the dead buried¡­right where Ss belonged.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g! Chapter 41 Chapter 41 Chapter 41 Somehow, that small amount of Jell-O managed to fill me up. I put down the spoon and asked Harper, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be getting to work?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve taken two days off to take care of you. You can¡¯t just be in the hospital alone.¡± Harpery down on the empty hospital bed next to me. ¡°Plus, I can take this opportunity to get some rest.¡± I smiled gently, knowing better than to argue. ¡°Thank you, Harper,¡± I said softly. Harper waved her hand and yawned. ¡°I¡¯m gonna take a nap. Yell if you need anything.¡± I nodded. ¡°The nurses are here if I need anything. Don¡¯t worry, and go to sleep.¡± Only then did Harper close her eyes. Harper worked in a nightclub. Most of the time, she was on the night shift. Since her hours were awful and she had to cram her daytime chores and errands into a few hours after she woke up, she was always very busy and tired. Had she been adopted into a pack, her life would have been very different. I¡¯d always hoped for that for her. Once I didn¡¯t get my Chapter 41 2/3 wolf at puberty, I knew there was no hope for me. But Harper? She had her wolf, and she was so smart. Without a pack and a family, she wasn¡¯t able to go to college, and without a bachelor¡¯s degree, there wasn¡¯t much else she could do other than a service industry job. After graduating high school, she didn¡¯t find a good job, but she wanted to settle in Arcadia. So, the nightclub it was. At first, she worked bottle service. It didn¡¯t take her long to be promoted to a management position, though, because she was dam n good at her job. She was great at everything she did, and I was super proud of her. She was even able to buy a house and a car after a few years, which was a huge achievement for an orphaned she-wolf with no pack. To top it all off, Harper had met the man she was going to spend the rest of her life with, and their mating ceremony was next month. After she mated, she¡¯d finally belong to a pack and have the family she¡¯d always dreamed of. No more struggling for her. She¡¯d finally have everything she wanted. Unlike me. I¡¯d never have the chance for that. But I wouldn¡¯t have any regrets as long as I could live until Harper¡¯s wedding and see her get married.N?velDrama.Org is the owner. Chapter 42 Chapter 42 Chapter 42 After staying in the hospital for a night, my high fever hadpletely subsided. I was still weak, but I could go home. As soon as we got home, Harper went straight to the kitchen. I wanted to help, but Harper refused. ¡°Go to bed and rest. You need it. I¡¯ll take care of this.¡± Harper waved her hand and dro ve me out of the room. Sure, my fever had subsided-but my heart failure had worsened. My chest felt tight, and I was in a lot of pain. Because my heart wasn¡¯t pumping enough blood throughout my body, which meant everything wasn¡¯t getting enough oxygen, I was weak and dizzy. I couldn¡¯t even stand without swaying. Even though I want to help Harper, I couldn¡¯t. There wasn¡¯t another choice for me but to go lie down. After getting in bed, I fell right to sleep. Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. Almost. Until my phone dinged with a text message. Entertainment news. I knew so little about Griffon¡¯s schedule even when I was staying with him, so I¡¯d started paying attention to some of the ¡°celebrity entertainment¡± ounts after seeing that they asionally covered the Knight pack Alpha. 2/3 I opened the text and clicked on the link. The paparazzi had snapped a picture of Griffon carrying Tara into the emergency room. The content reported that their old rtionship had rekindled. I scrolled down to thements, and they all praised Griffon and Tara, from their looks to their money to their powerful pack standings¡­ They all said that they were a perfect match. And even I had to admit¡­they were. Griffon was like a gorgeous statue in a museum¡­close enough to touch, but you¡¯d get your hand pped if you did. While Tara was elegant, beautiful, and kind. They were indeed a good match that bnced each other out. I smiled bitterly and swiped the text message to delete it. When I went to turn off the phone, I saw a text message from an unknown number that I¡¯d missed while in the hospital. I clicked on it. What did you go to the hospital for yesterday? I was stunned for a moment. How did this person know that I had gone to the hospital? I looked at the time. It was sentst night after I woke up in the hospital¡­ 3/3 I read the message again and again, feeling disbelief. The only person I had seen in the hospitalst night was Griffon. Did he send it? But¡­he hadn¡¯t even looked at me. He¡¯d been focused on Tara. My hands trembled as I typed, Who is this? I hadn¡¯t thought that the other person would reply so quickly, but in the next second, there was a new text. Answer me, it said. My heart was pounding. The cold tone was simr to Griffon¡¯s. However, intuition told me that he¡¯d never text me like this. Frowning, I typed, Who the he ll are you? This time, silence. Until almost an hourter. Roman, it read. I took a deep breath, almost relieved it wasn¡¯t Griffon. Though¡­this wasn¡¯t Roman¡¯s phone number¡­ Chapter 43 Chapter 43 Chapter 43 Something seemed off. Iy in bed thinking about it, but I couldn¡¯t figure it out. Why would Roman have a different number? Scr ew it. I decided to call it. It rang and rang with no answer. Instead, he texted: I¡¯m in a meeting. Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. I rested my chin on my hand, pondering the situation and what to do. Picking up my phone again, I called the Starke pack offices- where Roman worked for his family. This time, he answered quickly. His voice was low and carried a hint of impatience. ¡°I¡¯m in a meeting. What¡¯s the matter?¡± I hadn¡¯t actually expected him to be in a meeting, so I quickly replied, ¡°Nothing,¡± then hung up. What a psycho! Texting me with a strange number during a meeting. Did he have nothing else to do? If he was so busy in his meeting, what the he ll was he doing texting? Then again, he¡¯d changed his number before when I¡¯d blocked him. Maybe he¡¯d had to change it because he¡¯d been harassing Chapter 43 some other woman who¡¯d blocked him. I put down the phone, nning to ignore him, but I didn¡¯t expect to see another text message. 2/2 He returned to the first question: Answer me. Why did you go to the hospital? Goddess, he was crazy. He wouldn¡¯t speak when I called, but he¡¯d just continue to ask the same question over text. What the he ll? I didn¡¯t want to talk to him, but I was afraid that if I didn¡¯t reply, it would just irritate him. So I gritted my teeth and typed: I had a high fever and went to the hospital for IV fluids and antibiotics. I was prepared for more questions, but he didn¡¯t text back. So I put down my phone and fell asleep. Chapter 44 Chapter 44 Chapter 44 My phone vibrated on my nightstand, waking me up. I peeled open my tired eyes, struggled to pick up the phone, and answered. ¡°Baby.¡± Roman¡¯s voice came from the other end of the line. ¡°I heard you had a high fever yesterday. How are you now?¡± Good lord, this guy was strange. Did his wolf take over sometimes and make him forget things? We¡¯d already been over the fact that I¡¯d had a high fever and gone to the hospital. Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. Plus, why did he care? He¡¯d only wanted to sleep with me, so why the questions about my health? Could it be¡­he knew I was dying? I managed to shu t that thought away and replied calmly, ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°Okay, good, good. That¡¯s great,¡± Roman said mechanically. Then his tone changed, grew more eager. ¡°So, did you finish that thing?¡± And there it was. His real reason for calling me. I sat straight up in bed, supported my forehead with one hand. ¡°I went to Alpha Knight, and he said he would think about it.¡± Chapter 44 2/2 The excuse I¡¯d used to get away from Roman wasn¡¯t one I could do¡­and thest thing I was going to do was actually talk to Griffon about Roman. I had no videos or pictures, and no way would Griffon ever listen to me and give the Starke Pack the Westen City project. All I had to do was dy with Roman until after Harper¡¯s wedding was over. Then, I would give my life in exchange for peace for the rest of Harper¡¯s life. Roman seemed impatient. ¡°The bidding conference starts on the tenth of next month. When is he going to consider it?¡± Sh it. Harper¡¯s wedding was on the ninth of next month. I had wanted to wait until Harper gol mated before going to d ie with Roman. Chapter 45 Chapter 45 Chapter 45 Think fast, I told myself, tapping a finger against my chin. Cra p, cra p, cra p¡­ ¡°On the ninth of next month. He said he couldn¡¯t give me an answer before then.¡± ¡°Dam n!¡± Roman cursed. ¡°Give me the video. I¡¯ll talk to him then.¡± My palms broke out in a cold sweat, and I racked my brain for something else. ¡°Beta Starke, using this method to threaten Alpha Knight to help you secure the project has already made him very dissatisfied with you. If you bring the video to him, it will only further anger him. Then, not only will you offend him more, you will also prevent yourself from getting the project-or any other projects in the future. Do you think that is the right strategy to take right now? You¡¯ll have much better luck if you let me handle it. Don¡¯t you agree?¡± Roman was silent while he thought about it, and I waited for his response with baited breath. He had to know that threatening Griffon in this way wasn¡¯t honorable, that he would already be treading on thin ice. allva Beta doing it to an Alpha of a stronger, more 2/2 powerful pack. He finally spoke again. ¡°I must see the contract on the ninth of next month. Otherwise, it won¡¯t be your best friend¡¯s new mate iming her after the ceremony¡­it¡¯ll be a group of my men.¡± My heart skipped a beat-or ten. Roman knew the date of Harper¡¯s wedding? Just how close of an eye had he been keeping on us? Now, not only Harper but also her new mate might be implicated. I had to think fast. Real fast. I put down the phone and struggled to get up. I went to the desk, pulled open the drawer, and took out a few medicine bottles. Taking out the sleeping pills, I put them in another empty bottle. Then, numbly, I picked up the other pills for heart failure and stuffed them into my mou th. So help me goddess, I would see Harper mated, and I would see Roman pay. BN?velDrama.Org is the owner. Chapter 46 Chapter 46 Chapter 46 There were about ten days left before the ninth of the next month. Every day, I went to different hospitals and got prescriptions so I could umte sleeping pills. Aftering home one day and cing the medicine on the table, I nced at the box setting to the side. I hadn¡¯t returned the dress and ne to Roman yet. I was surprised he hadn¡¯t asked for it back given how expensive the ne must be. I quickly picked up the phone and made arrangements to deliver them to him. Although I had to deal with Roman, I would return what did not belong to me. The delivery man arrived quickly. After sending the package out, I felt much more at ease. *** Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g! When Roman saw the dress and ne being returned, he was pleased, and his wolf pawed at him. ¡°I know, I know,¡± he soothed. If it were someone else, they would have already sold the Chapter 46 ne, but Taya had returned it. Which meant she cared about him enough to return something that belonged to him, and she didn¡¯t care about the money. Sure, she was resistant, but he¡¯d dealt with this before with 2/3 women. He loved a challenge. Right now, he just needed her to secure the project¡­and then he¡¯d secure her. Once I sent Roman¡¯s things back to him, I took a nap. Harper calling woke me up. ¡°It¡¯s ready!¡± she screamed excitedly into the phone. ¡°On my way!¡± I answered. The wedding dress Harper had custom made was ready. As poorly as I felt, there was no way I was missing this, and I was genuinely excited with her. I gathered myself and tried to forget about the exhaustion I was feeling. When I got to the bridal shop, Damian, Harper¡¯s fianc¨¦, was also there. When he saw meing in, he greeted me warmly. ¡°Where¡¯s Harper?¡± I asked him excitedly. Damian raised his chin toward the fitting room. ¡°She¡¯s trying the dress on. I saved you a seat over here.¡± Chapter 46 Oh, thank the goddess there was somece to sit. 3/3 It was getting harder and harder to stand for long periods of time. My body could never get enough oxygen anymore. The weaker my heart got, the worse the symptoms were. I knew it wouldn¡¯t be long for me, but I HAD to see Harper and Damian¡¯s mating ceremony if it was thest thing I did. And¡­it might possibly actually be thest thing I did. Chapter 47 Chapter 47 Chapter 47 Fortunately, Harper soon came out of the fitting room quickly. Just sitting here had made me nod off a bit. Harper called my name softly, and my eyes snapped open. I was thankful Harper didn¡¯t seem notice my strangeness. She was too wrapped up in her dress¡­as she should be. She lifted the hem of the big mating dress and walked around in front of her and Damian. Wolf shifters didn¡¯t have the same superstitions about mates seeing the dress before the wedding, which I¡¯d always loved. And I really loved the look on Damian¡¯s face right now. It was one of absolute awe and worship. ¡°What do you think?¡± she asked. ¡°It¡¯s beautiful,¡± I gushed. ¡°My baby looks beautiful no matter what she wears,¡± Damian replied, a huge grin on his face as he looked at his future mate. Harper beamed and walked over to kiss his cheek. Damian caressed her face affectionately. Chapter 47 2/3 I was so excited for them. They¡¯d been together for a long time, and they¡¯d already gone through so much. They¡¯d been apart while Damian had gone to college, and Harper had confided in me that his childhood had been a bit rough, even though his situation was different than ours and he still had a family and a pack. But it definitely made him understand Harper more, and I knew that he would cherish the family they built together. They would both be amazing parents for their pups. I wished I had found a man like Damian. Life would have been a lot easier and happier. ¡°Are you ready to pick your dress, Taya?¡± Harper asked me when the sales associate came over with a rack of dresses. Harper¡¯s dress had cost a small fortune, so the store was providing my dress. ¡°Umm¡­¡± I hemmed and hawed. I was so think and pale, nothing would look good on me or fit properly. I didn¡¯t even want to think about how awful any of these colors would look against my ghostly complexion. ¡°They¡¯re all so gorgeous, I don¡¯t even know where to start¡­¡± ¡°Oooh! I¡¯ll pick!¡± Harper pped her hands together, her eyes gleaming. Whew. Exactly what I¡¯d hoped for. Harper quickly picked a champagne-colored dress and asked me Chapter 47 to try it on. 3/3 Once it was on, I stared at myself in the dressing room mirror, shaking my head before walking out. There was no way Harper was going to NOT see how much weight I¡¯d lost. Harper touched my waist. There was no flesh, only bones. She looked at my pale face as if seeing for the first time how truly washed-out I looked. She narrowed her gaze on me, her face stern. ¡°Taya, why have you lost so much weight?¡±Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g! Chapter 48 Chapter 48 Chapter 48 Luckily, I¡¯d already thought about this. Now I just needed Harper to be so consumed by her mating ceremony preparations that she believed me. ¡°I lost weight for your mating ceremony.¡± Harper frowned. ¡°You¡¯re practically skin and bones, love. Why are you still losing weight?!¡± I opened my mo uth to brush her off and tell her that I had stopped, but I was saved by one of the girls in the shoping over and ushering us toward the makeup counter to decide on our look for the day- of. After we finished at the dress shop and getting dresses and makeup decided on, the three of us went to the hotel for a final meeting with the mating ceremony coordinator. Since Harper wasn¡¯t officially part of Damian¡¯s pack until after they were mated, she hadn¡¯t wanted to have their ceremony at his pack center. A hotel was neutral territory and it would make Harper feel morefortable. ¡°Let me take you both out to dinner when I get off work.¡± Damian kissed Harper¡¯s cheek as we exited the hotel. ¡°I¡¯d love that, babe,¡± Harper replied, standing on her tiptoes to return his kiss. Chapter 48 2/3 When Harper and I returned to the house, Harper started fussing around with packing. Damian had bought a house for he and Harper to live in after they were mated. It was on his pack¡¯snd, so that they would be closer to his family, and they would have help with their pups once they started their family. ¡°I¡¯m so d you¡¯re staying here,¡± Harper said as she packed. ¡°Buying this house was the first thing I ever really aplished, and I don¡¯t like the idea of a stranger living here.¡± Just another reason she was going to be devastated when I was gone. Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g! I nodded with a smile, not able or wanting to verbalize how I was feeling right now. ¡°I¡¯m going to leave a few things here, though. For when I stay over for girls¡¯ nights,¡± Harper said, going through some of her pajamas and setting them aside. I didn¡¯t say anything. I couldn¡¯t. Better to change the subject. ¡°I have a wedding gift for you.¡± ¡°Oh?!¡± ¡°Wait a minute,¡± I said, then went to my bedroom. I opened the drawer, took out a debit card, and handed it to her. Chapter 49 Chapter 49 Chapter 49 ¡°This is a dowry that I saved for you.¡± Harper took the card and looked back and forth between it and me, a confused expression on her face. ¡°But¡­ what do you mean? Why?¡± ¡°I know Damian¡¯s family said they didn¡¯t need one, since they know your history. I just¡­ I want to make sure you start off on the right foot with them, that they don¡¯t hold it against youter.¡± It was an old-fashioned practice, but wolf shifters typically received dowries when someone from outside of their pack married into their pack. Essentially, packs cared for their packmates. Everything from child care to school to food to medical. Anything that was needed, if you were part of a close-knit pack that abided by the ¡°old ways¡± like Damian¡¯s did, it was tradition for the she-wolf¡¯s family to give a gift to help with the cost of anything needed for her or future pups. Was the money actually needed? Nah. It was more a gesture of goodwill between the packs. Over the years, I¡¯d divided my sry into several parts-one for Griffon, one for Harper, and the other for living expenses. I wasn¡¯t a lot, but if something didn¡¯t go smoothly for Harperer marriage, having some extra money on hand could give her peace of mind. Because if Damian and Harper split up, the pack would return the dowry to Harper, per packw. Harper was more than a little shocked when Taya handed her a debit card. She didn¡¯t think there was anything left after Taya paid Griffon back. He ll, she¡¯d thought about how she could help Taya out with expenses¡­not the other way around. So this? This was surprising to say the least. No wonder Taya was so thin. She¡¯d been scrimping and saving to not only pay Griffon back, but to do this. Harper touched Taya¡¯s cheek and shook her head. ¡°Taya¡­ You didn¡¯t have to do this for me.¡± Taya smiled gently and said, ¡°I wanted to.¡± Harper shook her head again and pressed the debit card back into Taya¡¯s hand. ¡°I can¡¯t take this. I¡¯mContentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g! older than you; I¡¯m basically your older sister. Only older sisters prepare dowry for younger sisters if their parents aren¡¯t around. Besides, since you aren¡¯t a shifter, it¡¯s not your responsibility.¡± ¡°Harper-¡± ¡®Uh-uh. You need to keep this for yourself. Without a pack to rely on, I worry about you.¡± Chapter 50 Chapter 50 Chapter 50 Seeing that Taya was upset, Harper hurried forward to stop her from leaving the room, but Taya pushed her away. Harper sighed helplessly. ¡°Why are you so dam n stubborn?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve cared for me since I was young, since I didn¡¯t have a wolf to rely on. I¡¯ve never been able to do anything for you. I¡¯ve always been the poor little human who couldn¡¯t fend for little herself.¡± Taya paused. ¡°Just think of it as a gift from your sister. A thank-you for everything you¡¯ve done for me.¡± Harper still didn¡¯t agree. Taya¡¯s life was already difficult enough, and she wasn¡¯t sure how things would go now that she didn¡¯t have Griffon taking care of her and now that Harper was moving. How could she ever ept Taya¡¯s money when she didn¡¯t know what was going to happen to her? But¡­what she could do right now was just take the card, don¡¯t spend anything, and give it back to her later. Maybe when Taya got married. Taya would be happy, and they wouldn¡¯t fight. Plus, one good dowry deserved another, right? Or something like that. After packing some more of Harper¡¯s belongings, theyy in Harper¡¯s room on the bed. Just like when they were younger, applying face masks and hout the future. Chapter 50 2/3 Harper talked to Taya about getting mated, told her that breaking up with Griffon was good for her because a man of his status would never marry someone without a wolf. An Alpha like him needed a Luna, and unfortunately, no matter how much Taya wished for it, she couldn¡¯t be that for him. ¡°There are some humans around here, you know. Or at least men without wolves who were born into shifter families. You should find a nice guy at some of the human bars. It¡¯ll be too hard for you to mate a shifter. There are too many expectations regarding mating and pups.¡± She also mentioned that no matter what happened to either of them, they would always have this house toe back to. Harper didn¡¯t n on selling it. The orphan in her would never NOT let her have a backup in case things went wrong. With this house, they would always have security. *** I sat in bed, agreeing with everything Harper said. I didn¡¯t dare let her notice anything unusual. I simply hugged her, feeling at peace and enjoying this moment with her. Life might not have always given me the best, but it gave me Harper, my chosen sister. I could di e knowing at least I¡¯d had this. I slept peacefully with Harper in my arms, just like when we were children. Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org. This was the most calmly I had slept in the past few days. The time passed too quickly. In the blink of an eye, it was the day of Harper¡¯s mating ceremony. Chapter 51 Chapter 51 Chapter 51 I was a little reluctant to let Harper go, but I had to. Damian was Harper¡¯s future. Damian¡¯s pack and the family they would create together. Oh, how I wished I could be part of it, to see their pups, to be their auntie and y with them. But that wasn¡¯t in the cards for me. I had no room being selfish about Harper when I wasn¡¯t even going to be here. So I stered on a smile and was as happy as I could be getting ready for the ceremony. After the makeup artist finished doing our makeup, a photographer came to the house, took a ton of photos, and recorded a video of Damianing to pick up Harper. After barging into the room with the wolves who were going to stand beside him at the mating ceremony, Damian excitedly carried Harper outside. I followed behind with a smile, holding Harper¡¯s dress as best I could so it wouldn¡¯t trail on the ground behind them. The mating ceremony was at the hotel first, to be followed by a huge banquet. One of the things I loved seeing was how clearly Damian ced great importance on Harper. It was evident by the glow on his face, the way he looked at her, the way he held her arm and Chapter 51 wrapped his hand around her waist. 2/3 Part of me was jealous she had someone like him, but the bigger part of me was so happy he loved her so much, so relieved that she would have him to take care of her and help her through losing me. Harper had no rtives; there was only me. And here at the ceremony, the only other person here as Harper¡¯s ¡°family¡± was the orphanage¡¯s director. Yet the hotel was full of guests, all of whom were rtives of Damian. Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g! The main theme of the ceremony was romance under the starry sky. Twinkle lights were strung over the ceiling, creating a tapestry of stars above everyone. It couldn¡¯t h ave been more perfect for a pair of wolf shifters. Harper¡¯s whi te ceremony gown almost glittered under the faux night sky. She looked absolutely radiant from head to toe standing at one end of the stage. The starlights shone on her from a distance as if she were bright and dazzling in the Milky Way. When she crossed the stage and ced her hand in Damian¡¯s, tears filled my eyes. From this moment on, Harper would start a new life, and I would no longer have any regrets about leaving her behind. Just as Damian was about to put the diamond ring on Harper¡¯s finger, a voice interrupted them. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you invite me to such a grand wedding?¡± Chapter 52 Chapter 52 Chapter 52 More than a dozen Starke bodyguards in ck with the Starke pack crest on their shirts pushed the door open and came in. Roman put his hands in his pockets and swaggered in behind them. The guests stilled, not daring to make a sound. Harper and Damian were at a loss and stood rooted to their spots. All the color drained from my face when I saw Roman. I didn¡¯t think he would show up, and I never expected him to rush into a mating ceremony uninvited and unannounced. Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org. I was terrified that Roman would ruin the ceremony, so I quickly got up and walked to him. ¡°Beta Starke!¡± I stopped Roman, who was walking towards the stage. ¡°The contract has been signed. I¡¯ll give it to you tonight.¡± Roman looked me up and down, taking in my dress. It hugged my figure¡ªthin as it was-and a spark of his wolf¡¯s desire instantly ignited in his gray-ck eyes. He wrapped one arm around my waist, pulled me up against his body almost roughly, and embraced me. His voice game out in a Chapter 52 low growl. ¡°If you signed it already, why didn¡¯t you bring it to me earlier?¡± 2/3 I held back my disgust at being pressed against his body. I had to tread carefully, and it didn¡¯t help that so many people were staring at me right now-the only human in the room. ¡°I had to ensure that the ceremony went smoothly. Otherwise, what if you took the contract then broke your promise and disturbed my best friend¡¯s mating ceremony?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t trust me?¡± ¡°Of course not,¡± I replied. ¡°Beta Starke, if you want the contract, you have to wait until tonight. The deal was today, not by a specific time today.¡± I kept my expression stern, trying to portray all of the toughness and determination I didn¡¯t feel. There was no negotiating this, and I needed him to know that. Roman smiled, his look almost amused. Which surprised me, given that a mere human was challenging him in front of a roomful of shifters from another pack. ¡°How do I know you¡¯re not lying to me?¡± he asked. I pulled out my phone, opened a document, and showed him a fake contract I¡¯d made in advance. ¡°You can see it here. This contract was issued by the Knight Pack, and it¡¯s stamped with their official seal.¡± Chapter 52 3/3 My main work in the Midwest Packs Corporation was to receive business partners and manage the contracts. One of the reasons I¡¯d been given a job like that was specifically because I WASN¡¯T a wolf shifter. With no pack allegiance, they could trust me to be ¡°more honest¡± with business dealings between different packs. The Knight Pack was thergest pack and executed the most contracts within the Midwest Packs Corporation. Of course, I knew what their official seal looked like, and I was well-versed in what their contracts typically looked like. I¡¯d simply created a copy of one of their boilertes and asked someone to make a seal. Once it was in a PDF on my phone, you couldn¡¯t tell the difference between it and the real thing. I scrolled through each page for Roman, one by one. When he was done, he seemed convinced, and gave me a satisfied smile. Chapter 53 Chapter 53 Chapter 53 ¡°Bring the contract to my vi tonight.¡± I knew what would happen at his vi. After getting the contract, he would force me to sleep with him now that he had what he wanted. Or at least THOUGHT he had what he wanted. After he moved his hand away from my waist, I let out a sigh of relief. 1/3 I gritted my teeth and said, ¡°I will send an address where we can meetter.¡± There was no way in h ell I was going to his vi on packnds. Once I entered, I would never be able to get out, and as a human, no one woulde to help me. I had a contract in hand now, and as far as Roman knew, it was real. If he wanted it, he had to follow my arrangements. Roman frowned slightly and took a menacing step closer to me. ¡°What kind of game are you ying?¡± I shook my head. ¡°No game.¡± I shrugged, then added, ¡°I just don¡¯t want to sleep with you. I want to be safe, and I won¡¯t be safe if I go onto your packnds.¡± Chapter 53 2/3 I made sure I spoke loud enough in front of all the guests, which made Roman a little embarrassed. After all, he was Beta Starke¡­with a human making demands of him. *** How dare she. Roman almost let his wolf¡¯s fury at being talked to that way over, but after considering his options, he decided to let it go. take It didn¡¯t matter where she wanted to meet-he would make her submit to him. And as for what anyone here thought? N?velDrama.Org is the owner. Meh. This wasn¡¯t a powerful pack family, and now that he had a deal with the Knight pack, once the news of him securing the Westen City project for the Starke pack, that¡¯s all that would matter. Roman talked his wolf down from the ledge and curled his fingers into his palms to keep people from seeing his wolf rising. It wouldn¡¯t do for a Beta to seem as though he couldn¡¯t control himself. He looked up and nced at the newly mated wolves walking towards them, then smiled warmly. He lowered his voice to a whisper and threatened Taya, ¡°You better bring the contract like a good little girl. Or my friends here will turn their dream mating ritual this evening into a nightmare.¡± Chapter 53 3/3 After that, he gently tapped the tip of Taya¡¯s nose, pasting his ¡°I¡¯m not dangerous¡± smile on his face. Taya swallowed and nodded obediently. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Beta Starke. I¡¯ll be there.¡± With her guarantee, Roman took his pack bodyguards and left. Chapter 54 Chapter 54 Chapter 54 As soon as the doors to the ceremony hall were s hut, the guests began to whisper amongst themselves and point fingers at me. I didn¡¯t take it to heart. I¡¯m sure that whatever they were saying was probably right. Instead, I turned to Harper and Damian, who were walking toward me. ¡°Who was that?¡± Harper looked at me, worry written all over her face. I¡¯m sure her wolfie instincts told her that Roman wasn¡¯t one of the ¡°good guys¡±. ¡°The Beta of the Starke pack. He need to see me for an important contract. That¡¯s all.¡± I patted her hand with a smile, trying to brush it off. As if one could brush off someone barging into a wedding they weren¡¯t invited to, where they didn¡¯t know anyone there. And for a business contract, no less. When I said this, I deliberately raised my voice just a slight bit. Belonging to N?velDrama.Org. There was a small microphone on Harper¡¯s wedding dress, so that everyone would hear the mating vows. The guests heard my exnation and started whispering again. Now, I could hear them. They were saying things about how Harper¡¯s friend was amazing, and how impressive I was to know B Starke, that Beta Starke thought I was so important and V l to his pack¡¯s business that he came to me for something. Damian¡¯s packnds were on the outskirts of Arcadia. They were small and insr in their dealings, and they didn¡¯t work with or have rtionships with the bigger packs, like Starke or Knight. But, of course, they all knew who the important Alphas, Betas, and packs were. My exnation was enough to dispel everyone¡¯s opinions for the time being. Once people knew it was Beta Starke, the powerful and rich shifter, it suddenly didn¡¯t seem so odd for him to burst into a mating ceremony the way he had. Because he wouldn¡¯t care about something like that. He would only care about getting what he wanted, when he wanted it. That was the right of someone in his position, was how most wolf shifters viewed it. However, I could tell that Harper still felt uneasy. She¡¯d always felt ufortable with my being a human and working with contracts forrge packs. If anything went wrong, I¡¯d be the easy one to me. *** Harper pursed her lips, gave her new mate a worried look, and then shifted her gaze back to Taya. Something was up. For sure. If it was really like what Taya had said, and all Beta Starke wanted was a simple contract, why did he bring so many of is Chapter 54 pack bodyguards here? Plus, he was touching Taya¡¯s waist! His actions looked anything but business-like. To most, it might have looked like Beta Starke was interested in Taya romantically, but to Harper, it looked like he was threatening her. 3/3 The more Harper thought about it, the more worried she became. She took off the microphone on her wedding dress, held Taya¡¯s hand, and looked at her anxiously. ¡°If you¡¯re in danger, you have to tell me. No matter what, I¡¯ll help you.¡± Ever since they were young, Taya always seemed to attract bad people and rtionships. And this man definitely seemed like he belonged in that category. Chapter 55 Chapter 55 Chapter 55 In the past, with Ss¡¯s protection, no one dared to approach me. But now that he was gone, it was my responsibility to protect myself. At Harper¡¯s words, my heart warmed, and tears welled up in my eyes. I was afraid Harper would be even more worried if she saw my tears, so I quickly replied with an ¡°okay¡± and pushed her to continue the ceremony. After exchanging rings and popping champagne at the reception, the mating ceremony wasing to an end. The rest of the mating ritual would be done tonight, under the full moon, with just Damian and Harper and their wolves. I was relieved the day could end happily for Harper and Damjan, watching as they mingled with all their guests, smiles of mated bliss on their faces. Their faces had to hurt by now from smiling so big for so long. Everything had gone off without a hitch-other than the earlier mishap. The next thing I needed to do was to deal with Chapter 55 Roman¡­ 2/3 I followed the car with Damian and Harper in it, sent them off to their new house, and then took a taxi home. As I opened my closet, rustling through the rack for a hanger, a bank card fell out. It was the card I¡¯d given to Harper. She must have secretly put it in here, da mn her. I picked it up, shaking my head but still smiling a little. N?velDrama.Org is the owner. Harper was such a kind and gracious person. She only knew how to give and never asked for anything in return. She didn¡¯t even want to take advantage of Damian. He had paid the down payment for their new house, and she would pay for the renovation. Even if her name wasn¡¯t on the title since it was purchased before they mated-and only members of a pack could buy homes on packnd-Harper would still pay the loan with Damian withoutint or regret. I had always thought of her as a generous older sister, always making people feel warm and fuzzy however she could. I gripped the stic card tightly, thinking about how, after tonight, I would be gone. Chapter 55 3/3 If there was no word left for Harper, I worried she wouldn¡¯t be oble to move on, to let go. Chapter 56 Chapter 56 Chapter 56 It took two pieces of paper, front and back, to write down every single little thing I wanted to say. 1/3 After I finished writing, I put the bank card and my letter into an envelope, then wrote on the back ¡°To Harper.¡± I took out another piece of paper, wanting to write something for Griffon. But I didn¡¯t know what to say. It was as though everything had frozen up inside of my brain, and everything I wanted to say turned into nothing. In the end, I only wrote three words, alongside his name. I put down the pen, folded the letter, and put it in my desk drawer. After I was gone, Harper would likelye to clean up my belongings. When that time came, she would find everything. With this out of the way, I took a handful of medicine. Tonight¡¯s task was heavy, and I had to stabilize my body. Otherwise, all my efforts would be in vain. Opening the locked desk drawer, I took out the small bottle of sleeping pills that I¡¯d saved for this night. After putting the sleeping pills, the fake contract, and a dagger into my bag, I took out my phone and booked a hotel room. Chapter 56 2/3 I went to the hotel to decorate it first and then texted Roman the address. [Mr. Starke, Room 2088 of the Windmere Hotel. I¡¯m waiting for you.] I thought Roman woulde straight over when he got my message, but strangely, he replied with a question mark. [?] Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org. I frowned. Didn¡¯t he agree to get the contract tonight? Just as I was about to text again, my phone buzzed with another message. [Wait for me.] Dismissing my doubts, I put down the phone and took out the sleeping pills and a winess. I clutched my dagger and carefully crushed the pills with the tip of the de. Last time, I had nned to fight Roman to the death, but I hadn¡¯t prepared enough. This time, I was ready for the big, bad wolf. Chapter 57 Chapter 57 Chapter 57 I didn¡¯t want to be yed by Roman any longer, nor did I want to involve Harper. Therefore, I had no other choice but to kil l him. I finished crushing the sleeping pills, picked up the bottle of wine I¡¯d brought with me, filled the winess, and hid the dagger under a pillow on the bed. Then I turned off the light and sat on the sofa, waiting for Roman to arrive. Twenty minutester, there was a knock on the door. Despite putting on a calm, brave face, my hands trembled. I was nervous and scared. But I had made it this far, there was no choice but to keep going through with my n. Putting down the bottle in my hand, I took a deep breath to attempt toposure my shaking hands and nerves. I walked to the door and slowly opened it. The man at the door wore a gold-bronze mask, covering his whole face. Chapter 57 As soon as I saw him, I knew something was wrong. I tried to close the door, but he put his hand on it, his wolf strength too much for me to push back against. He forced his way in, then turned off all the lights. The room instantly fell into darkness. My night vision was no match for a wolf shifter¡¯s night vision; he had a clear advantage. I could only see his dark figure from the light outside the window. 2/3 My body shook uncontrobly. The man was not Roman! Actually¡­based on his height and build, he looked a little like Griffon. However, Griffon smelled faintly of pine, while this person had a strong, cedarwood smell. My eyes adjusted to the darkness a little more, and I was able to make out a bit of his appearance. Griffon had always been meticulous about his appearance, making sure his hair was wlessly styled, only wearing the finest business suits as befitting of an Alpha of his power and stature. This man had messy hair and wore a w hite shirt and brown pants, casual clothes that Griffon would never wear. Lastly, there was a tattoo of a ferocious dragon on his corbone. Griffon would never get a tattoo, If it wasn¡¯t Roman or Griffon..who was this and what did they want from me?!Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g! Chapter 58 Chapter 58 Chapter 58 My heart felt like it was going to jump right out of my chest, it was pounding so hard. Why had this man shown up instead of Roman? Why was he wearing a mask to cover his face? ** Why did he turn off all the lights aftering in? What did he want? My mind was a mess, and I had no idea what to do. Dealing with Roman was one thing. But this changed everything. I gritted my teeth and tried to force my body intopliance -I need to seem strong and sure of myself. No matter who this was, I would find a way to deal with him. I HAD to. I released my tightly clenched fists and yed du mb. ¡°Beta Starke,¡± I said, ¡°if you wanted to roley, you shouldn¡¯t N?velDrama.Org is the owner. Chapter 58 have turned off the lights. It¡¯s too dark to see anything.¡± 2/4 As I spoke, I picked up the ss on the table next to me and discreetly filled it with a little bit of the crushed sleeping pills. I poured wine into it, and then walked over to the man to hand the ss to him. ¡°Why don¡¯t you have a drink to rx?¡± ¡± I¡¯d originally intended to give Roman the contract when he arrived. I expected only after he had the contract in hand would he be interested in having se x. Then, I¡¯d give him a drink to liven up the mood and rx. When the sleeping pills took effect, I would kil l him with my dagger. Finally, I would record a video to expose all of Roman¡¯s crimes and show that I was forced to ki ll him to put an end to his evil. As for myself? After I uploaded the video, I would slit her wrists, ending my own life. The Starke pack and the police would assume our deaths were due to a lovers¡¯ quarrel. This way, they wouldn¡¯t involve Harper in my mess. However, despite how carefully I¡¯d nned, there was no way I could have foreseen a strangering in Roman¡¯s ce. Chapter 58 I couldn¡¯t ki ll this person. I couldn¡¯t end up with two bodies on my hands. 3/4 The smaller amount of crushed pills I added to the wine I held out could make people temporarily lose consciousness, but it would not ki ll them. Provided my calctions were correct and these amounts would work on wolf shifters like I thought it would. They metabolized everything so much more quickly. I was going to drug this man, and then quickly book another room to send the address to Roman, leaving this guy here to sleep it off. Otherwise, if I didn¡¯t meet with Roman tonight, he would send someone to Harper and Damian. I held the ss up to the man, urging him to take it, but he didn¡¯t ept it. He just stared at me with his otherworldly, shining wolf eyes, his mask hiding any expression on his face. It was as if he could see through me, see all of my thoughts. The aura emanating from him wasparable to Griffon- Chapter 58 powerful andmanding. 4/4 He hadn¡¯t said a word since he came in. Just lowered his head and stared at me. I would have thought he was a zombie if it weren¡¯t for seeing his chest¡¯s slight rise and fall. He was muchrger than me, strong and tall-he reminded me of a mountain. This wasn¡¯t a shifter to be trifled with. Despite how scared I was, my mind was racing with thoughts of how to deal with him. Suddenly, he pressed me against the wall. Chapter 59 Chapter 59 Chapter 59 ¡°Do you like to roley?¡± He spoke very low, as if deliberately hiding his voice. It was so low and rough, it was as if his wolf were speaking to me. It was impossible to tell who he was. I had to find a way to take off his mask. Plus, he wasn¡¯t buying my act. I was already in danger, so I switched tactics. I mustered up all of the confidence and sternness I could. ¡°You¡¯re not Beta Starke. Who are you? Why won¡¯t you show your face?¡± The man did not answer. Instead, he raised his hand-wearing a ck glove-and touched my cheek softly. The leather was cool on my skin. ¡°Answer my question first.¡± While he was touching my face, I quickly reached out to pull off his mask. However, he reacted quicker and grabbed my wrist. I still held the wine in my other hand. Unless I dropped the Chapter 59 2/3 wine, which I didn¡¯t want to do because of the sleeping pills in it, I was trapped. The man saw that I was still tightly gripping the winess, and his eyes narrowed. He snatched it from my hand, held it under his nose, and sniffed. I nervously sweated as I watched him, and my brain stopped working instantly. This was a shifter. How could he NOT smell the drugs in there? I held my breath and waited for his reaction. Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org. But he said nothing and put the ss aside. Perhaps the smell of the wine overpowered anything else? I prayed that was the case. He then took out a wh ite cotton rope and grabbed both my hands. Frightened, I screamed, ¡°B astard!¡± I struggled and resisted desperately, but the wolf¡¯s hold was too strong. Chapter 59 3/3 He tightened his grip on my wrists and tied them up with the rope. Then, he pulled a piece of cloth from his pocket and covered my eyes. Chapter 60 Chapter 60 Chapter 60 Blindfolded, I waspletely surrounded by darkness. I felt like I had fallen into an endless abyss, unable to escape no matter how hard I struggled. ? If I¡¯d thought Roman was terrifying¡­I was learning there was someone even more terrifying than him. Nervous sweat drenched my body, and I couldn¡¯t keep my legs from trembling. Tied, blindfolded¡­ I was helpless. The only thing I could do now was try to calm down, to figure out what to say for him to let me go. ¡°Sir.¡± My voice was just as shaky as I felt. ¡°Wh-What are you doing?¡± The man did not answer. Instead, he picked me up. I yelped as I was lifted and then was thrown onto the soft hotel bed. I was positive he was going to ra pe me, but he didn¡¯t touch Chapter 60 2/3 me. Instead, I felt the bed shift as he sat down beside me. My dagger. It was beneath the pillows. If I could get just a little bit closer, I could use it to cut the ropes off my wrists. Wiggling around under the pretense of getting away from him, I managed to push my body closer to where the dagger was. But just as my hands were about to touch the pillows, the man suddenlyContentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g! pressed down on top of me. Then his rough voice was in my ear, so close I could feel the warmth of his breath. ¡°You asked Roman toe to this hotel, and you drugged the wine. What were you nning?¡± I froze. Why was he asking about something that had nothing to do with him? Could Roman have seen through my n and sent this man to sniff out my true intentions? No, that was impossible. This wasn¡¯t Roman¡¯s style. If he had known I wanted to k ill him, he would have sent someone to chop me up and feed me to his hogs. ¡°It¡¯s¡­it¡¯s just a kind of drug to get someone excited. Like an aphrodisiac.¡± I pretended to be calm and spoke quietly. Chapter 61 Chapter 61 Chapter 61 ¡°Roleying and drugs. You two sure do like to live on the edge.¡± I kept my mou th shu t. He seemed to believe me for now. My silence must have angered him because he grabbed my chin forcefully. Just when I was expecting him to strangle me to death, my phone rang. The quiet and terrifying atmosphere in the room was instantly broken. Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g! The man let go of my chin, and his weight on the bed was gone. He must have gotten up to get my phone. ¡°It¡¯s Beta Starke! He needs something from me. Let me answer!¡± The man¡¯s hoarse voice suddenly became colder. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you afraid he¡¯ll find you in bed with another man?¡± ¡°No!¡± I tried my best to control my panic. ¡°Please. Let me Chapter 61 2/3 answer. If I don¡¯t, something bad will happen to my friend. I¡¯ll do anything you want!¡± I begged shamelessly. What did I have to lose? I thought maybe he would untie me; I felt no movement on the bed. Instead, he answered the phone and put it on speaker. Before I could say anything, Roman¡¯s loud, growling voice came yelling from the other end. ¡°Taya, you b*tch, how dare you lie to me? I told you what would happen. Remember, this is your fault. I want you to imagine your little friend screaming for help as my men defile her, while her mate looks on, wrapped in silver.¡± I was so scared I could barely breathe, but if I didn¡¯t act fast, Harper and Damian were the ones most at risk. I didn¡¯t matter anymore. ¡°Beta Starke, please! I was just about to send you the address when you called. I¡¯ll be waiting for you in Room 2088 at the Windmere Hotel. Please,e now!¡± I could hear Roman gnashing his teeth in anger, hear his low growls deep in his chest before he said, ¡°I¡¯ve already sent my men to your friend¡¯s location. When I get to the hotel, if I don¡¯t see the contract, the she-wolf will be raped, and the man will be wrapped in silver and forced to watch, and then they¡¯ll both be chopped into pieces. Do you hear me?¡± Chapter 62 Chapter 62 Chapter 62 ¡°I understand.¡± I heard a beep as the masked man ended the call. I couldn¡¯t see him, so I could only beg him anxiously. ¡°Sir, you heard him. It¡¯s a matter of life and death. You can do whatever you want to me by pretending to be Roman, but please allow me to save them first. I must see him tonight and give him the contract, or he will k ill my friend!¡± It was a long while before the man answered. I wished I could see him, wished I could get this awful blindfold off. When he finally spoke, he asked, ¡°What contract?¡± There was no world in which I was actually going to tell him anything tangible. ¡°It¡¯s just a project contract.¡± I heard the clicks of what sounded like him dialing a number on his phone, and then he said unhurriedly, ¡°No worries. I can just call Roman back to go over the specifics.¡± S h it. 1/4 Chapter 62 Double s hit. 2/4 Dam n these wolf shifters and their uncanny ability to sniff out half-truths. I was forever at a disadvantage without abilities of my own. I let all of it out in a whoosh of breath-minus the part about my n to k ill Roman. ¡°I had no choice but to lie to him that I could get the Westen. City project for the Starke pack. My purpose was to hold him back in this way so that my friend could get mated smoothly, but he hasn¡¯t been easy to deal with. I had to make a fake contract.¡± After I spoke, the man was silent for a while. Da mn it, dam n it, da mn it. I wished I could see him. Tears. welled up in my eyes behind the blindfold. ¡°Sir, I¡¯m telling the truth. Please¡­let me go,¡± I whispered. ¡°Haven¡¯t you slept with Roman?¡± ¡°Of course not! He¡¯s a monster. How could I sleep with him?¡± Seemingly endless time passed, though it was only a matter of seconds, and then I felt the ties being cut off of my wrists. Once I was freed, I immediately tore off the blindfold. Chapter 62 3/4 The lights in the room were still off, and the man still wore his mask. At this point, I couldn¡¯t care less about what he looked like. All I cared about was getting him out of here so I could deal with Roman when he arrived. If I could get this man to leave, I could still deal with Roman ording to my original n. ¡°Sir, please. Leave now. Beta Starke is a tough person to deal with. If he sees you here, he will ki ll you! I don¡¯t want to be responsible for your death at the hands of a powerful pack.¡± The man snorted as if he¡¯d heard a joke. ¡°Why would I be afraid of him? What makes you think his pack is more powerful than mine? That HE is more powerful than me?¡± As he spoke, he put his hands in his pants pockets and looked down at me. He exuded Alpha vibes. They were practically radiating off of him, and I was surprised that hadn¡¯t urred to me before. Goddess, he really looked like Griffon¡­ While I was staring at him, thoughts racing through my mind, the man sat on the sofa and yed with the small golden Chapter 62 knife in his hand that he must have used to cut me free. He didn¡¯t look like he was going anywhere anytime soon¡­Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g! Chapter 63 Chapter 63 Chapter 63 Rising from the bed, I started walking toward him, wracking my brain for anything I could do to get him to leave. I had almost reached him when there was a forceful pounding on the door. I instantly froze. With pleading eyes, I stared into the man¡¯s glowing eyes behind the mask. ¡°Please. I¡¯m begging you,¡± I said softly. ¡°My friend¡¯s life depends on it.¡± My voice trembled and broke. I struggled to hold back a sob, my ears buzzing and my heart racing far faster than its poor damaged tissue should be able to. Something I couldn¡¯t ce shed in his eyes for a brief Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org. second, but he still got up and went to the bathroom, quietly closing the door behind him. I heaved a sigh of relief, trying to keep from breaking down. You can do this, I told myself. You got this. I quickly turned on the light, removed the fake contract from my bag, and walked to the door. Chapter 63 2/2 As soon as the door opened, Roman stormed in. His face was twisted in a snarl, and his wolf had started to take over. His ws were out, his eyes glowed red, and the tips of his ears. were pointed. If I¡¯d thought he was scary before, he was even more so now. He advanced on me until I was backed up against the bed, his hand raised as if he were about to strike me. Fighting the urge to cower, I kept my back straight, shoulders square, and maintained eye contact. ¡°You bi tch, how dare you-¡± ¡°Beta Starke, the contract!¡± Before he could p me, I raised the contract between us. When he saw it, he slowly lowered his hand, then snatched the contract away from. I didn¡¯t breathe while Roman read it carefully. The Billionaire Alpha¡¯s Contract Lover ¡°Well, it seems you¡¯re not useless after all.¡± Oh, thank the goddess. Roman wrapped his arms around my waist and kissed me hard on the cheek. ¡°Tell me, baby, what reward do you want?¡± I swallowed down the bile rising in my throat. With a calmness I didn¡¯t feel, I said, ¡°Beta Starke, I don¡¯t need any reward other than you telling your men to leave Harper and Damian alone.¡± Chapter 64 Chapter 64 Chapter 64¡ä Roman nodded, then immediately made a phone call to ask his men to withdraw. Only then did I let out a full sigh of relief. I turned, picked up the drugged ss of wine, and handed it to Roman. ¡°Roman, would you like to have a drink with me?¡± ¡°Drink with you?¡± Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org. 2/4 Roman raised an eyebrow. Now this¡­this isn¡¯t what he had expected from the little spitfire human. Perhaps she¡¯de to her sense after all¡­ He strode back over to her, leaning down to scent her hair above her ear. ¡°Have you changed your mind? Are you willing to let me touch you?¡± She bristled, and her body stiffened. ¡°Beta Starke, I¡¯ve already told you I don¡¯t want to sleep with you. Our deal was that I would get you the project and you wouldn¡¯t have s ex with me. Are you going back on your word?¡± Ah, it was back to Beta Starke now. This woman was going to give him whish, her demeanor shifted so quickly. ¡°Then why do you want me to drink with you?¡± ¡°I wanted to thank you. After all, you let me go twice in a row. Not only did you not touch me, but you also trusted me, a mere human. At the very least, I should offer you a drink as a gesture of my gratitude.¡± She should be grateful, Roman thought, her words having worked to fluff his ego a bit. ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll have a drink with you.¡± Chapter 64 3/4 He took the wine she held out to him, noticing that her fingers were trembling. Narrowing his eyes, he took the ss but didn¡¯t drink it. Instead, he examined Taya. Tapping into his wolf¡¯s senses, he perused her with his heightened vision. He took in the way her chest was rising and falling just slightly too fast. But what really betrayed her was the s tink of fear. She disguised her emotions very well for a human. Not good enough for a wolf, though. ¡°You can drink it first.¡± Roman handed the winess back to Taya. Roman watched as her pupils dted ever so little, imperceptible to someone without his enhanced senses. There was definitely something wrong with the wine. The little human somehow managed to steady her beating heart and pretended as if nothing had happened. She took the winess, raised her head, and took a sip. ¡°I can¡¯t afford expensive wine you¡¯re used to, so I asked the hotel to send a bottle within my budget. It doesn¡¯t taste good. If you don¡¯t like it, I¡¯ll ask the receptionist to bring a different one.¡± Chapter 64 4/4 After saying that, Taya turned around, walked up to the phone, and made a call. Her action quickly dispelled Roman¡¯s doubts. Before the receptionist could answer, he stopped her. Chapter 65 Chapter 65 Chapter 65 ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever had cheap wine. Maybe I¡¯ll like pretending to be poor.¡± Roman gently took the ss from her hand, lightly licked the lipstick mark on the rim, and then drank. As he swallowed, he observed Taya¡¯s expression. This time the earlier telltale signs of deceit and fear were gone. Nevertheless, he wasn¡¯t a f ool. He¡¯d been around long enough to have a gained a healthy distrust of everyone. When you were born into a leadership role in a powerful, you were born with enemies. Roman was cautious, only taking a sip before putting down the ss. I didn¡¯t expect him to be so difficult to deal with. Appealing to his ego always did the trick, but I needed him to drink more. If he didn¡¯t drink enough of the sleeping pills, I wouldn¡¯t be Chapter 65 able to take him down. 2/3 Add to that¡­a stranger was hiding in the bathroom. If he saw that I had killed someone, I might be unable to escape. This was a mess. And Roman had no intention of letting me go. He put down the ss, grabbed my hand, and sat on the sofa. Once he was seated, he dragged me onto hisp, trapping me. One of his di sgusting hands reached out to touch my thigh, inching higher and higher. I was no match for him unless the sleeping pills kicked in, and I was pretty sure he hadn¡¯t had enough. ¡°Beta Starke, didn¡¯t you promise not to touch me?¡± I squirmed in hisp, trying to wriggle my way out of his arms so I could stand. All that did was cause him to smile, his wolf gleaming amber in his eyes. ¡°Why ever would I let you go?¡±Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org. Chapter 66 Chapter 66 Chapter 66 Everything was going to sh it. All of the ns I had so carefully made, thought out for so long¡­ruined thanks to the stranger currently hiding in the bathroom. 1/3 If he hadn¡¯t pretended to be Roman and stirred up trouble first, I wouldn¡¯t have been so nervous that my hands trembled. I was sure that was what had given me away. I¡¯d been around wolf shifters long enough that I had learned to suppress many of my bodily reactions, their enhanced senses so good at picking up any little thing. What should I do now? Was Roman going to r ape me? As I was starting to panic, Roman¡¯s phone vibrated and interrupted his hand¡¯s leisurely crawl up my thigh. ¡°Beta Starke, your phone is ringing. You should answer it in case it¡¯s something important¡­¡± I took his momentary distraction as an opportunity to push Roman away and get off hisp. Chapter 66 Luckily, he didn¡¯t say anything and didn¡¯t stop me, but the 2/3 look on his face told me that he wasn¡¯t done with me, and he wasn¡¯t worried about me getting away. He took out his phone and looked at it. When he saw the number on it, he quickly answered. His demeanorpletely changed. Gone was the cocky, rough wolf and in its ce was a formal, respectful tone. Who had called that would elicit such a drastic change in him? Never mind. I could use these moments to try to figure out my next move. Roman nced at the contract while speaking. ¡°Is there a problem? Why didn¡¯t I find it?¡± I couldn¡¯t hear what the person on the other end was saying, only Roman¡¯s responses. ¡°Now?¡± After a pause, he added, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll be right there.¡± No, no, no. If I didn¡¯t carry out my n tonight, I¡¯d be done for after the official Westen City project bidding meeting tomorrow! Chapter 66 3/3 Before I could try to stop him from leaving, he picked up the contract, put his arms around my waist, and kissed me. ¡°I have something urgent to deal with. Wait here for me.¡± Oh, this just might work. Since he hadn¡¯t slept with me yet, he¡¯d have more reason toe back. I could wait a little longer¡­Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g! Chapter 67 Chapter 67 Chapter 67 As soon as Roman left, I heaved a sigh of relief. Until I heard the sounding from the other room. Then I tensed up again. There was still one more person to deal with¡­ I walked over to the bathroom door. As soon as I put my hand on the knob, the door opened. Arge hand grabbed my wrist and pulled me in. The bathroom light was off, and only a faint yellow light shined through from beneath the door, allowing a glimpse of the tattoo on the man¡¯s corbone. I wanted to look closer, but he suddenly turned around and pressed me against the wall. God damm it, I was tired of men throwing me around tonight. He hugged me from behind and again secured my hands with a zip tie. Then, the blindfold was over my eyes again. ¡± Chapter 67 Gah!!!!! 2/3 Why did he tie me up again? I opened my mout h to speak, but he grabbed my chin roughly, his fingers pinching as he positioned me. A chill swept over me, and then his lips were on mine. Rough, hard, sensual¡­needy. The moment he kissed me, I lifted my bound hands up to touch his face. He¡¯d removed the mask, but since I was blindfolded it didn¡¯t matter. I was pressed against the wall, and the man¡¯s hot body almost burned mine, the heating off him was so intense. Wolf shifters ran hot, but this guy was like an inferno. His kiss devoured me, like a hungry wolf that couldn¡¯t wait to swallow me whole. I was his prey. And why did I like it? ¡°Hmm¡­¡± I let out a soft moan before I could think to hold it in. Chapter 67 When he heard it, it was though a switch flipped, and his 3/3 actions were almost manic. He ripped my dress off, his strong hands and ws easily shedding the fabric from my body. After he turned me around, he pressed me face-first against the wall again, lifting my bound hands above my head. He moved with a sense of urgency and aggression as if he hadn¡¯t been with a woman in a long time. It seemed the wolf would never be satisfied.Material ? of N?velDrama.Org. Chapter 68 Chapter 68 Chapter 68 Tears burned my eyes. If Griffon had thought me dir ty before¡­ A strangled sob broke free, and the man suddenly stopped moving. He grabbed my chin, twisted my face to the side, and questioned coldly, ¡°Who are you crying for?¡± I pursed my lips tightly and did not say anything. My tears had soaked the blindfold and were streaming down my face. Apparently, this wolf didn¡¯t like my silence. His next¡­movements¡­were punishing. Designed to hurt, to only take from my body and leave me with no pleasure. I¡¯d thought he looked a bit like Griffon before, but even Griffon had never been like this. The way this man moved, his sheer strength¡­ It waspletely different. There was noparing the two. Griffon had never been this¡­this desperate. Oh goddess. Chapter 68 What if Roman came back while this was happening? 2/3 I copsed, letting my body go limp. He was too strong, too powerful, too determined. I would never be able to get away from him until he decided he was going to let me go. If he did. It wasn¡¯t until this moment that I realized Roman had deliberately let me go before. Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g! The recognition sent shockwaves through me. If he¡¯d really wanted to rape me, he would have done so by now. He could easily overpower me, especially given how sick I was. I had gotten away not because I was smart or strong, but because Roman had allowed it. ¡°You can only be mine!¡± the wolf behind me growled menacingly. He bit at my lips again, his wed hand clutching roughly at my hip. It took nearly two hours for him to let me go¡­ My body had long since gone limp, given up. Coupled with the fact that I had sipped the wineced with the crushed Chapter 68 sleeping pills, I felt a little dizzy. 3/3 The man did not leave immediately after finishing with me. Instead, he carried me to the bathtub and lowered me into it. After washing me up with warm water, he carried me to the bed,ying me down and pulling the covers over me. Despite everything that had just happened, I wanted to fall asleep the moment my head touched the soft pillow and felt the luxuriousforter wrap around me. But when I thought Roman would return, I desperately bit my tongue to wake myself up. It wasn¡¯t until I tasted blood that I regained consciousness. B Chapter 69 Chapter 69 Chapter 69 ¡°Now, can you let me go?¡± My voice was so cold that it cut straight to the bone. If I knew who the man was, I would kil l him. Or at least try to. The man seemed to be putting on his clothes and did not answer. My entire body shook with rage, with the humiliation of what he¡¯d put me through. There was a rustle of fabric, the bed shifted with the added weight of another person, and the man pressed down on me again. ¡°You¡¯ve already taken what you wanted from me. Are you going to kil l me now?¡± He dropped a surprisingly gentle kiss on my lips, then leaned over to hoarsely whisper beside my ear, ¡°You lied to Roman. You gave him a fake contract. Aren¡¯t you afraid that he¡¯s going toe after you, k ill you?¡± ¡°What does that have to do with you?¡± I turned my head away Chapter 69 2/4 from him and struggled beneath him, trying to shove him off of me. I had been raped by this stranger, still being held by him, and I was already dying. At this point, I had nothing else to lose; I was no longer afraid of Roman. The man stopped talking. Then he began to untie me. As soon as my hands were freed, I ripped of the blindfold. Da mmit all to h ell! The light was still off, and the man had already put on the mask. He was too far away for me to see him clearly, to make out anything else about him that I might be able to recognize later. If there was ater. His ns for what he was going to do next were still unknown. I had no idea if I was leaving this room on my own two feet or in a body bag. Then again¡­a body bag had been my original n. But I wanted to go out on MY terms, not at the hand of my ra pist. Chapter 69 3/4 With a jolt, I remembered the dagger I¡¯d ced under the pillow. It had to still be there. I couldn¡¯t picture this guy finding it and not mentioning it. I quickly shifted to sit at the head of the bed, positioning myself so that he couldn¡¯t see me reach under the pillow. Ever so slowly, ever so quietly. If I was lucky, he was exhausted and his wolf was resting. As soon as my fingertips touched the dagger, I grabbed it, jumped up from the bed, and rushed toward the man. I crossed the room quickly, raised the knife in both hands, and stabbed it straight at his chest. The chest that was no longer there. He¡¯d taken a step back and easily avoided any type of critical wound. The knife only shed shallowly into his arm as he raised it reflexively to defend himself. With a primal scream, I pounced on him, trying to stab him. anywhere I couldn¡¯t. At this point, blood was blood, and rage Belonging to N?velDrama.Org. had taken over me. Fresh tears flowed from my eyes as I sobbed and tried to stab him. Chapter 69 4/4 But it was no use. I was no match for a wolf shifter, no matter how tired he might be. He easily grabbed my wrist and took the knife. ¡°That¡¯s enough!¡± he roared. His rough, snarling voice brought me back to my senses, and despair settled over my body like a lead nket. Chapter 70 Chapter 70 Chapter 70 Without the knife, I was even more helpless than before. I was out of options, out of energy, out of¡­everything. Sinking into a pile on the floor, I covered my face and burst into hupping sobs. ¡°Don¡¯t cry.¡± 1/4 His voice was gruff and cold, and I couldn¡¯t tell if he was trying tofort me or trying to get me to stop because it annoyed him. It didn¡¯t matter. Even if I wanted to, I couldn¡¯t stop. Iy there, weeping and trying to breathe through my sobs. The man let out a helpless sigh. He squatted down and touched my hair, running a hand through it. I ducked away from his touch. ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking about you for a long time, and I couldn¡¯t help it. I¡¯m sorry,¡± he said in a softer tone. Huh? He¡¯d been thinking about me for a long time? Chapter 70 2/4 He knew who I was¡­ He¡¯d pretended to be Roman and texted me. That meant he knew I was ¡°involved¡± with Roman. And Roman had dered that I was his woman that evening at Nightshade. I wracked my brain to recall the men present that night. Men whose physical appearance matched. In addition to Griffon, Preston and many other wolf shifters from prominent packs were there. Griffon and Preston looked down on me, so they wouldn¡¯t do such a thing. Neither of them wanted anything to do with me¡­and Griffon would have never gone to these lengths. Not when he could have me with a snap of his fingers. That meant this man was likely someone who knew Roman. And he must be familiar enough with Roman to know Roman was in a meeting when she called to confirm it. This all made sense. Roman was sc um, so he would associate with other scu m. The type of scu m who would do something like this. Chapter 70 Oh goddess. A chill ran down my spine. I¡¯d told him about the fake contract. If he told Roman¡­ Frightened, I trembled all over. I couldn¡¯t breathe, couldn¡¯t think, couldn¡¯t move. I was as good as dead no matter what. The man picked up the dagger and looked at it, running his thumb over the hilt. ¡°Were you going to trick Roman into drinking that drugged wine and then ki ll him with this?¡± 3/4 clenched my fists and kept my m outh firmly s h ut. He threw the dagger away. His eyes shed with his wolf, with anger. ¡°Next time you find yourself in a position where you need help,e to me.¡± ¡°Come to you?¡± I scoffed. ¡°I don¡¯t even know who you are, what you look like.¡± The man did not reply. He picked up my phone, opened 4/4 Chapter 70 WhatsApp, and added his number. After sending a message, he handed the phone back. ¡°I promise toe when you need me.¡± I looked down at my phone to see whatever fake name he¡¯d entered.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g! Chapter 71 Chapter 71 Chapter 71 This ¡°Greyson¡± wouldn¡¯t even show me his face, so it¡¯s not like I expected him to enter his real name in. I lowered my head and was deep in thought when the man suddenly picked me up. I thought that he was going to do something ho rrific to me again, so I struggled desperately. Instead, he put me back on the bed, pulled up the quilt, and covered me with it. Then, he leaned over and said, ¡°Have a good sleep. Don¡¯t wait for Roman. He won¡¯te back.¡± I didn¡¯t understand what he meant. ¡°What do you mean?¡± He didn¡¯t respond, just left quickly as if he had something urgent to deal with. As I watched him leave, I wished I could pounce on him and tear him apart. But I was so tired and weak that I couldn¡¯t wait to fall asleep. I wished I had the stamina that someone like ¡°Greyson¡± had. ¡± Chapter 71 2/5 Even after all he put me through, thanks to his wolf nature, he didn¡¯t even appear tired. Meanwhile, my weak human body was nothing but a betrayal on all fronts. Still, I forced myself to go sit on the sofa and wait for Roman. No way was I going to put faith in the words of the man who¡¯d assaulted me. I had to be on full alert to deal with Roman. At least Greyson hadn¡¯t threatened me with Harper. However, I wasn¡¯t done with Roman and Greyson. Not by a long shot. I clenched my fists and made a promise to myself to make them pay. *** Aftering out of the Knight Pack offices, Roman held the contract and looked very happy. He went to his car in the parking garage under the building, excited to go straight to the Windmere Hotel to find Taya. Chapter 71 To¡­celebrate. 3/5 Unexpectedly, a fleet of Jeeps suddenly rushed out from seemingly nowhere and surrounded him. Roman¡¯s wolf immediately went on alert, and he had a bad feeling. He quickly abandoned his car; escaping in his wolf form would give him better chances. He started running toward the exit, undoing his tie. Once he¡¯d shed his constricting clothes, he could shift. He¡¯d barely made it more than a few meters when a car drove straight toward him as if it had lost control. Frantically, he looked around for a new escape route, but everywhere he turned, a Jeep blocked the way. He might be faster and more powerful in his wolf form, but there was nothing he could do if he was surrounded. The car forced him to retreat to a corner, and the driver¡¯s door slowly opened. A man wearing a gold and copper mask stepped out. The car¡¯s headlights shined bright in Roman¡¯s eyes, so he couldn¡¯t see the man clearly. He could only vaguely tell that it was a young-ish man in casual clothes. In Arcadia, the Starke pack was important. Everyone knew Chapter 71 4/5 Belonging to N?velDrama.Org. who the Beta of the pack was. How dare this guy gather so many cars to surround him, corner him. Who would have the balls to do this? ¡°Do you know who I am?¡± he growled out at the masked man. The man cocked his head. ¡°I do.¡± ¡± His voice was low and hoarse, deliberately faked. Only a co ward would hide his identity beneath a mask and a false voice. And Roman wasn¡¯t remotely scared of co wards. He was unfazed, and strode over to the man. He pointed a finger at his nose and growled, ¡°Since you know who I am, I can only supposed you¡¯ve blocked my exit because you¡¯re interested in dying tonight.¡± The man¡¯s eyes shed with his wolf-almost an amused look in them-and he only raised his hand slightly. The bodyguards standing behind him immediately stepped forward and grabbed Roman¡¯s hand. Before Roman could react, the bodyguard took out a knife and cut off his finger-the one he¡¯d pointed at the man. Chapter 72 Chapter 72 Chapter 72 Roman roared in pain. 1/3 Of all the things he¡¯d expected, this oue wasn¡¯t even remotely something he¡¯d considered. He clutched his hand tightly, partly from shock, partly realizing he needed to stanch the blood flow. However, what he did not expect was that this was only the beginning. ¡°Sir.¡± After cutting off Roman¡¯s finger, the bodyguard respectf returned the knife to the man. The man took the knife, took out a handkerchief, and gently wiped off the blood on the back of the knife. Then, he slowly walked toward Roman. For the first time he could recall, Roman felt fear. ¡°Who¡­ who the h ell are you? How dare you do this to me?¡± Sure he had used cr uel methods and yed with many Chapter 72 2/3 women. But all the women he slept with had no one important in their background. They were all nobodies without protectors. Whoever this man was must have a grudge against the Starke pack, so he came to take revenge on him because he had found an opportunity to do so. The man didn¡¯t respond, just continued approaching. Unconsciously, Roman took a step back. His wolf growled at him for show weakness, but Roman was more concerned with self-preservation. They¡¯d already take a finger from him; he didn¡¯t want to lose something else. Wolf shifters might heal better, but they couldn¡¯t regrow limbs. After taking a few steps back, he was blocked by several bodyguards in ck uniforms with an ¡°S¡± on their ties. He¡¯d been careless, in a hurry toe to the Knight pack¡¯s offices. He knew better than to go into rival territory without his pack bodyguards. His father, the Alpha, had practically drilled it into his head that he must always assume danger. Starke wolves were strong, but it didn¡¯t matter how strong you were when you were heavily outnumbered or taken by surprise. If he¡¯d brought his pack bodyguards, per protocol, he wouldn¡¯t be in this situation.Belonging to N?velDrama.Org. Chapter 73 Chapter 73 Chapter 73 The man raised his chin, and the bodyguards behind Roman kicked at the backs of his knees and shins. Roman was caught off guard and fell to the ground. He was so angry to be so humiliatingly forced to kneel at someone¡¯s feet that he didn¡¯t care about anything else. He raised his head, gritted his teeth, and red at the man in front of him. ¡°How dare you treat me like this?¡± Roman started to stand back up, trying to keep the look of pain off his face; his finger wound was pure agony. ¡°I will find out who you are, and I¡¯ll kil Before Roman could finish his threat, the masked man had his knife out. Faster than Roman could blink, the man had sliced through his wrist tendons, leaving Roman¡¯s hands dangling uselessly. The pain and shock was so fierce, Roman didn¡¯t have time to process it before his m outh was shed, followed by shes on the tops of his thighs-clear down to the bone. The man didn¡¯t even blink as he did all of this, his eyes shining Chapter 73 cold and emotionless with his wolf. 2/3 Once Roman was lying on the ground, trembling in shock, the masked man stood over him. He threw the knife aside, and then one of his bodyguards handed him a handkerchief. ¡°You kissed her with that fil thy m outh of yours. Touched her, hugged her, and even made her sit on yourp. Now, you¡¯ll never kiss her, touch her, or make her sit on yourp ever again.¡± The man calmly and deliberately wiped Roman¡¯s blood from his hands. ¡°Sir, it¡¯s time to go,¡± one of the bodyguards nudged. The man nodded slightly, then turned and left without a backward nce at Roman. In what seemed like a choreographed dance, all of the vehicles left the garage as suddenly as they¡¯d surrounded Roman. Roman was left, bleeding out and shaking on the cold concrete. *** I waited in the hotel room all night, but Roman didn¡¯te. At three in the morning, I was so sleepy that I couldn¡¯t force myself to stay away. I didn¡¯t wake up until the next afternoon, and the Knight pack bidding conference was the first thing I thought about. Quickly, I tidied myself up and was about to leave the hotel when my cell phone vibrated. A message from Greyson. [Watch the news.]Belonging to N?velDrama.Org. Chapter 74 Chapter 74 Chapter 74 Just as I was wondering what he wanted me to see, he sent a link. The headline read, ¡°Roman Starke, Beta of the Starke Pack, Injured Last Night.¡± My eyes widened, and I opened my phone¡¯s browser to look for more information. More headlines popped up, and I felt like my eyes were going to pop out of my face, they were so wide with shock. ¡°The Starke Pack Business Scandal Exposed¡± and ¡°The Starke Pack¡¯s Company Stock Plunges Overnight.¡± I clicked on each one, only to discover that Roman had returned because someone had done one he ll of a number him. Someone had managed to get into the hospital and snap a picture of him lying in a hospital bed. His mo uth was covered with a bandage, and the picture showed bandaged hands, wrists, and legs. Whoever had wanted to hurt Roman wanted to hurt him BAD. They¡¯d shed his mo uth, cut his index finger off, sliced Chapter 74 through all the tendons and nerves in his wrists, and then made deep cuts on the tops of his thighs. 2/3 Their intent was to hurt him, maim him in ways that his wolf wouldn¡¯t be able to heal from¡­but also to leave him alive. The Starke pack and the local elders for the Midwest packs sent special shifter investigators to search for perpetrator, but the surveince cameras in the parking garage and on the surrounding roads were all destroyed, making it impossible to find the culprit. After Roman¡¯s ident, it was as though Pandora¡¯s box had been open, and all of Roman¡¯s vile misdeeds wereing to light. Women had begun speaking to reporters about his ¡°exploits¡± and sharing how he had abused them and forced himself upon them. Thements on the articles were full of people saying that Beta Starke had gotten exactly what he deserved, Toplicate matters even more, the Starke pack¡¯s business practiced were exposed. They were involved in a lot of illegal activity-cases of corruption, bribery, tax evasion¡­ the list went on. Overnight, the Starke pack went from being respected and doing well, to going through aplete copse. Their stock plunged when the markets opened, the Alpha was arrested, Chapter 74 3/3 and the only reason the Beta wasn¡¯t arrested was because he was in a hospital bed. Write yourmentMaterial ? of N?velDrama.Org. Chapter 75 Chapter 75 Chapter 75 I read through article after article, absolutely stunned. Someone else had been able to do even more than I¡¯d be able to dream of doing. They¡¯d exposed so much more than I would have been able to. What kind of power could defeat one of the biggest packs in Arcadia in just one night? I remembered what Greyson had saidst night-that Roman would note back. Obviously, I hadn¡¯t taken him seriously, but now¡­ How did he know in advance that Roman would note back and be so sure of it? Could it be¡­he did this? If it was the masked man who had done it, then my previous spection that the masked shifter was a friend or packmate of Roman was wrong. Now, I was back at the drawing board with trying to figure out just who this Greyson was. My gut was telling me that it was Material ? of N?velDrama.Org. Chapter 75 2/4 him who¡¯d attacked Roman and brought down his pack¡­ which was even more confusing to figure out. The only person I could think of with enough power to ruin the Starke pack so swiftly was Griffon-and the manst night wasn¡¯t Griffon. Relief swept through me, though, when I realized I didn¡¯t have to deal with Roman now, didn¡¯t have to worry about Harper¡¯s safety. However, as soon as I escaped from Roman, I had another creep to deal with¡­someone I was afraid was even worse. After thinking for a while, I went to find the hotel manager so I could see the surveince footage. Just my luck. The only footage was of Roman entering and exiting the room. Anything that would have included the masked man had been deleted. There was no proof anyone had been in the room with me other than Roman. I had nothing to take to pack police, and no evidence of his abuse, since he¡¯d ced me in the bathtub. However¡­I did have the WhatsApp ID and his messages. That had to count for something, right? Resolved, I went down to the pack police station to file a report. Of course, the shifter police weren¡¯t always known for being particrly helpful to humans, but I had to at least try. Chapter 75 3/4 I provided the man¡¯s phone number, WhatsApp ID, and all the texts he had sent to me. However, the police said that the phone number was not traceable, and the IP address of his WhatsApp ount was run through a VPN. To top it all off? The police said that I was the one who took the initiative to invite him to the hotel. Even if he pretended to be someone else, it wasn¡¯t evidence of anything else. Their best suggestion was to go to the hospital in case any bodily evidence was still. I was disappointed and out of options, so I went to the hospital. After that, I dragged my tired body home. As soon as I opened the door, Harper was right there, wringing her hand anxiously. ¡°Where have you been?! You didn¡¯t answer any of my calls!¡± I looked at my phone. Sure enough, there they were. I¡¯d been so focused on watching the news and checking the surveince video in the hotel that I hadn¡¯t even noticed any missed calls. ¡°Oh, I went out for a walk in the mall. It was noisy, so I didn¡¯t hear my phone.¡± Chapter 75 Actually, I¡¯d been sleeping so soundly that I hadn¡¯t heard 4/4 anything. But I didn¡¯t want Harper to worry, so I tried to y it off casually. Hopefully, Harper was happy enough to see that! was alive and okay, her wolf wouldn¡¯t notice anything amiss. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be on your way to your honeymoon in Mysia with Damian today? Why are you here?¡± Chapter 76 Chapter 76 Chapter 76 ¡°This morning, as soon as Damian and I left the house, the pack¡¯s security guards stopped us. They said a group of men in ck came to our housest night and stood at the door, guarding it. About half an hourter, they left. The security guards thought it was a little strange, but they figured it might be our rtives or something, since it was our mating night. He didn¡¯t see a need to mention it until this morning. ¡°But something felt off about it after I found out what happened, so I called you, but you didn¡¯t answer. Then I remembered the strange people who came to the mating ceremony yesterday, and I was worried that something might have happened to you, so I rushed over here.¡± No wonder Harper and Damian hadn¡¯t left yet. I probably would have dyed as well, though I felt terrible this was all because of me. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Harper. Yesterday, I had some trouble. There was a very important contract with Beta Starke, but I kept dying giving it to him. So he got angry with me and that¡¯s why he interrupted your mating ceremony. I finally got it and handed it over to himst night, but I think he sent people to your house for a while to make sure I did what I was supposed to. It¡¯s all been resolved, and he won¡¯t cause any trouble Chapter 76 again.¡± 2/2 This was way more than I wanted to tell her, but I had to give her at least part of the truth, something to keep her from worrying too much. If she knew about Greyson¡­ Yikes. ¡°I felt like Beta Starke was threatening you yesterday, but I couldn¡¯t think of anything he would have been threatening you over.¡± After saying that, Harper narrowed her eyebrows and looked me up and down. ¡°Taya¡­he didn¡¯t do anything bad to you, did he?¡± ¡°No.¡± I shook my head. But when Harper looked at my neck, her expression froze.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g! Chapter 77 Chapter 77 Chapter 77 ¡°Taya, what¡¯s this¡­¡± I looked to the side, into the mirror in the foyer. S hit . I hadn¡¯t noticed that my neck was full of hickeys. I quickly covered them with muy hand and lowered my head awkwardly. ¡°1¡± ¡°Did Beta Starke force himself on you?¡± *** She remembered how Beta Starke had looked at Taya as if he were looking at prey. Yesterday, Harper had wanted to talk to Taya about what happened, about her worries regarding the Beta, but she was busy with the mating ceremony and caring for Damian¡¯s pack. She got sidetracked every time she thought about it. Now that she saw Taya like this, especially after not being able Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g! to get ahold of her, she was even more suspicious that Beta Chapter 77 Starke had done something to her best friend 2/5 ¡°Taya, tell me the truth. If he forced himself on you, I swear to the goddess I¡¯ll kil l him.¡± Harper¡¯s wolf started to rise to the surface, her protective instincts for her sister making her start to see red, her vision changing and bing her wolf¡¯s. As soon as Harper thought of Taya being assaulted, especially by someone who had every advantage over her not just because they were a man but also a shifter, she became furious and rolled up her sleeves, her wsing out and hair starting to pop out of her forearms. Hurriedly, Taya stopped her. ¡°Harper, it¡¯s not Beta Starke.¡± Harper paused. ¡°Who was it?¡± Taya opened her mo uth to speak, then s h ut it, furrowing her brows a bit. Then, it clicked with her. ¡°Have you reconciled with Griffon again?¡± There had been several times when, after seeing Griffon, Taya¡¯s skin was bruised and purple. ¡°It¡¯s not him. I¡­ I was with another manst night.¡± Chapter 77 3/5 Harper was a little shocked. She wouldn¡¯t have expected Taya to be with someone other than Griffon. Something didn¡¯t seem right, and her wolf was telling her that something was off with Taya¡¯s demeanor. She examined her best friend, trying to figure out what she was missing, but when Taya¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change and Harper¡¯s wolf couldn¡¯t scent out a change in Taya¡¯s pheromones, Harper didn¡¯t have a choice but to believe what her friend was saying. She grabbed Taya¡¯s hand and asked nervously, ¡°Who is he? Is he a good man? Reliable? Is it a shifter?¡± Taya sighed. ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°Are you hiding something from me?¡± Harper frowned. She¡¯d been feeling like something was wrong with Taya for a few weeks now, and it made her uneasy. Taya kept telling her everything was fine, and Harper couldn¡¯t get anything out of her, so unless she was prepared to start a fight by calling her best friend a liar, Harper didn¡¯t really have any other choice. but to let it go and let Taya decide when she would share whatever was going on. Taya squeezed Harper¡¯s hand. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. If I decide to marry him, I¡¯ll bring him to you, okay?¡± This didn¡¯t seem right¡­ Chapter 77 ¡°You¡¯ve only been separated from Griffon for a short while. How did you find someone else so soon?¡± It wasn¡¯t like Taya to jump to someone else so quickly, especially give how in love with Griffon Harper knew she¡¯d been. 4/5 ¡°He¡¯s someone at work. When I was with Griffon, I couldn¡¯t date. Now that we¡¯ve broken up, I want to do that. So when he asked me out, I said yes. Don¡¯t you want me to get married soon?¡± ¡°Yes, I want-¡± ¡°Then what are you still worried about?¡± Taya interrupted. ¡°I¡¯m just worried that you¡¯ll meet someone who will hurt you, and you deserve the world. That¡¯s all.¡± Harper was afraid of nagging too much and making Taya annoyed, so she decided to let the subject go. ¡°Never mind. It doesn¡¯t matter. So long as you let me vet your future spouse, that¡¯s all that matters. You know your big sis has to make sure they¡¯re worthy of you.¡± Taya smiled and hugged Harper tightly. ¡°Deal. I promise not to get married to someone unless you approve of them. Hell, if it makes you feel better, I promise never to get married.¡± Chapter 78 Chapter 78 Chapter 78 ¡°Not get married?¡± Harper¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°I didn¡¯t picture you for being an old catdy.¡± ¡°I was just joking.¡± Taya giggled. 1/2 A giggle. That was good. Harper drew in a sigh of relief. She was probably just overreacting. Taya had always been the well-behaved and sensible one. Ever since they were little, Taya was the cautious one in their Belonging to N?velDrama.Org. duo. She would never act recklessly, so there was nothing for Harper to worry about. After Harper and Taya chatted a bit more about the mating ceremony and the moonlight ritual, Damian came to pick Harper up. He had changed their flight to Mysia to the evening, and Taya happened to be free, so she dropped them off at the airport. *** After telling Harper and Damian to have fun, I waved goodbye to them. After getting home, I went to the bathroom to wash up. Chapter 78 My mind was a jumbled mess. 2/2 It was very strange. Being touched by Roman made me feel disgusted. However, I didn¡¯t feel disgusted when Greyson¡­did what he did. ww It wasn¡¯t fully pleasurable, and he was rough, but when it was happening my mind was filled with the image of Griffon. Was it because I missed him so much that I mistook Greyson for him? Was it because I wanted Griffon to want me like it seemed Greyson wanted mest night? S hame washed over me. What right did I have to think about Griffon now? Someone else had touched me, taken me. I was dead to an Alpha like Griffon now. Forever tainted. Chapter 79 Chapter 79 Chapter 79 I was so tired, I didn¡¯t have the energy to think about it anymore. After taking a bath, I went into my bedroom. 1/3 I slept until the next afternoon. It was nearly three, and my drowsiness seemed to be getting more serious, more prevalent. But for my heart condition and the fact I was in thest stages of heart failure, it was to be expected. Brushing it off, I focused on holding on for as long as possible. Everyone died sooner orter. My turn was justing sooner rather thanter. I went into the kitchen and made a simple dinner of chicken breast and some carrots, then answered a video call from Harper. They had already arrived in Mysia and were ying by the sea. The sky was much bluer than in Arcadia, and the seawater was clear to the bottom. Nothing like the rivers andkes here in the Midwest. Harper was glowing, radiantly happy, and I was so very happy Chapter 79 for her and her new mate. 2/3 ¡°Taya, it¡¯s so beautiful here! We have toe back so you can see it,¡± Harper said. ¡°I¡¯d love that,¡± Taya responded softly. After chatting for a while about everything Harper had seen and eaten already, Damian called for Harper; it was time for their boat ride. Just as I was about to put down my phone and go back to eating dinner, WhatsApp dinged with a message. From Greyson. [Nightshade, presidential suite,e and see me.] I clenched the phone tightly and typed furiously. [How dare you to ask me to see you again?] There was only a slight pause before his response came through. [I want you.] I stared at those words, my face heating. [Youmitted a crime yesterday, yet you dare to message Chapter 79 me so boldly!] After I sent it with trembling hands, I immediately screenshotted it. 3/3 Although I didn¡¯t have any surveince videos of him entering or.exiting the hotel room, surely these messages would count as some sort of evidence I could turn over to the shifter police. Rather than respond with words, Greyson sent photos. Rage consumed me. He¡¯d taken nude photos of me! I zoomed in on them, looking closely. The angle of them was strange. It almost looked as if I had taken the initiative! [Come here. Otherwise, I can¡¯t guarantee where these photos will appear.]Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org. Chapter 80 Chapter 80 Chapter 80 How could someone be even more despicable than Roman? I gritted my teeth and took a screenshot of all the messages. I¡¯d hand them over to the police tomorrow. [It doesn¡¯t matter if you call the police, then don¡¯t forget that you asked me to go to the hotel.] I held my phone so tightly, I was afraid I might snap it in two. [The person I contacted was Roman, not you. You pretended to be him andmitted the crime!] But when I saw his following message, I trembled. [Who knows whether I¡¯m Roman or not?] Da mmit. He was right. He hadn¡¯t left any evidence to prove that he¡¯d pretended to be Roman, and the surveince video only showed that Roman had been to my room. The pack police would assume that I¡¯d called the police because I failed to reach an agreement with Roman about having s ex with him. And they wouldn¡¯t be entirely off-base. Other human women had done the same thing when they Chapter 80 2/2 didn¡¯t get what they wanted out of a shifter male. And since wolf shifters were so much more powerful in every way, their only option was to try to get thew on their side. I was quickly running out of options, and it was beginning to feel like this Greyson had nned for every possible oue. Little human me didn¡¯t stand a chance. Taya: [Even so, what you sent to me can be used as evidence.] Greyson: [You asked Roman toe to the hotel to k ill him. Are you sure you want to take such a big risk to catch me?] I froze. Goddess help me. He knew that I wanted to ki ll Roman, and he also knew that I had drugged him. Or at least nned to. And if this guy had already thought through everything the way it seemed he had, he probably had the evidence that I had drugged the wine, that I had a dagger with me¡­ Was there any way out of this? Or did Greyson have me backed into a corner?Belonging to N?velDrama.Org. Chapter 81 Chapter 81 Chapter 81 [I¡¯ll wait for half an hour.] After sending this message, Greyson didn¡¯t send anything else. He¡¯d given his final word, and it seemed that was that. I wished I knew who he was in the wolf shifter hierarchy of things. Was he an Alpha who was used to having what he wanted when he wanted it? Or was he someone who was a nobody and was enjoying exerting power over a human girl. Power he didn¡¯t have over anyone else. Something told me he was powerful no matter who he was with. Especially if he truly had been behind what happened to Roman. I handed over the text messages to the shifter police, mentioning Roman, since there was surveince footage of him entering and leaving the hotel room. The police would investigate Roman and collect any evidence they could. But if Greyson told the police I wanted to ki ll Roman, that I had Chapter 81 2/5 drugs and a dagger there to do it¡­ the shifter packs wouldn¡¯t be lenient on me. They would charge me for attempted murder, and I knew how that would y out in a courtroom. Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org. The little, frail, sick human girl versus the big bad wolf. Unlike in the fairy tale, in this case it was the big bad wolf who would be the hero of the story. Ro And Roman was bound to know that I didn¡¯t intend to give him the contract but to k ill him. Anything that he could, Roman would pin the me on me, and the Starke pack would jump at the opportunity to shift the focus from theirundry list of illegal activities. Roman had only been exposed to a scandal so far. He wasn¡¯t imprisoned like his father, Alpha Starke. So if he woke up from hisa and learned the truth of everything, he wouldn¡¯t let me off easily. And I was afraid of Roman. A sleeping wolf was still a wolf. Even if Roman had fallen from grace, it would still be easy for him to crush me-and Harper. I wasn¡¯t afraid of death; I¡¯d epted it already given my condition, and epted it earlier in my life, when I realized I had no wolf and wouldn¡¯t live as long as Harper. Chapter 81 And Harper was my only weakness. Pondering-and then pondering some more-I came to a decision. 3/5 I obediently went to the presidential suite at Nightshade. Right now, it felt like Greyson was the less dangerous option than Roman and what he could do to me or Harper. On my way out of the house, I grabbed my taser. This time, I would be prepared. I mustered up all my courage and knocked on the door of the presidential suite. The door was quickly opened from the inside, but no one was standing there. Greyson stood in front of the French windows, holding a remote in his hand that was pointed at the door. He was still dressed the same. His face was hidden under the golden bronze mask, his hair messy, and he was wearing loose, casual clothes. He had one hand in his trouser pocket, and he set down the Chapter 81 4/5 remote on a side table, picking up a ss of red wine instead. In a low, raspy voice, he said, ¡°Come here.¡± His cold tone was simr to Griffon¡¯s, but the tattoo dispelled my doubts. As soon as I stepped forward and onto the soft carpet, the door behind me mmed s hut. I jumped, and a feeling of inescapable dread settled over me, like I was trapped with the devil himself and I would be in his ws forever. The man picked up the remote control again, turning off lights and closing the blinds of the windows. The suite fell into darkness. This room was even more tightly s hut off than in Windmere Hotel. Once again, I was at an immense disadvantage in the dark without wolf night vision abilities to tap into. I lifted my hand, reaching out to feel for anything or anyone around me so I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if and when someone touched me. Chapter 81 But instead of empty space, my fingersnded on what I immediately recognized as a chiseled set of abs. Chapter 82 Chapter 82 Chapter 82 I retract my hand quickly. I hadn¡¯t expected that he would be so close, let alone have his shirt off already. Hopefully, it was just his shirt. She quickly took a step back. ww However, Greyson reached out and wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me into his embrace. Da mn those fast, silent wolf movements. And once I was pressed again his body, it was clear that he hadn¡¯t just removed his shirt. My face flushed at the contact of his na ked body on mine. I lowered my head in embarrassment, but he pinched my chin, making me raise my head and look into his eyes. I couldn¡¯t see anything clearly, but I did see the sheen of his red and amber eyes, how his wolf was at the surface. I wished I knew what he was looking at, especially since he could see everything I couldn¡¯t. Belonging to N?velDrama.Org. Chapter 82 2/3 His hands moved down my arms and toward my waist, and I knew he was going to try to undress me. I¡¯d deliberately worn a lot of sweaters this time. There was no way Greyson wasn¡¯t surprised when I readily lifted my arms for him to remove my sweater; he would have expected resistance. After he removed one, there was another right below it, and he grunted in frustration. ¡°Why are you wearing so many clothes?¡± ¡°I¡¯m cold..¡± He continued undressing me. While he was taking off my shirts, I quietly put my hand into my jeans pocket, wrapping my fingers around the taser. I turned on the power supply, aimed at Greyson¡¯s abs, and then shocked him. He stopped moving as though in shock, but I couldn¡¯t see his face to truly see what effect it had on him. I was still hoping to knock him out, like I¡¯d seen on TV, but after a second, he kept going, working on my bra now. Chapter 83 Chapter 83 Chapter 83 My tactics only dyed the inevitable. His movements were quick and domineering, and then I was pressed against the wall. After hugging and kissing me for a while, he surprised me with a hard pinch on my waist. ¡°Ouch!¡± I yelped out. As soon as I opened my mo uth to speak, his lips were on mine, his tongue invading my mo uth. His kiss was still as wild as before, but the way he touched me was much softer than thest time. As if he was very familiar with my body, he touched me in just the right ces, just the right way. His actions were so skilled, they made me feel like I wasn¡¯t being forced¡­ I wanted to beat myself to death as soon as that thought entered my head. How could this be pleasure? But¡­ Chapter 83 We had se x several times, and every time I sank into it. It was no different from when I was with Griffon. 2/3 I even couldn¡¯t help scratching his backter as wey in bed. Was Ipletely crazy to think that this man¡¯s body waspatible with mine? Greyson bit my earlobe and whispered, ¡°Are youfortable?¡± I removed my hand from his back, clenched my fists, and forced myself to regain my senses. What the he ll was I thinking? ¡°No, I¡¯m notfortable.¡± Perhaps to punish me, this time, his actions were not so gentle. It wasn¡¯t until I couldn¡¯t stand it anymore that he let me go. I thought he would leave after being satisfied again, but he carried me to the bathroom like he had the other night. After helping me wash up, hey on the bed with me wrapped in his arms. He rubbed my back with one hand, coaxing me to sleep.Belonging to N?velDrama.Org. Chapter 84 Chapter 84 Chapter 84 I wanted to ask Greyson what was happening, but he rubbed my hair gently and said, ¡°Go to sleep.¡± Why did this doting tone sound like he wasforting his girlfriend? I looked at him, my eyes searching, peering into his mask, trying to see who he was, but I couldn¡¯t. And it frustrated the he ll out of me. ¡°Are you so ug ly that you dare not show your face?¡± Was he too afraid to pursue me openly? Worried I would immediately turn him down? Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me-you have a lot of zits on your face.¡± He remained silent. Then he grabbed my hand, put it on his bare face. Nope, no e. Just smooth and firm skin, and an angr jaw. Griffon was the only man with such a face. Chapter 84 2/3 More and more, I couldn¡¯t help but suspect this Greyson man was actually Griffon. Everything about him reminded me of Griffon. Whether it was the way he touched me or the tone of his speech, he was so simr to the Alpha. But Griffon had made it very clear that he never wanted to see me again. How could he¡­ I took a deep breath and plucked up the courage to ask, ¡°You can¡¯t be Griffon, can you?¡± The man patted me on the back and paused for a moment, ¡°Do you want me to be him?¡± He didn¡¯t admit it or deny it. I lowered my head and thought about it, not wanting him to be able to see my face. If the man was Griffon and I admitted that I wanted it to be him, he wouldn¡¯t be angry, right? Given his personality, he would probably be angry if I said I didn¡¯t want it to be him. I wanted to test him, so I replied, ¡°No, I don¡¯t want you to be him.¡± Greyson didn¡¯t react at all. Instead, he snorted and said, ¡°If you can¡¯t fall asleep, I have something to help with that¡­¡± Chapter 85 Chapter 85 Chapter 85 4 Frightened, I immediately stopped talking. My body couldn¡¯t take another go round of Greyson¡¯s sexual appetites. I looked at him, feeling a sense of loss, though. He wasn¡¯t angry, which meant that he wasn¡¯t Griffon. For some reason, I was upset, so I turned my back to him and closed my eyes. I didn¡¯t know why, but although this man wasn¡¯t Griffon, something told me he wouldn¡¯t hurt me, that he would keep me safe. *** After she fell asleep, the man pulled her back into his arms. He held her in his arms and gently caressed her back. I was so tired that I fell asleep soundly. In a daze, I dreamed of Chapter 85 the young man from before again. 2/4 In my dream, he raised his foot, aimed at my heart, and kicked it hard. He also broke my fingers one by one, pped me hard. I was lying on the ground, curled up in pain, but I reached out to him and said, ¡°Ss, it hurts. It hurts¡­¡± ** Her murmurs reached the man¡¯s ears, and the hand rubbing her back froze instantly. He stared at the woman in his arms for a long time, then pushed her away, got out of bed, put on his clothes, and left. When the man closed the door, Taya muttered softly, ¡°Griffon¡­¡± *** I dreamed that Griffon hugged me to sleep and cared for me as if he were caring for someone he loved deeply. When I woke up, the emotion from my dream lingered, warming me. Chapter 85 3/4 It was still dark in the presidential suite. I touched the space next to me and found that it was cold. He had left. I heaved a sigh of relief, got up, and opened the French windows. The moment the curtains slid to the side, the sun shined in, bathing the area in bright rays. Only then did I realize how big the suite was. It upied the entire floor. The bed we¡¯d been in was a huge round bed, covered in white sheets, pillows and nkets that were softer than anything else I¡¯did in. The tub in the bathroom was huge. There was even a kitchen and a study. I¡¯d expected something like a hotel room, but this as far beyond that. And every inch of it was dripping in luxury. It seemed that Mr. Greyson was very rich. After exploring the suite, I picked up my phone. This time, I¡¯d slept until four o¡¯clock in the afternoon! Holy Chapter 85 Material ? of N?velDrama.Org. smokes! The day was practically gone. 4/4 I quickly went to the bathroom to freshen up and then hurried down to the receptionist so I could check out of the room. However, the receptionist told me this suite was exclusive to Greyson and there was no need to check out. Once again, I was shocked. Nightshade was thergest, most luxurious, opulent entertainment resort in Arcadia. How could he have an exclusive presidential suite? Who the he ll was this guy? Chapter 86 Chapter 86 Chapter 86 The receptionist politely shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t know,¡± Even if she knew who it was, she wouldn¡¯t dare to share information regarding a VIP. I knew better than to ask, but I was desperate. There wasn¡¯t anything else for me here right now, and I couldn¡¯t ask any more questions, so I thanked the woman and left the hotel. I grabbed my heart pills from my bag, but the bottle was empty. Sigh. Now I had to make a trip to the hospital. Joy. My favorite thing. The attending doctor asked about my physical condition, as usual. When he asked about my sleeping habits and I told him, he frowned. ¡°Ms. Palmer, I¡¯d like to admit you. I¡¯m worried about the state of your heart, and I¡¯d like to run some tests and see if we can¡¯t find a new treatment option for you.¡± I refused. Staying in the hospital was just waiting for death, and I wasn¡¯t going to waste thest moments of my life in Chapter 86 2/3 some cold, sterile room. Besides, what else were they going to do for me? It wasn¡¯t like they were going to magically find some cure for my heart failure. Thankfully, the doctor didn¡¯t try to persuade me further. So far, this was one of the only benefits to NOT having a wolf- the doctors didn¡¯t prioritize humans, so if I declined treatment, they didn¡¯t push. He just reminded me to rest as much as my body felt like it needed, and to not overdo it. After leaving the hospital with my medicine refill, I went to the police station to have them close out theText ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org. case and cease any investigating they might be doing. Typically, they might push back, worried that someone¡¯s abuser was forcing them to get the police to stop. But, again with the human benefits. I was low priority; they would be d to rid themselves of the potential workload. Plus, I¡¯d willingly epted the invitationst night. That¡­ changed things. I didn¡¯t have any idea who he was other than ¡°not Griffon¡± and ¡°not Roman¡±, and given how secretive and locked down he was, I doubted anyone would be able to even trace anything to him. Chapter 87 Chapter 87 Chapter 87 The next morning, my leave from work was over. It was hard to believe that the time had gone by so fast, and so much had happened. I still needed to go into the Midwest Packs Corporation offices to wrap things up, but I was struggling to get out of bed. I was so exhausted, and all I wanted to do was lie there and sleep more. After breakfast and taking my medicine, I felt a little better, but my face still looked pale. I thered on heavy makeup to cover my sickly condition, grabbed my purse, and left for work. As soon as I entered the office, Brielle and Margaret came over and asked, ¡°Taya, did you quit?¡± ¡°Yup, I have.¡± Brielle¡¯s face showed her confusion. ¡°But why? What happened for you to resign so quickly?¡± Margaret also looked puzzled. ¡°What are you going to do Chapter 87 after this? No one else pays as well as MPC.¡± 2/3 I forced a smile. ¡°The sry and benefits are great here, but I have other ns.¡± Margaret narrowed her eyes. ¡°Did the Knight pack poach you to work directly for their contracts team?¡±. ¡°Oh my god!¡± Brielle¡¯s big eyes got even bigger. ¡°That¡¯s the one ce that pays more than here. That¡¯s HUGE to be able to work for them. They never hire non- shifters.¡± Brielle¡¯s cute look amused me. ¡°No, I was talking about my personal ns unrted to work.¡± Margaret¡¯s jealousy turned into information gathering-most likely so she was full of gossip to spread to everyone. ¡°So, are you not nning to work anymore?¡± I shook my head. ¡°No, I¡¯m not going to be working anymore.¡± Margaret was fishing for more, but I wasn¡¯t giving her what she wanted. And she wasn¡¯t a fan of that. When she didn¡¯t get the response from people that she wanted, she had a tendency to turn catty. ¡°It seems like someone¡¯s managed to marry above their station, apparently,¡± she sneered. ¡°Or¡­do you have a wealthy benefactor maybe?¡± Chapter 87 And that was exactly what I would have expected toe from Margaret. 3/3 But now, I didn¡¯t have to try to appease her, and it was about time I stood up for myself. ¡°My ns and who they do or don¡¯t involve aren¡¯t any of your business.¡±Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org. Chapter 88 Chapter 88 Chapter 88 1/3 I couldn¡¯t stand Margaret. Her constant gossip was a source of problems for me. Especially since some of that gossip included telling people around the office that I had older men supporting me. Let¡¯s just say it didn¡¯t exactly endear me to any of my colleagues. I had worked at MPC for so many years, and I couldn¡¯t count how many wealthy sponsors I¡¯d been rumored to have thanks to Margaret talking behind my back and making things up. In the past, I¡¯d restrained from saying anything to her. I needed the job, and if someone piss ed Margaret off, they didn¡¯tst for very long after that. My patience for her bu llshit was gone. Margaret was stunned for a moment. She didn¡¯t expect Taya, who had always been well-behaved and weak, to dare to refute her. A human daring to talk back to her? How dare she. She was so angry that she wanted to p her, but Brielle stopped her. ¨C Chapter 88 2/3 ¡°Margaret, Taya is leaving. Just let her wrap up her work to hand over to you.¡± ¡°She can ask someone else to do it. I don¡¯t have any obligation to take on her job!¡± Margaret red fiercely at Taya, twisted her slender waist, and sat at her office desk. The sound of moving the chair was loud, and it wasn¡¯t near enough to vent her anger. She picked up a file and mmed it hard on the desk. The banging sound startled Brielle. She covered her m outh and whispered to me. ¡°L told you to hand over your work to Margaret, and she agreed to take over because you have some key clients. But now¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to find L and see what she wants to do. Honestly, it¡¯s not really my problem since I¡¯ve quit,¡± I said indifferently. I picked up the ess card for the top floor and walked towards the elevator. L was the person in charge of Elder Thorin¡¯s office and was the personal assistant to the CEO. She usually worked on the top floor and would onlye down asionally when she Chapter 88 had something to do. 3/3 I swiped the card and watched as the floor numbers ticked by, the elevator on its way. With a ¡°ding,¡± the doors opened. Two people stood side by side. When I saw them, I couldn¡¯t move.Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org. Chapter 89 Chapter 89 Chapter 89 ¡°Are you going to look for Elder Thorin?¡± Tara, dressed in a professional suit that looked immacte on her, saw that I was waiting for the elevator but did not step in. Her question pulled me out of my daze, and I came to my senses. I hurriedly came up with a reason not to step foot on that elevator. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I forgot something.¡± Spinning on my heel, I turned around and left, not daring to look at the two of them. ** Watching her run away, Tara couldn¡¯t help but turn to look at Griffon, who was standing beside her. ¡°That was strange. How come she seemed so scared of us that she wouldn¡¯t get on the elevator?¡± Griffon didn¡¯t reply. His indifferent eyes showed no emotion, as if he was uninterested in anything around him. Tara reached out her delicate hand, took his arm, and said softly, ¡°Griffon, thank you for taking me to the emergency Chapter 89 room the other night. I haven¡¯t had wolfsbane in so long, I didn¡¯t know it would affect me that way.¡± 2/2 During a visit to the Knight pack with her father, they talked about the engagement, and she drank a few sses of wine in excitement. Her wolf¡¯s reaction to it had been intense, and she¡¯d never felt so sic k. She¡¯d been trying to find an opportunity to thank him, but every time she went to the Knight pack offices to look for him, his assistant would say that he wasn¡¯t there. If it weren¡¯t for her father¡¯s business today and inviting him over, she probably wouldn¡¯t have had an opportunity to thank him. N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material. Griffon lowered his gaze to look at the hand wrapped around his arm, glowering. ¡°I didn¡¯t give you permission to touch me.¡± Tara quickly let go of his arm and lowered her head in disappointment. ¡°Will it always be this way? Me needing permission to show you affection?¡± Griffon raised an eyebrow, and the look on his face was pure snarling wolf. ¡°Always.¡± Tara choked on her words. Chapter 90 Chapter 90 Chapter 90 1/3 On Tara¡¯s first day at Midwest Packs Corporation, Griffon held her hand, and when she identally sat on hisp in the office, he didn¡¯t say anything. The night the wolfsbane had made her sick, he carried her into the emergency room. But since then, he¡¯d been distant, like a block of ice. She knew he was avoiding her, punishing her for her past sins. ¡°Griffon, I¡¯m sorry. I know I hurt you five years ago when I refused your proposal. I didn¡¯t think I was good enough for you, ready to be the Luna you deserve. I went abroad to study, to learn how to be the she-wolf you need. Please don¡¯t be angry with me anymore, okay? Let me love you.¡± Griffon¡¯s face softened a little. Just for a second. Then he turned to look at Tara and said flippantly, ¡°I¡¯ve changed. I prefer physical contact to be on my terms.¡± Tara deted a bit but refused to admit defeat. Griffon had always been difficult, ever since he was a child. He¡¯d eventually finish punishing her. Since she had chosen him, she would give him more time to get used to the fact that she Chapter 90 wouldn¡¯t let him down again. 2/3 When I returned to my desk, my face was more than a little pale. Of all the moments for Griffon and Tara to be that elevator, it just HAD to be that moment. If I¡¯d known there was a chance I¡¯d see them, I¡¯d have taken the stairs. Though, given my heart, I¡¯d likely have died on those stairs. But that would be better than facing Griffon. N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material. I had promised him he would never see me again, but it hadn¡¯t taken long to break that promise. When I saw Griffon again, it felt like a century had passed since I¡¯d seen him. I took a deep breath and turned on theputer. Just as I was about to sort out the handover documents, Elder Thorin called me. I was stunned. He rarely wanted to see me. And when he did, he would inform L and have her send me up. Why would he call me himself? Chapter 91 Chapter 91 Chapter 91 I answered the phone quickly, confused as to why Elder Thorin was contacting me directly. ¡°Ms. Palmer, I¡¯d like to see you in my office.¡± The elder¡¯s voice was gentle, but even a human like me understood the unspokenmand underlying every word the elder ever spoke. Even Alphas obeyed the elders-typically. After giving the order, he hung up the phone, leaving no room for me to refuse or ask any questions. C rap. I was pretty sure Griffon was up there, since I¡¯d seen him on the private elevator. Thest thing I wanted to do was see him, but if Elder Thorin wanted to see me, it must be important. Ever since I had started working for the Midwest Packs Corporation, the Elder Thorin had always been friendly and kind to me, so I forced myself to his office. Even though I¡¯d quit this job, I still wanted to be respectful of him and treat him. how he¡¯d always treated me. Many wolf-shifters weren¡¯t kind to humans, and certainly not in a situation like this, where I was directly working with all of the packs. Chapter 91 2/3 I made my way to the private elevator, and the up to Elder Thorin¡¯s office, concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other and trying to keep my mind off who was likely in his office. Just as I had expected, Griffon sat in Elder Thorin¡¯s office talking to him. * And they were discussing the bidding of the Weston City project. After what happened with the Starke pack, the Knight pack unexpectedly postponed the bidding for aN?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material. few days. As a result, the bidding had not begun yet, which meant that the Starke pack had never doubted the contract¡¯s authenticity. Moreover, Roman was injured and in aa. He might not have time to hand over the fake contract to the Starke pack. I was worried that when Roman woke up and discovered something wrong with the fake contract, he woulde to me to get even. Had everything gone to n, I would have never had to deal with the fallout from the fake contract. Giving myself a men tal shake, I tried to shrug off all these thoughts about what might happen. This was all in the future. When Roman woke up, he would face many problems, the ake Chapter 91 3/3 contract only being a small piece of what the Starke pack was currently dealing with. He was going to have to figure out have to get his father, Alpha Starke, out of jail. And then there were all of the pack¡¯s legal issues surrounding bribery and tax evasion¡­not to mention Roman¡¯s own issues regarding his treatment of women. And that was all if Roman himself wasn¡¯t involved in the pack¡¯s legal issues right alongside his father. For all I knew, they¡¯d end up in silver together sharing a cell. By the time he was done with the endless list of things he had to take care of, I¡¯d probably be dead anyways. Even if he wanted to settle the score, he wouldn¡¯t be able to. Iposed my thoughts and was about to knock on the door before walking into the room when I heard a few people talking about the Sterling pack in Wolverly Capital. Chapter 92 Chapter 92 Chapter 92 The blood drained from my face, and the young man from the past¡¯s face came back to my mind. I tried my best to control my emotions. I knocked on the open. door and asked respectfully, ¡°Elder Thorin, you wanted me?¡± Brooks put down the coffee cup and looked up at me. ¡°Taya, you¡¯re in charge of the weing of the Sterling pack, aren¡¯t you?¡± I nodded. ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Brooks nced at his watch. ¡°Please arrange dinner for this evening. You can book a high-end restaurant for six p.m., and I¡¯d like for you to go to the airport to pick up Alpha Sterling.¡± ¡°Pick up Alpha Sterling?¡± We worked with packs from all over the Midwest, and most of them made trips into MPC to handle business with other packs on neutral territory, or to arrange projects between packs. Many times, a pack wouldn¡¯t have thebor force for new construction, roads, utilities, and the like, so they contracted other packs to do the work via MPC. We ensured everything was above-board and there were no side deals. Chapter 92 2/4 being made that might have a negative impact on other packs. But the Sterling pack Alpha had nevere in. Belonging to N?velDrama.Org. And now Mr. Thorin wanted me to pick him up¡­ I blurted out, ¡°Elder Thorin, I¡¯ve actually resigned from my position here. I¡¯m here to hand over my work today. Perhaps it would be better to have someone else attend to Alpha Sterling and dinner?¡± The three people sitting on the sofa looked at me. I identally met Griffon¡¯s deep gaze, and my broken, diseased heart skipped a beat. I pretended nothing had happened, quickly looked away, and turned to stare at Elder Thorin. I had no idea how old he actually was, but he looked to be around fifty in terms of human aging. Wolf shifters ag ed different, more slowly. I¡¯d met wolves who were over a hundred and still looked like they were barely middle-aged in human years. Elder Thorin always looked angry, with a hint of disdain on his face, and people either felt terrified, awed, or inspired by him. Of course, that might have something to do with the fact that Chapter 92 he was a powerful elder. 3/4 But I¡¯d never been afraid of Brooks. Most wouldn¡¯t even dare to look into his eyes, but I did. Maybe because I was a human and didn¡¯t feel the same pull to obey that wolves did. For me, it was as if Brooks was my family somehow. He¡¯d never made me feel anything other than cared for, like he was somehow watching out for me to make sure I was safe as the proverbial-and almost literalmb among wolves. Now, I wondered if his treatment of me had all been because his daughter was abroad, he missed her, and I looked like her. Brooks¡¯s noble face gradually darkened after being looked at so directly by an assistant. Taya looked a little like his daughter, and he was kinder to her than he was to others. But right now, her stare was disrespectful in the presence of others. Was it because she felt that he regarded her differently? Did she think that gave her room to behave so insolently? How dare she challenge him in front of Griffon. 1 Chapter 92 4/4 But he must maintain the demeanor of an elder. And he especially couldn¡¯t lower himself to argue with a mere human. Brooks maintained eye contract with Taya, and his wolf pawed at him, displeased with the show of disrespect from the girl. It seemed they were at an impasse, with both Brooks and Taya refusing to look away. Tara broke the tense moment by saying, ¡°Taya, I¡¯ve seen your resignation letter. I haven¡¯t had time to approve it yet, so technically, you haven¡¯t tendered your notice yet. Why don¡¯t youplete the work assigned by Elder Thorin first and then talk to L about the handover?¡± Chapter 93 Chapter 93 Chapter 93 Tara¡¯s words were very tactful, and it was clear she had chosen them carefully. 1/3 First, she¡¯d reminded me that I still technically worked for thepany and that I was still their employee. I still needed to follow my superior¡¯s instructions. Secondly, if I refused and made Elder Thorin lose face, I would have to do it even if I didn¡¯t want to. I understood what Tara meant, even though I didn¡¯t like that she was right. I gave a deep men tal sigh that I hoped didn¡¯t show on my face. I had been too impulsive just now, and I had blurted out my thoughts without thinking them through as I would have done in the past. In this case, it was not appropriate for me to refuse. It would make me look ungrateful and disrespectful, and it would show negatively on Elder Thorin for having someone like that on his staff. I had no choice but to agree. Beside, this would be thest time I would do something like this at Midwest Packs Chapter 93 Corporation. I gave a small nod, turned around, and walked out. 2/3 Brooks looked at Taya¡¯s back, clenching his jaw as he watched her walk away. Then he looked at Griffon. ¡°Griffon, do you want to attend dinner tonight?¡± When Brooks talked to Griffon, his tone was different than when he spoke to others. There was a level of deference there. Griffon leaned back in the sofa, rested his forehead on one hand, and held his phone with the other. His eyes were fixed on the phone screen the whole time, without looking up at Elder Thorin or Taya. Seeing that Griffon didn¡¯t say anything, Brooks thought that he didn¡¯t want to go, so he quickly said, ¡°Actually, never mind. We will mediate the conflict between the Sterling pack and MPC. As the organizer of this bidding, you should avoid arousing suspicion.¡± The leaders of the Sterling pack felt that since Elder Thorin¡¯s daughter had a close rtionship with Griffon, Griffon would favor whatever the MPC wanted. The Sterling pack had secretly made trouble for the MPC to force them to withdraw from the bidding process. Elder Brooks had been very specific in how he madePublished by N?v''elD/rama.Org. Chapter 94 Chapter 94 Chapter 94 Brooks wanted Griffon to go to dinner. He wanted Griffon to mediate the issues between the Sterling pack and the Midwest Packs Corporation. Only if Griffon handled the situation and exined things would the Sterling pack conform. 1/4 With Griffon being the powerful Alpha he was, his word tended to bew, even over the elders. Otherwise, with Tara being the new CEO, smoothing things over with the Sterling pack would be her job, and Brooks new that it would be impossible for her to do-given the fact that her rtionship with Griffon was the crux of the issue. But right now, Griffon appeared to be unhappy, and that put Brooks on edge. After all, he couldn¡¯t figure out Griffon¡¯s feelings for Tara now that she¡¯d returned, so he couldn¡¯t ask Griffon to do things as his father-inw. He needed to be cautious with how he worded things and with what requests. he made. As an elder, Brooks wielded a certain amount of power, but Griffon and the Knight pack were a different beast altogether. Quite literally. Material ? of N?velDrama.Org. Chapter 94 They were powerful, strong, dangerous, feared¡­ Brooks needed to tread carefully. Griffon put away his phone and nced indifferently at Brooks, who was trying not to look as eager as he felt for Griffon¡¯s answer. ¡°Send me the address,¡± Griffon said. 2/4 Brooks hadn¡¯t expected that Griffon would agree. He was overjoyed but said calmly, ¡°I¡¯ll have Taya to send it to you after she makes the reservation.¡± After saying that, Brooks looked at Griffon with a smile and said, ¡°I appreciate you attending tonight. Tara doesn¡¯t have much experience with situations of this nature. And since I¡¯m unable to attend, I¡¯ll feel morefortable with you there to¡­ guide her.¡± As an elder, Brooks wouldn¡¯t attend business dinners between packs unless specifically requested. And he was definitely not invited to the dinner tonight. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that the Sterling pack was always making things difficult for his daughter, Brooks wouldn¡¯t have intervened with the dinner tonight. He wouldn¡¯t have had reservations made, and he wouldn¡¯t have secured Chapter 94 3/4 transportation from the airport. Fortunately, Griffon had agreed, and with the powerful Alpha to support Tara tonight, Brooks was confident that the evening would go okay. Brooks looked over at Tara, caught her eye, and then gave a subtle nod toward Griffon. Tara quickly sat up straight on the sofa next to Griffon and leaned closer to him. ¡°I¡¯m so d you¡¯ll be attending tonight. I do hope it¡¯s no trouble for you.¡± Griffon leaned slightly to the other side to avoid her touch. In an indifferent tone, he answered, ¡°He handed over the development rights to me, not for me to stand by and do nothing.¡± The ¡°he¡± Griffon referred to was his grandfather. Though Griffon was the Alpha of the Knight pack, his grandfather was still alive and was still highly revered by his pack and others. Brooks understood what he meant. Griffon mentioned his grandfather because he wanted to tell them he agreed to go, but not because of Tara. He just wanted to deal with official pack business. Although it would make Tara ufortable, for Brooks, it was enough that Griffon agreed to go. The Alpha¡¯s reason didn¡¯t Chapter 94 matter. 4/4 ¡°I have other business to attend to.¡± Griffon abruptly rose and left without a backward nce. Tara couldn¡¯t hide the disappointment on her face. Brooks leaned over and patted the back of her hand. ¡°Griffon is an Alpha with a lot of responsibility.¡± Only then did Tara put away her deste mood and nod. ¡°I understand.¡± Chapter 95 Chapter 95 Chapter 95 After I finished booking the restaurant, I received another call from Brooks. ¡°Taya, send the restaurant address to Alpha Knight.¡± Brooks hung up the phone immediately. I sighed, opened WhatsApp, and sent the address to Griffon¡¯s assistant. The response was quick. [I¡¯m unable to get in touch with Alpha Knight right now. Please message him directly.] I was speechless. Now I had to unblock him. I quickly sent him the address and then blocked him again. I nced at the clock; I needed to get the keys for one of thepany cars and head to the airport. As soon as I exited the elevator, the executive elevator next to me opened. Griffon walked out, wearing a ck coat that matched his Chapter 95 wolf¡¯s dark fur. 2/2 My heart skipped a beat. I quickly turned around as if I hadn¡¯t seen him. I¡¯d thought he would ignore me and continue on his way-not walk toward me. My palms started to sweat, and I clenched my fists. I wanted to walk away, but my feet were out of my control. It was almost like I could feel the footstepsing from behind me, then stopping. He seemed to be staring at my back, boring a ho le into me. Material ? of N?velDrama.Org. I didn¡¯t have to turn around and look at him to know his thoughts. He would look indifferent, disdainful, and disgusted. I clenched my fists tighter and held my breath. B Write yourment Gifts Chapter 95 wolf¡¯s dark fur. 2/2 My heart skipped a beat. I quickly turned around as if I hadn¡¯t seen him. I¡¯d thought he would ignore me and continue on his way-not walk toward me. My palms started to sweat, and I clenched my fists. I wanted to walk away, but my feet were out of my control. It was almost like I could feel the footstepsing from behind me, then stopping. He seemed to be staring at my back, boring a h ole into me. I didn¡¯t have to turn around and look at him to know his thoughts. He would look indifferent, disdainful, and disgusted. I clenched my fists tighter and held my breath. Network connection error. Please checkwork settings and try again. Chapter 96 Chapter 96 Chapter 96 Griffon walked around me, opened the door of the driver¡¯s seat, and got in. He didn¡¯t even spare me a nce as he dro ve his sports car out of the parking lot-quickly. The moment he was gone and I couldn¡¯t see his car anymore, my tensed body rxed. Goddess, I was so ridic ulous. I needed to stop overthinking everything. I walked over to the business car, got in, and dr ove straight to the airport. It had been raining cats and dogs outside in the past few days. The weather reminded me of that night five years ago. Every time it rained or stormed like this, I was right back there. That was thest night I wanted to recall, but when I thought of the person I was about to see, unwee memories poured into my mind. That night, it was also raining heavily. It was so dark that the streemps couldn¡¯t illuminate the road. The young man carried me on his back and walked back home. I¡¯d struggled and refused to let him carry me, so he could only put me down helplessly. I remembered being so angry with him that day, and I didn¡¯t want him to carry me. So he gave up. ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org . He¡¯d just followed me, silent. I hated it the most when he was like that. No matter what I said, he wouldn¡¯t say anything. I was so angry that I left him behind and ran forward, no hesitation. As I ran, an out-of-control car raced up, and I had no time to avoid it. Just as the car was about to hit me, the young man rushed forward and pushed me. Hard. I fell to the opposite side of the road and only scratched my skin. However, the young man was hit. His blood flowed over the ground, mixing with the pouring rain. He was about to lose consciousness but still struggled to crawl to me; I was scared out of my wits. I still remembered what Ss Johnson had said before he fainted: ¡°Taya, don¡¯t be afraid.¡± I used to be deeply moved by his words, butter, I never wanted to remember anything about him ever again¡­ After driving for two hours, I finally arrived at the airport. I stood at the airport entrance and waited for about half an hour before the Alpha of the Sterling pack sauntered out, apanied by a group of pack leaders and bodyguards. Chapter 97 Chapter 97 Chapter 97 He was wearing a royal-blue shirt and a coat of the same color. Even from a distance, he exuded immense power. Everyone who walked by him gave him a wide berth, as if they were afraid of getting too close. As he approached, I could see his face. The tenderness of youth had faded away, leaving a chiseled jaw and strong angles. It had been so long, but when I saw him again¡ªwith the new name ¡°Jackson Sterling¡±-I only felt calmness. Not even a single stutter of my heart. I lifted a hand to wave at the group. ¡°This way!¡± *** When the man saw the woman waving at them, he was slightly taken aback. His trip to Arcadia was primarily to attend the bidding for the Weston City project. Thest person he expected to receive him was Taya. He was stunned for a few seconds before he returned to normal and led his men toward her. Even his wolf was thrown off kilter by seeing her. He was a more than a foot taller than her when he stood before her, looking down at her. ¡°Ms. Palmer, long time no see.¡± Taya¡¯s response was business-like. ¡°Alpha Sterling, pleasee with me.¡± Then, she turned around and left, as if expecting them to follow her. Jackson frowned at her indifference toward him. Did she not like him? The other part of him was angered that a human would treat him this way. He hesitated for a moment before walking up to her. ¡°Ms. Palmer, you¡¯re not still angry with me, are you?¡± Hearing this, Taya stopped and turned her head to look at him. ¡°What right do I have to be angry with you, Alpha Sterling?¡± Jackson felt a little helpless, but he did his best to try to smooth things over. ¡°I do apologize for ourst meeting. With my memory loss, I truly don¡¯t remember you.¡± I looked up at the face before me, exactly like Ss¡¯s. My calm heart was suddenly torn apart. I wanted to ask him if he had truly lost his memory or if he was pretending not to know me. Five years ago, after he woke up, he learned that I¡¯d sold myself He¡¯d been unhinged, ming me for betraying him. He¡¯d thrown me on the bed and kissed me wildly, as if he was trying to reim me, then he¡¯d strangled me. Then, he suddenly lost his memory when the Sterling pack said he was their lost Alpha. If he had lost his memory, why did he say that when I went to the Sterling pack to beg him not to abandon me? I closed my eyes. My heart ached when I thought of the two hard kicks he had given me. At that time, I didn¡¯t believe Ss had lost his memory. No, it was because I wasn¡¯t a virgin anymore. And wolves didn¡¯t want tainted women for mates.Material ? of N?velDrama.Org. Chapter 98 Chapter 98 Chapter 98 After Ss was taken away by the Sterling pack, I visited the main pack house daily. I knelt in front of him, not caring an ounce for my dignity, exining to him repeatedly that I¡¯d only sold myself to save him. Not only did he not believe me, he kicked my chest with his leather boot, shoving me away from him as if I were a mutt who was bothering him. As he had done it, he¡¯d growled fiercely, ¡°Don¡¯t use saving me as an excuse. You¡¯re the cheap one!¡± I¡¯d refused to give up, even after being humiliated and kicked. I cried and tugged at his trouser leg, hoping he would not abandon me, hoping he would remember how much we loved each other. I¡¯d thought he viewed me as more than just human. As soon as he found out he was an Alpha, I was no longer good enough for him. Then he broke my fingers one by one. Oh, how he¡¯d looked at me. His wolfish sneer was full of disgust and pleasure, as if his wolf was getting off on the revenge. The pain in my dislocated fingers was almost nothingpared to the heartache. I¡¯d curled into a ball, opening my mo uth to beg him to let me go. But before I could say anything, he roughly pped me again. He used all his strength, and my cheek swelled up instantly. It was as though he had forgotten I was a human, that my body couldn¡¯t take the same abuse a shifter¡¯s could. I looked at the Alpha standing in front of me in a designer suit and shoes in disbelief. ¡°Why?¡± I asked, leaving everything it implied unsaid. Why did Ss Johnson, who had doted on me so much in the past, want to beat me to death after taking the name Jackson Sterling and bing the Alpha of the Sterling pack? Was it because I didn¡¯t believe he had lost his memory and came to find him, a human daring to stepPublished by N?v''elD/rama.Org. on packnds uninvited? Or was it because once he became an Alpha, a human mate wouldn¡¯t suffice? Chapter 99 Chapter 99 Chapter 99 ¡°Why?¡± After I spoke, Jackson¡¯s calm face instantly turned sinister, his eyes changing color to the dark orange of his wolf¡¯s. ¡°You¡¯re still asking me why,¡± he sneered. ¡°Why was I lying unconscious in the hospital while you were fu c king another man? After all that¡¯s happened, and you still want to be with me? You¡¯re ridic ulous.¡± My breath caught in my throat. With those words, I knew he hadn¡¯t lost his memory at all. He truly had only pretended it so he could abandon me. Goddess, I was so stu pid to think that the decent Jackson Sterling in front of me was still my Ss, who had promised to love me for a lifetime. I regretted everything-going to beg for Jackson, kneeling before him¡­ I remembered that second kick he¡¯d given me. He¡¯d used all of his immense strength to nt his booted foot in my chest. He knew that I¡¯d had surgery on my heart. He knew it was weak, Chapter 99 2/3 that it shouldn¡¯t be able to take a bl ow to the chest. After spitting out a few mouthfuls of blood, I¡¯d finally understood that he wanted me to di e¡­ There I was, trembling in a pool of blood, but he¡¯d only looked at me with a snarl on his mo uth. ¡°Taya, I don¡¯t love you anymore, and I don¡¯t want to be with you anymore, so don¡¯t bother me! And remember this clearly: I¡¯m now the Alpha of the Sterling pack, not Ss Johnson from the orphanage. If you or Harper Duke dare to expose my past identity or use it to threaten the Sterling pack, I will make you regret it.¡± I had seen Griffon¡¯s indifference, suffered through his moods, but Ss was much¡­much more thanMaterial ? of N?velDrama.Org. him. Even if Griffon had only regarded me as a substitute, at least he had never lied to me. Ss kept saying he loved me so much that he would give up everything for me. He said he didn¡¯t care that my wolf had nevere, he would protect me. Said that he had wolf enough for the both of us. But what did I get in return? Nothing. He had even abandoned Harper, his older sister. If it weren¡¯t for Ss¡¯s ruthlessness, I never would have agreed to be Griffon¡¯s lover. Chapter 99 I had wanted to take revenge on Ss by doing so. He was 3/3 looking down on me for selling myself. So I would do more of what he didn¡¯t like. my But it changed. I failed to control my emotions. And then physical reaction to Griffon made me gradually forget about Ss. I¡¯d found it hard to believe that me, who had been hurt so badly by Ss, could fall in love with another man. Griffon had brought me out of the haze I¡¯d been living in with his asional warmth¡­ I thought that it might have something to do with my orphan background. Chapter 100 Chapter 100 Chapter 100 Icked love. Icked passion so much that if someone treated me with the tiniest bit of kindness, I would hand over my heart without hesitation. I craved a partner, a mate the way I saw people around me have. Not people¡­shifters. Shifters who would never choose a human as their mate. Although the two men I¡¯d loved had abandoned me, I didn¡¯t regret my love for them. I had tried my best to love hard, but no one had ever loved me. Maybe in my next life, the goddess would reward me for what I¡¯d gone through in this one. That idea was more than a little ridi culous. When a person was dead, they were dead. I put away my thoughts and looked up at Ss-er, Jackson Sterling. Right now, I needed to concentrate on why I was here in front of him. ¡°Alpha Sterling, I¡¯ve always treated business associates of the Midwest Packs Corporation professionally. As for what Chapter 100 2/2 happened five years ago, that¡¯s all in the past. Nothing to worry about.¡± Regardless of whether he was truly suffering from amnesia or pretending not to recognize me, it didn¡¯t matter anymore. Time had taken away all the things that had happened, and it should not have been mentioned again. I turned away from Jackson and walked toward the parking garage. Looking at her petite frame as she walked away, Jackson could see that Taya had changed. Significantly. It appeared that the young girl who had knelt at his feet those years ago was gone. She¡¯d died and this new woman stood in her ce. Now, Taya was no longer morous, and she was indifferent. Jackson pressed his hand against his chest. It felt like it was empty, as if he had forgotten something. But he couldn¡¯t recall anything.Material ? of N?velDrama.Org. Chapter 101 Chapter 101 Chapter 101 There were so many people with Jackson that amercial car couldn¡¯t hold all of them. I had to arrange for another vehicle to shuttle some of them back to Arcadia. The senior pack leaders took the other car while Jackson and his pack guards rode with me. That wasn¡¯t what I¡¯d been hoping for. I didn¡¯t speak to Jackson the whole time. I focused on driving and getting to the five-star hotel where dinner was to take ce. In the luxurious private room, Tara and a few shifters from the Midwest Packs Corporation had arrived, but Griffon had not. After Tara arranged the seats for Jackson and the others, she turned to me. ¡°Did you send the address to Alpha Knight?¡± I nodded. ¡°Of course.¡± Although, I was unsure if he had seen my WhatsApp message since I¡¯d re-blocked him. I¡¯d delivered the message; whether he came or not had nothing to do with me. ¡°Ms. Thorin, I¡¯ll be leaving now.¡± Chapter 101 Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. 2/4 I¡¯d done my duty and picked Jackson up from the airport and brought him here. I didn¡¯t want to stay a second longer than absolutely necessary. The ¡°wolfiness¡± in here was already too much for me with so many powerful shifters in one room-plus the added stress of Jackson being thrown into the mix. Once Griffon arrived, it would be unbearable. I was about to leave, but Tara blocked me. ¡°Taya, don¡¯t be in such a hurry to leave. Book hotel rooms here for Alpha Sterling and his men.¡± ¡°I¡ª¡± Just as I was about to refuse, Tara¡¯s eyes changed to that of her wolf¡¯s-a bright, dark amber color. She opened her mo uth to say something, but then paused and put on a pleading expression instead. Her wolf receded from her eyes. Ha. She¡¯d been about tomand me to do what she wanted. As a she-wolf from a powerful bloodline, she was able to do that with most people. But then, she¡¯d clearly remembered I wasn¡¯t a she-wolf, and hermands would have no effect on me. ¡°I know you want to resign, but before that¡¯spleted, this is still your job. Take good care of Alpha Sterling today, and I¡¯ll approve your resignation application when I get back, okay?¡± Chapter 101 3/4 I was stuck. If they didn¡¯t approve my resignation, I wouldn¡¯t qualify for continued benefits. And¡­I kind of needed those until I died. I didn¡¯t appreciate the almost threatening nature of Tara¡¯s words, but if doing this meant that she would immediately approve my resignation when she got back to the office, I¡¯d su c k it up. I asked Jackson¡¯s assistant for all of their information, then I sat outside the private dining room, took out my phone, and booked rooms. Doing it online was much easier and quicker than going into the lobby to see the receptionist. After I booked the hotel rooms, I slid my phone back in my purse to go use the restroom. When I stood up, a wave of dizziness overcame me, and I almost fell to the ground. Fortunately, arge, strong hand wrapped around my waist just in time to support me before I could fall. ¡°Ms. Palmer, what¡¯s wrong?¡± I leaned back against the man¡¯s chest and rxed for a minute or two before looking up at the person helping me. At first, the dizziness made it hard to focus, but then his face came into view. I quickly shoved Jackson away. Chapter 101 ¡°I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s just low blood sugar.¡± Jackson frowned slightly when he saw my pale face, his eyes narrowing a bit as he assessed me. ¡°Are you sic k?¡± he asked. ¡°No.¡± I shook my head. 4/4 Jackson looked as though he was going to take a step forward, so I took a step back to maintain the distance between us. He stopped, gave a terse nod, then turned and walked away. I wanted to get to the bathroom, but I was even more dizzy now. I could only hold on to the doorframe and sit down again. Chapter 102 Chapter 102 Chapter 102 Fortunately, the dizziness came and went quickly, and I soon recovered. When I was about to get up to go to the bathroom, I saw Griffon standing at the elevator doors. He looked as gorgeous as he always did. The lights seem to shine on his muscr frame, giving the appearance of a halo around him¡ªwhich wasughable to think of Alpha Knight as someone deserving of a halo. He seemed to have been standing there for a while. Nerves shot through me when I saw him. Sure, I¡¯d known he was going to be there, but I¡¯d thought I would be able to avoid him. I still could. Just as I was looking around to make my exit strategy, he strode toward me, his long strides quickly eating up the space between us. There was no way for me to avoid him. I could only hold my purse tightly and quickly turn my back to him. It was as though his mere presence thickened the air surrounding us. I was a little out of breath, and my grip on my purse strap Material ? of N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Do you want me to open the door on my own?¡± A terrifying growl of a voice sounded above my head. 2/2 I quickly looked to the floor, then turned around, not daring to risk looking in his eyes. Except, I didn¡¯t know the man behind me was close. When I turned around, I mmed right in a hard, muscr chest. The familiar fragrance of Griffon wrapped itself around me as I stared at the open cor of his whi te dress shirt. Subconsciously, I looked at his corbone. There was no tattoo. It appeared that Griffon and Greyson truly weren¡¯t the same person. I lowered my eyshes in disappointment. Griffon grabbed my shoulder with one hand and pushed me to the side. ¡°You¡¯re really good at throwing yourself into other peoples¡¯ arms.¡± Ah. It would seem that he¡¯d just seen me in Jackson¡¯s arms. ¡°I¡­¡± I wanted to exin, but Griffon took out a handkerchief and wiped his fingers as if something dir ty had touched him. After wiping his hands, he threw the cloth at my face. His eyes were dark and indifferent, his wolf not even bothering to show itself. His mo uth was twisted in a slight grimace, as if he was looking at some lowly creature. He pushed past me and walked into the private room off the restaurant. Chapter 103 Chapter 103 Chapter 103 2/3 The ba stard hade off the elevator, seen Jackson and me, and then waited until the right moment to walk forward. He¡¯d never needed me to open the door; he just wanted to humiliate me. I threw the handkerchief into the trash can next to me, keeping my face schooled. I calmed the anger in my chest, clenched my purse, and sat down again. Endure it, I told myself. There was nothing, no person that could easily knock me down. I¡¯d been through worse than this. And if my frail human body wasn¡¯t about to di e, I¡¯m sure I would endure worse the longer I lived as a human among wolves. In the private dining room, as soon as Alpha Knight appeared, the members of the Sterling pack were all stunned. They hadn¡¯t expected Griffon would be at the dinner. After the shock wore off a bit, they soon understood the connection between Elder Thorin, the Midwest Packs Corporation, and the Knight pack. Chapter 103 3/3 The Sterling pack had been targeting the MPC, and Griffon was here to support Tara-who was taking over the neutral pack business as the CEO. Since Griffon had shown up, the Sterling pack would not make things difficult for Tara during the meal. The Sterling pack was powerful, but they weren¡¯t a match for the Knight pack and their deep-rooted connections in Arcadia and the surrounding area. Instead, they invited Griffon to the head of the table with smiles all around. They toasted to the Knight pack and tried to be as friendly as possible even though the scent and power of multiple Alphas in oneConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org . room had everyone on edge. Griffon¡¯s expression remained indifferent, he gaze fixed on a spot in front of him on the table.. It was not until Jackson came back into the dining room that Griffon¡¯s eyes shifted. Chapter 104 Chapter 104 Chapter 104 Jackson received a message from one of his men while he was in the bathroom, alerting him that Griffon Knight had arrived. He¡¯d expected that would happen. Jackson didn¡¯t know much about what had happened between Tara and Griffon. What he did know was that the Knight pack and the Thorin pack were to be unified by a mating. Since they were to be mated, Griffon would naturallye to support Tara. Otherwise, it would put him in an uneasy position as an Alpha. Without his support at one of her first business functions, especially as the Alpha of the pack whose project the MPC was managing, Tara would have looked as though her future mate didn¡¯t value her enough to show up. When Griffon was sizing him up, Jackson raised his ss politely and toasted him. Although Griffon responded and lifted his own ss, his attitude was a little arr ogant and disdainful. Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. Jackson wasn¡¯t surprised by his demeanor. He¡¯d heard all about Alpha Knight. What was interesting about the exchange was that Griffon had bothered to look at him at all. Typically, the Alpha didn¡¯t Chapter 104 acknowledge anyone. Perhaps it had something to do with Tara being the host? 2/3 Tara would make a good Luna. She was adept at livening up the atmosphere, and a few words made the different packs more familiar and at case with each other. Then, she led everyone in a discussion about work, projects, bidding-and the recent incidents of the Sterling pack against the Midwest Packs Corporation. Griffon didn¡¯t say anything during the whole process. He only asionally looked at the door with a brooding look on his face. *** When Tara saw Griffon looking in the direction of the door from time to time, she followed his gaze to see exactly what he was looking at. She happened to see Taya¡¯s thin figure and frowned. ¡°Griffon, what are you looking at?¡± With an apathetic expression, he picked up his phone and shifted his gaze to the screen. ¡°What time will this nonsense end? I have other pack business to attend to.¡± Tara felt a sliver of relief. He hadn¡¯t been looking at the other woman; he was looking through the door and out of the window beyond it to the sky outside. ¡°Not too much longer.¡± Chapter 104 3/3 After saying that, she looked at Jackson and the pack members he¡¯d brought with him. ¡°Alpha Sterling, Beta Smith, the Weston City project is nothing. to be concerned about. MPC and Alpha Knight have always been fair and impartial. It is MPC¡¯s job to facilitate projects and manage the contract negotiations with discretion, honesty, and without bias. You can rest assured that anything you have heard regarding possible favoritism toward the Knight pack is false. We must rely on our strengths rather than perceived weaknesses.¡± Chapter 105 Chapter 105 Chapter 105 The Sterling pack had always been professional. Jackson didn¡¯t have to worry about their strength-and weakness? Not an issue ¡ªso he simply nodded his agreement. His concerns with MPC handling Knight pack projects couldn¡¯t be resolved just by Tara saying things were fine. Jackson would have to see how everything was actually handled¡­not how they SAID they were going to handle it. Seeing that his Alpha had relented, Beta Smith spoke. ¡°Ms. Thorin, yes, the Sterling pack has worked to remove the Midwest Packs Corporation from handling Knight pack business. I¡¯ve spoken to my team regarding this, and they have ceased their efforts.¡± Of course, Tara didn¡¯t believe what he said, but she wouldn¡¯t embarrass the Sterling pack Beta in front of everyone here. Instead, she said, ¡°In that case, let¡¯s turn hostility into friendship. We can cooperate well and help each other in the future.¡± After that, Tara picked up her ss and toasted Alpha Sterling and Beta Smith. After she finished it, she smiled, then stood. ¡°I¡¯ll see you all at the bidding.¡± The main reason why Tara dared to end the meal prematurely Chapter 105 was that Griffon was impatient. 2/5 Although the Sterling pack and the Knight pack were equally influential in the country, the Knight pack was one of the leading packs in the world. They had a long, remarkable bloodline and could trace their roots farther back than any other packs. It was even said that the Knight pack might have been THE original wolf shifter pack. And just as she thought would happen, instead of rising when she did and being on their way, they all looked to Griffon. They would not dare to get up before him. Griffon nodded, stood, then grabbed Tara¡¯s hand and walked out of the room with her. Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. Everyone was stunned when they saw that the Alpha rumored to be indifferent to women took the initiative to hold Tara¡¯s hand. The rtionship between them seemed more intimate than they had imagined, instead of just being for show and power. They didn¡¯t know if the Weston City project would be managed fairly by the Midwest Packs Corporation because of this rtionship. It was the duty of MPC to make sure that all of the different packs inter- pack business was handled to the letter of the packw, regardless of how they personally felt about packs. Not all of the packs got along, but not all of the packs could handle everything on their own and needed to rely on each other. That¡¯s where the MPC came in. Chapter 105 3/5 Plus, packw stated that if there was something that a pack could not do themselves and needed outside assistance for, they were required to use another pack if another pack could perform that task. Human services andpanies were ast resort. If multiple packs were able to perform a service, a bidding date was set for packs to bid on the project, with the MPC overseeing the bid awarding after reviewing all of the contracts to see whose bid was not just the lowest, but the fairest and most reasonable. This was what the Sterling pack was most worried about. Otherwise, they would not have taken extreme measures to target the Midwest Packs Corporation and their involvement in Knight pack projects. Griffon taking Tara¡¯s hand¡­they weren¡¯t sure how to view that. For a multitude of reasons. *** When the door opened, I immediately stood up. Griffon held Tara¡¯s hand and walked out of the room. Seeing their fingers sped together, I blinked, then blinked again. I wanted to pretend nothing had happened and look away. Chapter 105 4/5 But when I lowered my eyes to avert them, I couldn¡¯t help but look at Griffon¡¯srge hand wrapped around Tara¡¯s tiny one. It was like a beacon drawing my gaze to it. Griffon held her so tightly. So different than when I bumped into him and he was disgusted by it. I¡¯d fantasized countless times that Griffon would hold my hand like this one day, in public no less. He couldn¡¯t hold my hand in public, though. This was the difference between me and Tara. When the two of them passed by me, Tara stopped. ¡°Taya, remember to take Alpha Sterling back to the hotel.¡± I forced myself to nod politely. ¡°Okay.¡± Only then did Tara hold onto Griffon¡¯s arm with a smile and walk towards the elevator. They turned their backs on me, and only then did I dare to look at them. The two were a perfect match, and I was just a passing leaf in the wind. I smiled weakly. This bit of pain was nothing. Chapter 105 I would let go of Griffon, just as I had forgotten about Ss. 5/5 Jackson Sterling was leaving the private room, and I looked over at him. ¡°Alpha Sterling, I¡¯ll take you to your hotel. You¡¯ll be staying at a different one than this.¡± Thankfully, he didn¡¯t push back, simply followed me out to the car. Once I had arrived and Jackson and his Beta were out of the car, I started to pull away. I wanted to get away from Jackson as soon as possible. My heart had other ns. My chest convulsed in excruciating pain. And my foot was still on the elerator. My body was twisting in pain, and my foot pressed down on the gas pedal. The car shot forward and hit the pir at the hotel entrance. Chapter 106 Chapter 106 Chapter 106 Jackson startled when he heard a loud bang behind him. He rushed over to the crashed car and saw Taya slumped against the steering wheel, her face wh ite as a sheet. His chest tightened subconsciously. He yanked at the door handle to get her out, but the car was locked. Knocking hard on the window, he said, ¡°Ms. Palmer, open the door!¡± Taya didn¡¯t move to unlock the doors. Shi t. She must be unconscious. Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. 1/4 Jackson smashed the back window on the driver¡¯s side so that no ss would get on her, then reached through it to unlock the front door. Thank the goddess he was a shifter, or else he wouldn¡¯t have had the strength to break the window so easily. He opened Taya¡¯s door, the quickly and carefully pulled Taya out of the car. She wasn¡¯t unconscious, but she was almost there. Taya grabbed Chapter 106 his arm as if she were desperate. With difficulty, and after a couple of tries, she spat out the word ¡°oxygen.¡± Jackson¡¯s mind went nk when he heard that word. Scenes shed through his mind so quickly that he felt a headacheing on. 2/4 Rather thany her on the ground, Jackson picked Taya up and carried her. He turned to his B. ¡°Get someone from the hotel to bring me oxygen.¡± It would be toote for them to go to the hospital now. Jackson hoped this hotel was equipped with more first-aid items than a lot of shifter hotels were. Shifters didn¡¯t need much in the way of medical treatment unless it was a more serious wound, so many ces didn¡¯t keep much of anything on hand. They figured their guests could shift into their wolf form to heal, then shift back. Fortunately, this hotel was owned by the Sterling pack. Since they were a pack who dealt with humans, they had made sure that the hotel was prepared for human first-aid needs. The hotel manager quickly sent someone to get the small oxygen tank they kept on hand in case of extreme emergencies. Jackson carried Taya into the presidential suite she had booked for him. Goddess, her face was so pale. Suddenly, he was afraid she would d ie like this. He hurriedly Chapter 106 3/4 contacted his good friend Eric Sinir, who happened to be at a conference in Arcadia. After waking up Eric-who had an extremely regimented schedule-Jackson gave him the address, told him to hurry, and then hung up the phone. *** Eric frowned in confusion. He tossed his phone aside and rolled over to go back to sleep. After a couple of seconds, he opened his eyes again. ¡°Did I hear that right? Jackson asked me to save someone?¡± Jackson was the most even-keeled person Eric knew, who had no real emotion attachments. Who could make Jackson call him in the middle of the night? Eric¡¯s OCD was telling him that he HAD to sleep right now. Part of managing hispulsions was keeping a rigid schedule that he didn¡¯t deviate from. But he found he could not sleep. At all. Apparently, tonight he would be breaking his self-imposed rules. He got up, picked up his car keys, and headed to the address Jackson had given him. Chapter 107 Chapter 107 Chapter 107 The oxygen tank was small, but it was enough to help me. 1/3 Slowly, the pain in my heart subsided with every breath I took, and I started toe around. I opened my eyes and saw Jackson standing by the bed I was in, a frown on his face. I was confused and a bit stunned. Was it Jackson who had saved me? And where was I? Had the person who¡¯d once tried to k ill me just saved me? I pulled the oxygen mask away from my face and struggled to get up from the bed. Jackson pressed me back down and said, ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡± I pushed his hand away. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Thank you for your help, Alpha Sterling.¡± Determined to get away from this dangerous shifter as quickly as possible, I forced myself to sit up and get out of the massive bed, holding onto the bedside table for support. After taking a couple of seconds to get used to being upright, I stood. Immediately, dizziness overtook me again. Chapter 107 2/3 I swayed, trying to focus on the door across the hotel room. Staring at a fixed point usually helped. Not this time. Wave after wave of dizziness overtook me, and my knees buckled. Jackson caught me by the arm and gently but forcefully pushed me back onto the bed. ¡°Don¡¯t push yourself too hard. You need to rest.¡± *** Taya wasn¡¯t Jackson¡¯s biggest fan, and that was putting it lightly. After he caught her and kept her from further injury, he took a step back to give her space. N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material. He¡¯d feltpelled to rush to her aid when he¡¯d seen what happened, acting strictly on his wolf¡¯s impulse. Right now, couldn¡¯t leave her alone. Eric should be on his way, should be here any minute. At the very least, he wanted to Eric to check Taya over before leaving or letting her leave. For some reason, the scene right now felt familiar to him, but he didn¡¯t know why. Nothing in his investigation gave an indication that they¡¯d been in this type of situation before. And his wolf wasn¡¯t a fan of the Chapter 108 Chapter 108 Chapter 108 Jackson was keeping a distance from me, which made me feel slightly better. Rather than forcing myself to get up and flee the room, Iy down obediently and tried to case the dizziness. The doctor had told me not to overwork myself. Somehow, I didn¡¯t think being tortured by Greyson for two days and then going to work counted as taking it easy. Not to mention that the day I¡¯d anticipating having at work had turned out to be nothing like that at all. It was tiring for healthy people to travel back and forth to the airport, restaurants, and hotels, let alone me. Whenever I did too much, my condition worsened. I had to get Tara to approve my resignation tomorrow. The time hade for me to make peace with what was happened and lie at home and wait for death toe. Had no one been there when I crashed the car today, had I not gotten oxygen so quickly, I likely would have died today. I would have been found quickly since I was in front of a hotel room, but once I was home and death took me¡­ Who would find me? I hated the idea of Harper finding me, but it wasn¡¯t like anyone else was going toe look for me. Once I resigned, no one Chapter 108 would miss me from work¡­ 2/3 While I was letting my imagination run wild, a man in a whit e suit walked in. I don¡¯t think I¡¯d ever seem someone who looked so perfect and clean. Let alone so pristine-looking while wearing whi te. Ile exuded a gentle and elegant temperament, and I couldn¡¯t tell if he was a wolf shifter or a human. This content is ? N?velDrama.Org. When he saw me lying on the bed, he smiled. Two deep dimples immediately appeared on his cheeks. ¡°It¡¯s a woman,¡± the man said, a note of wonderment in his tone. He walked over with the ck bag he¡¯d brought with him and gave Jackson a look. ¡°You¡¯ve finally found a woman?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be rid iculous, Eric,¡± Jackson growled, his wolf thick in his voice. ¡°I¡¯ve seen her faint twice today.¡± The man-Eric-looked nonplussed at Jackson¡¯s Alpha voice, and I wondered if he was indeed human. He took out a stethoscope from the first-aid kit and moved in to listen to my heart. I stopped him. ¡°I have a heart issue. It was just a little episode because I overdid it today. It¡¯s not a big deal.¡± I told the truth¡ªwithout the pesky details about heart failure and the fact I was dying. I knew I couldn¡¯t hide it from the Chapter 108 doctor if he listened. 3/3 And if he actually gave me a full exam, he¡¯d know just how NOT little my problem was. I was afraid Jackson would be angry with me for lying to him about what was wrong, and I didn¡¯t want him to harm me again. His kicks to my chest before didn¡¯t kill me, but they sure as hell would now. I hadn¡¯t said goodbye to Harper. I couldn¡¯t die like this, without seeing Harper one more time. Chapter 109 Chapter 109 Chapter 109 Eric was a doctor. He could tell at a nce whether the patient was lying or not. And this woman was lying. He nced at Taya¡¯s legs. They were swollen, and she¡¯d said she had a heart issue¡­it was mostly likely a sign that she was in the end stages of heart failure. More interesting was that she was human¡­ Why did an Alpha like Jackson care to have a doctor rush over in the middle of the night to care for a dying human? Since the patient didn¡¯t want him to treat her, he wouldn¡¯t force her. He put away the stethoscope. Why was she ncing at Jackson and clearly afraid of him? Eric gave Taya a slight nod and tried to convey to her that he knew what was going on. ¡°Jackson, she won¡¯t even let me check her. What on earth did you do to her?¡± Eric took a step back and grinned at Jackson. ¡°Or do you mean to tell me that you¡¯ve gone so Alpha on her that she can¡¯t bear to have another man touch her?¡± He wouldn¡¯t expose Taya. It wasn¡¯t his ce to do so. Chapter 109 But she wouldn¡¯t be able to hide her condition for long. Eric walked over to the gloomy-looking Jackson, covered his m outh, and whispered, ¡°Who is she?¡± ¡°A friend,¡± Jackson said in his growly voice that indicated he wasn¡¯t going to say anything more about the situation. 2/3 Eric didn¡¯t believe him. Jackson never had any females around him, human or she-wolf. And Jackson certainly didn¡¯t have any friends other than Eric. Jackson wasn¡¯t someone who was concerned with ¡°making friends¡±. ¡°There¡¯s nothing else for you to do here. You can leave,¡± Jacksonmanded with a dismissive wave of his hand. ¡°I see how it is.¡± Eric picked up his medical bag. ¡°Call me out of bed in the middle of the night, and then just dismiss me without a word of thanks. I forgot¡­you¡¯re the big Alpha and everyone only exists to serve you.¡± Shaking his head, he walked to the door. When he reached it, he looked back again. Seeing Jackson standing before the bed with his hands in his pockets and looking at the woman on the bed with a worried expression, Eric quickly took a photo with his phone. He sent the photo to his brothers¡¯ group chat and added, ¡°Seems I found the reason Jackson¡¯s been MIAtely¡­¡± The group chat immediately burst into an uproar, just like a Chapter 109 bu nch of gossipy she wendown, It didn¡¯t take long for the news to spread to Preston.ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org . Chapter 110 Chapter 110 Chapter 110 When Preston saw that the woman on the bed was Taya, he was shocked. Looks like he¡¯d been wrong about her. As soon as Roman fell from grace, Taya had hurried to attach herself to someone else with power. She worked fast. Preston hated being wrong about people. And the fact that she was human somehow made it worse. How was this nothing of a human woman able to wrap men around her finger so quickly? After thinking about it for a while, he texted the picture to Griffon. Someone needed to teach Taya a lesson, but Preston didn¡¯t feel like it was his ce to do so. After all, Griffon was the one who¡¯d been involved with her, so Preston would leave it to him. *** Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. As Griffon returned home and saw the photo, darkness filled him and his wolf started to rise to the surface, itching to get out and¡­punish. ¡°When did you see this?¡± he texted to Preston. Chapter 110 Preston replied, ¡°Just now. One of the guys sent it to me.¡± Griffon didn¡¯t respond. 2/3 His fingers tightened around his phone, his ws growing until they punctured the ss screen. But he didn¡¯t care. Jackson looked at Taya lying in his hotel room bed. She looked¡­ unconscious. And that made him feel a bit uneasy. At his wolf¡¯s urging, he reached out and nudged her arm. When she shifted and he realized she was just asleep, he heaved a sigh of relief. Frowning, Jackson stood there, his bulky arms crossed over his chest, and looked at her for a while. Then, he tucked her in and turned off the lights before leaving. After walking out of the presidential suite, he indifferently asked the assistant waiting at the door, ¡°Do I really not have a past with her?¡± Camille, his assistant, replied calmly, ¡°Yes, didn¡¯t old Alpha Sterling take you to the orphanage a few years ago to verify it with the director?¡± After Jackson came home from the hospital, Taya came to see Chapter 110 him. 3/3 He had just lost his memory then, so everything was strange and unknown. Talking about the past was painful for him because he couldn¡¯t remember anything. It was like an open wound. But Taya didn¡¯t care how much she hurt him. She came to bother him every day. He couldn¡¯t drive her away, no matter how hard he tried. She went on and on, exining herself to him, telling him about how she had to sell her body to save him. Telling him they were supposed to be mated¡­even though she could never be a Luna. She swore up and down that everything she said was true, and she¡¯d cried impassioned tears that affected his wolf. He had no choice but to ask the Sterling pack leaders to take him back to the orphanage for an investigation. Chapter 111 Chapter 111 Chapter 111 The orphanage director told Jackson that Taya had wanted to climb up the socialdder since she was a child. When she hadn¡¯t gotten her wolf at puberty, she wanted it even more. Likely, she wanted a guaranteed protector. When Taya saw that he had be the new Alpha of the Sterling pack. She tried to take advantage of his amnesia to lie to him, to convince him that they were in love and he had promised to mate her. Everyone Jackson had talked to that he and Taya were not familiar with each other at all and had no past. All of this was just a lie Taya made up. 1/3 Jackson even went to the hospital to verify it with others. Aside from Harper, who insisted he was unfaithful, everyone¡¯s statements were consistent with what the orphanage director had told him. Harper being the only one to say any different made sense. Harper and Taya were best friends- considered each other sisters, even-and had spent their whole lives together in the orphanage. Of course, Harper would lie for her friend to ensure Taya was epted by a pack and have a mate to protect her. Jackson¡¯s doubt gradually dissipated, but¡­ Chapter 111 2/3 He looked back at Taya, sleeping soundly on the bed, and grimaced again. ¡°Why do I always feel that something must have. happened between her and me? Why would I be so upset to hear that she had a heart issue¡­?¡± Camille nced at him and frowned. ¡°She¡¯s probably doing this to attract your attention again. She didn¡¯t seed before, and now that she has a chance to get close to you again, she can try again.¡± Camille paused, then reminded him, ¡°Alpha Sterling, you should be careful. Women are conniving and brilliant.¡± Jackson remembered that five years ago, to help him regain his memory, Taya had deliberately pretended to be si ck in front of him. Camille¡¯s words seemed more credible. If Taya wasn¡¯t pretending, why would she have stopped Eric from examining her? Jackson¡¯s temples throbbed, and it felt like his wolf was pacing around inside of him, angry and restless. Think about Taya gave him a headache, and he was desperate to shift and run as fast as he could, until he waspletely drained of all thoughts, emotions, and energy. It had been a long time since he had felt this way. He didn¡¯t want to think about any of this anymore and make his headache worse, and with everything going on with the Weston City project he didn¡¯t have time to indulge in weakness. Chapter 111 He waved a hand and said to Camille, ¡°Go get me another room.¡±N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material. Chapter 112 Chapter 112 Chapter 112 I woke up to unfamiliar surroundings. 1/3 After blinking a few times and remembering what happenedst night, I realized I had fallen asleep in Jackson¡¯s presidential suite. Luckily, Jackson seemed to be gone. The only other ce he could be in here was the bathroom, but the door was open and no light was on in there. I touched my chest, pressing lightly between my breasts and letting out a sigh of relief. There were no signs of being kicked. It had been so long ago, but I¡¯d feared Jackson would kick me. It had been horrib le when he did it before, and the trauma from it came rushing backst night. But it was no wonder that I was afraid. After he¡¯d kicked me in the chest years ago, Jackson left me on the side of the road to di e. And I would have died if someone driving by hadn¡¯t seen me and ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org . saved me in time. I¡¯d never understood why Ss, who had always been nice to me, always been my protector, would be so crue l, would leave me there to d ie. It¡¯d been a long time, and I¡¯d let go of it and moved on, but I could never forget it. I¡¯d just¡­pushed it aside so I could survive, Chapter 112 try to live while I could. It would never NOT be there, and sometimes it weighed on me. Now that I¡¯d seen Jackson again, it was fresh. 2/3 I shook my head and forced Jackson out of my mind. I sat up in the bed and picked up my phone. Oh, no. I¡¯d slept until 5:00 p.m.! My phone screen showed countless missed calls, but I¡¯d been so exhausted and slept so hard that I hadn¡¯t heard a single one. I unlocked the phone to see who had called, and my eyes grew as big as saucers. There were hundreds of missed calls from Greyson. Not only had he called over and over, he¡¯d also sent countless WhatsApp messages. I wasn¡¯t going to call him back. Instead, I opened WhatsApp to read his messages. At first, he¡¯d said, ¡°Send me your location.¡± Then, ¡°Are you with another man?¡± Then, ¡°If you fu ck another man, I¡¯ll ki ll you.¡± Dear goddess, he was crazy. No way in he ll was I answering him back. Chapter 112 3/3 I exited out of Greyson¡¯s messages, then saw that L had also messaged asking me toe into the office and hand over my work. Quickly, I got up, freshened up, grabbed my bag, and left the presidential suite. As soon as I got to the elevator, Jackson came out. Chapter 113 Chapter 113 Chapter 113 ¡°Ms. Palmer. I see you¡¯re awake.¡± Jackson quickly walked over to Taya and looked her up and down. 1/3 He¡¯d returned to the suite earlier today to check on her, but she was sound asleep and he didn¡¯t want to wake her. Instead, he¡¯d quictly left the room-even though he was pretty sure that a herd of wild horses couldn¡¯t wake her. He¡¯d gone into the the Sterling pack¡¯s Arcadia offices for a few meetings and then went back to check on her. To find that she was still sleeping. Part of him had wanted to wake her the second time to make sure she was okay, but the other part of him was irritated that he even cared, that his wolf was driving at him to keep checking on her. Now, he¡¯d returned for a third time. Seeing that she had finally woken up, he couldn¡¯t help but feel relief. He had never seen someone who could sleep so soundly. Wolf shifters didn¡¯t do that. They were too attuned to their surroundings, their hearing too keen, their sense of self-preservation too deep. Chapter 113 2/3 Jackson stood there staring at Taya, his wolf a bit on edge as he examined her for anything amiss. He narrowed his eyes on her. She looked pale and tired, too thin, but otherwise fine. Taya swallowed and nodded, and Jackson saw the muscle in her jaw tick. She was annoyed with him, wanted to get away. He could sense that she was antsy. ¡°Thank you for letting me stay here for the night. I¡¯m sorry to have disturbed you.¡± She started to walk toward the elevator and escape him when Jackson remembered what Eric had done. He reached a hand out to grab her elbow and stopped her. Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. Taya¡¯s eyes widened and she looked down at his hand. He quickly let go of her, not meaning to frighten her. ¡°Before you rush off, I have something to tell you,¡± he said. ¡°Yes?¡± she said tentatively. ¡°You haven¡¯t eaten yet, have you? We can talk while eating. My treat.¡± Taya¡¯s expression hardened, and Jackson couldn¡¯t read her eyes. Da mmit, he wished she were a wolf. He¡¯d be able tomand her to have dinner with him. ¡°There¡¯s no need, Alpha Sterling. We can talk right here.¡± Chapter 113 3/3 Jackson pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a low, frustrated growl before he took out his phone. He showed Taya the photo Eric had taken. ¡°Eric¡­the doctor who camest night. He took a picture of us and sent it to a few people. Unfortunately, someone in the group took it upon themselves to share it with others, and now it¡¯s everywhere on social media.¡± Chapter 114 Chapter 114 Chapter 114 I nced at the photo. Jackson was standing next to the bed and looking at me. It didn¡¯t look like a big deal to me at all. I was fully clothed, and so was he. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯re able to have it dealt with,¡± I said with a slight shrug. For an Alpha of his power and wealth, I¡¯m sure it wouldn¡¯t be difficult for him to have something like this removed from whatever social media sites it was on. And even any blogs or gossip sites it might have reached. ¡°I¡¯ve already dealt with it. No one else will spread it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± I turned to leave, but Jackson stopped me again. ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org . ¡°Let me take you to dinner. Consider it my apology for Eric¡¯s disrespect.¡± I shook my head. ¡°No, thank you. I need to go to the office.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already taken care of that. When I saw that you weren¡¯t awake this morning, I called Ms. Thorin and let her know you wouldn¡¯t be in today.¡± Chapter 114 2/3 I was stunned for a moment. I didn¡¯t know whether to be angry at his overreach and pleasantly surprised by his thoughtfulness. L must have messaged before Jackson had called her. Narrowing my eyes, I stared at him. He¡¯d been very clear five years ago that he didn¡¯t want to see me again. After all, what could be more clear than trying to ki ll someone? So why was he helping me now? He¡¯d now asked more than once for me to have dinner with him. And if he was still anything like the man I remembered from years ago, he wouldn¡¯t give up until I said yes. His stubborn streak was a mile wide-which probably made him a good Alpha in some ways, when it came to standing up for his pack. Letting out a sigh, I nodded. At this point, I was too curious to not go. As soon as we exited the elevator in the lobby, we bumped into Griffon. He wore a ck suit, which matched the look on his face. The moment he saw us, his dark glower turned into indifference. When my eyes met his, I felt the blood drain out of my face. I immediately lowered my head and looked at the ground, panicked. I dared not raise my head to look at him again. Chapter 114 3/3 Subconsciously, I hid behind Jackson¡¯s body, which was muchrger than mine. Please, please, please don¡¯t let either of them say anything, I prayed to the goddess. Jackson stretched out his hand. ¡°Alpha Knight.¡± Chapter 115 Chapter 115 Chapter 115 Cr ap. Looked like the goddess wasn¡¯t on my side right now. I peeked around Jackson. To anyone else, Griffon looked t and emotionless, ever the stoic Alpha. But I knew better. His eyes had that steely glint they got when he was trying to hide his wolf. That hint of silver. Griffon nced down at Jackson¡¯s hand and didn¡¯t make a move to extend his own, instead just raising an eyebrow and looking down to Jackson¡¯s hand and then back up to Jackson¡¯s face. He didn¡¯t say a word. Jackson took it in stride and simply shrugged and lowered his hand. I¡¯m guessing he¡¯d heard plenty about Griffon¡¯s coldness. Frankly, I was surprised Jackson had even attempted to shake his hand, given Griffon¡¯s arro gant reputation. Griffon looked beyond Jackson-to me. ¡°Ms. Palmer.¡± Once Griffon addressed me, I couldn¡¯t continue to hide behind Chapter 115 2/3 Jackson. Especially since I¡¯d noticed that other pack leaders were milling about the lobby. I greeted Griffon respectfully. ¡°Hello, Alpha Knight.¡± Griffon turned his body slightly toward me and looked me up and down. ¡°You¡¯re really something, aren¡¯t you?¡± He pushed past me and walked into the elevator. Clearly, he¡¯d misunderstood what he thought he was seeing. But I didn¡¯t need to exin myself. We were over, and Griffon didn¡¯t want me anymore. Nothing I did was his business. Jackson raised an eyebrow and looked down at me, seeing as he was over a foot taller than me. ¡°Well, Alpha Knight doesn¡¯t seem very friendly to you. You and him¡­¡± He didn¡¯t finish his thought, but IThis content is ? N?velDrama.Org. knew what he meant, and I wasn¡¯t going to sugarcoat my answer. ¡°Everyone in this circle knows that I¡¯m a pro stitute.¡± Jackson didn¡¯t expect Taya to be so straightforward, and he was a little shocked by her answer. However, after the photo of Taya and him made the rounds, several higher-level wolves from different packs in Arcadia sent Chapter 115 3/3 him messages saying that she was Roman¡¯s woman. Even in Wolverly Capital, Jackson had heard of Roman¡¯s anties. He knew Roman was ruthless with women-human and she-wolf alike. Any woman who was willing to be involved with him were doing it for his money. And since Taya had been tied to Roman¡­ It seemed that the orphanage director hadn¡¯t lied. She really did just want to marry into a wealthy family. No wonder she disappeared five years ago when she hadn¡¯t been able to fo ol him, deciding to move on to her next target. But he¡¯d never expected Taya to actually admit to what she was doing. He hadn¡¯t met a woman who was so brazen about her actions. Chapter 116 Chapter 116 Chapter 116 Jackson¡¯s expression changed, and I knew what he was thinking. I stered an indifferent look on my face. ¡°So, Alpha Sterling, do you still want to treat me-a woman who sells herself-to a meal?¡± Surely, Jackson wouldn¡¯t hesitate to get out of being seen with No such luck. ¡°Of course,¡± Jackson said firmly, his voice a bit rough with his wolf. He turned and walked toward the hotel restaurant across the lobby. Open-mouthed, I looked at his back as he strode away, hisrge Alpha form towering over everyone else. Why did most Alphas have to be so¡­so big? After hesitating for a moment, I followed him. When the restaurant manager saw Jackson, he hurried to greet him personally, instead of letting the host seat us. ¡°Alpha Sterling, this way, please.¡± The manager led us to a quiet table in the corner. Ile pulled out our chairs and then handed us menus. Jackson took a menu and looked over it. ¡°What would you like to eat?¡±Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. ¡°I¡¯m not hungry, actually. Please go ahead without me.¡± My appetite had been steadily declining, as was normal for people in the end stages of heart failure. Thankfully, Jackson didn¡¯t say anything or try to force me to eat. He just casually ordered a few things. After the manager took our menus and left, Jackson picked up the water next to him and poured a ss for me. Even with our hor rible past and the current situation, he was still the epitome of perfect manners, ever the gracious host. He hadn¡¯t changed at all. He had always been different from the other children in the orphanage. Silent, quiet, and polite. His responses were always measured, as if he was always thinking about all possible oues before speaking. Always the best grades, and always the biggest and strongest. He didn¡¯t encourage any conflicts, but he never shied away from them. It came as no surprised that he was an Alpha. He¡¯d always been one, even before he or anyone else knew who he really was. Chapter 117 Chapter 117 Chapter 117 Jackson frowned when he saw the light in Taya¡¯s eyes turn dark. ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± he asked. ¡°Just something I saw online.¡± Jackson raised an eyebrow and waited for her to share. Taya said in a low voice, ¡°The Man Who Dumped His Girlfriend When He Found Sess.¡± ¡°Ms. Palmer, you¡¯re not talking about me, are you?¡± Taya didn¡¯t reply, just picked up her ss and took a sip of water. Jackson was starting to feel a little suspicious that what he had investigated was wrong, but¡­he really couldn¡¯t remember her. However, when he¡¯d seen her slumped against the steering wheelst night, when he¡¯d looked at her lying in his bed, so frail and weak¡­ His wolf had pawed at him, and his heart had cracked. Whatever he was feeling was authentic. It made him ufortable, but it was there nheless. Was what Taya said before true? Chapter 117 He stared right in her eyes. ¡°Were you really my girlfriend before?¡± 2/3 ¡°No, I¡¯m lying to you.¡± Taya denied it quickly and looked away. Something that felt a lot like disappointment settled over him. ¡°Why did you lie?¡± ¡°I want to marry into a rich and powerful family.¡± I shrugged and met Jackson¡¯s gaze again. He¡¯d asked the question to test if I remembered my warning. He would probably kick me again if I answered or exined as truthfully as before. When we¡¯d seen Griffon, I¡¯d panicked, not wanting Jackson to know how I really knew Griffon. I figured my answer earlier would suffice for both Alphas and their needs regarding my past with them. Something crossed Jackson¡¯s face right now as I lied about our past and what I¡¯d wanted from him. ¡°Do you still want to attach yourself to me now?¡± he growled out lowly. ¡°I¡¯m not worthy of you,¡± I replied unemotionally. He was testing me.ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org . Chapter 118 Chapter 118 Chapter 118 1/3 Jackson curled his lip in a snarl, shoving his wolf¡¯s ire down at Taya¡¯s response. He didn¡¯t even know why he¡¯d asked her the question in the first ce. It had just¡­popped out. Apparently, it was time to have Eric make an appointment to have his head checked. Because he¡¯d lost it. He was saved by the waiter arriving with his food. Jackson continued as if nothing had happened. He picked up his knife and fork, cutting into his steak. Right now, it was thest thing he wanted. He craved the hunt, tearing into something with his teeth rather than silverware. After cutting the steak, he put half on Taya¡¯s te, followed by a helping of brussels sprouts. The Taya of five years ago was curvy. This Taya was so thin Jackson worried she would be transparent. ¡°You¡¯re too thin,¡± he said gruffly. *** I had zero appetite at all. I picked up a brussels sprout, twirled my fork around a bit, and then put my fork back down on my Chapter 118 te. I didn¡¯t even touch the steak that Jackson had served me. 2/3 The menacing glower on Jackson¡¯s face was intimidating, and I know he thought I didn¡¯t want to cat because of him. And that was fine. He could think that; it was better than the truth. After dinner, Jackson wanted to take me home, but I refused. The less time spent with him, the better. I had no idea why he was being so attentive, and it threw me off-kilter. Why did he care now? Why didn¡¯t he care when I¡¯de to him five years ago? I¡¯d been ¡°tainted¡± back then, and today I¡¯d told him I was a pro stitute, which was even worse that what I¡¯d told him five years ago. He had refused me before, when I was at my lowest point. No matter what, I would never return to him. I wanted to stay as far from him as possible. After rejecting Jackson¡¯s offer to take me home, I went to the hotel garage and took the car keys out of my bag. I would drive the car I had driven yesterday, and then return it to the MPC offices tomorrow. As I was digging for the keys, I felt my phone vibrating. I looked down at the screen. Greyson calling. Again. He¡¯d been calling nonstop, and I¡¯m sure he wanted to see me. But my body couldn¡¯t stand any more torture.ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org . Chapter 119 Chapter 119 Chapter 119 1/2 I pondered for a minute about how to handle the situation with Greyson, and then replied to him on WhatsApp. Thest thing I was going to do was return his phone call. [I¡¯m exhausted. I¡¯m going to rest, and we can talk in a few days, okay?] I had to be careful with Greyson, had to make sure not to upset him in any way. If he told anyone about my n to ki ll Roman at the hotel that night, I was screwed. Sure, Roman wasn¡¯t an issue at the moment, what with being in the hospital still, but I didn¡¯t want to take any unnecessary chances. This content is ? N?velDrama.Org. If Greyson was unhappy and decided to expose me, Roman would find a way to deal with me. And Roman ¡°dealing with me¡± wasn¡¯t how I wanted to di e . I didn¡¯t n on seeing Greyson again, but I still needed to mollify him to make sure he kept quiet. After sending the message, I turned off my phone, took out my car keys, and opened the car door. Just as I was about to get into the car, a Bugatti stopped in front of me. The car window slowly rolled down, revealing the side of a man¡¯s face in the dim light. Chapter 119 2/2 When I saw who it was, my heart skipped a beat. Why was he stopping here? He¡¯d told me he never wanted to see me again, yet he was everywhere. Not wanting to make Griffon mad at the sight of me, I turned around and hurried to open my car door to get inside and out of his view, my nerves causing me to fumble with the door handle. A low, growling voice came from behind me. ¡°Get in the car.¡± I froze. Why would he want me to get in his car? Surely, he meant for me to get in MY car, right? Chapter 120 Chapter 120 Chapter 120 I stared at the man in the car, while he only nced at me. ¡°I said, get in the car.¡± Power and anger radiated off of him. If I were a wolf, it would have had a muchrger effect on me, but somehow, I still managed to feel his wr athing at me in waves. It was as if he would strangle me to death if I didn¡¯t obey him. He definitely meant for me to get in HIS car, not mine. I struggled for a moment before walking toward the Bugatti. I wanted to sit in the back seat, but the door was locked, and I couldn¡¯t open it. Only the door of the passenger seat was unlocked. ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org . Just. Great. I was afraid to be so close to him, but I didn¡¯t dare to defy him. Even a human like me could tell that his wolf was in dangerous territory right now. Gritting my teeth, I opened the front passenger door and got in. After I fastened my seat belt, he dr ove out of the parking garage. Chapter 120 2/3 It was the first time I¡¯d ever been in his car. Before, he¡¯d always had one of his people pick me up, or he¡¯d had me follow behind him in my own car. I¡¯d never been in his personal car. He ll, most of my memories of us were when we were in bed, and we didn¡¯t say much during those times. Our ¡°rtionship¡± had been meing to him when he wanted me, him using me, and then him sending me on my way. And definitely not being seen together by anyone, ever. If it didn¡¯t make me so sad, I¡¯d find the whole thing funny. Now that he¡¯d ended our contract and told me he never wanted to see me again¡­here he was. Looking for me. I didn¡¯t know where he was taking me, and I didn¡¯t dare ask, didn¡¯t dare speak without an indication that he wanted me to. I didn¡¯t want to poke the bear. Er, wolf. Griffon dr o ve to theke. The car stopped at a dark intersection. There wasn¡¯t even a single streemp anywhere near us. Theke was vast, endlessly stretching out to the horizon. If you didn¡¯t know better, you¡¯d think it was the ocean. The only thing missing was the scent of saltwater. Griffon didn¡¯t get out of the car, didn¡¯t say anything. He just rolled down the window and let the breeze in. He lowered his eyes and yed with his lighter. Chapter 120 The whole thing was strange, and I couldn¡¯t help but stare at him. 3/3 At first nce, I saw that the corners of his eyes were scarlet as if he was trying his best to hold back something, and his eyes were the amber color of his wolf¡¯s. My stomach twisted. Something was wrong with him. I grabbed the seat belt tightly, gathered up all the courage I could manage, and asked in a whispered voice, ¡°Alpha Knight, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Chapter 121 Chapter 121 Chapter 121 When I spoke, I realized I¡¯d made a mistake. Griffon¡¯s expression changed, and his demeanor darkened even more. I didn¡¯t dare to speak again. Then I noticed the faint scent of alcohol in the car. My nose couldn¡¯t detect wolfsbane, but I could definitely smell the whiskey. And Griffon wouldn¡¯t be drinking alcohol unless it had wolfsbane in it. No wonder he¡¯d taken the initiative to seek me out. He had liquid courage on his side. Or¡­liquid anger? I wasn¡¯t sure. Since he wouldn¡¯t speak to me and tell me what he wanted. I sighed. While I was lost in my thoughts, Griffon startled me by tossing the lighter he was ying with against the dashboard and looked over at me. ¡°Did you sleep with Jacksonst night?¡± His eyes were a darker amber than I¡¯d ever seen them before. I¡¯d Chapter 121 2/3 seen him in his wolf form a couple of times, and even then, his eyes weren¡¯t this¡­deadly. I stared into his eyes, trying to find something else in them, but there was nothing. Suddenly this all felt more than a little ridic ulous. ¡°Did you drive me all the way out here just to ask me that? Couldn¡¯t you have asked this in the parking garage?¡± His lethal gaze bored into my soul. ¡°Answer me,¡± he growled. This was all¡­exhausting. It was exhausting to be constantly misunderstood, constantly questioned about doing things I hadn¡¯t done. Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. When I didn¡¯t answer, Griffon pinched my chin between his thumb and forefinger and snarled, ¡°Speak!¡± His grip hurt, and his nails had started to turn into ws. His wolf was just below the surface, and I knew just how hard he was trying to keep it in check. I¡¯d seen this side of him before. But only in bed. I took a deep breath before quietly saying, ¡°Would you believe me if I said that I didn¡¯t sleep with Jackson?¡± He sneered. ¡°You stayed in his presidential suite for the entire night and didn¡¯te out until the next evening. Why do you think I¡¯d believe you?¡± Chapter 121 3/3 I nodded and bit my lower lip. ¡°Since you already seem to know the answer, why are you asking me?¡± He tightened his grip on my chin. ¡°Did. You. Sleep. With. I lim?¡± F uck this. ¡°Yes,¡± I ground out. His expression froze, and I couldn¡¯t read it. ¡°Why should you sleep with him?¡± ¡°Because he¡¯s handsome and rich, and he¡¯s the Alpha of a powerful pack. And I want to be with someone handsome and rich and powerful.¡± Griffon narrowed his eyes. ¡°That¡¯s what you said before.¡± ¡°What?¡± I didn¡¯t understand. ¡°You lied to me like thisst time. I investigated you and Roman, and he never touched you. Why did you lie to me? And how dare you lie again?¡± Chapter 122 Chapter 122 Chapter 122 How could Griffon have had something like that investigated? Or¡­did he know based on my scent? I knew Griffon had senses that were even more heightened than other wolves, being the powerful Alpha he was. But is that something he would be able to detect? I searched his eyes, waiting for something more, not knowing what to say. He seemed to be waiting for my exnation. However, I had indeed slept with someone. It just wasn¡¯t who he thought it was. None of this would change anything. It didn¡¯t matter if I told him the entire truth, and it didn¡¯t matter if I lied to him. We would just continue to go around and around in circles. ¡°I liedst time because I was angry with you. But this time, it¡¯s true. Jackson is different from Roman. He¡¯s kind and gentle, and I like him very much.¡± ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org . I met Griffon¡¯s gaze, and I was careful to refer to Jackson without his Alpha title, to imply an intimacy that wasn¡¯t actually there. Griffon let go of my chin, and it was almost as if I was watching Chapter 122 the light go out of his eyes. After a long silence, he asked, ¡°Did you know him before?¡± I shook my head. ¡°No. Yesterday was the first time we met.¡± Griffon was so angry that heughed. It was terrifying. ¡°You¡¯re unbelievable. You¡¯re really something, aren¡¯t you?¡± My lips curled in a wry smile. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that before?¡± My sarcastic remark caused Griffon¡¯s face to darken. His gaze bored into mine, and I was fairly sure he wanted to strangle me to death right now if the look in his eyes was any indication. 2/3 Then hisrge body pressed down on me, it was as if I¡¯d actually been pounced on by a wolf, making it hard for me to breathe. I¡¯d been afraid this would happen, but I hadn¡¯t thought it would. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn¡¯t understand him. He¡¯d broken up with me. Why did he care so much about what I did? Or was it because he couldn¡¯t stand the thought of someone touching what once belonged to him. Before, he¡¯d been adamant about no one else touching me. He didn¡¯t want me tainted. No one touched something that belonged to the mighty Alpha Knight. No one. I remained still, unmoving as I tried uselessly to figure out Griffon¡¯s motivations. Then, he gently bit my earlobe, the tip of his wolf¡¯s lengthened canine lightly scraping across my flesh. ¡°Are you truly so needy?¡± Chapter 123 Chapter 123 Chapter 123 Lightning shot through my body the moment Griffon bit my earlobe. An overwhelming electrified sensation spread throughout my body. 1/3 My face instantly flushed. I twisted my head, trying to avoid his touch, but he lifted a hand and cupped my head to stop me from moving. He bit my earlobe again, lowered his voice, and asked, ¡°Hmm?¡± The tone of his voice had an almost charming, sensual ring to it. This content is ? N?velDrama.Org. My heart instantly skipped a beat. Griffon¡¯s voice was maic and sexy, and I was drawn to it like a moth to the me. His voice lingered in my ears, making it difficult for me not to respond to him-both with my body and my heart. But I forced myself to calm down. Griffon¡¯s actions were meant to humiliate me. pursed my lips, not saying a word, trying not to show any esponse to him even though I was aching for him. He slowly moved from my earlobe to my neck. He kissed me on the corbone and asked in a low voice, ¡°Tell me, how much do you need to satisfy you?¡± His tone was a little gruff, as if he were scolding me for disobedience. My mind was a mess. I was so flustered that I didn¡¯t even dare to look at him. My body betrayed me and gradually went limp under his gentle kisses. ¡°I¡¯ll give you a billion dors. All you have to do is say no to Jackson.¡± It was as if he was trying to seduce me, which made me tremble. I grabbed the seat belt, clenched my fists, and slowly looked at Griffon, who was still kissing me. ¡°You¡­you don¡¯t you think I¡¯m di rty?¡± His kisses stopped and his body stiffened. His grasp on my waist loosened. It was as if he was suddenly a million miles away from here. Just as I thought he was about to let go of me, he buried his face in my neck. Chapter 124 Chapter 124 Chapter 124 His word was mumbled against my skin. ¡°Why?¡± His rough tone dripped with usation, and his movements were still. I knew what he was asking-why I¡¯d been with Jackson. What I didn¡¯t know was why he cared. He¡¯d never liked me; all I¡¯d ever been was a substitute until his true mate came back, until he could be with his Luna. Perhaps it was because he was drunk that he couldn¡¯t help touching me. I couldn¡¯t figure it out and didn¡¯t want to try to figure it out This content is ? N?velDrama.Org. anymore. ¡°Alpha Knight, we aren¡¯t together anymore. Isn¡¯t it normal for me to move on?¡± He med me, but it was apparent that he didn¡¯t want me. Why should I always keep my body for him alone? When he heard this, his body became stiffer, and he pulled away slightly. There was a low rumble in his chest, and I feared his wolf. I automatically distanced myself from him, pressing back against the seat as much as I could. I dared not lift my eyes to Chapter 124 2/3 look up at him, fearing that his wolf would take it as a challenge. A wolf shifter could be ruthless when you displeased them. I¡¯d learned that the hard way with Ss. I was afraid of being beaten, so I subconsciously raised my hands to my chest to protect myself. Fortunately and surprisingly-all he did was hold me. Only then did my tense body slowly start to rx¡­ I could feel his grip on me tightening, as if he wanted to pull me into his body even closer. I was more than confused. Griffon hated me so much¡­but he was clutching onto me so tightly. ¡°Griffon¡­¡± I said his name softly, and his body stiffened again. Then, he hugged me even tighter. Perhaps he did care about me a little¡­ But he had Tara. His mate, his Luna. Gently, I pushed him away and said with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s not worth it for you to do this.¡± I could be the mistress of a single man, but I would never be the mistress of someone who had a love. And from the moment I was defiled by Greyson, Griffon and I were destined to have no chance together. Chapter 125 Chapter 125 Chapter 125 Griffon¡¯s demeanor immediately changed. ¡°Do you think I¡¯m doing this for you?¡± he snarled. He grabbed my cheek with one hand and swung my head left and right. ¡°Look at yourself. What makes you think you¡¯re worthy of me?¡± Goddess, this man was confusing and insufferable! ¡°Then why did you-¡± ¡°The man you¡¯re f uc king is my future brother-inw.¡± My stomach sank and bile rose in my throat. The realization of two things at the same time made me ill. One, Ss-Jackson, was going to mate someone else. Two, Griffon didn¡¯t want to pay me to be his mistress; he wanted to pay me NOT to sleep with his sister¡¯s promised mate. Any thoughts I¡¯d had regarding Griffon acting differently toward me, acting with affection were false. He¡¯d simply been trying to steer me away from Jackson. I should be mortified. Or enraged. Instead, I rxed. I¡¯d actually been a bit afraid that Jackson had other feelings for me. I couldn¡¯t bear it and didn¡¯t dare to ept it. Not with my current situation. I looked at Griffon and smiled sweetly. ¡°Well, that takes care of that. Since Jackson is mating in your pack and will be your brother-inw, I¡¯ll refrain from¡­seducing him.¡± Griffon¡¯s knitted brows rxed slightly, and his wolf receded from his features a bit. After a stretch of silence, he reiterated, ¡°Stay away from Jackson.¡± I nodded obediently. Even without his reminder, I would still stay away from Jackson. I wanted to live a good life for a while. Griffon said nothing else, and his gloomy expression gradually returned to his typical distant one. Seeing that he hadpleted his warning mission, it seemed he wasn¡¯t interested in me anymore. ¡°Alpha Knight, can you please take me back to my car?¡± I asked demurely. Without looking at me, he started the car and dr ove at a breakneck speed back to the hotel garage. Despite the terrifying drive back, I was grateful. ¡°Thank you.¡± ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org . Aker Chamking doim, I quickly pressed the button to get out of the car, but the door was still boked Chapter 126 Chapter 126 ¡°Alpha Knight, can you please open the door?¡± I asked quietly. Griffon didn¡¯t respond. Instead, he took out a sk from his pocket, unscrewed the top, and took a swig. Well, that answered the alcohol question from earlier. When I¡¯d been with him in the past, he didn¡¯t really drink. As a matter of fact, I¡¯d seen him drink more in the past two weeks since we¡¯d parted ways than I¡¯d seen him drink during the five-year duration of our rtionship. Moreover, he seemed to have lost some weight, and if I looked hard enough, I could see dark hollows under his eyes. It appeared that he wasn¡¯t sleeping well. Did something terrible happen to him recently? While I was secretly sizing him up, he looked over at me. ¡°Who is Ss?¡± I was speechless. How did he know about Ss? He answered, as if he¡¯d heard the question I was asking in my head. ¡°You called this name in your sleep many times.¡± He stressed the words, as if he had been holding them in and wanting to ask me this for a long time. I wasn¡¯t sure how to respond. I wasn¡¯t aware that was something I¡¯d done, and Griffon never stayed around after having se x with me. He certainly didn¡¯t stay around long enough to hear me talking in my sleep. This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Then, I remembered the night I¡¯d signed the contract to be his mistress. Griffon had stayed that night, had slept beside me. But that was the only time he¡¯d done so. I thought he disliked me. Or maybe that as a shifter, he didn¡¯t want to sleep next to a human. Or maybe even that it could be unsafe for me if he slept there, if his wolf came out. I knew he shifted at night, and a couple of times, he¡¯d shifted before leaving the bedroom, when he¡¯d thought I was asleep. So I just assumed it had something to do with his wolfiness. Instead, it was that he didn¡¯t want to sleep next to someone who called out for another man in their sleep. Chapter 127 Chapter 127 Chapter 127 I stared nkly at him, not knowing how to answer. For years, I¡¯d thought about why he wouldn¡¯t ever stay the night with me, thinking there might be something wrong with me, something wrong with him.. My calling out for someone else would have meant so many things for an Alpha like him, none of them positive. He must have hated looking at me after that¡­ After hesitating, I said tentatively, ¡°Ss¡­is someone who once promised me that he would be with me forever.¡± Griffon¡¯s expression remained unmoved. ¡°It seems that you love him very much.¡± I collected my thoughts before answering carefully. ¡°I used to love him very much.¡± ¡°What about now?¡± ¡°Now?¡± When I saw his pursed lips and chiseled face, I wanted to reply, ¡°I love you now.¡± But I didn¡¯t dare to say it, nor did I have the right to say it. No. matter how much I loved Griffon, I was not worthy of him. A girl without a wolf could never be worthy of an Alpha. I clenched my fists, pasted a smile on my face, and lied. ¡°I don¡¯t love anyone now.¡± His hand trembled slightly as he brought the sk to hips lips. He took another swig, put the cap back on, and then shoved it back in his pocket. He opened the car door and said tly, ¡°Get out.¡± I suddenly wanted to tell him I loved him very much, regardless of if I was worthy of him or not. Regardless of if I could ever be with him. But I never would. There might have been moments where I thought he might have feelings for me, but he¡¯d never spoken any words of endearment or love. I would not profess my love for someone who did not feel the same. This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. I would never again ce myself in that position. Words of love were for people who loved me back, not for people tough at the st upid human girl who thought they could be with a mighty wolf. I used to love Ss so much and thought he would treat me well for the rest of my life, but what did I get in return? In addition to being hurt, I almost lost my life. Griffon was a man who was even more untouchable than Ss. I couldn¡¯t even think about touching such an untouchable person. I knew who I was, and I was self-aware. I would never make such a st upid mistake. Chapter 128 Chapter 128 Chapter 128 I looked away from Griffon, pushed the door open, and got out of the car. Without stopping, without turning around, I walked away. The tires squealed, and Griffon left the garage at the same breakneck speed he¡¯d driven here. The moment the car pulled away, the screeching rubber ringing in my ears, I paused and looked back. I wondered how he would react when he discovered I was about to d ie. He would probably be just as indifferent as ever. How could a person like him pity me? A faint sense of loss struck me, making me feel inexplicably sad¡­ After reviewing the handover procedures, I dro ve thepany car home and nned to return it to the office tomorrow. After showering, I picked up my phone and looked at it. Greyson hadn¡¯t replied to my message or tried call me again. I heaved a sigh of relief. I went to put my phone done, but I remembered that Griffon had said that Jackson was his future brother-inw. I¡¯d been too caught up in my wishful thinking that Griffon might possibly have feelings for me or desire me, that the gravity of what he¡¯d said was lost on me right then. I googled Jackson¡¯s name. It turned out that six months ago, the Sterling pack had expressed a desire to form an alliance with the Knight pack. Jackson¡¯s chosen mate was Griffon¡¯s cousin, Preston¡¯s younger sister. Her name was Edith Knight. I knew Griffon thought of Preston like a brother, so it would make sense that he would think of Edith as his sister, hence the brother-inw reference. I searched for information on Edith. She was currently studying in Italy and staying with one of the neutral European packs. After graduation, she would return and get engaged to Jackson. There was already talk about what a huge event their mating ceremony would be and what a union between two powerful packs like this might mean. I had blocked all news containing the name ¡°Jackson Sterling¡±. I hadn¡¯t wanted to see or hear anything regarding him. Thanks to that, I waspletely oblivious to his mating ns. Now that I had seen it, surprisingly, I didn¡¯t feel very emotional. Ss and I could never go back to the past. No matter who he married, it had nothing to do with me. I put down my phone and took my heart pills. After turning the rm up to the maximum volume, I dared to fall asleep.Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. Chapter 129 Chapter 129 Chapter 129 The rm clock had been ringing for a long time before I could vaguely hear the sound. Slowly, I regained consciousness from my deep sleep. I looked at my phone. It was nine o¡¯clock in the morning. At least it wasn¡¯t the afternoon. My office hours began at ten a.m., so I still had time to get to work. When I got to the office building, I didn¡¯t go to my office, instead going straight to the top floor. L had wanted me to do the handover yesterday, so I wanted to do it first thing today. I knocked on the door of L¡¯s office. ¡°Hi, L. I¡¯m here to hand over my projects.¡± L¡¯s expression changed slightly when she saw me. ¡°Come in.¡± I walked to L¡¯s desk. ¡°Since Margaret is unwilling to take on any of my workload, who I should hand things over to?¡± L paused for a second, and then her cheeks tinged red a hint before she said, ¡°Taya, you¡¯ve been working here for five years. You¡¯re going to be hard to rece, and everyone already has a full workload. Can¡¯t you work until I find a suitable person to take over?¡± There were so many assistants in my department, I could casily hand things off to someone. MPC was always busy, but nothing. was out of the ordinary in terms of workloads right now. Why did I suddenly have to wait until L found a suitable person? Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. Something was off. Frowning, I asked, ¡°Didn¡¯t you send me a message yesterday morning and ask me to hand over my work? Why did you change your mind so quickly?¡± L opened her mo uth to speak, then gave a sigh before continuing. ¡°Ms. Thorin approved your resignation yesterday morning, so I sent you that message. But not long after, she said that she didn¡¯t agree to your resignation.¡± Wait, what? That wasn¡¯t what we spoke about. ¡°Why did shee back and say that she didn¡¯t approve my resignation?¡± I asked. L shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know. You will have to speak to her. I was following orders.¡± I wanted to press L further, but it wouldn¡¯t matter. This was between Tara and me. L was just the messenger. I pressed my lips together, turned around, and went straight to Tara¡¯s office. She was sitting behind herrge desk, answering a phone call. Her tone was gentle as she asked if the other party had Chapter 130 Chapter 130 Chapter 130 When Tara saw me, she immediately put down her phone. ¡°Taya, what can I do for you?¡± I didn¡¯t bother to beat around the bush. ¡°Ms. Thorin, didn¡¯t you say that you would approve my resignation as soon as you got back to the office? Why hasn¡¯t it been approved yet?¡± Tara nced at her cell phone and looked a little impatient. ¡°You offended Margaret. She decided to go around to everyone and tell them not to take over any of your projects. She said you have so much information about the partner, and it would be impossible for one of them to learn it all on top of their other work. So now we have to wait until we find someone to rece you, and then I can approve your resignation.¡± I narrowed my eyes. Tara was the CEO. She could tell anyone to do anything; Margaret had no power at allpared to Tara. It was apparent that she was deliberately dying my departure. I couldn¡¯t understand what Tara was thinking. Why was she making things difficult for me? ¡°Ms. Thorin, I have something urgent to deal with, and it¡¯s imperative that I¡¯m able to resign immediately. Everything had already been agreed to.¡± Tara put her palms together and ced her elbows on her desk. She looked up at me. ¡°What is so urgent?¡± N?velDrama.Org is the owner. Just as I was about to tell her that I was terminally ill and did not have the strength to work, I saw the disdain in Tara¡¯s eyes. When I remained silent, Tara sneered. ¡°Margaret told me that you wanted to marry into a rich and powerful pack, but I didn¡¯t believe it. You¡¯re just a human. I didn¡¯t expect that you would climb into Alpha Sterling¡¯s bed just because I asked you to pick him up from the airport yesterday. It seems you move quickly¡­¡± Tara paused momentarily and looked me up and down, a sarcastic look on her face. ¡°Taya, you¡¯re pretty, but it¡¯ll be more than a little difficult for you to mate into a powerful pack.¡± Chapter 131 Chapter 131 Chapter 131 Tara didn¡¯t need to remind me of what I wascking. I had no wolf, I didn¡¯t have a good education, and I certainly didn¡¯t have a well-matched background or anything else to bring to a mating. Any pack, let alone a wealthy and powerful pack, wouldn¡¯t have a reason for allowing me to mate into it. N?velDrama.Org is the owner. Tara possessed both wisdom and beauty. Although she didn¡¯t curse, she could pierce deep into a person¡¯s inferiority-as she¡¯d just done to me with only a few words. My tone was t as I responded. ¡°Ms. Thorin, whether I want to marry into a wealthy pack or not is a different matter. Yes, you are my superior and the CEO of thispany, but you can¡¯t interfere in my private affairs, right?¡± Tara didn¡¯t expect me to dare to respond to her with anything other than subjugation. Her face darkened. ¡°Of course, I don¡¯t care. I¡¯m just reminding you out of kindness. If you give up such a good job and go for it, don¡¯t regret it ande back to Midwest Packs Corporation to cry.¡± I didn¡¯t say anything else. There was nothing to say. I¡¯d gotten what I wanted. Part of me wanted to tell her there was no chance of meing back to cry-seeing as I would be dead. After Tara approved my resignation paperwork, I would find L to hand off my projects and leave as soon as possible. Apparently, Tara had other ns. ¡°Taya, I¡¯ll approve your resignation, but not right now.¡± I frowned, confused. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Tara sighed. ¡°The Midwest Packs Corporation branch development in Wolverly Capital isn¡¯t going as well as we¡¯d hoped. The Sterling pack is powerful there and could help with getting things running smoothly. We need the Sterling pack to encourage the local packs there to cooperate with the proper procedures, but they have never given us any help. Now that you have Alpha Sterling¡¯s attention, I hope you can stay.¡± Once again, I was useful, ever the little human pawn. Tara wouldn¡¯t approve my resignation paperwork until I gave her what she wanted. It was a pity that Tara had made such a mist Chapter 132 Chapter 132 Chapter 132 I didn¡¯t want to deal with Tara anymore. I was too tired. Looking at Tara, I said indifferently, ¡°Since you won¡¯t officially approve of my resignation, forget it. I don¡¯t want your sry and bonus fromst month, and I¡¯ll do without health insurance. Consider this my final notice.¡± Health insurance was only part of the reason I had wanted to go through the normal resignation process. When I was at the end of my rope, the hiring personnel at Midwest Packs Corporation had chosen me, a human with no work experience, as an employee. At that time, I¡¯d sold myself for arge sum-enough to save Ss but not enough to cover the follow-up treatment expenses. The Sterling pack hadn¡¯t found him yet, so he was just a poor orphan like me. All of his medical expenses were paid for by Harper and me from our part-time jobs. But it was far from enough. I looked for higher-paying jobs everywhere, but there was nothing. No one wanted to hire me. Until Midwest Packs Corporation had epted me. They had given me a stable job, and they had lent me the money I needed to cover Ss¡¯s medical bills. I was forever thankful for them and grateful they¡¯d taken a chance on me. That was why I had been working here for five years. No matter whichpany tried to poach me, I had never been tempted. But I had no loyalty to Tara, and I¡¯d never expected her to be so difficult. And I certainly wasn¡¯t going to allow her to use me the way she wanted to. I took off my badge and ced it on Tara¡¯s desk. Then, I turned around and walked away without looking back. Tara cleared her throat. ¡°Taya, when you signed the loan agreement with MPC, you signed another agreement. It was clearly written that you must get the approval of the CEO in order to resign. Otherwise, you will have to pay six times the penalty fee.¡± I stopped walking. Five years ago, I was so desperate for the money, I signed the contract without putting much thought into it. It had never ever urred to me that I might want to quit one day.N?velDrama.Org is the owner. Chapter 133 Chapter 133 Chapter 133 I slowly turned around and looked at Tara, who was leaning against her chair. She was bright and beautiful, which made me look homely. I had never felt wronged before, but suddenly I felt very, very wronged. It was as if I had been crushed under the feet of a victor. No matter how hard I struggled, it was useless. Because I had no background or power. I had no pack to protect me, so I could be threatened, trampled on, and humiliated at will. I gave up fighting against my fate and asked Tara numbly, ¡°What do you want me to do to get my resignation?¡± The penalty of six times the amount I borrowed was 1.2 million -I had no choice but topromise and do whatever it was Tara wanted. Now that my hand had been forced and I¡¯d been ¡°put in my ce¡±, Tara became even more arr ogant. ¡°It¡¯s simple. Take good care of Alpha Sterling. I¡¯ll approve your resignation when he returns to Wolverly Capital.¡± ¡°Alpha Sterling might not want me to entertain him.¡± Tara smiled. ¡°I¡¯ve seen that photo several times. Given how he¡¯s looking at you, I¡¯d say he definitely wants you to ¡®entertain¡¯ him.¡± I was about to object, to tell her that he didn¡¯t feel that way about me, but Tara¡¯s face darkened and I mped my mo uth s hut. ¡°Just do as I say,¡± Tara said in a low voice. I¡¯d never seen an inkling of her wolf before¡­but there it was. The message was loud and clear. Tara had already decided that I had a close rtionship with Jackson, and she was determined to squeeze every lost drop she could out of me before letting me go. It was useless to say more, so I replied tly, ¡°I hope you won¡¯t break your promise again.¡± Tara crossed her arms over her chest and gave me a reassuring look. ¡°I¡¯ve always kept my word.¡± I couldn¡¯t be bothered to argue with her.N?velDrama.Org is the owner. Chapter 134 Chapter 134 Chapter 134 When Margaret saw Taya return to the office, she deliberately raised her voice and said caustically, ¡°Some people are shameless. This time, she took down the Sterling pack Alpha. In just one day, she climbed into Alpha Sterling¡¯s bed, and the photos have been spread all over their social media.¡± When Linda, her colleague, heard this, she jealously looked Taya up and down and said, ¡°She has a good figure, and no one has to answer to another pack regarding how they treat her. Of course, they all like her.¡± ¡°How good can she be? She must have been fooled. Otherwise, how could she have such a good figure?¡± sneered Margaret. ¡°Yes, she has been nourished by so many men. She is in good shape, and her skin is very smooth. It seems that thing is beneficial,¡± chuckled Linda. Margaret stared at Taya, who was walking over and sneered. ¡°The rich have a good time. Guess how she swallowed men¡¯s-¡± Before she could finish her words, she was sshed with cold water by Taya. Margaret, whose entire body was drenched with water, immediately shivered angrily. She mmed the table, stood up, pointed at Taya, and cursed, ¡°You bitc h! How dare you to ssh water on me? Believe it or not, I¡¯ll¡­ Ah!¡± Taya sshed another ss of water on her face. N?velDrama.Org is the owner. Margaret didn¡¯t expect Taya to do it twice. She was stunned for a moment. Linda and the onlookers in the office were also stunned. Taya looked at Margaret and said, ¡°It¡¯s one thing for you to gossip in front of our colleagues. But now you¡¯re talking nonsense in front of Ms. Thorin. You¡¯ve gone too far!¡± After saying that, Taya picked up the ss and shook it before Margaret. ¡°You should be d I sshed water on you, not sulfuric acid. Otherwise, your old face would have been ruined.¡± Chapter 135 Chapter 135 Chapter 135 When Margaret heard the words sulfuric acid, she was so scared that her whole body trembled. She wanted to retort, but she couldn¡¯t. Taya looked away and turned to Linda, who was standing to the side and didn¡¯t dare to make a sound. ¡°How dare you nder me! Don¡¯t pretend we don¡¯t all know about your ¡®dates¡¯ with old men.¡± Linda didn¡¯t expect Taya to expose her privacy publi cly, so she immediately got angry. ¡°What do you mean?!¡± ¡°Margaret told everyone about your ability.¡± I don¡¯t need to tell you what it means, do I?¡± This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?. Linda looked at Margaret in disbelief. ¡°I though your were my friend! Why would you betray me like that?!¡± Margaret didn¡¯t expect Taya, who usually held back her anger, to reveal Linda¡¯s matter to so many people. Margaret was so angry that she stepped forward and raised her hand to p Taya, but Taya grabbed her wrist. ¡°If you p me, I¡¯ll make you lose all your money!¡± Margaret was so angry. ¡°It¡¯s just a p. How can you make me lose all my money?!¡± Taya moved closer to Margaret and sneered. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that I have a lot of financial backers? Any one of them can let you all over.¡± After that, Taya pushed Margaret away and left. Margaret stared at Taya¡¯s back and growled, ¡°Taya, you bitc h, I won¡¯t let you get away with this!¡± *** I pretended not to hear anything and went straight into the bathroom. Today, I had vented all the humiliations I¡¯d suffered for so long. I couldn¡¯t describe how it felt to finally put those she-wolves in their ces. I should have done this a long time ago, but I¡¯d been too afraid of what they might do to me. Apparently, when you were dying, you didn¡¯t care about the consequences of putting people who deserved it in their ces. It was invigorating. Turning the water on, I was about to wash my face when Brielle entered. Chapter 136 Chapter 136 Chapter 136 ¡°Taya, are you all right?¡± Seeing Brielle¡¯s face made me feel a bit morefortable, and my frustration slowly calmed down so I could get my racing heart back under control. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Brielle¡¯s face was full of disbelief. She knew me the best out of anyone here. She knew I didn¡¯t say anything about my grievances and silently endured them. But I saw the looks she gave when things were said to me or about me. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Don¡¯t worry about me. You should get back out there. If Margaret can¡¯t find you, she¡¯ll get upset and call you l azy again.¡± Brielle was an intern, and she worked for Margaret. Before we fell out with each other, we could get along well on the surface. Now that things had turned out like this, if Margaret saw that Brielle was still close to me, Margaret would definitely y some tricks on Brielle behind her back. It had not been easy for Brielle to enter Midwest Packs Corporation, and I knew she was looking forward to bing a full-time employee. She needed Margaret¡¯s approval though, and I thought it better not to get Brielle into trouble. Brielle seemed to have realized this as well. She hesitated momentarily, but in the end, she still nodded. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll get back to work.¡± I waved my hand and smiled. ¡°I¡¯m okay. Promise.¡± Only then did Brielle leave the bathroom. As soon as she left, the smile on my face faded. Tara wanted me to be the one to entertain Jackson while he was in Arcadia. Sometimes, when business partners came to the Midwest Packs Corporation for business trips, thepany would indeed send people to ¡°entertain¡± them. For example, the people would arrange food, clothing, amodation, entertainment, etc. This was the treatment that guests who came in to talk aboutrge contracts would get. And the bidding for the Weston City project was a veryrge contract. I had such an unbearable past with Jackson. If I were to shamelessly try to please him again, I would probably be mistaken for still being obsessed with him and deliberately approaching him under the guise of work. Griffon would also think that I was an ambitious woman who had dared to ignore his warning and continue to seduce his future brother-inw. Embarrassment flooded me when I thought about being misunderstood by Jackson and Griffon. However,pared to the 1.2 million dor penalty fee, embarrassment was nothing.N?velDrama.Org is the owner. Chapter 137 Chapter 137 Chapter 137 I took a deep breath, took out my phone, and searched for Jackson¡¯s number. His assistant had sent it to me when I booked the room for him yesterday. Jackson answered after three rings. His calm and assertive voice came from the other end of the line, and a feeling I couldn¡¯t exin washed over me. ¡°Ms. Palmer, what can I do for you?¡± How did Jackson know it was me? ¡°I saved your number yesterday,¡± he said, answering my unspoken question. I got straight to the point, not wanting to put the inevitable off any longer. ¡°Alpha Sterling, Ms. Thorin has asked me to entertain you during your stay in Arcadia on behalf of MPC. Is there anything you would like to see or do?¡± ¡°Entertain me?¡± Jackson¡¯s tone sounded like he was surprised. After a few seconds of silence, Jackson seemed to have understood something. He replied, ¡°Actually, I didn¡¯t bring my personal assistant. Would you be able to help me do something like serving tea?¡± Dam n. I¡¯d thought he would refuse-had hoped he would refuse. I didn¡¯t expect that he would ask me to act as his assistant. Wasn¡¯t he afraid that I would have ulterior motives? Still, I replied obediently. ¡°Absolutely, Alpha.¡± Jackson raised his watch and nced at it. ¡°I have a meetingter. When do you n toe over, Ms. Palmer?¡± After asking for the address, Taya replied, ¡°I can be there anytime.¡± Jackson replied with a ¡°well¡± and hung up the phone. As soon as he put down his phone, his assistant Chloe asked worriedly, ¡°Alpha, Ms. Palmer obviously has an ulterior motive regarding MPC. Why did you agree to let her be your personal assistant?¡± Jackson remembered that Taya had been indifferentst night; today, she had taken the initiative to entertain him. It was indeed a little strange. But he was more willing to believe it was because of that photo. Tara mistakenly thought Taya had something to do with him, so Tara sent Taya to entertain him. And that was why he asked Taya to be his assistant just now. He didn¡¯t want her to be put in a difficult position by her boss. However, Chloe, a blockhead, couldn¡¯t understand what Jackson was saying, so he didn¡¯t exin further. He only said, ¡°I¡¯m short of people.¡±This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?. Chapter 138 Chapter 138 Chapter 138 Alpha Sterling had brought a lot of people to Arcadia. Although Chloe was the only assistant who hade along, she alone could handle all the trivial matters. It was apparent that the Alpha had some sort of feelings for that Taya woman. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have saved her and then invited her to dinner. If she became his personal assistant, what would happen to Alpha Sterling in the future¡­ Thinking of this possibility, Chloe was so anxious that she started to sweat. ¡°Alpha, Ms. Palmer is very dishonest. She was involved with Beta Starke, and now that he and his pack have fallen from grace, she is trying to find another pack to marry into for protection and status. You are her biggest target now, and I think you should stay away from her.¡± This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?. Jackson pinned Chloe with an ¡°Alpha¡± look. ¡°You are allowed a certain amount of leeway as my employee, but do remember your ce, Chloe.¡± Chloe¡¯s face flushed, and she nodded meekly. Alpha Sterling had always been kind to her. This was the first time that he had been angry with her. Chloe¡¯s heart sank. ¡°Please ept my apologies,¡± she said, then quietly and quickly fled the office. Jackson rubbed his temples as soon as Chloe left. Why did he have a headache at the mention of Taya? *** When I arrived at the branch office of the Sterling pack, I happened to meet Chloe, who wasing out of the elevator. I recognized that she was Jackson¡¯s assistant and quickly walked over to say hello. ¡°Nice to meet you. I¡ª¡± ¡°Don¡¯t talk to me.¡± Before I could finish, Chloe interrupted me. She red at me, turned around, and walked over to make herself a cup of coffee. I was speechless. The woman just stood there drinking her coffee and ignoring me. I didn¡¯t mind Chloe¡¯s rudeness. Chloe must have thought I was trying to hook up with her boss, so she didn¡¯t like me. Just like everyone else. Chapter 139 Chapter 139 Chapter 139 After checking in with the receptionist, I went to the Alpha¡¯s office. Jackson was rubbing his forehead, looking extremely tired. I knocked on the door lightly. ¡°Alpha Sterling.¡± Jackson nced at me. ¡°You¡¯vee.¡± I nodded, then asked him, ¡°What can I do for you?¡± In the past, when the MPC entertained visiting pack leaders, they would directly arrange for them to eat, drink, and have fun. However, if Jackson wanted me to be his personal assistant, I would have to ask him what he needed me to do, since this was outside of the norm. Jackson lowered his hands from his forehead, then sat back in his chair and looked at me. ¡°There¡¯s nothing to arrange right at this moment. Just help me make coffee in my meetingter.¡± ¡°Yes, Alpha.¡± *** After saying that, Taya left. Jackson looked at her back and gradually became lost in thought. Watching her walk away gave him a sense of familiarity, as if he had seen her many times, watched her walk many times. ¡°I can¡¯t remember. My head hurts¡­¡± he whispered to himself. He shook his head and picked up his phone to send a message to Eric. Eric answered back right away. [Why do you have a headache again? Do you remember something from before?] Jackson typed back: [No, I don¡¯t remember anything specific. It¡¯s just that when I saw someone, it felt very familiar, and my head started to ache.] [Who did you see?] Eric immediately asked. This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Jackson didn¡¯t want to reply to that specific question. He shouldn¡¯t have said he saw someone; he should have known Eric would want to know who it was. But the headaches made it harder to think clearly. Somehow, Jackson had always felt that if Eric knew about the headaches that happened whenever he saw Taya, Taya would be in danger. Chapter 140 Chapter 140 Chapter 140 The thought shed, but he didn¡¯t take it seriously. He casually replied, ¡°It was a stranger.¡± He put down his mobile phone and left his office to go to the meeting. Although the branchpany of the Sterling pack in Arcadia was not as big as Wolverly Capital¡¯s Sterling pack headquarters, it still upied a full building on East Street. Today, Jackson was holding a general meeting. Dozens of people in professional attire and carrying laptops went upstairs one after another. In a short while, therge conference room was full of people who were waiting on Jackson. His head had better get itself right, and fast. I sat in the reception area outside of the huge conference room. I was a little envious when I saw the group of elites through the ss. My n had been to go to school for design, and then find an internship and work my way up. But at that time, I couldn¡¯t fulfill my dream. I had to find a job that paid a monthly sry right away instead of school and an unpaid internship. While thinking of the past and my ns before, I gazed at Jackson. He sat at the head of the conference table, in an impable suit. One ankle rested on his knee in a casual pose, and his head was tilted slightly so he could look at the presentation on the big screen while listening to the executive¡¯s report on what was happening at the Sterling pack¡¯s Arcadia offices. He looked put together and rxed, with a strand of dark hair falling down over his forehead, but he also radiated the powerful presence of the Alpha he was. As I was staring at him, Jackson nced at me through the ss. He picked up his phone, and my phone dinged with a message a secondter. [Ms. Palmer, please bring me a cup of coffee.] I quickly got up and went to the break room to make coffee. After making it, she knocked on the conference room door with the mug of steaming liquid. Everyone in the conference room looked at the door-at me. The senior executive exining PowerPoint in front of the screen also stopped, dissatisfaction on his face. I was a little embarrassed until Jackson waved at me. ¡°Come in,¡± he said. Only then did I walk up to him with the cup of coffee. I ced it beside him and was about to leave the meeting room when Jackson said, ¡°Ms. Palmer, please sit down and listen.¡± All of the executives were speechless.This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Chapter 141 Chapter 141 Chapter 141 Jackson ignored everyone¡¯s expressions and raised his chin at the senior executive exining the PowerPoint. ¡°Continue.¡± The executive had no choice but to continue. However, I noticed that he skipped over one of the ie slides. Instead of giving all of the figures, he gave more general percentages. I¡¯m sure he was afraid I would share the information. It was clear that the Sterling pack execs weren¡¯t pleased with my presence in the meeting, so I sat still and quiet during the duration of the presentation. When the meeting ended, I ran out and asked Jackson, ¡°Why do you want me to listen?¡± Jackson looked down at me, who was a head shorter than him, and replied in a gentle voice, ¡°When you were sitting outside the room, you looked interested, so I decided to let you listen.¡± I wasn¡¯t prepared for that answer. ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid I¡¯ll take the information elsewhere?¡± ¡°They are all unimportant numbers that anyone could find in a public earnings report, and¡­¡± Jackson paused for a moment, then smiled. ¡°I believe in you.¡± His smile was no different from before¡­before everything. It was genuine, and it had the power to brighten a room. It was as if he was still Ss, not Jackson, the man who had broken my artificial heart with two strong kicks. ¡°Ms. Palmer, you¡¯ll need to go get ready. I¡¯m going to a banquet tonight.¡± I came back to my senses. ¡°A banquet?¡± Jackson nodded. ¡°The Wilton pack is holding a banquet. I need a femalepanion, and I¡¯d like you to attend with me.¡± Was it a personal assistant¡¯s duty to be a temporary femalepanion? And would it be appropriate for Jackson to take a non-shifter with him? The Wilton pack was not particrly prominent or powerful, and I wasn¡¯t sure why Jackson would feel the need to attend. The Wiltons were wealthy, but that was about it. And that wasn¡¯t really saying anything. Most wolf shifter packs were wealthy if they weren¡¯t a newer pack. Longer life spans equaled more time to build wealth to then pass on to the next Alpha. This wasn¡¯t my concern, though. My concern was doing what Jackson wanted me to do so I could get this whole thing over with. Jackson would return to Wolverly Capital as soon as the bidding was over. It was only a few days. I had to endure it for a while, and then everything would be over. ¡°Alpha Sterling, I would love to attend with you. Unfortunately, I don¡¯t have anything suitable to wear to a formal banquet.¡± Maybe, if I was extremely lucky, he might let me off the hook¡­ ¡°That¡¯s of no importance. I¡¯ll have my schedule cleared and we can go shopping right now.¡±N?velDrama.Org is the owner. Chapter 142 Chapter 142 Chapter 142 Harper and I had been to this mall before. Once, we wanted to go in and have a look, but as soon as the sales associates saw our clothes, they wouldn¡¯t let us in. Only the wealthiest were allowed into these stores, and each store employed a security guard wearing a ck suit to stand at the door. Every store here was for a luxury designer, from Chanel to Hermes to Louboutin. Jackson took me straight to a specific store, and everyone there gushed over him. I wasn¡¯t sure if they actually knew him or just knew who he was. He had them fit me with a custom-made dress, a pair of hand-made crystal-encrusted shoes, and aplete makeup set. He¡¯d brought Camille with us, and her eyes widened when he saw Jackson spending so much money on me. I endured Camille¡¯s re; I would have my own price to pay for all of this tomorrow at the office. After the salesgirlpleted my makeup and made sure my dress was adjusted just right, she opened the curtain with a swoosh. Sitting on the sofa and looking down at his phone, Jackson subconsciously looked up when he heard the sound of the curtains being slid open. The custom-made strapless dress fully disyed Taya¡¯s exquisite figure; it clung to her waist and outlined her perfect curves. Perfectly rounded breasts were perky in the dress, and his eyes were drawn to her cleavage. The exposed skin was so white that it was glowing. There were no ws at all. Her delicate makeup made her look refined and elegant, entuating her lips, eyes, and cheekbones. However, the look in her eyes was indifferent, with a trace of¡­ despair? Yes, despair. This was the feeling Jackson felt every time their eyes locked. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?. He¡¯d finally found the word to describe her eyes. It turned out that she was desperate. What on earth had happened to her that made her feel so desperate? Chapter 143 Chapter 143 Chapter 143 ¡°Alpha, it¡¯s time to go.¡± Jackson was mesmerized by Taya. It was not until Camille coughed softly that Jackson returned to his senses. He nodded and led Taya out of the store. As they were leaving the store, they were seen by Khloe, Preston¡¯s mistress, who was shopping with her friends. Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. She looked at Taya in disbelief. When she saw Taya for the first time, she¡¯d thought there was something beautiful about her. But this time, when Khloe saw Taya, she felt that Taya was even more gorgeous and looked more refined than any shifter or human socialite she¡¯d met. Khloe looked back at the luxury designer store that could only be entered with a VIP card. Only then did she realize that the man Taya had found this time was even richer than Roman. What Taya was wearing must have cost a small fortune. Even Preston wasn¡¯t willing to spend so much money on her. Thinking of this, Khloe found herself getting irritated. They were both selling themselves. Why should Taya get better things than her? Annoyed, Khloe took out her phone, recorded a video, and sent it to Preston. [Preston, look, Taya has hooked up with another rich man, this one much richer than before. Look how much he spent on her to change her appearance.¡± Khloe had studied all the rich people-shifter and human alike -in Arcadia. She knew who was who. But she¡¯d never paid attention to the higher-ranking packs in other cities, so she didn¡¯t know who Taya was with. He was gorgeous, looked to be fairy young-though you couldn¡¯t always tell with shifters, and that guy had ¡°wolf¡± written all over him. He must be new on the scene here in Arcadia. Preston was out ying golf with a friend. When he finished ying and sat down to look at his phone, an hour had passed since Khloe had messaged him and sent the video. When he saw it, he gritted his teeth in anger. Taya had actually asked Jackson to buy her a custom-made dress?! Chapter 144 Chapter 144 Chapter 144 Preston threw the golf club to the side and forwarded the video to Griffon. [Look at this bullshit.] Griffon was distracted by his phone vibrating in the middle of a meeting. When he picked it up and saw the video, his jaw clenched and he glowered at the phone. Was Taya trying to provoke him, or did she like Jackson so much that she couldn¡¯t leave him alone? That she dared to ignore his warning and was with Jackson made his blood boil. Her disobedience waspletely uneptable, and there was no way his wolf would allow him to let it go unchecked. Without a word, he picked up his phone, got up, and left. The people in the conference room were stunned when they saw the Alpha suddenly leave, and with a terrifying expression on his face on top of it. Then, they all looked sympathetic at the shifter presenting his report. Everyone felt that Mr. Chilton must have offended Alpha Knight due to negligence in his work. Mr. Chilton, covered in a cold sweat, thought, ¡°I¡¯m done. I¡¯m going to be fired! Or even worse, banished from the pack. Th Wilton pack banquet was held in the pack manor mainly to celebrate the return of the youngest daughter of the Wilton pack Alpha after finishing her studies. Jackson typically would not have attended an event like this. However, he was a good friend of the Wilton pack¡¯s Alpha that was next in line. They often had gotten together in Wolverly Capital, so naturally, since he was in Arcadia, he would attend. However, this event had a deeper meaning: to select a qualified mate for the youngest daughter. Once Jackson had learned that tidbit, there was no way he would be attending alone. He needed to make it clear that he wasn¡¯t avable, since he certainly wasn¡¯t interested. On the way over to the Wilton pack manor, Jackson gave Taya instructions on how he wanted her to act, and told her his n to use her as a shield. He asked her to hold his arm, and he led her into the manor. The people who came in were all rich and about the same as the Wilton pack. The older ones drank wine and talked business in the banquet hall. The younger ones held sses of wineced with wolfsbane and gathered outside in small groups. After Jackson and Taya entered, they drew the stares of everyone. Those who knew and those who didn¡¯t all cast amazed looks at them. The next Alpha of the Wilton pack, Henry Wilton, was chatting with a few young she-wolves when he heard quite amotion outside. Only then did he realize that Jackson was here, and he hurriedly greeted his friend. ¡°Jackson, you¡¯re here,¡± he said with a warm smile. When Henry¡¯s gazended on Taya, he paused for a moment. ¡°Who is this?¡± This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. ¡°This is Ms. Taya Palmer.¡± Henry seemed to be deep in thought. He nced at Ta Chapter 145 Chapter 145 Chapter 145 I could tell what Henry was thinking at a nce. He had specially held a banquet while Jackson was in town, knowing his friend woulde. There was no way he wasn¡¯t trying to mate his sister off to the Alpha of the Sterling pack. Henry might not be the Alpha of the Wilton pack yet, but he was certainly thinking like it. However, he hadn¡¯t expected Jackson to bring a femalepanion. Naturally, he wasn¡¯t pleased by my presence, and it showed on his face before he could rein his wolf in. However, as a well-educated man, he had shown me respect, so I responded in kind. I shook his hand and smiled. ¡°Hello. It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Wilton.¡± Only then did Henry let go of my hand and look at Jackson as if I wasn¡¯t there. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time. Let¡¯s go have a drink and catch up.¡± It appeared that Jackson was worried to go anywhere without me when he looked over and said, ¡°Come in with me.¡± I nced at Henry, who looked unhappy that Jackson had invited me along, so I tactfully refused. ¡°I¡¯m a little hungry. I¡¯d love to eat something first.¡± N?velDrama.Org is the owner. Before Jackson could say anything, Henry stopped a servant. ¡°Take Ms. Palmer to eat something. Don¡¯t neglect her.¡± The maid quickly nodded and said to me, ¡°Ms. Palmer, pleasee with me.¡± Jackson looked back and forth between Henry and me, then said, ¡°Don¡¯t walk around. Wait for me to come back.¡± I nodded and followed the maid to the dining area. A dazzling array of food was ced on rows of long tables. I couldn¡¯t digest anything very well anymore, and I struggled to eat anything at all, but I managed to have a bit of tomato soup served in small drinking bowls. While standing quietly in the dining area with my soup and looking out the window, I saw several luxury cars arrive. A chauffeur got out of the car first, opened the door, and held it open for whomever was in the back seat. Under warm evening light, a man in a tailored ck suit got out and stood before the car door with his hands in his pockets. His face was chiseled, his jaw strong, his features¡­perfection. He looked at people indifferently. And as soon as he walked into the manor, everyone who was anyone rushed over to him. Even Ray Wilton, the old Alpha of the Wilton pack, who had not shown up for a long time, rushed over in a hurry. Chapter 146 Chapter 146 Chapter 146 ¡°Alpha Knight.¡± Ray quickly walked up to Griffon with the other members of the Wilton pack and said respectfully, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to attend such a small-scale banquet. Otherwise, I would have waited at the door with my pack elders. Please forgive me for my disrespect.¡± Griffon replied indifferently, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter.¡± He looked around casually. When he didn¡¯t see what he was looking for, he frowned slightly. Preston got out of his own car. He¡¯d followed mainly to ask Jackson what he meant. Seeing that Preston was also here, Ray felt even more honored. What kind of good day was this? He had been worried that his daughter would be unable to find a suitable love, but the two brothers of the Knight pack had bothe. Although Preston was undisciplined, unprofessional, and a yboy, he was still a Knight. If anyone from the Knight pack would take his daughter as their mate, he would be honored to form a union with them. As for Griffon, he was unconcerned with any of the reasons the N?velDrama.Org is the owner. Wilton pack was holding a banquet for. He was to be the son-inw of the Thorins, and a small pack like his couldn¡¯tpete with an elder¡¯s family. Ray was incredibly self-aware, and he took the brothers of the Knight pack to be his honored guests. Even Jackson, who was praised by him earlier, had been tossed to the back of his mind, infuriating Lena Wilton. Lena had taken a fancy to Jackson. It had been difficult for her to ask her brother to invite him, but now her father had asked her to curry favor with Preston! She knew that Preston was a yboy. Why would he be interesting in mating with her? Lena was so angry that Henry motioned for her to go out and avoid the situation. Only then did Lena sneak away. Ray had been ttering Griffon, which made Henry feel very embarrassed. If he were the current Alpha, he never would have behaved in this way. Henry looked at Jackson, nodding his head and indicating that he should go out for a drink. Jackson had wanted to leave for a long time but wouldn¡¯t be rude to his host. At Henry¡¯s signal, he quickly left. Before he could walk out of the hall, he was stopped by Preston. ¡°Sterling.¡± Preston walked up to him and questioned him with the attitude of an elder brother, not bothering to use his title. ¡°If I remember correctly, six months ago, your pack took the initiative to talk to my pack about a mating union. But now, you¡¯re here to attend Miss Wilton¡¯s search for a mate. What do you mean by this?¡± Chapter 147 Chapter 147 Chapter 147 Preston didn¡¯t question Jackson directly about the rtionship between him and Taya because Taya was Griffon¡¯s woman, so he had to give her some respect. But he didn¡¯t want to let go of Jackson, who hadn¡¯t kept his promise, so he could only take it out on Miss Wilton. Jackson was not angry at Preston¡¯s baiting, but his eyes were apathetic. ¡°My father made the decision privately without my permission. I never thought of mating your sister.¡± This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. His words made Preston¡¯s face pale, and his face instantly darkened. ¡°Do you mean to break off the mating engagement?¡± Jackson smiled faintly. ¡°We¡¯ve never been engaged. How can I break off something that¡¯s never happened?¡± They had just discussed the possibility of a mating, but it was never confirmed. Moreover, the pack elders didn¡¯t even have the consent of the two wolves involved. How could they force a mating ceremony? Jackson¡¯s words were a p in the face to the Knight pack. Preston was used to fooling around with others, wasn¡¯t used to people going against him. He wanted to give Jackson a gentle lesson, one to put him in his ce and remind him who he was dealing with, but before Preston could say anything, he felt a hand on his arm. ¡°Preston, stop.¡± Griffon said, using his Alpha voice topel Preston to obey him. Everyone standing near them was taken aback by his voice. Alpha Knight was powerful, so powerful that his Alphamand had an effect on the wolves of everyone who heard. Griffon looked at Jackson, his expression cool. His voice, devoid of any warmth, echoed in the hall. ¡°Alpha Sterling, your father came to our pack to beg for an alliance mating. If you¡¯d like to go back on that, you¡¯ll have to employ the same tactic as your father.¡± The word ¡°beg¡± brought everyone back to reality. Chapter 148 Chapter 148 Chapter 148 Eyes widened as onlookers watched and listened to what was happening. It turned out that the Sterling pack wanted to mate into the Knight pack to form an alliance between the two powerhouses. And the only male in the Sterling pack who would be able to aplish that was Jackson. Jackson calmly epted Griffon¡¯s proposal. ¡°Absolutely, Alpha Knight. I¡¯ll have my father deal with this matter immediately.¡± After that, Jackson went straight out to look for Taya. Looking at Jackson¡¯s back, Preston was so angry that his face turned blue. ¡°It¡¯s good to break off the engagement. Can¡¯t my sister find a better male?¡± Alpha Wilton, who had seen and listened to everything, quickly echoed, ¡°Yes, yes, yes. Mr. Preston Knight¡¯s sister is outstanding. It¡¯s a pity that Alpha Sterling has rejected her.¡± Preston nced at him coldly. ¡°What does it have to do with you?¡± Alpha Wilton thought, ¡°Forget it. He is so rude. Jackson is the This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?. Griffon saw Jackson walking to the dining area in the distance as if he was looking for someone. After walking around for a bit, Jackson answered the phone and went into the bathroom. Griffon frowned, interrupted Alpha Wilton¡¯s rambling, and walked away. While Taya was ying with her phone in the bathroom, a gentle-looking girl came in angrily. When she saw Taya, Lena¡¯s expression changed. ¡°It¡¯s you?¡± When Lena stood on the balcony on the second floor, she saw Jackson leading Taya into the manor. The two looked dazzling and well-matched, which almost made Lena angry. Fortunately, Lena¡¯s brother had sent Taya away and allowed her to be alone with Jackson. Lena thought Taya had left, but she didn¡¯t expect the little human to be hiding in the bathroom and scrolling through her phone. Why was she hiding in the bathroom rather than making the rounds andworking? Chapter 149 Chapter 149 Chapter 149 ¡°What are you doing here?¡± the she-wolf asked grumpily. I guessed that she must be Henry¡¯s younger sister, so I wasn¡¯t surprised that Lena was a rrogant. ¡°It¡¯s the bathroom. Of course, I went to the toilet,¡± I replied indifferently. I didn¡¯t bother to check my tone. I didn¡¯t want to tolerate people who disrespected me anymore. Between Tara and Margaret, I was done. Of course, my tone and words pi ssed Lena off even more. ¡°Humph, I think you¡¯re ying hard to get. You¡¯re deliberately hiding so that Jackson will be worried about you. Don¡¯t think that just because you¡¯re Jackson¡¯s femalepanion, you¡¯ll be able to climb the socialdder and be a Cindere! ¡°Jackson will be mine!¡± Lena¡¯s warning made me frown slightly. I was hiding here to avoid Griffon. What did it have to do with Jackson ying hard to get? I didn¡¯t bother to find an excuse to exin it to Lena, who stood in front of me with her hands on her hips and her face red. Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. She didn¡¯t look like she made a very attractive wolf¡­ ¡°Miss Wilton, you¡¯ll never be Alpha Sterling¡¯s mate. You don¡¯t have to look for attention in front of me.¡± Jackson was going to mate Edith. Lena¡¯s status was far inferior to Edith¡¯s. Let¡¯s face it, it was better for her not to be delusional. However, Miss Wilton did not think so. She pped me hard in the face. Chapter 150 Chapter 150 Chapter 150 ¡°Who do you think you are?¡± That p was beyond my expectations. I didn¡¯t expect the Wilton pack¡¯s gentle and weak-looking youngdy would p me. I wanted to fight back, but even though this she-wolf looked puny, my frail human body was no match for her. After being pped, I was in a daze. Lena must have thought I was afraid, and she became even more arro gant. ¡°I¡¯m warning you, you¡¯d better stay away from Jackson. Otherwise, it won¡¯t just be a p!¡± After saying that, Lena left the bathroom. While I was watching her back as she walked away, my vision blurred, and it was though everything was split into a thousand pieces. Before I fell down, I vaguely saw a man rushing in and catching me before I fainted. When I caught my breath, I realized that the person who had Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. caught me was Griffon. ¡°Alpha Knight¡­¡± He was hard to read, but his slightly furrowed brows made him look annoyed and uneasy. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± After calming myself down, I said in a low voice, ¡°I was pped by Miss Wilton just now and almost fainted.¡± Fortunately, I only fainted for a few seconds this time and could use this as an excuse to cover it up. Griffon¡¯s frown deepened. ¡°You¡¯re willing to be pped, for Jackson¡¯s sake. You really love him.¡± There was sarcasm in his voice, which made me very ufortable. The fear in my heart slowly faded away, and I replied lightly, ¡°If Alpha Sterling finds out that I was pped by Miss Wilton, he will definitely have a bad impression of her. It¡¯s worth it.¡± Griffon didn¡¯t expect me to have such thoughts, so he looked at me with contempt. ¡°You are truly capable of using all sorts of methods.¡± He loosened his grip on my waist, took out a handkerchief, and wiped his fingers slowly. I was mortified. If he disliked me so much, why did he still help me? Chapter 151 Chapter 151 Chapter 151 After wiping his hands, Griffon nced at me. ¡°Didn¡¯t I warn you to stay away from Jackson?¡± When I saw him, I thought he was here for the banquet. I never expected he woulde to an event like this just to get even with me. It had only been a day, but he already knew what Jackson and me were doing. At least, what he thought we were doing. But no way was I taking the me for this. If it weren¡¯t for Tara, I would have been home and waiting to die a long time ago. I never would have apanied Jackson to such an event. I didn¡¯t intend to hide it from him and said frankly, ¡°I intended to stay away from him, but Tara insisted that I entertain him. She made it very clear that there would be repercussions if I didn¡¯t agree. My only choice was to go against your warning and see him again.¡± I wanted to make it clear that HIS Tara was the reason I was here. Chapter 151 This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?. A scowl marred Griffon¡¯s attractive face. ¡°If you hadn¡¯t climbed into Jackson¡¯s bed, would Tara have asked you to apany him?¡± Of course. I should have known. No matter what Tara did, Griffon would ce no me on his future Luna. 2/3 Nothing I said would matter, and I probably shouldn¡¯t provoke the Alpha more, so I mped my mouth shut. Griffon took a step closer and pushed me against the wall. Then, he ced one hand on top of my head and lowered his chin to look at me. ¡°Jackson just canceled his mating agreement with the Knight pack in front of everyone. Did you ask him to do so?¡± I was stunned for a moment, and then I felt confused. What did I have to do with Jackson breaking off his engagement? I pursed my lips and didn¡¯t say anything. There was no point in exining anything¡­or trying to. Griffon moved closer again, and a faint fragrance wafted out to my nose, causing me to panic again. He was so close too close. I didn¡¯t have any room to move, and I tried to twist away from him, to at least turn my head away from him. But my lips identally brushed past his cheek. Chapter 152 Chapter 152 Chapter 152 Griffon¡¯s cheek was warm beneath my lips. A zap of electricity sparked between us, and Griffon¡¯s body stiffened. He stepped back, and the expression on his face was almost pained. The panic I¡¯d been feeling melted into embarrassment. ¡°I¡­I¡¯m sorry. I¡­I didn¡¯t mean to do that.¡± I saw the muscles in Griffon¡¯s jaw tighten, and his Adam¡¯s apple bobbed as he swallowed roughly. ¡°Is this how you seduce men?¡± I stopped breathing for a second, and my embarrassment gave way to¡­defeat? Humiliation? Powerlessness? There were too many feelingspeting right now for me to settle on just one. After a long silence, I managed to respond. ¡°Alpha Knight, you don¡¯t have to worry. You aren¡¯t on my list of men to seduce.¡± Griffon¡¯s expression darkened, and his eyes shifted to that of his wolf¡¯s as he stared into my eyes. His eyebrows furrowed as he examined my face, as if he was trying to tell what I was thinking and couldn¡¯t figure out how to take what I¡¯d said. I hoped like hell all he could see in my eyes was indifference. He remained silent for a moment longer, and the muscle in his jaw ticked again¡ªthe way it did when he was annoyed. His eyebrows straightened, the look in his eyes shifting back from wolf to human, his expression returning to his typical one of coldness. ¡°That¡¯d better be the case. If I find out that you have feelings for me¡­¡± His voice was a low growl as he spoke, devoid of emotion. ¡°I haven¡¯t had feelings for you for years, let alone since we¡¯ve separated from our¡­arrangement.¡± Something that resembled cruel rage swept over Griffon¡¯s face, and his body tensed and shifted as he leaned closer to me, pinning me with his stare. Looking at him like this, I was actually a little scared. I lowered my chin, not wanting to meet his gaze and wishing I could just sink into the floor to get away. We fell into a long, strained silence. N?velDrama.Org is the owner. It was as if whoever spoke first would be defeated. After a long while, Jackson and Lena¡¯s voices came from outside the door. Only then did Griffon straighten his back and take a step back. Chapter 153 Chapter 153 Chapter 153 Before leaving, Griffon issued a warning. ¡°Just because Jackson broke off the mating agreement doesn¡¯t mean that the Sterling pack will allow him to do so. He¡¯ll be my brother¨Cinw sooner orter. Don¡¯t even think about getting him to fight against the whole pack for you.¡± After saying that, Griffon turned around and walked to the door. Once he was gone and the door was closed behind him, I heaved a deep sigh of relief. Every time I faced him, my body filled with an indescribable pressure. I wasn¡¯t sure if I was afraid of him or if I was fearful that I wouldn¡¯t be able to control my feelings for him. Fortunately, my impulse had been to lie to him regarding any desire I had for him. Otherwise, who knew how he would have reacted. It could have been anything from disgust toughter. I collected myself and walked to the sink, turning on the water but only staring down at the stream before turning it off and walking out of the bathroom. As soon as I stepped out, Jackson was there, pushing Lena away and walking over to me. ¡°Ms. Palmer, let¡¯s go back.¡± I nodded and shot a nce at Lena. Her eyes were narrowed with warning, her wolf shing for a second. Likely, she was afraid I would say something to Jackson about her pping 1. me. Which was quite funny when you stopped to think about it. She had the gall to p me, but she didn¡¯t want anyone to know about it. How utterly ridiculous. I desperately wanted to p Lena right now. Or tell Jackson, or say something to her. Anything to burn off everything I was feeling toward her, but this was the Wilton pack¡¯s territory. Not only was I a guest in her pack home, I was a human. That was already two strikes against me, and thest thing I needed was a third. Plus, I didn¡¯t want to be the center of attention, nor did I want to be hated by the Wilton pack after the fight, or have it cause problems for Jackson. Anything that mighte back on me negatively would likely affect my deal with Tara. I suppressed my anger and decided to find a chance to beat her next time. ¡°Yes, let¡¯s go.¡± I walked down the stairs, and Jackson politely took my hand to assist me down them. When we reached the bottom, he looked over at me as if to confirm that I¡¯d made it down the stairs okay and that it was safe for him to let go of my hand. But rather than let go, his face darkened and his hand tightened around mine. ¡°Who did this to you?¡± he growled out, and I could hear his wolf rising to the surface. He raised his other hand to touch my slightly swollen face, and something that looked like pain crossed over his face. I was slightly stunned when I saw the look on Jackson¡¯s face. I wouldn¡¯t have expected him to feel sorry for me. I hesitated, not saying anything. There was no way he was going to stick up for me against his good friend¡¯s sister. Stand up for a human over a wolf. *** Taya¡¯s silence made Lena heave a sigh of relief. Jackson had always been good at observing people¡¯s expressions and bodynguage. As soon as he saw Lena¡¯s This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?. sigh, he immediately understood what had happened¨Cwas happening. No wonder Lena wouldn¡¯t let him go when he went to look for Taya, why she had clung to him ande along with him. She was the one who had hit his woman. Chapter 154 Chapter 154 Chapter 154 Jackson gazed over at Lena. His voice was deadly calm as he spoke, a hint of his Alpha voiceing out. ¡°Miss Wilton, I brought mypanion to your house as a guest, and you put your hands on her. Is this how you were brought up in your pack? Does the Wilton pack condone actions such as these?¡± Seeing that Jackson had found out so quickly that she had hit Taya, Lena¡¯s heart skipped a beat. But her anger quickly dispelled it. He hadn¡¯t even bothered to ask what had happened and was already defending Taya. This was too much! Lena couldn¡¯t hold back her temper anymore, and her wolf¡¯s hot¨Cheadedness rushed to the surface. ¡°You didn¡¯t even ask who hit her before ming me. Is the Sterling pack always so quick to rush to judgments?¡± Jackson¡¯s expression turned darker. ¡°Are you saying that you did not put your hands on my woman?¡± ¡°Even if I did, you didn¡¯t ask me why I would do so. Why would your assumption be that she didn¡¯t deserve it?¡± Jackson snorted. ¡°I know Ms. Palmer very well. And there is nothing in her character that would warrant someone putting their hands on her.¡± Lena hadn¡¯t expected Jackson to defend hispanion like that, to defend a human so readily over another wolf shifter. She was so angry that her face turned pale. ¡°Jackson, how can you do this to me-¡± *** Jackson wasn¡¯t interested in Lena¡¯s act. He promptly cut her off. ¡°Apologize to Ms. Palmer!¡± Although Henry was his good friend, Lena meant nothing to him. They had only met a few times, and there wasn¡¯t any history between them to make it necessary for him to treat Lena with the respect it was clear she believed she deserved. Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. She might be a wolf and technically outrank Taya, butpared to Jackson, Lena was nothing. The Wilton pack might be wealthy, but they had no power. And they certainly didn¡¯t wield the power the Sterling pack did. Frankly, they were lucky he had evene to this event. Seeing that Jackson wouldn¡¯t let her go until she apologized, Lena was so angry that she burst into tears. ¡°Jackson, you¡¯re bullying me!¡± The she¨Cwolf¡¯s cry soon attracted the attention of the crowd. Most were holding sses of wineced with wolfsbane and standing aside to watch the show. No one came forward to help Lena. She quickly pointed at Taya. ¡°She was the one who insulted me in my own home. And she¡¯s a human! I was so angry that I lost my mind and pped her. I wouldn¡¯t have done this if it weren¡¯t for her stirring up trouble. I didn¡¯t do anything wrong!¡± Chapter 155 Chapter 155 Chapter 155 I was still shocked that Jackson woulde forward to stand up for me. Pursuing any line of questioning wasn¡¯t a good idea, but Lena¡¯s usations made me angry. Just as I was about to ask her what I had said to her, amanding voice suddenly came from behind me. ¡°Why, Miss Wilton, have you been learning to confuse right and wrong in the past few years?¡± I didn¡¯t need to look to know who was speaking. I was grateful he was also standing up for me, but I didn¡¯t dare to look back. *** Griffon red at Jackson, who was holding onto Taya¡¯s hand, then he slowly walked down the stairs and stood in front of Lena. ¡°I just happened to pass by when Miss Wilton humiliated her.¡± Griffon refused to show her any respect and exposed her lie, causing Lena to pale. Lena still wanted to argue, but there was a murderous look in Griffon¡¯s eyes. One that alerted everyone not to mess with the Alpha. She had never seen such a terrifying look before. Even though his eyes were beautiful, the look was enough to petrify her. Lena was so scared that she immediately shut her mouth. She stood rooted to the spot, not daring to move. Only then did Henry realize that something had happened to his sister. He quickly pushed through the crowd and rushed over. Before Henry could ask what had happened to Lena, Griffon gave him an indifferent look. ¡°I expected the Wilton shifters to be a bit ssier than this.¡± After saying that, Griffon left with his pack bodyguards. Watching the show from the side, Preston looked thoughtfully at Griffon¡¯s back. Griffon never spoke up for anyone¨Cunless they were important. And he had to admit, watching Lena be put in her ce was This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?. incredible. Preston nced at Taya, who was standing intimately with Jackson, and his expression darkened slightly. What was it about Taya that was so special to his cousin? He hadn¡¯t expected a non¨Cwolf to be so capable in her ability to snag a shifter. Not only could she get Jackson to protect her, but she could also get Griffon to speak up on her behalf. Even though Griffon and Jackson were strong Alpha wolves, defending a human over a shifter was risky. Didn¡¯t Taya realize that? Of course she did. But that was what she wanted, no matter how hazardous that might be for the men she involved in her scheming. Preston wanted to go over and teach her a lesson, but after thinking for a minute, he decided against it. Not his monkey, not his circus. Preston turned around, nodded to his assistant, and left with Griffon. Chapter 156 Chapter 156 Chapter 156 Jackson looked at the backs of the Knights as they walked away. He was surprised that Griffon would come forward to help them just now. On second thought, perhaps Alpha Knight also looked down on she¨Cwolves like Lena who yed tricks when they thought others wouldn¡¯t know. Since Griffon happened to see them, he would naturally stand up to uphold justice as any Alpha would, no matter if it was a human or not. Taya wasn¡¯t just any human. She worked for the MPC and for many packs, and she¡¯d been raised as any other wolf was. Even though he looked down on Taya, he had just canceled the engagement with the Knight pack. Jackson refused to overthink it. He looked at Lena again. ¡°I¡¯ll only repeat myself once. Apologize!¡± Jackson infused the word ¡°apologize¡± with themanding tone of his Alpha wolf. Henry hurriedly asked Lena what had happened to make his good friend angry. Lena did not dare to argue anymore. She could only cry and say that she was jealous of Taya, so she pped her in anger. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?. Henry¡¯s thoughts of helping his sister were immediately dispelled. Typically, Lena was exasperating, but now, he was incensed. ¡°Apologize!¡± After that, he added, ¡°After apologizing to Alpha Sterling and hispanion, you wille with me to receive your punishment from Father.¡± Old Alpha Wilton was in his element, greeting the elders in the banquet hall. He didn¡¯t know what had happened outside. He was too absorbed in his own interests. He didn¡¯t know that the Knight pack cousins had left. He only thought they had gone out to meet the other younger shifters. If he learned that Griffon had been angered by his daughter and left, he would p Lena twice to teach her a lesson. Given that her brother had more power than her, Lena could only apologize to Taya, no matter how reluctant she was. Jackson wasn¡¯t impressed with Lena¡¯s forced apology, and his wolf wanted more. He still wanted to say something, but Taya stopped him. ¡°Alpha Sterling, let¡¯s go.¡± *** Sure, Lena had pped me. But the sting of my p wouldn¡¯tst for nearly as long as the damage to Lena¡¯s reputation. Of course, Lena was unhappy, and her apology wasn¡¯t sincere. I didn¡¯t feel the need to argue with her anymore. All I wanted was for her to be taught a lesson and remember it. She might have pped me today, but if she behaved like this in the future and pped Jackson¡¯s promised mate out of jealousy, the Wilton pack wouldn¡¯t be able to recover. Chapter 157 Chapter 157 Chapter 157 Lena didn¡¯t know what Taya was thinking. To her, Taya was only the source of her current embarrassment and discontent. As soon as the banquet ended, Lena cried andined to her father and brother. ¡°You must seek justice for me!¡± Hearing her crying, Alpha Wilton pped her in the face. ¡°How dare you cry in front of me after offending Griffon!¡± Lena instantly stopped crying and looked at her father in disbelief. ¡°If I don¡¯t teach you a lesson, you won¡¯t learn it. You¨Cand this pack¨Ccan¡¯t afford to offend Griffon or Jackson. One is in charge of Arcadia, and the other is in Wolverly Capital. You¡¯ve offended both of them in one go!¡± Alpha Ray was so angry that his face started to change, his whole body trembling as his rage caused him to start shifting into his wolf. If it weren¡¯t for Henry stepping between him and Lena, he would have taught the she¨Cwolf another lesson. Lena did not expect that her father, who had always doted on her, would ever p her. Let alone for someone outside of their pack. She covered her face and ran out. Henry chased after her anxiously, seeing that his younger sister had left in a fit of anger. Everyone knew that the blind date banquet of the Wilton pack was a mess. Jackson led me out of the Wilton manor. We stood at the door, waiting for Camille to arrive with the car. Jackson still held my hand. I looked down at his hand, pretending nothing had happened, and broke free from his grip. Disappointment shed through Jackson¡¯s eyes the moment I pulled my hand out of his. Thinking of how he had just helped me, I thanked him. ¡°Alpha Sterling, thank you for speaking up for me earlier.¡± Disappointment crossed Jackson¡¯s face when I spoke. He looked at my swollen cheek and said guiltily, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. You wouldn¡¯t have been hurt if it weren¡¯t for me.¡± N?velDrama.Org is the owner. I gave a small shrug. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter.¡± It was just a p. It was nothingpared to the two kicks Jackson had given me before. Just as he was about to say something else to me, Camille drove up. Chapter 158 Chapter 158 Chapter 158 Jackson mped his mouth shut and open the back door for me like the perfect gentleman he wasn¡¯t. No, he was the literal big, bad wolf. I was still feeling a little dizzy. Before getting in the car, my body swayed, and Jackson quickly held me by the waist. ¡°Ms. Palmer, are you all right?¡± I shook my head and tried to break free from his grip, but he held my waist with one hand and helped me into the car. *** Watching the Rolls Royce disappear into the distance, the man in another car put out his cigarette. Under dim light, the cold moonlight shone through the window on the man¡¯s stoic, hard facial features. His indifferent eyes were like emissaries from hell. There was no emotion in them, and they looked gloomy and dim¡­with a hint of his wolf¡¯s fire. Sitting in the back seat, Preston couldn¡¯t see his expression clearly. But something told him that Griffon had stopped here to wait for Taya. A worried expression unconsciously appeared on Preston¡¯s face. ¡°Griffon, why aren¡¯t you leaving yet?¡± After a few seconds of silence, the man¡¯s indifferent voice spoke. ¡°Wait for Andre.¡± Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org. Andre said he had left something in the Wilton¡¯s house and returned to get it. However, Preston saw it for the excuse it was. Griffon would never wait for an assistant to do anything. Waiting for others was an inconvenience for the Alpha. The more Preston thought about it, the more uneasy he felt. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve fallen for that woman?¡± He thought Griffon would deny it, but his response was nothing like he expected. ¡°What if I¡¯m really in love with her?¡± Preston was shocked. He quickly sat up straight. ¡°Griffon, you can¡¯t. Her life would be in danger if you fall in love with her. An Alpha can never mate a human. And although she isn¡¯t a good person, I don¡¯t want to see blood again.¡± When Griffon heard this, the emotion in his eyes disappeared and the stoic Alpha look was back in ce. He looked back at Preston with a smile. ¡°Preston, you¡¯re still as easy to fool as when you were young.¡± Preston could tell from his face that he was joking. Only then did his tense nerves rx. However, with a severe look, Preston reminded Griffon, ¡°Don¡¯t say such things in front of others in the future.¡± If someone with ulterior motives heard Griffon say something like that, the Knight pack would never be at peace, and the rumors would be unstoppable. Griffon looked away, his eyes filled with despair. Chapter 159 Chapter 159 Chapter 159 Through the rearview mirror, Preston looked at the distant¨Clooking Griffon. After hesitating momentarily, Preston plucked up the courage to ask, ¡°Griffon, when are you going to get mated to Tara?¡± Preston always felt that everything would be settled after Griffon and Tara had their mating ceremony and Tara became the Knight pack¡¯s Luna. Then, he would no longer have to worry about anything. Griffon seemed to smile, but it didn¡¯t reach his eyes. ¡°You also want me to mate her?¡± Preston shook his head slightly and said, ¡°No, but¡­¡± Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org. But he had no choice. After all, Alpha¡¯s rarely had a choice regarding who they needed to take as their Luna. And Griffon mating an elder¡¯s daughter was the best choice for their pack to remain strong and powerful. Just as Preston considered what to say, Griffon suddenly said, ¡°I¡¯ll mate her.¡± His voice was very nonchnt, as if there were no feelings in him. He was like a machine, so cold that he was lifeless. Preston sighed deeply in his heart. Griffon seemed to have never been happy¡­ *** Jackson drove Taya home. Before exiting the car, Jackson handed her an ointment and said, ¡°It¡¯ll help you reduce the swelling. It¡¯s something we wolves use when we need a little extra help when we¡¯re injured.¡± After thanking him, Taya declined politely. ¡°I¡¯ll just use ice cubes when I get inside.¡± After saying that, Taya left. Jackson looked at her petite figure as she walked away, a lonely expression on his face again. He could feel that Taya was on her guard against him, and the hint of hostility in her eyes puzzled him. While Jackson was deep in thought, Camille reminded him, ¡°Alpha Sterling, Ms. Palmer is ying hard to get. Please don¡¯t be fooled.¡± Jackson hadn¡¯t been in a rtionship since he lost his memory. He didn¡¯t know anything about women¡¯s behavior¨Cespecially human woman. ¡°No, there¡¯s no game. She doesn¡¯t like me and doesn¡¯t want to be anywhere near me.¡± Chapter 160 Chapter 160 Chapter 160 After a pause, Camille continued. ¡°Didn¡¯t you notice what she did just now? If Taya didn¡¯t want your sympathy, she wouldn¡¯t have told you what happened with Lena. She deliberately let you see it, and even let you confront Lena. She must have known that Henry wanted to get you and Lena together, so Taya deliberately sabotaged his efforts. Trust me, I know how women operate.¡± Under normal circumstances, Jackson would have believed Camille. But Taya didn¡¯t let him see it on purpose. If anything, she had tried to minimize what had happened, but Lena had hit her hard enough to leave a mark on her face that she couldn¡¯t hide. If it weren¡¯t for that, he probably wouldn¡¯t have known what had gone down in the bathroom. Camille opened her mouth to say something else, but Jackson stopped her. ¡°Just focus on driving. All you know how to do is gossip.¡± Camille was speechless. She wasn¡¯t a gossip. At all. And it hurt her that Jackson would say that about her. Looks like her evening was going to be filled with Ben & Jerry¡¯s to make her feel better. *** When I got home, I was so tired that I copsed on the sofa and stared nkly at the ceiling. My physical strength waspletely zapped and spread from my body to my heart. I was exhausted, and fatigue overtook me as soon as Iid down. I closed my eyes and tried to take deep, calming breaths. I didn¡¯t remove my makeup or change my clothes. I was too tired too tired to do anything other than let sleep take over, sliding in and out of waking and dreand. I was so dizzy and delirious with weariness that I would swear I saw Griffon walk in. He picked me up, held me in his arms, and kissed me passionately. Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. Under his fierce attack, my body could not help but respond to him¡­ Chapter 161 Chapter 161 Chapter 161 The moment I woke up from my dream, I felt ridic ulous for having had such a dream in the first ce. I touched my heated face and tender lips. They felt as if Griffon had really been here. Sha me filled me at the thought of fantasizing about Griffon, but my idental brush of my lips across his cheek must have sparked something in my subconscious. After all, I had been with him for five years. My body knew his so very intimately, had always responded to him so eagerly. I was used to his touch, and that moment at the Wilton pack manor was familiar. But I would get over it, and I would go back to forcing the memories of his hands and lips on my body out of my mind. While I wasforting myself, a call from Jackson came in. Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org. Sighing and steeling myself for whatever he wanted, I answered. ¡°What can I do for you, Alpha Sterling?¡± I kept my tone businesslike. ¡°Ms. Palmer, Camille isn¡¯t here today. I need you to apany me to the bidding.¡± How could Camille, always by Jackson¡¯s side, be absent today of all days? I was more than a little confused, but I agreed. If I said no, I¡¯m sure it would get back to Tara. Plus, as soon as the bidding was over, Jackson would likely return to Wolverly Capital. ¡°Wait for me,¡± I said almost excitedly. After I spoke, I realized that Jackson might take my tone as being excited to see him. Cr ap. Sure enough, I could hear the smile in his voice when he responded. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. The bidding doesn¡¯t start until ten. It¡¯s still early.¡± I looked at the time. It was seven o¡¯clock; I had woken up early for once instead of sleeping the day away. Had I been that affected by my Griffon dream? I blushed again. I quickly replied with a ¡°yes¡± and hung up the phone. I¡¯d fallen asleepst night before checking my WhatsApp. I quickly checked, worried I¡¯d missed a message from Harper. I¡¯d been trying to respond to her quickly when she messaged so she wasn¡¯t anxious about anything happening in Arcadia while she on her honeymoon. She¡¯d sent a few photos of the scenery and took a few short videos. I looked through them and replied. After replying, she subconsciously looked at the profile picture. of a message that had been pushed to the bottom. The profile picture was nk, as mysterious as Greyson himself. I clicked on the chat log. Since myst message, Greyson had been silent. He had called me hundreds of times that day, but then there was radio silence after my reply. It was confusing, and for some reason I couldn¡¯t figure out, it bothered me. Nope. Not going there. I exited the app and put my phone down. It was by far better if he didn¡¯t harass me. If I¡¯d never met him. Chapter 162 Chapter 162 Chapter 162 I struggled to pull myself together. After getting up and freshening up, I took my medicine on time for once. Since I hadn¡¯t slept the day away. Then, I arranged for an express delivery and sent out the dresses, shoes, and everything else that Jackson had bought for me yesterday. Sure, I could give it all to Jackson directly, but that would take a lot of time and effort to talk to him and exin why I was giving them back. It would be better to send them over by express, and that way he couldn¡¯t refuse them. After sending the things out, I took my bag and went to the branch office of the Sterling pack where the bidding for the Weston City project was taking ce. The entire branch office was in a busy state, everyone bustling around to prepare their presentations. Most of the time, Alphas let their underlings take care of things like this, but Jackson was highly involved, walking his pack executives through the PowerPoint for the bidding. Everyone wanted a job as huge as this. Not only was it a lot of potential money, it was a partnership with the powerful Sterling pack. Jackson and his team didn¡¯te out of the main conference room until nine o¡¯clock. The bidding would be held in the Knight pack¡¯s business headquarters on their packnds. Driving into the Knight pack¡¯s headquarters was a bit like driving into the future. Many packs worked to stayed connected to thend, to blend in with the environment around them. There was typically a sense of ¡°nature¡± associated with most pack facilities. Not so with the Knight pack. High-rise buildings screamed of science and technology, with curatedndscaping, and an unparalleled security system. Everyone who entered the premises had to go through facial recognition. It was overwhelming to many shifters, but for the Knight pack, this was every day. There was a reason they were one of the most powerful packs in North America. In fact, I had heard that the Knight pack had branches like this worldwide. Their business covered a wide range, and real estate was only a tiny part. The Knight pack was known their aerospace research and had been working with NASA on space travel. Other groups couldn¡¯tpete with them. Even though the N?velDrama.Org is the owner. Knight pack had the ability to do the work on the Weston City project themselves, they were too busy and focused on their work with NASA. I had never actually been to the Knight pack¡¯s headquarters, and after witnessing the magnificence of it with my own eyes, I realized how small and insignificant I was. I had once fantasized that Griffon would mate me, but now I found that dream to bepletely ludicrous. How could such a powerful man make me his Luna? It was not until this moment that I realized I was absolutely not a match for him. The little bit of hope I had of being with Griffon was utterly shattered by this shocking scene. Chapter 163 Chapter 163 Chapter 163 ¡°Ms. Palmer,e with me.¡± Jackson lightly touched my arm. Only then did Ie back to my senses. I followed him into one of the buildings. The security system of the Knight pack was strict. Non-pack personnel had to have their identities verified before they could enter, no exception. We each submitted to the facial scan, and once we were admitted past security, Tara walked over. She greeted Jackson and then looked at me as I followed behind Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. Jackson. ¡°Alpha Sterling, do you mind if I have a few words with Taya?¡± ¡°Ms. Palmer is your employee. Why would I mind?¡± Tara¡¯s tone sounded polite, but there was a hint of sarcasm in it. And by the way Jackson had answered her, it seemed as though he had picked up on the sarcasm as well-and didn¡¯t like it. Jackson looked over at me. ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you inside.¡± Then, he led the members of the Sterling pack away. As soon as he left, Tara smiled. ¡°You¡¯ve treated Alpha Sterling quite well.¡± Tara looked at me with contempt. ¡°Not everyone can attend the bidding event of the Knight pack, but Alpha Sterling brought you here, which means that he thinks highly of you.¡± She deliberately dragged out the end of the sentence as if she were saying, ¡°He doesn¡¯t think highly of your work ability, but your bed skills.¡± Hearing the sarcasm in her words, I didn¡¯t think there was any point in talking to her, so I pursed my lips tightly and remained silent. Tara didn¡¯t like to be ignored. Her expression turned icy for a moment, and then she smiled gently and generously. ¡°You¡¯ve done a good job. I¡¯ll give you a raiseter.¡± Tara¡¯s face flushed and her mout h twitched a little as she looked down at me. ¡°You know, hooking up with Alpha Sterling isn¡¯t something your should be proud of.¡± Tara turned and left. To everyone else, she appeared kind and generous, elegant even, but I knew better. I walked quickly to the passage next door without batting an eyelid. Chapter 164 Chapter 164 Chapter 164 Initially, Griffon didn¡¯t see a need to attend the bidding and wasn¡¯t going to, but he arrived after everyone took their seats. Held¡¯d dressed to the nines today, making sure his appearance was meticulous, that every inch of his presence radiated the powerchche wanted to remind everyone he wielded. Everyone elslse in the room paled inparison to him. He didn¡¯t takake anyone here seriously at all. With an arrog ant and indifferentlook, he walked in with twenty pack bodyguards. After he entered.d.everyone present stood to wee him. Even the Alphas of the most influential packs present lowered their chins to nod in deleference to him. Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. Tara stepped forwardi, ociol Griffon¡¯s arm, and weed him with a charming sinilele. ¡°Griffon, I didn¡¯t think you wwere attending,¡± she said. His presence made Tara extremely excited. Now that Griffon was here, the other shifters wouldd definitely show her some respect. Just as Tara was feeling happy, Griffon nced at her hand. ¡°Let go.¡± Tara was stunned, and the smile froze on her face. When she saw his cool eyes, she was so scared that she immediately let go of him. Fortunately, the venue was so big that no one could hear him. Otherwise, she would have been completely humiliated. After she let go, he went straight to the main seat. The Sterling pack was located right behind the main seat. The closer Griffon got to me, the more flustered I became. I lowered my head and didn¡¯t even dare to look at him. Fortunately, Griffon didn¡¯t notice me and just sat. Right in front of me. All I could see was the back of Griffon¡¯s head. His thick ck hair seemed to have grown a bit, and I longed to sink my fingers into it. While I was still in a daze, imagining reaching out to touch him, Jackson patted my shoulder. I was so startled that I almost screamed. Fortunately, I caught myself in time. I whispered quietly, ¡°Alpha Sterling, is something wrong?¡± Jackson checked the time on his watch. ¡°I need coffee before giving a speech. I need you to go get one for me.¡± Chapter 165 Chapter 165 Chapter 165 Initially, he wanted Beta Smith to present the Sterling pack bid, but now that Griffon was here, Jackson had no choice but to do it himself. Griffon had always been a strict wolf. Jackson might lose the bid. if his Beta made a mistake during the presentation. While Beta Smith heaved a deep sigh of relief, Jackson had to sort out all his thoughts in an hour. To concentrate, he needed a coffee to refresh himself. Taya nodded and asked in a low voice, ¡°Is there enough time?¡± ¡°We are the tenth in line to present. There is plenty of time.¡± *** I didn¡¯t ask any more questions. I bent down low, got up, and walked toward the back door. I wasn¡¯t familiar with the building. When I came out, I only saw high-tech products, not even a single person. I searched the whole building several times but couldn¡¯t find the break room. It looked like I had to leave the building, but it seemed that I would need to swipe a card to get in and out. Except, I didn¡¯t have a card. I would have to find someone in the Knight pack to let me out and then back in. Just as I was about to turn around and give up, I saw Prestoning in. The moment the door was opened, I almost took advantage of the gap to get out, but fortunately, I hadn¡¯t lost my mind. I mustered up my courage and stopped Preston. Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Mr. Knight, please wait¡­¡± Preston didn¡¯t expect me to dare stop him, and his face suddenly darkened. ¡°Ms. Palmer, what are you trying to do?¡± He looked astonished that I had called out for him. ¡°Mr. Knight, do you know where the coffee is?¡± I wanted Preston to help open the door, but when I saw his face, I quickly changed my words. I could always find a way toe in as long as he told me where the coffee was. No matter what, I was going to upset someone, and right now, the person I needed to upset the least was Jackson. Chapter 166 Chapter 166 Chapter 166 Preston tilted his head slightly and looked behind me. ¡°Isn¡¯t it here?¡± I turned around and looked at the w hite wall in a daze. Could it be that Preston was not of the same species as me, so he saw something different with his wolf eyes that my human eyes couldn¡¯t see? Preston nced at me as if he was looking at a fo ol. He stepped forward and knocked on the door, which opened automatically. Then he pointed at the letters on the wall and scolded me as if he was teaching a lesson to a primary school student. ¡°Isn¡¯t it clear enough? Don¡¯t you know English?¡± I suppressed my anger and replied, ¡°Yes, I do.¡± I¡¯d been so me blush, it seemed he couldn¡¯t help mocking me again. ¡°Ms. Palmer, beauty alone is not enough. Knowledge is also vital. Otherwise, it won¡¯t be so easy to mate into the Sterling pack.¡± His sarcastic tone was exactly the same as Griffon¡¯s. They were indeed rted. Ignoring Preston, I walked into the break room, picked out son coffee beans, and put them in the coffee machine to grind. It appeared Preston wasn¡¯t in a hurry to leave. He leaned against the door and looked me up and down. ¡°You¡¯re pretty good-looking. No wonder Jackson likes you. But you¡¯re still a littlecking compared to my sister.¡± I¡¯d seen Edith¡¯s photos online. She¡¯d definitely inherited the best genes of the Knight pack, and I knew that I could neverpare with her. N?velDrama.Org is the owner. But there was no way I could say that. It didn¡¯t matter whether I was good-looking or not. In the end, I was just a handful of ashes. And that would be much sooner thanter. Preston looked at me with a bored look on his face and raised an eyebrow. ¡°Why don¡¯t you talk?¡± I nced at him and said, ¡°Beta Knight, thank you for telling me where the break room door is.¡± ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± ¡°Is there something else you want?¡± I put down the coffee and stared at him without blinking. Chapter 167 Chapter 167 Chapter 167 Preston¡¯s face stiffened slightly. He looked away and said, ¡°Remember to close the door.¡± After he left, I picked up the coffee and walked back to Jackson. The bidding had already begun. The lights in the venue had been turned off, and only the big screen was on. It was simr to a small theater, and there were hundreds of steps up to the front from the back door. Now that the lights were turned off, it was dark inside. I couldn¡¯t see the walkway clearly and could only fumble my way down, holding the cup of coffee in one hand a the backs of the chairs with the other. I managed to make it to Jackson without falling on my face or spilling any of the coffee. Thank the goddess for small blessing. I bent down and handed him the coffee. Jackson nodded and took the coffee from me. He smiled and whispered, ¡°Thank you.¡± Just as I was about to sit down, Griffon leaned his head back. I held onto his seat and identally touched his thick ck hair. I was startled and quickly withdrew me hand, but the wolf turned around and nced at me tly, his wolf¡¯s eyes gleaming in the darkness. Under the dim light, when I looked into his dark eyes, I felt as if his wolf had set its sights on me for dinner. I whispered in a panic, ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡± Griffon didn¡¯t say anything, looked away to focus on the big screen again. I took a deep breath and fell into my seat. As my heart pounded, Jackson whispered, ¡°Darling, don¡¯t be afraid.¡± I looked at Jackson in disbelief. ¡°What¡­ did you just say?¡± *** After Jackson finished speaking, his eyes widened in shock at his words. When he heard Jackson, Griffon nced at Taya and narrowed his eyes, looking between Taya and Jackson. Why had he called her ¡°darling¡±? Jackson was surprised by his actions. It took him a long tim calm down before he pretended that nothing had happened sipped coffee.N?velDrama.Org is the owner. Chapter 168 Chapter 168 Chapter 168 After taking a sip of his coffee, Jackson asked, ¡°How did you know I like this particr coffee?¡± My attention from what he¡¯d called me was diverted by his question, and I replied with a light shrug. ¡°I just randomly picked one.¡± That was a lie. I remembered from before the ident that he always liked to drink dark-roast coffee to perk him up when he needed to focus on something important. Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. Jackson looked at me thoughtfully, his eyebrows furrowing, and asked, ¡°Have you been studying what I like?¡± I quickly shook my head. ¡°No. No, I haven¡¯t.¡± ¡°Where¡¯s the vani creamer?¡± I took out a couple single serving packages of Coffee Mate and handed them to him. Jackson raised an eyebrow smugly. ¡°It seems you know what I like to add to my coffee.¡± Only then did I realize he was testing me, and I immediately wanted to take back the creamer. But Jackson gently grabbed my hand and said, ¡°I need your help.¡± He was holding the cup of coffee and couldn¡¯t tear open the lids of the little containers with just one hand. He could only signal to me with his eyes to help him. I took them from him, tore off the film, and slowly poured them into the coffee. *** Jackson looked at Taya, who had her eyes lowered. She glowed with a different kind of beauty under these lights. He couldn¡¯t help but be mesmerized, and his voice became softer. ¡°Thank you.¡± Taya looked up at him and said, ¡°Drink it before it cools.¡± Sitting in front of them, Griffon couldn¡¯t see their interaction but could hear it clearly. His eyes darkened and his wolf wed to get out. Chapter 169 Chapter 169 Chapter 169 Jackson sipped on his coffee slowly. It wasn¡¯t until the host on the stage called out to the Sterling pack that he gulped it down. Seeing that he was about to go on stage after handing me the coffee cup, I couldn¡¯t help but worry. ¡°Have you finished reading the documents?¡± Jackson hadn¡¯t even read any of the documents while he was waiting for his turn. How was he prepared for this? Jackson tapped a finger lightly on his temple and said confidently, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I just needed to read them once.¡± I froze. That¡¯s right. Jackson had a photographic memory. So¡­how could he lose his memory? His words dispelled thest bit of kindness I had left for him. He was putting on an act. I had almost mistaken him for the previous Ss. My stiff expression made him question me. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Frustrated, I shook my head. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Hurry up and go on stage.¡± Once the bidding ended, I could part ways with Jackson and never see him again. Jackson looked as if he was about to say something else, but after the host¡¯s second urging, he had to get up on the stage. As soon as Jackson left, I copsed back into my chair and looked expressionlessly at the stage. Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. Jackson was indeed brilliant. He had memorized everything after just looking at them once, and he also expanded on a lot of things that Beta Smith had not mentioned. It was no wonder that such a man would choose to abandon me. Him being a shifter and my never getting my wolf aside, there was no way I couldpete with someone with his level of intellect. Today had only served to showcase our vast differences. I had a brief thought that if I could survive my heart failure, I would break free from all restrictions and work my as s off to be influential like them. Somehow, some way. Unfortunately, there were no ifs. I wouldn¡¯t be able to hold on for much longer. Death wasing for me. Soon. Chapter 170 Chapter 170 Chapter 170 After Jackson finished with his presentation, Griffon asked him questions. He hadn¡¯t asked anyone else any questions. And Griffon¡¯s questions were tricky, as if he were deliberately trying to make things difficult for Jackson. Seeing this, the members of the other packs breathed a sigh of relief. They couldn¡¯t imagine being questioned by Griffon and were thanking the goddess it hadn¡¯t happened to them. But Jackson wasn¡¯t afraid of Griffon. As he calmly answered all of his questions, never fumbling. Griffon asked a dozen tricky questions before letting him go. The morning biddings were almost over. Then they would break for lunch and continue in the afternoon. Although the Sterling pack¡¯s presentation was over, they had to wait for the bidding results. The Knight pack was responsible for entertaining them. After leading them to the leisure area, they could do whatever they wanted. After Jackson sat down in the lounge, Beta Smith and a executives hurried in. ¡°Alpha Sterling, you were amazing just now. You must have stood out, given that Alpha Knight didn¡¯t have questions for anyone else.¡± The higher-ranking members of the Sterling pack had suffered losses at the hands of Griffon in other projects. When the packspeted for projects with other packs, the Knight pack always came out on top, and the Sterling pack was left without. Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. Somehow, Griffon was always able to outbid them and outwit them. However, their Alpha was able to fight against Griffon, and Jackson hadn¡¯t even been their Alpha for very long. Jackson waved his hand. After chatting with his pack for a while, he let them go to lunch. Jackson looked up at Taya, who was standing respectfully beside him. ¡°What would you like to eat?¡± Taya shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m not hungry.¡± Jackson thought she did not want to eat with him, so he said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You don¡¯t have to apany me. You can go by yourself.¡± Chapter 171 Chapter 171 Chapter 171 ¡°Truly, Alpha Sterling, I¡¯m okay. I don¡¯t need anything. No need for you to worry about me,¡± Taya said. Jackson tried to persuade her. Ile didn¡¯t know what time everything would end and when they would have a chance to cat again. ¡°You have to eat something. You need your energy to take care of me this afternoon.¡± Taya sighed through the phone. ¡°Something light.¡± ¡°How about a sd? Would you prefer chicken or salmon on it? What about some bread with it?¡± ¡°A sd with chicken is plenty for me. Thank you.¡± ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll be right back.¡± Jackson hung up the phone with a smile, happy she¡¯d given in and decided to eat something. He turned to grab food for them, and a snide voice came from behind him. ¡°Not only are you doing the work of your Beta and presenting your own bid, and you have to take care of your girlfriend on top of it?¡± Jackson turned around and saw Griffon. He was casually leaning against a pir, his arms crossed over hisrge chest, one of his eyebrows raised. The judgment practically rolled off him, on top of the Alpha power and strength that was always there, always oppressive. Although Jackson¡¯s physical build and appearance was on par with Griffon¡¯s, something about Griffon made Jackson feel a bit small, though he would never admit that to anyone. Alphas didn¡¯t admit any type of weakness, ever. Jackson looked at Griffon and said lightly, ¡°Alpha Knight, you must be joking. Why would I bring my girlfriend to the bidding?¡± Griffon raised his eyebrow a bit higher. ¡°If Ms. Palmer isn¡¯t your girlfriend, what is she?¡± Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. Jackson didn¡¯t like Griffon¡¯s arro gant tone, but he didn¡¯t dare reply with anything other than politeness. It wouldn¡¯t do to risk pissi ng him off and jeopardizing the Sterling pack¡¯s chances at winning the bid. ¡°I don¡¯t actually have anything to do with her, but¡­¡± ¡°But what?¡± Griffon¡¯s tone was a bit defensive, and it made Jackson curious. ¡°You seem very concerned about Ms. Palmer and me. Why is that?¡± Chapter 172 Chapter 172 Chapter 172 Without batting an eyelid, Griffon said, ¡°I just want to see how the Sterling Alpha is going to deal with Roman¡¯s leftovers. Aren¡¯t you afraid of being infected?¡± Jackson¡¯s face darkened. ¡°I thought you were more of a gentleman than to nder a woman.¡± Griffon pushed off the pir and straightened his back. He walked up to Jackson and stared him in the eye. ¡°And you¡¯re the judge of what is ¡®gentlemanly¡±?¡± Jackson didn¡¯t reply. Instead, he looked at Griffon with a scrutinizing gaze. ¡°Alpha Knight, you seem to have been targeting me.¡± Griffon had singled him out at the bidding, here in the dining room, and even the first time they met. Jackson had never seen Griffon before, let alone done anything to offend him. Why was the Knight Alpha so focused on him? Perhaps¡­did he think Jackson was a threat? Something shed in Griffon¡¯s eyes, but it was gone too quickly for Jackson to ce it. ¡°I was just afraid that you would be fooled.¡± ¡± Griffon didn¡¯t reply, and his expression remained neutral. Jackson knew he had asked the right question when Griffon didn¡¯t have a response. Just what was going on here? Was Griffon¡¯s issue with Jackson¡­or with Taya? ¡°I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ve misunderstood. I¡¯ve known Ms. Palmer for many years, and I know her well. She has no reason to lie to me.¡± Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. He emphasized thest sentence as if he was talking to himself. In the past, when she knelt at the door of the Sterling pack manor and begged him toe out and meet her, he¡¯d been annoyed at her and embarrassed for her. Then, after he¡¯d discovered information about her that made him think she was dishonest, he¡¯d completely ignored her and pretended she didn¡¯t exist. But after these few days of spending time with her, he didn¡¯t think Taya was the person he¡¯d thought she was five years ago. Jackson¡¯s words made a trace of anger appear on Griffon¡¯s face, and his eyes darkened this his wolf¡¯s, his brows furrowing. ¡°You¡¯ve known each other for many years?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve known her since I was a child.¡± Chapter 173 Chapter 173 Chapter 173 There was a sudden surge of hostility in Griffon¡¯s eyes. Griffon opened his mou th and was about to ask Jackson something when Tara walked in. ¡°Griffon, here you are!¡± Jackson looked at Ms. Thorin, then turned to Griffon. ¡°I¡¯ll leave you to have lunch with your girlfriend.¡± Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. Instead of schooling his tone, Jackson allowed the sarcasm out. After all, Griffon was the one who¡¯d mocked him for bringing his girlfriend to the bidding. At this point, it was more than clear Griffon held some sort of secret grudge against him, so nothing Jackson could say or do was going to affect the oue of the bidding. Jackson turned his back to Griffon and resumed getting food for Taya and himself. *** Just as Tara was about to ask if Griffon wanted to have lunch with her, he walked out of the restaurant without even a nce at her. D amn the wolf. He was infuriating. For a man who had pined after he while she¡¯d been away, he acted as if he couldn¡¯t stand the sight of her now. What had happened? *** When Jackson returned with lunch, Taya was sleeping on the single sofa. Her fists were curled up under her chin, and her dark hair spread across the pillow. Long eyeshes rested on her cheeks, and her face looked serene, all of the worry lines that crossed over it while she was awake now erased. Jackson didn¡¯t want to disturb her. However, he feared she would feel ufortable from the half- sitting posture. Surely, the position would put a kink in her neck. After thinking for a while, he picked her up toy her on therger sofa across the room. Several images shed through his mind as he held her in his arms. It felt familiar, like he had done this many times before in the past. Jackson looked down at the tranquil and beautiful face in front of Chapter 174 Chapter 174 Chapter 174 But how could she have belonged to him when he didn¡¯t remember her? H ell, he couldn¡¯t remember anything. And the more he thought about it, the more his head hurt. The pain was gnawing, as if there were a thousand jackhammers all pounded at every crevice in his head. He tried to grasp at the broken pieces of his memories, tried to il out in his mind to clutch just the smallest sliver of something he could remember. All it did was make his head hurt even more. No doctor he¡¯d been to could figure out his memory loss, and no wolf shifter medical book or history book shed any light on what had happened to him and why he couldn¡¯t regain his memory. Something like this was so rare for shifters, no one knew what to do. He was in so much pain that his face turned pale, and he broke out in a cold sweat. However, he held Taya tightly and was reluctant to let go. It was as if he would lose her as soon as he let go of her, and a sense of dread, if impending doom flooded him. It was not until there was a knock on the door that he came to his senses. He quickly put Taya on the long sofa as if he had a guilty conscience. ¡°Come in,¡± he said after he¡¯d taken a second to straighten himself and re-focus his mind. Beta Smith pushed the door open and entered. ¡°Alpha, the bidding has started early. We need to get back to the auditorium.¡± Jackson nced at his watch. ¡°Isn¡¯t it resuming two o¡¯clock in the afternoon?¡± ¡°It was supposed to be two o¡¯clock, but the Knight pack suddenly announced a change in ns.¡± Jackson frowned. This was ridic ulous and unprofessional. ¡°We need to hurry. The Knight pack said that anyone to arrivete will be eliminated.¡± ¡°Only they would do something so unreasonable,¡± Jackson snorted. He was about to leave when he looked back at Taya. ¡°Do you want to wake Ms. Palmer up?¡± his Beta asked. ¡°No need.¡± Jackson took off his suit jacket and covered her petite body with it. Only then did he turn around and follow Beta Smith to the venue, quietly closing the door behind him so as to not disturb her. As soon as I fell asleep, I fell into a daze and couldn¡¯t wake up, no matter how hard I tried. It was like something was pulling me down, and I was stuck in a weird limbo between waking and dreaming. It felt like someone was patting my face, but I couldn¡¯t tell if it was happening in real life or in my dreams. I managed to pry my eyes open in a daze. My vision was blurred, and I blinked multiple times, trying to clear the fogginess. After focusing for a long time, I still could only vaguely see an outline of someone standing over me. ¡°Is that you, Alpha Sterling?¡± As soon as I asked the question, I was picked up. As the sky and the earth spun, a man¡¯s face grew closer andrger. I could make out strong features and an angr jaw. ¡°Take a good look at me!¡± My stomach dropped to the floor as I realized who had picked Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. me up. The person in front of me was not Jackson, but Griffon! Chapter 175 Chapter 175 Chapter 175 My heart began to pound when I met Griffon¡¯s eyes. The amber color of his wolf¡¯s eyes had taken over, and they swirled with anger and desire. A look I was very familiar with. I subconsciously looked away, down at the ground, only to see his hand wrapped around my waist. He must have grabbed my waist to lift me up from lying down on the sofa. Now I was half-lying and half-sitting up, one of his hands around my waist and the other behind my back as he held me up. He was leaning over me, his huge body an almost suffocating presence even though he wasn¡¯t touching me other than where his hands held me. I lifted one hand and tried to push him away, but as soon as my fingertips touched his chest, he growled, ¡°Don¡¯t touch me!¡± Frightened, I froze, and I dared not make more contact with him. I obediently withdrew my hand, but I was also a little puzzled. I looked down at the hand that was still holding my waist. If he didn¡¯t want me to touch him, why was he holding me like this? Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org. I didn¡¯t dare look at his face, look him in the eye. Not when his wolf was at the surface like it was. I could only keep my head down and ask in a low voice, ¡°Alpha Knight, what can I do for you?¡± My voice was slightly trembling, and I didn¡¯t know if it was because I was afraid of Griffon or if it was weakness from my advancing illness. Abruptly, Griffon let me go and I fell back against the sofa. He jerked the men¡¯s jacket off of me and stood up, stalking to the other side of the room. When I saw him throw it into the trash can, I furrowed my brow, even more confused. ¡°You came to me just to throw away Alpha Sterling¡¯s coat?¡± I hadn¡¯t even realized that Jackson¡¯s coat had been ced over me, presumably by him before he left me to go back to the bidding auditorium. Griffon had gone too far in throwing it away. There was no need for that, and I had no idea why he would even do such a thing. He had to be crazy. Why did he return to me if he didn¡¯t like me? Why did he continue to bull y me like this? I struggled to get up from the sofa and tried to walk out of the lounge, but Griffon¡¯s big hand wrapped around my arm, yanking me back. Chapter 176 Chapter 176 Chapter 176 I was forcibly pulled back into Griffon¡¯s arms, and my body hitting his chest felt like I had hit a wall. I was in so much pain from his rough manhandling that I was about to cry. Already, I was no match for his strength, and what he deemed ¡°normal¡± in terms of handling was far too much for any human, let alone a dying one. N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. Tears blurred my eyes as I looked at the man who had locked me in his arms. ¡°What are you trying to do?¡± Anger still shined in his amber wolf eyes, and the hint of fangs poked out from under his lip. ¡°Why did you lie to me?¡± After he asked this question, his eyes gradually turned scarlet around the edges as he looked at me, a snarl on his face. I was more than confused. ¡°What am I lying to you about?¡± Griffon fisted my hair in his hand and grabbed the back of my head roughly, yanking my head backward so I was forced to look up at him. He pulled my body tightly to him, lowered his head, and stared nto my eyes, his gaze searing practically to my very soul. ¡°You¡¯ve known Jackson for many years but said you¡¯ve just met him.¡± I clenched my jaw. ¡°You¡¯ve lied to me repeatedly. Is it fun being lied to?¡± His eyes were burning with rage, and I could tell he was furious. A furious Griffon was a dangerous Griffon. I was terrified of him when he was like this, and I wanted to say something to calm him down, but I didn¡¯t know how to exin the whole Jackson thing to him. I¡¯d lied and said that I had just met Jackson because I was afraid of revealing the past between Jackson and me. I never expected Griffon to find out the truth so quickly, nor did I expect him to question me. I thought he wouldn¡¯t pay too much attention to anything rted to me since he didn¡¯t care about me anymore. He didn¡¯t want to see me or have anything to do with me, so why would he have looked into anything pertaining to my history with Jackson? However, I¡¯d underestimated Griffon. He¡¯d been able to uncover whether Roman Starke and I had slept together or not, so naturally, this matter could not be concealed from him. Meanwhile, if Jackson discovered that I had leaked our past, he wouldn¡¯t let me off so quickly. I was in a losc-lose situation. Compared to Jackson¡¯s vicious methods, it was better to be misunderstood, suspected, and questioned by Griffon. At least Griffon wouldn¡¯t kick me in my chest and try to k ill me again. Chapter 177 Chapter 177 Chapter 177 ¡°Say something.¡± Griffon lowered his head and moved his face closer, his lips brushing against my cheek as he spoke. I desperately wanted to dip my head down and away from his m outh, but he sped the back of my head and stopped me from moving. ¡°I¡¯ll only give you one chance to exin,¡± he growled out, low and menacing. There was no denying the Alpha when he was like this-if one were a wolf shifter. Lucky for me, I was not. And his words had no power topel me to do his bidding, to make me speak and tell the truth. I remained silent for a long time. Just as Griffon was about to lose patience, she replied. ¡°I have nothing to exin. It has nothing to do with you.¡± The muscles in Griffon¡¯s jaw ticked, and his fangs dropped a bit more. ¡°It has nothing to do with me¡­¡± After repeating my words tly, he moved his head and fisted my hair tighter. His hand that was wrapped around my waist got tighter, too, his wed fingertips starting to bite into my skin. The moment his mo uth hovered over mine, my heart skipped a beat. It seemed as though he would kiss me at any moment, and I felt his breath caress my lips. I didn¡¯t know what he was going to do. I was scared and guilty¡­ and turned on. Just as I clenched my fist, torn between trying to push him away and grabbing onto him for dear like, Griffon suddenly spoke up. ¡°You lied to me because he¡¯s Ss Johnson. You lied because you didn¡¯t want me to know your past. Am I right?¡± His words shocked me. Taya couldn¡¯t y any tricks on Griffon, couldn¡¯t hide anything from him. The Alpha¡¯s intelligence and instincts weren¡¯t something others couldpete with-especially someone who didn¡¯t have enhanced shifter genes. As expected, Taya¡¯s actions confirmed his guess. Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org. As far as he knew, the ¡°secret¡± of the Sterling pack was that Jackson, who had been lost for many years, was found five years ago¡­ Taya sold herself five years ago, and Jackson was found five years ago. What a coincidence. There was only one possibility: Jackson was the man named Ss she had yearned for, had called out for in her sleep. Chapter 178 Chapter 178 Chapter 178 Griffon thought she had slept with Jackson in less than a day because she wanted to take this opportunity to attach herself to the Alpha. He hadn¡¯t imagined that they¡¯d been lovers before now. No wonder they¡¯d fallen into bed so easily. They were making up for lost time, it turned out. Realizing this, Griffon¡¯s body became rigid¡­ ¡°Taya Palmer, was that the first time you sold yourself?¡± *** He rarely called me by my full name. I didn¡¯t dare to lie to him, so I quickly nodded and said, ¡°Yes.¡± If he thought I wasn¡¯t a virgin when I¡¯d sold myself to him, I didn¡¯t know what he would do. Alphas didn¡¯t share well, and they were very possessive. But Griffon didn¡¯t seem to believe me. ¡°I can¡¯t tell whether you¡¯re telling the truth.¡± I was almost stunned. Surely he could tell, could smell it on me if I lied. Human pheromones were very strong to wolves. Plus¡­ ¡°I¡­ You saw it that first time. The bedsheets¡­¡± There had been blood on the whit e sheets, but she was too embarrassed to say that. The first time he¡¯d made love to me was rtively fierce, and my cheeks would still redden every time I recalled it. N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. When I lowered my head with a blush, he snarled at me, ¡°Who knows. You might have had surgery, since you were so desperate to sell yourself to me.¡± My face turned pale. I looked up at Griffon in disbelief. His eyes shed with anger, and I wasn¡¯t sure there was anything I could say to make him believe me. How could I prove to him that I¡¯d been a virgin when he took me that first time? That Jackson¡­Ss¡­ had never touched me in that way? At the same time, I was furious. One of the reasons Griffon had been so fierce in his lovemaking was because it had taken a lot of effort to break through my hymen. How could he think I had undergone surgery to create that scenario, that I WANTED to endure that pain? Chapter 179 Chapter 179 Chapter 179 Seeing that Taya remained silent, Griffon¡¯s anger gradually shifted into disappointment. This woman was really something. He felt ridi culous and stu pid thinking of what he had done. He¡¯d searched for her, thought of her, orchestrated reasons to see her¡­for what? As if he had suddenly woken up, he let go of her. She stumbled backward, trying to regain her bnce after he shoved her away. ¡°From now on, I won¡¯te to you again.¡± After saying that, he left. *** I was so shocked, I couldn¡¯t move. I just stood there and watched Griffon¡¯s back as he walked to the door. Something deep inside, some sort of divine intuition from the goddess told me after he closed the door behind him, there was no going back, that he would keep his vow. I don¡¯t know where my courage came from, but I rushed Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. forward and stopped him. My words were practically incoherent as I begged him. ¡°I¡¯m- I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to lie to you before. Ss and me-no, Jackson. We, we¡ª¡± ¡°It has nothing to do with me,¡± Griffon interrupted me. ¡°I only came to you because I can¡¯t stand being deceived. Now that I know the reason, it doesn¡¯t matter anymore.¡± His words made me feel terrible, as though the ground had been ripped out from under my feet and I was left iling my arms. Nothing I could say in this moment would make a difference. I knew him well enough to know that. He¡¯d made up his mind, and once the Alpha¡¯s mind was made up, that was that. So I made my face as nd as I could and pretended that nothing had happened. I nodded and said quietly, resolutely, ¡°Okay then, Alpha Knight. Take care.¡± As soon as I finished speaking, tears welled up in my eyes. Quickly, I turned around, not letting him see me, see how devastated I was. The sound of the door opening and closing came from behind me. Chapter 180 Chapter 180 Chapter 180 Once I heard the door close, I turned around to look at it. My heart seemed to have been cut open, was more empty and painful than ever before. Even my body was weak, from more than just my illness. I couldn¡¯t support myself anymore. I braced my hands against the wall and moved over toy down on the sofa again. I stared up at the wh ite ceiling, tears streaming out from the corners of my eyes. This time, it appeared Griffon and me were truly over. *** Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. After Griffon left the lounge, he gruffly ordered Andre, who had been guarding the door, ¡°Clear the surveince cameras.¡± ¡°Yes, Alpha Knight,¡± Andre respectfully replied. ¡°Also, look into Taya and Jackson¡¯s past together. I want all the information by the end of the day tomorrow.¡± He had never checked on Taya after he bought her. And never had he investigated Ss, whom she had called out for in her sleep. He had always trusted her because she was well-behaved, quiet, beautiful-and human. Never in a million years had he thought that a human girl would be so deceitful, so willing to lie to a shifter so much more powerful than them. If he discovered that Taya had been with another man before him, he¡¯d make her life he ll, would never let her go. Andre was slightly taken aback. Was there something going on between Ms. Palmer and Alpha Sterling? Although he was confused, but he dared not ask any questions. He replied with a ¡°yes¡± and quickly left. In less than half a day, Andre had gone through everything he could find regarding Taya and Jackson. He went to the Alpha¡¯s office with a stack of documents. ¡°Alpha, I¡¯ve learned about the past between Ms. Palmer and Alpha Sterling.¡± After cing the documents on the desk, he ryed the information to Griffon. ¡°Before Jackson was found by the Sterling pack, he was an orphan at Bright Orphanage. He used the name of Ss Johnson.¡± ¡°Five years ago, when Jackson¡¯s eldest brother found him, he brought Jackson back from the orphanage. To help Jackson take over the pack business and hide the fact that he hadn¡¯t been raised a Sterling, to prevent people from saying he wasn¡¯t fit as the Sterling Alpha, Jackson¡¯s eldest brother erased his past.¡± Chapter 181 Chapter 181 Chapter 181 ¡°Ms. Palmer also grew up in the Bright Orphanage.¡± ¡°As a human?¡± Griffon asked. N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. Andre nodded. ¡°She was dropped off at their doorstep. Since it is widely known that the Bright Orphanage is for wolf shifters, it was assumed that a wolf shifter dropped her off and she was a shifter. But, as you know, she never received the gift of her wolf from the goddess. ¡°Ms. Palmer and Ss were at the orphanage at the same time. It would appear that Ms. Palmer, Ss, and Ms. Palmer¡¯s best friend-a Harper Duke-were very close. Though, upon reaching their teenage years, Ms. Palmer and Ss became a couple. They remained together up until five years ago, when Ss had a car ident. At that time, Ms. Palmer had just turned eighteen and had no money, so she had to sell herself to save him. ¡°Although he was saved, Ss lost his memory. He doesn¡¯t remember Ms. Palmer, so it would appear they haven¡¯t been in contact with each other since. I could find nothing regarding interaction between them over the past five years.¡± Andre had only found a rough outline of what had happened, but the details were sparse. He didn¡¯t know why they didn¡¯t see each other anymore. Griffon¡¯s face grew darker and darker as he flipped through the When he guessed Ss was Jackson, he knew Taya had sold herself to save Ss. However, hearing and seeing it with his eyes made it real, something he couldn¡¯t ignore. Her history mattered to him. The fact that Taya had been in love with someone else, that she might have given her body to someone else¡­ He couldn¡¯t get those things out of his head. His wolf had always been extraordinarily possessive. What was his was ONLY HIS. ¡°Did you verify her virginity before you brought her to my room that night?¡± Andre hadn¡¯t expected Griffon to ask this. After a moment of shock, he shook his head. ¡°After I¡­bought Ms. Palmer, I took her to the mansion. You only told me to wash her up¡­¡± That night, Taya had been kneeling at the door of the nightclub. It was pouring out, and as soon as Alpha Knight saw the destitute-looking girl, Andre had seen something on his face shift. He¡¯d taken immediate notice of her, had seemed almost desperate to have her. Andre was hurrying to get her ready for the Alpha, so he¡¯d skipped the virginity examination. He sent someone to clean Ms. Palmer up, then sent her directly to Griffon¡¯s room. She¡¯d looked so innocent, so anxious and fearful at being prepared and brought to the Alpha. And certainly, a human wouldn¡¯t have lied about something so serious to a wolf¡­an Alpha wolf no less. Griffon seemed to have seen through what Andre was thinking, and his gaze swept over him. When his wolf¡¯s eyes grazed Andre, Andre shivered with fear. Chapter 182 Chapter 182 Chapter 182 ¡°Alpha¡­ Alpha Knight, do you suspect that Ms. Palmer tricked you?¡± Alpha Knight was known for his possessiveness. Had he known or suspected that Ms. Palmer had deceived him, had been with someone else before him, he wouldn¡¯t have slept with her that first night. And he certainly wouldn¡¯t have kept sleeping with her for five years. Since Alpha Knight asked if Andre had verified her virginity, he must have suspicions. Andre understood his Alpha¡¯s concern and quickly showed Griffon the timeline in the documents. ¡°Alpha, I went to the hospital topare when Ss had the car ident, and when Ms. Palmer was selling herself outside of Nightshade. It was on the same night. ¡°That night, after Ms. Palmer sent Ss to the hospital, she went to sell herself to raise money for the operation. She didn¡¯t have time to do a hymen repair operation.¡± The disgust and difort in his heart gradually dissipated when Griffon heard this. That night, her reactions to him made it feel like it had been her first time. Had it not been, her acting skills were unsurpassed. Every way in which she¡¯d reacted to him and formed an obsession for her, and Griffon never would have been able to live it down internally, his wolf would never be able to get over it if it had been a lie. She had not lied to him this time, but¡­ His dark gaze fell back on the documents. N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. Lost his memory¡­ Griffon remembered that Taya disagreed when he forced her to sign the lovers¡¯ agreement. Later, when she returned from Wolverly Capital, she signed the agreement without hesitation. She must have angrily signed the contract when she discovered Jackson had lost his memory, didn¡¯t remember her, and didn¡¯t want to be with her. So many years, and she¡¯d never fallen in love with him. It turned out¡­ Griffon¡¯s grip on the documents tightened, his ws elongating and poking holes in the paper. His dark expression turned into an angry scowl, his brows furrowing and his fangs dropping. He wanted to hunt, to kil l, to punish¡­ Jackson said that he had known Taya since childhood¡­meaning he had regained his memory, The five years he had spent with Taya were nothingpared to their friendship of more than two decades. Thinking of this, Griffon was furious. Chapter 183 Chapter 183 Chapter 183 Seeing Griffon like this, Andre was suddenly a little worried. His Alpha had always been good at controlling his emotions. But because of Ms. Palmer, he had already lost control several times. ¡°Alpha, you¡­¡± Andre wanted to say, ¡°Since you¡¯ve already separated from Ms. Palmer, let it go. It¡¯s good for Alpha Sterling and Ms. Palmer.¡± But he knew he couldn¡¯t say this. It would be too c ruel. Ms. Palmer had meant something to the Alpha. Sure, Griffon was good at controlling his emotions, hiding them¡­but Andre had always suspected there was something more. Griffon didn¡¯t bother with people he didn¡¯t need, who didn¡¯t serve a purpose. Let alone humans. Griffon threw the documents back to Andre. ¡°Shred them.¡± His t voice was devoid of emotion, as if he had returned to being the controlled, indifferent Alpha. Andre nced at him but still didn¡¯t say anything. He picked up the documents and ran them through the shredder. There was a knock. Receiving Griffon¡¯s order, Andre opened the door. ¡°Alpha Knight.¡± Stephen Lawton, the pack member in charge of the Weston City project, came in. ¡°The bidding is over. The pack elders all voted for the Sterling pack.¡± ¡°The Sterling pack?¡± Griffon glowered at Stephen. Stephen had noticed that Alpha Knight seemed to have a problem with the Sterling pack, so he quickly said, ¡°The results haven¡¯t been announced yet, and the elders have only spoken to me about their decision. I came to you to ask which group you n to hand over the development rights to.¡± ¡°Where are the bids from this afternoon¡¯s groups?¡± Stephen quickly handed over the documents. Griffon casually flipped through the stack of papers, looking at the prices, timeline, and other pertinent details. After looking through everything, he set his jaw and sighed. He was left with no choice. He returned the files to Stephen. ¡°The elders¡¯ ruling stays.¡±Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org. Chapter 184 Chapter 184 Chapter 184 Although he didn¡¯t like Jackson, there was no doubt that the Sterling pack¡¯s bid was the best. And with their influence and connections, they would be able toplete the work as they promised. Griffon had never brought his personal feelings into pack business. When he¡¯d taken over as Alpha for his father, he¡¯d vowed to always do what was best for the pack. Right now, letting the Sterling pack have the project was what was best for the pack despite how much Griffon hated it. Stephen nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll go announce the results now, Alpha.¡± N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. When Stephen announced that the Sterling pack had won the bid for the development rights, the other packs were disappointed. They had thought that since Griffon had targeted Jackson so much during his presentation and asked so many questions, he wouldn¡¯t award the project to the Sterling pack. They didn¡¯t expect Griffon to ask so many questions to know more about the strength of the Sterling pack, rather than to back him into a corner, put him on the spot, and make Alpha Sterling look bad. After failing, everyone sighed and left, leaving only Tara in the auditorium, sitting in her seat in the front row, trembling When Stephen had announced the winner of the bid, he had also said that the Knight pack would be handling the contracts and management directly-which meant that they wouldn¡¯t be using the Midwest Packs Corporation to be a third-party overseer. Griffon knew how important this project was to Tara, how much she had worked to make sure the bidding happened without a hitch. To make sure all of the best packs were brought in to bid. She¡¯d wined and dined, and she needed this project to cement her ce as the first she-wolf to ever be CEO of the MPC. To prove that she hadn¡¯t just been given the job because her father was an elder. It was apparent that Griffon didn¡¯t take her seriously! She clenched her fists and rushed to Griffon¡¯s office. She wanted to go in and question him but was stopped by his pack guards. ¡°Miss, Alpha Knight is not epting meetings at this time.¡± Tara was livid. ¡°I¡¯m Griffon¡¯s mate, your future Luna! How dare you stop me?!¡± The guard was stunned. He didn¡¯t expect that the woman in front of him would be Alpha Knight¡¯s mate. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but without Alpha Knight¡¯s permission, I cannot let you in. We were given orders to let no one in under any circumstances.¡± Chapter 185 Chapter 185 Chapter 185 ¡°You¡­¡± Tara was so angry that her chest heaved up and down. She stood there, debating whether or not to just throw herself past the guard and through the door. There was no way they would physically harm the Alpha¡¯s mate-to-be, right? When Preston turned down the hallway, he saw Tara arguing with Griffon¡¯s personal pack guards and hurried over. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± When she saw that it was Preston, Tara¡¯s expression softened slightly. Tara restrained her temper, pointed at the guard, and said, ¡°Preston, I want to see Griffon, but he won¡¯t let me in.¡± Preston indeed looked familiar with the woman, the guard mused. Could this woman really be Alpha Knight¡¯s mate? Didn¡¯t that mean that he had offended his Luna just now? The guard looked at Preston and saw that Preston was looking at him with a grin on his face. He thought to himself, ¡°Well, I¡¯m about to be demoted to a lower position within the pack.¡± Unexpectedly, Preston raised his hand and patted him on the shoulder. ¡°Good job. I¡¯ll see that you get a bonus at the end of the year!¡± ¡°Preston, why are you-¡± Before Tara could finish her words, Preston interrupted her. ¡°He didn¡¯t let you in because he followed my brother¡¯s orders. That¡¯s literally his job. And instead of understanding the position he¡¯s in, you were rude to him and yelled at him. Is that how a Luna behaves?¡± Preston had known Tara¡¯s character since they were children. She tended to look down on the lowest-level pack members but always pretended to be kind and generous. He¡¯d had a problem with Tara for a long time. If it weren Griffon, he wouldn¡¯t have bothered to talk to her. She was a she-wolf who was meant to be a Luna, and he didn¡¯t feel s would make a good one for the Knight pack. ¡°Preston, why do you have to go against me?¡± Tara thought that Preston was here to help her, but it turned out that he was helping an outsider. She was already angry, and now she was being called rude by Preston in front of a lowly pack guard. How embarrassing. ¡°I¡¯m not going against you. I¡¯m just following the rules. If you feel something is wrong, I¡¯m sure Griffon will dly hear yourints¡­when he¡¯s epting visitors.¡± ¡°Preston!¡± Tara roared in anger, her rageful wolfing to the surface. She took her purse and threw it at him. Preston easily avoided the bag. When she missed, it incensed Tara even further, and she started to shift. N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. ¡°Be careful, you might ruin your pretty dress,¡± Preston mocked. ¡°Just you wait!¡± she yelled. When she became Griffon¡¯s true mate, once she was the Luna of the Knight pack, she would take revenge on Preston. As the Luna, she would be higher ranking than him, and she¡¯d be able to do whatever she wanted. Tara red at Preston, then turned and huffed off. As soon as she left, the guard looked at Preston worriedly. ¡°She said she¡¯s the Alpha¡¯s mate. Will your involvement in this cause trouble for you with the Alpha?¡± ¡°His mate?¡± Preston sneered. ¡°Griffon hasn¡¯t even gotten engaged to her yet, but she¡¯s already calling herself his mate. S hame on her. And don¡¯t worry. Even if she marries Griffon, she won¡¯t pose any threat to me.¡± Griffon didn¡¯t want to marry Tara to begin with. If it weren¡¯t for Eldest Brother¡­ Thinking of his elder brother, Preston¡¯s expression changed. He quickly collected himself, patted the guard on the shoulder, and walked toward Griffon¡¯s office. Chapter 186 Chapter 186 Chapter 186 Jackson wasn¡¯t surprised by the results of the bidding. After he signed the contract, he left the auditorium and returned to the lounge where he¡¯d left Taya. When he saw that Taya was still asleep, he frowned slightly. He stepped forward and gently nudged Taya, only to find she had fallen into a deep sleep. Jackson called her name a few more times, but she didn¡¯t respond. He had noticed that she could fall asleep quickly, but now he felt like something was wrong. This felt like more than just a nap, she was sleeping so soundly. He quickly took out his mobile phone and called Eric. ¡°Eric, do people with heart failure sleep more?¡± Eric didn¡¯t need to ask who Jackson was talking about. ¡°People with heart failure are more prone to exhaustion, yes.¡± ¡°What about not being able to wake them up?¡± Eric wanted to tell him what was going on, but he also felt that N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. the youngdy didn¡¯t seem to want Jackson to know the truth. ¡°She must just be really tired. And some people sleep more soundly than others. It¡¯s nothing serious. She¡¯ll be fine when she wakes up.¡± Eric hesitated for a few seconds, fighting the urge to tell his friend what was really happening. But if he divulged Taya¡¯s medical information, he could lose his license. Jackson heaved a sigh of relief when he heard what Eric said. Taya had been busy apanying him to banquets and biddings during the past two days, so that made sense that she was just a bit more over-exerted than normal. Jackson hung up the phone and looked at Taya, sleeping on the sofa. He clearly remembered that he had put a coat on her before he left, but it was gone. Looking around, he saw the edge of his jacket sleeve hanging out of the trash can. What the hel l? Did she really hat e him that much? Chapter 187 Chapter 187 Chapter 187 Jackson didn¡¯t have a chance to ruminate on Taya¡¯s actions. There was a knock on the doorframe, and his Beta walked in. ¡°The Knight pack is urging everyone off-property now that the bidding has concluded.¡± The Knight pack never allowed outsiders to stay in their headquarters for long. They had too much going on, especially given the nature of their private contracts with the government. A leak of any kind could ruin them. Jackson withdrew his gaze from Taya and nodded to his Beta. ¡°Go get the car and bring it around.¡± Beta Smith nodded and quickly turned around to leave. As soon as he left, Jackson stepped forward, picked up Taya, and walked out of the lounge. Anger filled him. That she would so callously just throw his jacket away waspletely uneptable. Who the he ll did she think she was? The fact that she had disrespected him and clearly wanted nothing to do with him made him all the more determined to touch her, brand her, force her to be near him. Everyone was stunned when he appeared in the lobby with Taya in his arms. The stubborn desire in the Alpha¡¯s eyes was a little scary¡­ As Preston walked into his brother¡¯s office, he saw Griffon standing in front of the French window with his hands in his pockets, looking down at the lobby below. Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org. ¡°Griffon¡­¡± Preston called out to him, but Griffon didn¡¯t respond. He walked over and followed the Alpha¡¯s line of sight to look down just in time to see Jackson carefully carry Taya into the car. Preston wanted tough at the ridiculousness of the situation. Were the two of them thumbing their noses at the Knight pack on purpose? One was a lowly human woman Griffon had kept as a mistress, and the other was a man who had talked about mating with his sister. Not only did the two of them get together, but they even dared to embrace each other in the territory of the Knight pack! ¡°Do you think Jackson will mate her?¡± Just as Preston angrily gnashed his teeth, Griffon asked this question. Chapter 188 Chapter 188 Chapter 188 Preston was stunned for a long time before Griffon realized he had asked if Jackson would mate Taya. ¡°How is that possible? With Ms. Palmer¡¯s background andck of a wolf, how could the Sterling pack allow Jackson to mate her?¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Griffon asked ndly. Before discovering their past, Griffon was sure Jackson would not go against the Sterling pack for Taya. But now, he felt that Jackson, who had regained his memory, would do anything for Taya. After all, they used to love each other so much. ¡°Griffon, you¡­ What¡¯s wrong?¡± Realizing that Griffon seemed morose at the possibility of Jackson and Taya together, Preston was worried. Why was the Alpha paying so much attention to Taya? Did he harbor feelings for her? ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Griffon bit out. When Griffon saw the Rolls-Royce drive away from the building, he looked away from the window and toward Preston. ¡°What do you want from me?¡± Seeing that his cousin sh brother had returned to his usual gruff, right to the point self, Preston stopped himself from saying anything further about the Taya and Jackson situation. ¡°Artificial Intelligence 7 has passed its initial testing, and the press conference will be scheduled for next month. I think it¡¯s ready, but do you want to send someone to test it again before the press conference?¡± ¡°No.¡± Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. Preston had been studyingputers for many years and had made countless outstanding achievements in artificial intelligence, so Griffon was very confident in him if he said it was ready. ¡°Just be sure to monitor news and the stock after the press release and inform me of any data of note.¡± As Alpha, Griffon was in charge of all pack operations. It was a lot to handle, and their businesses had steadily grown over generations of Knight wolves. One of the biggest things he had learned as the leader of his pack was to trust his pack members and let them do their thing the best way for them. He never cared about the process, only the result. ¡°No problem,¡± Preston replied, nodding. After they were done with the business, Preston brought up Tara. ¡°So, Tara had a quarrel with your pack guards downstairs just now. Did you happen to see that?¡± Griffon nodded, showing no interest in it, but Preston couldn¡¯t help pressing further. ¡°Not only was she disrespectful and rude with the guard, she also imed to be your mate. How could she-¡± ¡°Tomorrow, I will go to Elder Thorin to discuss when Tara and I¡¯s mating ceremony will be.¡± Chapter 189 Chapter 189 Chapter 189 ¡°What, what?¡± Preston was dumbfounded. ¡°Go back to the pack manor and ask Mr. Sheridan to prepare the mating ceremony gifts.¡± It took Preston a few minutes to take in what Griffon had said and to regain his ability to speak after the shock he¡¯d been delivered. ¡°You can¡¯t be serious. Are you really going to mate Tara? Her character is questionable at best for a Luna. Our pack needs someone kind, someone full of light and love¡­someone who respects other people.¡± Griffon didn¡¯t reply. His vacant eyes were filled with a dim light. He felt as if he had fallen into a lonely abyss. Preston¡¯s eyes were full of sympathy and helplessness. ¡°Griffon, we can wait a little longer. There¡¯s no need to¡ª¡± ¡°What¡¯s there to wait about?¡± Griffon snarled. Preston opened his mou th and wanted to say something, but it was useless. No matter if they did it immediately or waited, the oue was still the same. Instead, Preston simply nodded and said, ¡°I¡¯ll have Mr. Sheridan prepare the mating gifts.¡± *** The Rolls-Royce stopped at the entrance to Taya¡¯s neighborhood. Taya, lying in the back seat, had not woken up yet. ¡°Alpha, should I wake Ms. Palmer?¡± the driver asked. Jackson turned his head to look at the peacefully sleeping Taya, feeling a bit reluctant to disturb her. ¡°Call for one of the men to pick you up. Leave the car to me.¡± The driver nodded and handed the keys over to Jackson before getting out of the vehicle. Jackson didn¡¯t know which house Taya lived in, nor did he know when she would wake up. After hesitating for a few minutes, he started the car and took her to his vi. He had nned to stay there when he came to Arcadia for the bidding, but Ms. Thorin had insisted on arranging a hotel for them, so he had never been there. One of the many perks of being a rich Alpha was the ability to have someone purchase real estate for you and take care of getting it set up. Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org. After he parked the car, he carried Taya into the vi. How was she still not awake? ¡°Alpha, you¡¯re here.¡± Cora, who was waiting in the vi, hurried over when she saw Jackson. He nodded and instructed, ¡°Prepare a set of clean pajamas.¡± Cora nced at the girl in his arms and dared not ask any more questions. She replied with a ¡°yes¡± and went to find pajamas. Jackson put Taya on the bed in the second bedroom. Looking at her peaceful and beautiful face, the sense of paranoia that had been guing him eased slightly. He raised his hand and caressed her hair. For a long time, he sat by the bed and watched her before asking Cora to help her change into the pajamas. Then he went to the bathroom, washed up, and returned to the bedroom to look at Taya. Seeing that she had turned over and changed her sleeping position, he heaved a deep sigh of relief. It was as if she had passed away silently when she fell asleep. Now that Taya was safe and sound, he gently closed the door and turned to the main bedroom. Chapter 190 Chapter 190 Chapter 190 When I woke up, it was the next day. I looked around the unfamiliar room in a daze. Vaguely, I remembered crying on the sofa yesterday. I¡¯d cried so hard that I was out of breath and fainted. But¡­I was at the Knight pack¡¯s headquarters yesterday. How and why was I waking up in such a strange ce? I struggled to sit up, only to find that my legs were sore, and I couldn¡¯t move. ncing around the room, I saw my purse on the sofa across the room. I needed my medicine from it¡­but the sofa was so very far away. I was about to crawl over to get the medicine, when the door opened and Jackson came in. Goddess, he looked amazing. The sunlighting in through the window behind him made him glow, and I felt like I was looking at seventeen-year-old Ss. ¡°You¡¯re awake.¡± Jackson¡¯s gaze was gentle as he looked at me. ¡°Yeah.¡± I felt ufortable and nodded before looking up at him. ¡°Where am I?¡± ¡°This is my vi in Arcadia. I didn¡¯t know where you lived, so I brought you here.¡± ¡°You have a home here? Then why didn¡¯t you refuse the hotel room?¡± ¡°Ms. Thorin insisted that you arrange a hotel for me. If I refused, she would have med you and said you messed up, right?¡± He was right. ¡°Thank you,¡± I said quietly, nodding. ¡°What was the result of the bidding?¡± ¡°The Sterling pack won the bid. And the Knight pack will be directly managing it, which means you¡¯ll be off the hook with Ms.Thorin.¡± My eyes widened. Griffon wasn¡¯t going to have the MPC handle project management? But, what about Tara? Wasn¡¯t Griffon aware of just how bad this would make her look? I couldn¡¯t quite figure it out, but I didn¡¯t ask anything further. ¡°Congrattions.¡± Jackson¡¯s brows narrowed, and he opened his mouth like he wanted to say something, then closed it. This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Are you hungry?¡± he asked. I shook my head, looking everywhere but at Jackson. This was too intimate. I noticed my clothes lying next to my bag, then looked down to see that I was wearing unfamiliar pajamas. My gazed shot up to Jackson¡¯s face. ¡°It was the maid who helped you change.¡± I breathed a sigh of relief. I needed to leave, to get away from Jackson, but my legs¡­ They were still frozen. I was trapped here. Chapter 191 Chapter 191 Chapter 191 I needed Jackson to take me home, but he would expect me to get out of bed¡­and I couldn¡¯t. As I was thinking about how to get my pills without alerting him to the fact that I couldn¡¯t move my legs, he turned toward the door and called for someone. ¡°Cora.¡± A middle-aged woman in her 40s or 50s came in with a te. The woman-Cora, I presumed-looked kind. She had a gentle smile on her face, and her figure was plump. She looked like¡­a mother. After cing the food tray on the table, she smiled. ¡°Miss, I don¡¯t know what you like to eat, so I prepared some breakfast ording to Alpha Sterling¡¯s tastes. Later, I can make you lunch ording to your tastes instead.¡± Her kindness made me feel a little less ufortable. ¡°Thank you.¡± Cora waved her hand. ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡± She walked out and closed the door behind her. My heart stuttered when she closed the door. She must think we needed privacy, that there was intimacy between. Now I felt even more ufortable than before. I struggled to sit up in the bed, only able to use my arms to shift around. I leaned against the headboard, a little embarrassed, and asked Jackson, ¡°Can you take me home?¡± Jackson didn¡¯t respond right away. After a few seconds, he frowned, heaved a sigh, and asked, ¡°Do you have any other disease besides your heart issue?¡± ¡°Then why do you have to struggle to sit up?¡± I sighed internally. No matter how well I pretended, Jackson could see through me. ¡°I have an insufficient blood supply, so I feel weak when I¡¯m tired.¡± ¡°Insufficient blood supply?¡± His tone was full of skepticism. ¡°Do you have to hear the words ¡®terminal illness¡¯ from my mo uth before you believe me?¡± Jackson quickly exined. ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant. I just think I interrupted him. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what you mean. I don¡¯t have to report my physical condition to you. Or has something changed that I don¡¯t know about, and I¡¯m required to?¡± He looked taken aback for a second. No one spoke to an Alpha the way I¡¯d just spoken to Jackson. And humans? H ell, ¡°regr¡± humans probably rarely spoke to him at all. He quickly recovered, and a glower slid over his face. I was treading on thin ice with him, but right now, I didn¡¯t care. ¡°Would you like to rethink the tone you¡¯re speaking to me in?¡± he growled. ¡°No,¡± I said matter-of-factly. ¡°Especially regarding our history where my heart condition is concerned. And I¡¯m not some simpering she-wolf who will tter you, if that¡¯s what you¡¯re looking for.¡± I stared at Jackson without blinking. Did he have a conscious? Even remotely? He was the one who had damaged my transnted heart and caused my curent heart failure. How dare he tone police me.Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. Chapter 192 Chapter 192 Chapter 192 Jackson looked at me and took a step forward, then stopped abruptly. It was as though I had pricked him. If only I could. If only I were a porcupine shifter or something-if those even existed. All those little needles to protect myself from all these Alphas and their tempers. He let out a huff. ¡°I don¡¯t need you to tter me. I just want to make sure you¡¯re okay.¡± I¡¯d readied myself to fight with him; I didn¡¯t expect him to say such a thing. It threw me off-kilter. And now he was smiling, which threw me off even more. He seemed genuinely concerned about my physical condition and asked a few more questions. Jackson turned around, picked up the te on the table, and handed it to me. ¡°Eat something first.¡± I did not respond, just stared nkly at the food on the te. ¡°Taya?¡± When Jackson called my name, I slowly raised my head to look at him. Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. I tried to keep my expression nd and indifferent, but I couldn¡¯t help the tears in my eyes. My hopes that he didn¡¯t see them were dashed when I saw his chest heave and his eyes soften. He was about to speak, but I didn¡¯t want his pity. How dare he. ¡°If you want to make sure I¡¯m fine, then why did you treat me like that five years ago?¡± *** ¡± Jackson didn¡¯t have an answer. Five years ago, he had just lost his memory and was unfamiliar with everything and everyone. Every single thing in his life was strange, was a struggle. And Taya came to him every day and exined over and over again. It didn¡¯t matter how many times she said it-he didn¡¯t remember. In the midst of that, he received information about her, and it didn¡¯t show her in a great light. It made her appear to be conniving and scheming. He¡¯d snapped. That was why he ordered the security guard to throw her out, even though she was still kneeling at the door then. It was the worst thing he could have ever done to her, and the guilt was unbearable. Chapter 193 Chapter 193 Chapter 193 ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t mean¡­ I was so overwhelmed¡­¡± Jackson couldn¡¯t find the right words to continue. A strange feeling spread through him, and he struggled to try to figure out what it was. His wolf nudged him, and his realization took him aback. Embarrassment. That¡¯s what it was. Definitely an emotion that Alphas didn¡¯t tend to have a lot of experience with¡­ Even if Taya had bad intentions at the time, he shouldn¡¯t have ordered pack guards to physically throw her out. His thoughts had gone off track, and he hadn¡¯t directly answered her question. She didn¡¯t care that he was overwhelmed and confused five years ago; she cared about how he¡¯d physically hurt her. Subconsciously, he probably didn¡¯t want to discuss it, so his wolf had derailed his thoughts and made him deflect. Taya didn¡¯t ask any more questions, and Jackson was puzzled by her silence after being so forthright with him just a few minutes ago. When she came to the airport to pick him up, he had apologized. It didn¡¯t matter and she¡¯d blown him off, still didn¡¯t like him. Now, when he apologized to her again regarding having the pack guards throw her out, she still didn¡¯t respond. What more did she want from him? He¡¯d already given her two more apologies than any other Alpha would offer up. He couldn¡¯t figure it out and wanted to ask more questions, but Taya said lightly, ¡°Alpha Sterling, please take me home.¡± Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org. Jackson set his jaw, his eyebrows narrowing a bit. It was clear they weren¡¯t going to get anywhere with this conversation. She¡¯d s hut him down and s hut him out. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry to trouble you, Alpha.¡± Where was this demure, quiet womaning from? It was a drastic change in tone from her previous words to him. She must be desperate to get home, to get away from him. And he wasn¡¯t sure how he felt about that. Chapter 194 Chapter 194 Chapter 194 Jackson handed the te of food to me. ¡°I¡¯ll take you home after you eat something.¡± I didn¡¯t have much of an appetite, and thest thing I wanted to do was cat. But when he promised to take me home after I ate, I obediently took the te. After breakfast, it took some effort to change into my clothes. I¡¯d worn a professional suit to attend the bidding conference yesterday, and thankfully, the loose-fitting trousers covered up my swollen legs. After I changed, Jackson came in again as I was thinking about how to ask him to help me get downstairs. My legs were so stiff, I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d be able to manage on my own. As if Jackson had read my mind, he walked over and gathered me up in his arms. He took me by surprise, but he said lightly, ¡°If you could leave on your own, you wouldn¡¯t have asked me to take you home.¡± I dipped my head, a bit embarrassed that he could see through me so easily. *** The woman in his arms was too light. No matter how much she weighed, it wouldn¡¯t matter given his wolf¡¯s strength. But this¡­she felt like a feather in his arms. It seemed that a slight gust of wind could b low her emaciated body away. Jackson¡¯s heart ached to see Taya like this. ¡°Taya¡­¡± After he carried her out of the vi, he called her name softly. Taya looked up at him and waited quietly without saying anything. This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. After a moment of silence, Jackson lowered his head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I forgot you. Please don¡¯t hat e me.¡¯ She searched his face, and he hoped she could see the sincerity in his eyes. Frowning, her eyes furrowed in thought, she asked, ¡°Did you really¡­ lose your memory?¡± Jackson nodded. ¡°I tried to regain it, but whenever I fought to remember something, I would be ovee with migraines.¡± Especially when he thought of her. That was when his head hurt even more. It was like his brain was preventing him from recalling anything rted to Taya. Chapter 195 Chapter 195 Chapter 195 Jackson didn¡¯t know why, but every time he saw Taya, he couldn¡¯t help but feel sad. N?velDrama.Org exclusive content. When he first lost his memory, he felt nothing when he saw her. But when they met again this time, it was different. Something had shifted, and now all he could do was FEEL, and it threw him for a loop. *** I wasn¡¯t sure if I believed him. But something in his eyes told me he was telling the truth, that he wasn¡¯t faking it just for my sake. A honk sounded from behind us, and Jackson and I turned around at the same time. Two cars had stopped behind us. The car in the front had the license te number ALPHA1. The was only one person in Arcadia with this license te number. I subconsciously buried my head in Jackson¡¯s arms when I saw who was in the car. I¡¯d hoped that he wouldn¡¯t see me, but I didn¡¯t expect that he would get out. The first person to get out of the car was Preston. He was wearing a ck suit. He opened the passenger door and walked up to us. ¡°Alpha Sterling, Ms. Palmer, what a coincidence to see you here.¡± He raised his head and looked at the vi beside us with a disdainful smile. ¡°Your rtionship is progressing quite quickly. It¡¯s only been a few days and you¡¯re already living together.¡± *** Preston¡¯s tone was a bit snide. ¡°Preston, you¡¯ve misunderstood. I¡¯m not living with Ms. Palmer. She¡¯s not feeling well, so I brought her home.¡± Jackson¡¯s words sounded like excuses. What did he mean by bringing her home because she was not feeling well? She had her own house. ¡°Apparently, Ms. Palmer is feeling very poorly if she¡¯s so weak that she needs a man to carry her.¡± Chapter 196 Chapter 196 Chapter 196 My checks flushed, and embarrassment flooded over me. I didn¡¯t raise my head to look at Preston, instead burying my face even more into Jackson. I could only be a cowa rd and let Preston mock me. Jackson seemed to sense my fear. The hand on my back patted me gently. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about him,¡± he whispered. Afterforting me, he nced at Preston coldly. *** ¡°Whether Ms. Palmer can walk or not has nothing to do with you. And there will be hel l to pay if I hear of you spreading lies regarding she and I.¡± Jackson growled out a low warning. As soon as he said that, Preston was so angry that he rolled up his sleeves and wanted to punch him, his wolf rising to the challenge. A cold voice came from the car. ¡°Preston, the important matteres first.¡± N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. The man¡¯s voice was faint, as if everything that happened outside the car had nothing to do with him. Only after hearing the man¡¯s words did Preston restrain his wolf and his temper. He pointed to Jackson¡¯s car parked in the middle of the road. ¡°Hurry up and move your car. You¡¯re blocking us.¡± Jackson¡¯s wolf reared up. First, Preston was insulting, and now he was ordering Jackson around. How dare this man order an Alpha around as if he were someone? Nope. Not happening. He pretended not to hear what Preston said and stood still. Preston¡¯s face reddened. ¡°Alpha Knight is on his way to propose to Ms. Thorin. How dare you stand in his way?¡± The blood rushed from my face, and my stomach leapt up to my throat. Griffon¡­proposing to Tara? My whole body felt as if it were being torn apart, and the pain was so intense that it was difficult to breathe. I thought I could let go of Griffon like I had let go of Ss. I didn¡¯t expect to feel so ufortable when I heard that Griffon was going to mate Tara. I wanted to rush to him, hug him, and not let him But that was just a dream. I could never do that. Tara was Griffon¡¯s rightful Luna, was his true love. I was the weak human look-alike substitute that the mighty Alpha would never love. Chapter 197 Chapter 197 Chapter 197 I clenched my fists so tightly that my nails dug into my palms. It wasn¡¯t until I managed to draw blood that I calmed down. Griffon and I had ended our rtionship. No matter whom he married, it had nothing to do with me. I had no right to interfere. I¡¯d been his mistress, not his partner. And even if he had ever even remotely felt anything for me, he could never make a human his Luna. My destiny was to be the temporary lover, not the forever mate. I unclenched my fists and kept my face buried in Jackson¡¯s shoulder, feeling only resignation. The only person I could rely on was Ss, the man who had once promised that he would love me forever¡­ Without another word, Jackson carried me to the car, fastened my seatbelt, went to the driver¡¯s seat, and dr ove off. After we d rove out off the main road, the other car caught up with us. As it brushed past the Rolls-Royce, I saw the man in the passenger seat. Griffon wore a pair of sunsses, making it difficult to see the expression in his eyes. However, as the car passed by, he turned his head and seemed to nce at me¡­but that could have just been my wishful thinking. My gaze followed the car. It was not until I saw it stop in front of a vi that I withdrew my gloomy gaze. After Griffon proposed to Tara, they would have their mating ceremony soon. Would I even live to see their mating? I sighed, feeling stu pid. What did their mating ceremony have to do with me? Jackson frowned slightly when he saw my bitter smile and heard me sigh. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± *** Taya shook her head and did not reply, but her eyes were sad. Jackson thought she was concerned about what Preston said, so he quicklyforted her. ¡°Don¡¯t take his words to heart. He thought I canceled the mating arrangement with his sister and made him lose face, so he¡¯s targeted me several times. It has nothing to do with you.¡± Taya nodded. Jackson saw the despair in her eyes, and his frown deepened. ¡°You look very sad. Did something happen?¡± Taya smiled weakly, then said, ¡°Nothing at all. I¡¯m just not feeling well.¡± Jackson believed this excuse a little. ¡°Are you feeling unwell in your legs?¡± She couldn¡¯t even walk. There must be something wrong with her legs. But he didn¡¯t feel anything unusual when he¡¯d carried her just now. N?velDrama.Org exclusive content. Taya nodded. ¡°They¡¯re a little swollen. I¡¯m sure I was just standing and walking around too much yesterday, and my veins aren¡¯t happy about it.¡± Jackson knew a little about human conditions. Not much, of course, since they didn¡¯t affect his wolf shifter body. But he knew enough to know that although someone¡¯s legs might swell, they usually improved after a period of time. It shouldn¡¯t affect Taya¡¯s ability to walk. He did not dare to ask any more questions. She¡¯d gotten angry when he asked questions about her condition in the vi. It was better not to annoy her. But Jackson was still concerned about her health. ¡°I¡¯ll ask Eric to treat you. He¡¯s a genius, and he can cure all sorts of ailments.¡± Chapter 198 Chapter 198 Chapter 198 The stiff smile on my face became more bitter. ¡°No need.¡± There was no need to waste medical resources on a dying person. ¡°You¡­¡± Jackson wanted to persuade me again, but I turned to look out of the window, shutting down any furthermunication. After Jackson parked the car in front of my house, he carried me the front steps. up Even though I didn¡¯t want him to know where I lived, I could do nothing in this situation. I took out the key to open the door, and Jackson carried me into the house. ¡°Put me on the sofa,¡± I said. Jackson nodded. He walked to the sofa and gently put me down. I sat up straight and looked up at him. ¡°Thank you very much.¡± On the surface, I was thanking him, but the meaning behind my words was to say goodbye to him. ¡°Rest at home for the next few days. You don¡¯t have to entertain me.¡± After that, Jackson turned around and left. Walking past the kitchen, he saw a photo in the wine cab. It was a photo of Taya and Harper when they were seventeen or eighteen. They looked very young and innocent. He could not help but stop. He picked up the photo and nced at it, only to find it had been edited. This should be a group photo of three people, but the person standing next to Taya had been cut out. Jackson subconsciously felt that this person was himself. He was in a trance as soon as this idea came to mind. Taya¡¯s voice came from the sofa. ¡°Did you get my permission before looking at that photo?¡± Jackson was on the verge of remembering something when he was interrupted by Taya¡¯s voice. He came back to his senses and looked at her with some embarrassment. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± He put the photo back on the wine cab and walked away. N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. After Jackson left, I couldn¡¯t help but nce at the photo. It was the only photo Harper had left behind rted to Ss. She said that after I went to Wolverly Capital, someone broke into the house and destroyed all the photos rted to Ss. This photo had been sandwiched in a book, which was why it wasn¡¯t destroyed along with all the others. After I returned from Wolverly Capital, I cut out Ss from the photo. At that time, I hadn¡¯t wanted to see anything rted to him ever again. But all of that was in the past. I collected myself, took out the medicine from my bag, and swallowed the pills. Then, I turned on the TV and listened to the faint sound before closing my eyes and falling asleep. Chapter 199 Chapter 199 Chapter 199 Jackson returned to the office and quickly turned on hisputer. He retrieved the information from five years ago and repeatedly checked it. Nothing looked wrong with it, but his intuition told him that what Taya had said back then was true, that this information was fake. He frowned and took out his phone to call Eric. Eric was about to start the meeting when he saw the caller ID. He quickly picked it up. ¡°What¡¯s up, Jackson?¡± ¡°Did I lose my memory in Arcadia or after I returned to the Sterling pack?¡± Eric was his attending physician, so he should know all about him. When Eric heard his question, he was stunned for a few seconds. N?velDrama.Org exclusive content. ¡°Are you remembering anything?¡± ¡°No, I just feel like something is amiss.¡± Eric let out a sigh of relief on the other end of the line. ¡°You lost your memory in Arcadia.¡± ¡°Did I lose my memory right after the car ident?¡± Eric didn¡¯t expect him to continue asking. After hesitating, he gritted his teeth and said, ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Jackson¡¯s expression darkened when he heard that. He remembered how Taya hade looking for him. At that time, she thought he was pretending to have amnesia because he med her for selling herself and betraying him. That was why she knelt in front of him and exined over and over again that she had sold herself to save him. Taya would not havee to him and deliberately mentioned selling herself if he had lost his memory after the car ident. It meant he didn¡¯t lose his memory directly after the car ident and med Taya, so she was in a hurry to exin. He should have lost his memoryter. Only his brother or the people around him knew why. The more Jackson thought about it, the more he felt something was wrong. His face darkened, and his grip on his phone tightened. ¡°Eric, you¡¯re my brother¡¯s man, and you won¡¯t tell me the truth. But one day, I¡¯ll regain all my memories. If I find out that you¡¯re all lying to me, I¡¯ll make you pay.¡± Jackson hung up. The people by his side were all his brother¡¯s men. Eric was, Camille was, even his pack bodyguard. They¡¯d often told him not to return to Arcadia over the past five years. He didn¡¯t think about it carefully before, but he felt they stopped him froming to Arcadia, probably because they feared he would remember something. And why was it that his wolf had never been able to heal his memory? He would have been kept in the dark forever if he hadn¡¯t insisted oning to Arcadia to deal with this business directly instead of other pack members handling it. Eric looked at the ck screen and didn¡¯te to his senses for long. Ten minutester, he sighed and sent a message to Jackson. ¡°I only started treating you after you were returned to your pack. By that time, you had already lost your memory. Your brother said you lost it directly after a car ident, but I discovered that wasn¡¯t the case during treatment. He asked me to keep it a secret, but I didn¡¯t want to lose you as a friend.¡° Chapter 200 Chapter 200 Chapter 200 Jackson¡¯s depression slowly dissipated when he saw Eric¡¯s message. Since he had found out he was an Alpha and gone to live with the Sterling pack, friends were far and few between. Everyone was either afraid of him, or they wanted something from him. However, what Eric said confirmed his guess. It meant that Taya said back then was true, and the information he¡¯d been given was all fake. The only person who could fake Jackson¡¯s past was his brother. But why would he do something like that? Was it because he thought Taya wasn¡¯t an appropriate mate for him? Jackson had a rough idea of the situation and why his brother would want Taya out of the picture. But how exactly did his amnesia ur? And what was the reason why Taya didn¡¯t like him? Could it be that his brother had said something to her? Jackson sent all these questions to Eric, and Eric quickly replied. [I really don¡¯t know how your amnesia was caused.] [As for Ms. Palmer, I¡¯ve never heard your brother mention her before, and I¡¯ve never seen her.] [If it weren¡¯t for that time I took a picture of you two and sent it to the chat group, I wouldn¡¯t know who she was. Camille found out and reminded me.] After Jackson was sure that Eric wasn¡¯t lying, he put down his phone and called Camille in. In the face of his questioning, Camille remainedposed, and she didn¡¯t appear to be tripped up by any of Jackson¡¯s inquiries. Camille was different from Eric. She had been brought up by Jackson¡¯s elder brother, so naturally, she was loyal to his elder brother. Jackson understood Camille but didn¡¯t need her to stay by his side and constantly remind him to stay away from Taya. ¡°Go back to Wolverly Capital. You¡¯re not needed here for the time being,¡± Jackson said. When Camille heard that she was being chased away, her face was full of disbelief. bidding because she had and a few bad things about 16 Palmer. After on a few words shout Me Palmer this time, the Alpha would send her back to the Wolverly Capital. Had Alpha Sterling remembered something?Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. Chapter 201 Chapter 201 Chapter 201 ¡°Alpha Sterling¡­¡± ¡°Get out.¡± Camille had no choice but to shut her mouth and turn around to leave. It was impossible to pry out anything from Camille. The only person who knew the truth and forged everything had passed away. However, in addition to his elder brother, as the person involved, Taya must know whether his elder brother had looked for her. While Jackson hesitated to ask Taya directly, the receptionist came in with an express delivery box. ¡°Alpha Sterling, this is your package.¡± Jackson frowned. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± The receptionist ced the package on the table. ¡°It¡¯s from Ms. Palmer.¡± Jackson waved the receptionist to leave. He opened the package, and his face darkened when he saw the dress and shoes inside. Taya had returned all the things he had given her. Jackson¡¯s heart felt like it had been kicked, and he found breathing difficult. How had he disappointed her so badly that she would send his gift back? 2/4 *** After about ten hours of sleep, Taya was awakened by the TV. She tried hard to open her eyes and saw the news of the business mating between the Knight pack and the Thorin pack. ¡°The Alpha of thergest, most powerful pack in the Northern Hemisphere, Griffon Knight, has be engaged to mate with Tara Thorin, CEO of the Midwest Packs Association and daughter of Elder Brooks.¡± ¡°The alliance between the two packs will bring earth-shattering changes to pack dynamics and pack business in North America and worldwide¡­¡± The man on TV was noble and cold, no different from his usual demeanor, except that there was a she- wolf holding his arm. N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. The two had made a high-profile appearance at a banquet and announced the news of their engagement. Anyone who was anyone had attended, and pictures of high-ranking members from packs all over were being shed on the TV screen. Taya had once hoped he would mate her. He would announce to the world that she was his intended Luna. But that was just a dream. She was destined to get nothing in her life. She supposed it was good that he had publicly attached himself to Tara. She couldpletely give up on him and would not leave this world still having hope. She smiled with relief and eptance, almost feeling at peace now. She moved her body with difficulty, sat up from the sofa, and pulled up her trouser legs to take a look. Her legs were still swollen. Previously, it would go down after taking medicine, but there had been no reaction this time. Taya sighed, took out a medicine bottle, and poured more pills into her palm. This was over her prescribed dosage, but she didn¡¯t want Harper to see her haggard face when she returned. At least the swelling in her legs had gone down enough for her to walk. Now the problem was that she was constantly sleepy. If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that Harper had returned from her honeymoon, Taya wouldn¡¯t have bothered to get up today. Chapter 202 Chapter 202 Chapter 202 Harper sent Taya a message, saying that she had brought something from Mysia, and asked her to come outside to help move it. Taya replied on WhatsApp. [What did you buy? Is it big and heavy?] Harper replied quickly. [Juste help me!] Taya replied with an ¡°OK¡± and was about to turn off her phone and go outside, but then another message came in. N?velDrama.Org exclusive content. Greyson. He hadn¡¯t sent anything since herst message to him telling him that she would talk to him in a few days. She didn¡¯t expect him to be so obedient and to actually wait a few days to contact her. She¡¯d assumed he had moved on and didn¡¯t want to sleep with her anymore. When Taya saw the word ¡°Nightshade,¡± she was a little stunned. Taya thought for two minutes and replied, [I¡¯m not feeling well. Can you wait a little longer?] When she sent it, Greyson replied quickly. [Did you wear yourself out by sleeping too much with Jackson?] Taya froze. How did he know Jackson? How did he know that she knew Jackson? And why would he say something like that about her sleeping with Jackson? Then she remembered that Greyson had called her hundreds of times that night when she was in Jackson¡¯s presidential suite at the hotel. He must have seen her with Jackson, so that¡¯s why he¡¯d called incessantly. It led her to believe that he was always monitoring her and knew what was going on¡­ That thought was terrifying. She was in the light, but he was in the dark. It was easy for him to control and manipte her. While Taya was thinking about how to get rid of Greyson, another message came in. [How many times have you slept with Jackson?] Chapter 203 Chapter 203 Chapter 203 Taya thought about it for a minute, then replied. [It takes a lot to make me feel this worn out.] Maybe he would think she had slept with Jackson too many times and would not want to touch her again. After she sent the message, Greyson didn¡¯t reply. Taya couldn¡¯t help but smile. She put away her phone and hurried outside. Harper had parked the car and was getting things out of the trunk. ¡°Harper!¡± Taya hurriedly walked over and gave her a big hug from behind. Harper turned around and smiled at Taya. ¡°Did you miss me?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Taya hugged her tighter. ¡°I missed you so much!¡± Harper smiled and patted the hand around her waist. ¡°All right, all right. It¡¯s only been a few days. There¡¯s no need to be like this.¡± Taya smiled, let go of Harper¡¯s hand, and asked, ¡°Where are the gifts you brought me?¡± Harper turned around and pointed to the ground. ¡°All this.¡± This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Taya looked at Harper in surprise when she saw the pile of gifts. ¡°Why do you buy so many things?¡± ¡°You know how I love to shop and spend money.¡± ¡°You bought so much. How many nights will you have to work to make up for it?¡± Taya¡¯s heart ached for her friend. However, Harper waved Taya¡¯s concerns away. ¡°They¡¯re all skincare products and tonics. I promise, I didn¡¯t spend a lot.¡± Harper picked up a box of goodies and walked toward the house. As she walked, she turned around and said to Taya, ¡°Don¡¯t just stand there. Hurry up and help me inside.¡± Taya hurried to grab the rest and keep up with Harper. The dining table was full of the things that Harper had brought back. She seemed afraid that Taya would not have enough, so she bought too much. Taya shook her head and sighed, but Harper opened the refrigerator to check if she had eaten well. Seeing that the refrigerator was empty, Harper did not nag at Taya because she assumed Taya had eaten it all. When Taya received the news that Harper was returning, she had already thrown away everything that had gone bad in the refrigerator. Fortunately, she had started wearing lo oser clothes before Harper left, so her friend wouldn¡¯t notice that Taya had lost even more weight. It wasn¡¯t good to keep it a secret from Harper. Taya wanted to find a better time to confess everything. She just dreaded how poorly Harper was going to take it, thought. Wolf shifters were rarely confronted with mortality. After Harper sorted out the things on the table, she took out her phone and called Damian, asking him when he would be done visiting his family. Chapter 204 Chapter 204 Chapter 204 He¡¯d brought home a lot of presents for his family, and while Harper had wanted to see Taya as soon as they got back, he wanted to go see his family. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you go straight to his packnds with him?¡± Harper shrugged. ¡°He said that the environment at his parents¡¯ house was bad, and he told me not to come with him.¡± But Harper didn¡¯t care about whatever was happening at his parents¡¯ house. Growing up in an orphanage had exposed her to plenty of different things; she had a thick skin. Taya nced at Harper. ¡°You¡¯ve never been to his parents¡¯ before, have you?¡± ¡°Nope. Originally, I nned to visit his parents on their packnds before getting married. But before I could go, his parents came to Arcadia to see me.¡± Taya was a little worried about Harper. When Damian heard that Harper wanted to return to his packnds with him-not the pack houses in Arcadia they had, but the farther-awaynds-he tried his best to stop her. Even his parents tried to dissuade her. They said the rural environment was poor and feared that Harper would not be used to living there. Taya was worried that Damian and his pack might be hiding something, but Harper felt they respected her and worried that she wouldn¡¯t like their packnds because they were so different than that city. They worried it might affect her rtionship with Damian. So, Taya didn¡¯t say much. It had be clear that nothing she said would matter. And who was going to listen to a human anyways? But now that Harper and Damian were married, why wouldn¡¯t they allow their daughter-inw to visit? Taya thought it was a little strange, but Harper waved off her concerns. ¡°Who cares? Anyway, I don¡¯t want to live that far away from the city. Damian and I will stay here in the pack house he bought us inN?velDrama.Org exclusive content. their pack neighborhood, and his parents will stay on packnds. Plus, them wanting to stay out there means that I won¡¯t have to live with my mother-inw in the Chapter 205 Chapter 205 Chapter 205 In the future. I couldn¡¯t be happier.¡± N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. Taya swallowed what she wanted to say. She must be overthinking everything. After all, Damian¡¯s parents were very enthusiastic about Harper. When they heard that they were getting mated, they immediately took out the money they had saved for many years and gave them a small down payment. Although Harper paid most of the money, at least Damian¡¯s pack had showed some sincerity. In addition, Damian¡¯s parents didn¡¯t have much ie from farming on their packnds. They came from a simple pack. They had done their best to give Damian and Harper what they had. Perhaps it truly was that they were embarrassed about living so simply and didn¡¯t want Harper to be unhappy there, to think that the big city she-wolf had married beneath her. Taya calmed herself down and linked her arm with Harper¡¯s. The two of them went out to the supermarket, talking happily. When she went downstairs and got into the car, Greyson sent her a few WhatsApp messages. She picked up her phone and took a look. [You are so cheap.] [You slept with me, but you still slept with other men. Are you that desperate for men?] [Bitch, I can¡¯t wait to strangle you to death.] Taya was so angry that her whole body trembled. Who did he think he was? What right did a rapist have to scold her? Chapter 206 Chapter 206 Chapter 206 Taya grabbed her phone, gritted her teeth, and typed a reply out. [Are you crazy? I don¡¯t belong to you. I can sleep with whomever I want. It¡¯s none of your business!] After sending it, Taya remembered that he still had something on her. She wanted to delete it, but the screen showed that he was already typing a reply¡­ [I must be si ck to be unable to let you go.] What did he mean that couldn¡¯t let go of her? N?velDrama.Org exclusive content. While she was thinking about how to reply to him, he sent another message. [I¡¯ve thought about letting you go, but I miss you so much. I miss you all the time. Can youe to see me at Nightshade?] He was seriously ill. How could he say something like that? How could a ra pist miss her? He must have missed her body. Griffon once said that her body was like an opium poppy, and anyone would be addicted to it after touching it once. Greyson was probably the same as Griffon. Taya sighed and replied, [I¡¯ve been on my period for the past few days. I really can¡¯t meet you.] To dy for as long as possible, she sent the message. Seeing her put away her phone, Harper smiled gently and asked, ¡°Is it the new boyfriend you just found?¡± Taya was stunned for a moment and then remembered that she had lied to Harper before, telling her that she had found a suitable partner for marriage to hide the fact that someone had vited her. She couldn¡¯t take back her lie, so she could only nod awkwardly and say, ¡°Yes.¡± Harper didn¡¯t notice anything unusual and asked expectantly, ¡°When can I meet him?¡± Chapter 207 Chapter 207 Chapter 207 Taya¡¯s ears turned red with embarrassment. ¡°Harper, I¡­ He¡­¡± How to exin it? If Harper knew that she had been vited by Greyson, given her explosive personality, she would definitely go find him. Just like when she had learned that Ss had kicked Taya, she had rolled up her sleeves and nned to rush to Wolverly Capital that night to kil l him. Harper¡¯s wolf was violent when provoked. As a result, she didn¡¯t dare to tell Harper that after she was kicked, her heart had failed. She¡¯d kept it a secret¡­was still keeping it a secret. Seeing that Taya was hesitating, Harper couldn¡¯t help but worry. ¡°Could it be that he doesn¡¯t want to marry you and only wants to keep you as his mistress like Griffon?¡± Taya shook her head. ¡°No.¡± Harper frowned. ¡°What¡¯s the matter then?¡± Taya sighed. She couldn¡¯t hide it anymore. After hearing everything, Harper mmed on the brakes and parked the car by the side of the road. ¡°What did you say? Did a stranger vite you?¡± Harper suspected-hoped-that she had heard Taya wrong. Taya¡¯s face was flushed, and she nodded. ¡°We need to go to the pack police!¡± Harper rolled up her sleeves, her ws start to poke out from her fingertips. She was about to drive to the police station when Taya stopped her. ¡°I¡¯ve already reported it. It isn¡¯t easy to find him. And he has something on me, so I don¡¯t dare to offend him¡­¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Then Taya told her about Roman¡¯s threat on Harper¡¯s life. ¡°No wonder Roman brought so many people to the mating ceremony.¡± When Harper learned the truth, she shook her head sadly. ¡°Taya, you¡¯re so s illy. You risked your life just for me.¡± She raised her hand to touch Taya¡¯s face, which was so thin that her eyes were hollow. Taya was good-looking, so innocent and human. She would always be targeted by wolves who wanted to take advantage N?velDrama.Org exclusive content. of that innocence and, well, weakness. In the past, when they were in school, Taya would always tell her and Ss when someone had bullied her, and then Ss and Harper would take care of it. But this time, Taya had encountered a dangerous situation, and she had chosen to bear it alone and not go to Harper to take care of it. She doesn¡¯t want to get me into trouble, does she? Harper thought. Harper¡¯s eyes were full of distress. ¡°Taya, if you encounter such a thing in the future, you must tell me.¡± She couldn¡¯t defeat rich and powerful wolves, but she could do more to protect Taya than Taya could do as a human in a shifter world. If those shameless wolves dared to touch Taya again, Harper would go after them with everything she had! Taya pafted Harper¡¯s trembling hand,forting her. ¡°Everything has been settled. The Starke pack has fallen, and Roman is still in aa. As for this Greyson, if I¡¯m not mistaken, he helped me get rid of Roman. Maybe he actually likes me¡­¡± Harper was still very uneasy. ¡°Taya, for someone who doesn¡¯t even dare to show their true face, they¡¯re not as good as you think. If he tries to see you again, you should agree, and then Damian and I will come and expose him!¡± Taya wanted to say that Greyson still had something on her, but on second thought, if she found out who he was, it would be equivalent to having something on him. Both parties would have leverage, and she wouldn¡¯t have to be constantly threatened by him anymore. Taya nodded. ¡°Okay.¡± She had been lying to her best friend-her only family-which made her feel uneasy. Now that she had told Harper about Greyson, some of the burden of guilt was relieved. Next, there was only one thing left that she was hiding from Harper. Her illness. Chapter 208 Chapter 208 Chapter 208 Harper was pretty upset that Taya hadn¡¯t told her about Roman and Greyson.. She gnashed her teeth and tightly held the steering wheel, fangs and wsing out. As she dr ove, she talked about all the ways she nned on hurting Greyson. Frightened that she would rip off the steering wheel, Taya nodded and asked her to drive safely. They made their way to the supermarket, bought a pile of food, and dr ove home. Damian arrived just as they got home and were about to go into the kitchen to make dinner. After greeting Taya, he rolled up his sleeves and took the kitchen knife from Harper¡¯s hand. ¡°You two can go out and watch TV. Leave this to me.¡± Damian¡¯s consideration made Harper smile. ¡°You¡¯re amazing and thoughtful. And your cooking is way better than mine,¡± Harper added with augh. N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. Harper patted him on the shoulder and then went into the living room to watch TV with Taya. As soon as they turned on the TV, they saw the news about the alliance between the Knight pack and the Thorin pack being reyed repeatedly. When Harper saw that Griffon was holding onto a woman who looked a little like Taya, her eyes widened in surprise. ¡°Taya, that woman¡­¡± She seemed to have realized something and suddenly s hut her mout h. No wonder Griffon had wanted Taya to be his mistress. It had been five years. Taya dedicated five years to that man, just to be pped in the face with this. Harper turned to look at Taya and saw that she was calm and not surprised at all. She seemed to have known about it, which made Harper feel even more bitter. ¡°Don¡¯t be sad.¡± Harper stroked Taya¡¯s hair, not knowing what to say tofort her. Taya smiled at Harper. ¡°I¡¯m okay. But why do you look so sad?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just worried about you.¡± Taya sighed andforted herself and Harper. ¡°I may have been a substitute for Tara, but he treated me well. Besides, I was able to let go of Ss thanks to him. I like to think that I used him as a stepping stone for my emotional recovery¡­¡± Hearing her words, Harper felt a little better. ¡°So, I have to thank him?¡± That thought amused Taya. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t go that far¡­¡± Harper tapped her head and said, ¡°You¡¯re stillughing. He bullied you like that, but you don¡¯t know how to fight back.¡± Frowning, Taya said, ¡°I fought back.¡± He hade to see her several times, and every time, he walked away angry. Upsetting the Alpha like that was a win in her book. Especially an Alpha who was used to getting whatever he wanted. Seeing that Taya deliberately pretended to be okay, Harper felt even more upset. ¡°You¡¯ll meet someone better.¡± She didn¡¯t expect Taya to marry into a rich and powerful pack. She only hoped she could find someone who would treat her well and sincerely. The chances of a pack being willing to let one of their own mate with a human was wishful thinking. ¡°Yes, there will be someone in the future.¡± Taya hid the sadness in her eyes and nodded as if nothing had happened. In fact, there was no future for her. Damian finished cooking and let them know dinner was ready. Only then did the two turn off the TV and get up. After the three of them ate, Harper went to the bathroom while Damian went to the kitchen to answer his phone. After packing the leftovers on the table, Taya went to put them in the refrigerator. She heard Damian¡¯s voice before she could open the kitchen door. ¡°Darling, wait for me for another two weeks. I¡¯lle back when I¡¯m done. It¡¯s too obvious if I visit too frequently¡­¡± Chapter 209 Chapter 209 Chapter 209 Taya could only vaguely hear Damian, but she heard enough. She stood there and didn¡¯t move. When Damian opened the door and saw her, his handsome face froze. ¡°Taya¡­¡± After a moment of hesitation, Damian quickly reacted and pointed to his phone. ¡°One of my pack members has a problem with something, and I¡¯m trying to negotiate with them to give me more time¡­¡± His exnation was reasonable, but he didn¡¯t make clear what he meant by ¡°It¡¯s too obvious if I visit too frequently¡­¡± Taya didn¡¯t intend to question him directly, so she said calmly, ¡°Why are you exining so much to me? I didn¡¯t even hear what you said.¡± Damian¡¯s tense expression rxed. ¡°I¡¯m just afraid you¡¯ll Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. misunderstand, so I want to exin it clearly.¡± Taya picked up the te and walked to the kitchen. ¡°I was just about to open the door when you opened it. What a coincidence!¡± Seeing her put the te in the refrigerator, Damian¡¯s doubts. were dispelled. She must havee to the kitchen to put things away and didn¡¯t mean to eavesdrop on him. Damian nodded and walked out. Taya turned around to look at Damian¡¯s back, feeling uneasy. She hesitated about whether to tell Harper. If she told Harper about this, it might affect their rtionship. But she would feel guilty if something was happening and she didn¡¯t tell Harper. After hesitating, Taya finally took out her phone and sent a message to Harper, telling her everything she had just heard. She didn¡¯t question Damian directly just now because she didn¡¯t have the right to do so. Besides, she didn¡¯t want to alert him to anything amiss. Damian was so nice to Harper that he didn¡¯t seem to be the kind of person who would let her down. And they were still newly mated. It was better to just tell Harper and let her deal with it however she wanted to. Harper quickly replied. [Okay, I¡¯ll secretly check his phone tonight.] Taya knew that Harper had always been calm regarding rtionships, so she wasn¡¯t too worried about her. [Let me know what you find.] Then, Taya turned off her phone. When she walked out of the kitchen, Harper was justing out of the bathroom, and the two of them exchanged nces. Usually, when Harper encountered something bad rted to Taya, she would explode, her wolf rushing to the surface to protect Taya. However, she was pretty good at hiding her emotions regarding her own affairs. Seeing Harper leave to go home calmly, her arm linked with Damian¡¯s, Taya felt a heavy weight in her heart. She was very afraid that Harper would find something on her mate¡¯s phone. Taya didn¡¯t dare to fall asleep. She sat on the sofa, hugged her phone, and waited for Harper¡¯s message. At about two o¡¯clock, her phone dinged. [I¡¯ve checked, It¡¯s just a pack member who needs help, and it¡¯s a man.] When Taya saw the message, she breathed a sigh of relief. She quickly typed back, [I¡¯m sorry, Harper. I was too suspicious.] Chapter 210 Chapter 210 Chapter 210 Harper replied quickly: [It¡¯s okay. I would rather hear something from you than be blindsidedter. After all, you¡¯re my sister, and sisters have each other¡¯s backs.] When Taya saw this, she couldn¡¯t help but smile. She sent a good night emoji. After that, she put down her phone and went to sleep. The next afternoon, she was awakened by a dozen calls and took out her phone from under the pillow in a daze. ¡°Ms. Palmer, are you awake?¡± Hearing Jackson¡¯s crisp and pleasant voice, Taya struggled to open her eyes. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°Do you feel better?¡± Taya responded with a ¡°Hmm.¡± Jackson was disappointed at how indifferent she was, but he quickly tamped down his emotions. ¡°The Sterling pack is holding a celebration party tonight. Will you attend as mypanion?¡± Taya was stunned for a moment and refused without hesitation. ¡°I don¡¯t want to go.¡±, Jackson wasn¡¯t angry at being rejected. Instead, he said gently, ¡°But what if I need you to take care of me? You¡¯ve been so good at doing it.¡± ¡°You have Camille to take care of you. Why do you have to ask me to go?¡± Taya said lightly. ¡°Camille made a mistake, and I sent her back to Wolverly Capital. Taya frowned. She thought that Jackson would return to Wolverly Capital after the bidding, too. Why was he sticking around? ¡°Aren¡¯t you returning to Wolverly Capital, too?¡± ¡°Do you want me to return to Wolverly Capital?¡± he asked. Of course, she wanted him to leave. She didn¡¯t want to waste her time on Jackson, especially since she was almost to the point of lying down waiting to di e. However, she would not say that out loud. Jackson knew what she thought when she remained silent. He smiled bitterly and said on a low growl, ¡°I¡¯ll return after the celebration banquet. Say you¡¯ll go with me.¡± Hearing that he would go back as soon as the celebration banquet was over, Taya agreed. She got up, took some medicine, changed into loose clothes, covered her pale face with cosmetics, and then went outside. Jackson had already parked the car outside. When he saw hering out, he quickly opened the driver¡¯s door and walked over to her. He took the bag from her hand like a gentleman and opened the passenger door. Taya felt a little ufortable in the face of his consideration, but she didn¡¯t say anything. She pursed her lips and got into the car. She fastened her seat belt and looked out of the window, only to see a Bugatti parked not far away. Seeing this type of car, Taya thought of Griffon. When he drov e alone, his favorite car to drive was his Bugatti, Taya stared at the license te number, and it was not his. She remembered the license te of each of his cars, but she had never seen this license te. Taya felt a little disappointed, but at the same time, she thought that she was stup id. Even now, she still held a trace of hope.Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. Chapter 211 Chapter 211 Chapter 211 Tayaughed at herself, withdrew her gaze, and looked at Jackson sitting in the driver¡¯s seat. ¡°Where will the celebration banquet be held?¡± ¡°Seaview Hotel.¡± It was the most luxurious hotel in Arcadia. The celebration banquet held by the Sterling pack was mainly to celebrate the acquisition of the contract in the Weston City project. Although it was just a project for the Sterling pack, itid the foundation for their expansion and partnerships in Arcadia. Taya thought Jackson would take her to the hotel, but he dr ove to the mall-to the same high-end dress shop he¡¯d taken her before. The difference was that he bought her ten custom dresses, including bags and jewelry this time. Looking at the high-end paper bags put into the trunk one by one by the staff, Taya felt a headache coming on and rubbed her forehead. ¡°This is far too much to spend.¡± Jackson leaned against the car door and tilted his head to look at her. ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to return any of it this time, or I¡¯ll just keep buying more.¡± In the past, Ss was the same. He bought things for her and didn¡¯t allow her to refuse or return them. He looked gentle, but in fact, he was a very stubborn an domineering person. He would do what he said and wa persistent. Taya didn¡¯t say anything. She would ask Harper to return them to him after she died. Jackson dro ve her to the hotel. Before entering the banquet hall, he asked her to hold his arm. Taya nced at him and held his arm reluctantly. Jackson looked down at hand on his arm and couldn¡¯t help but smile. They walked arm in arm. When the shifters in the banquet hall Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. saw the Alphaing with his humanpanion, they Under the congrattory atmosphere of the crowd, the smile on Jackson¡¯s face deepened, and even his eyes were w orm. Chapter 212 Chapter 212 Chapter 212 The banquet hall was veryrge and luxuriously decorated. It was lit with warm yellow lights and yed soothing music. The wolves who came to the banquet wore high-end dresses and held goblets of wineced with wolfsbane, whispering to each other. Everyone from the Sterling pack had good manners, from senior pack members and down. When they saw Taya, they didn¡¯t make sarcastic remarks but politely greeted her. S Taya felt a little ufortable. She was used to being one of the only humans in the room, if not the only one, but typically shifters tended to be dismissive of her. That people were being polite to her threw her off. Jackson seemed to have read her mind. He whispered in her ear, ¡°You¡¯ve been busy with this project with me recently, and you¡¯ve done a good job. It¡¯s expected for you to attend the celebration banquet as my female companion, and my pack knows if they aren¡¯t polite to my guests, there will be hel l to pay for embarrassing me.¡± After hearing what he said, Taya tilted slightly to create space between their bodies. She didn¡¯t want anyone to think that this was more than her attending as someone who¡¯d worked on the project. As seen through Jackson¡¯s eyes, her small gesture was N?velDrama.Org exclusive content. noticeable, somewhat of an insult. Jackson didn¡¯t show that he thought anything of it. After leading her to the main table and sitting down, he called the waiter over and ordered a hot tea for her. ¡°Drink this first. It¡¯ll warm you up. I know they keep it cooler in here because shifters are always hotter.¡± He picked up a spoon and stirred the tea to cool it down before handing it over to Taya. His actions were the same as Harper¡¯s, which had been their habit since they were children. They knew she was afraid of being scalded after badly burning her mouth once, so they always helped her stir and cool things down before giving them to her. Especially Ss. No matter what the situation was, he would let her eat first. Ss feared she would stop taking medicine, so he worked while studying and gave her all the money he earned. Taya alwaysughed at him for being so stupid, but he¡¯d gently touched her head and said, ¡°Taya, you¡¯re mine. I can¡¯t let you starve, right?¡±. He had treated her so well that she had been spoiled. She had always been willful and domineering, throwing tantrums over small matters. If she hadn¡¯t lost her temper that day, Ss wouldn¡¯t have been hit by a car to save her, and they wouldn¡¯t have ended up like this. Chapter 213 Chapter 213 Chapter 213 Thinking of the past, Taya couldn¡¯t help but tear up. She was afraid that Jackson would see, so she quickly lowered her head, took the tea he handed over, and sipped it. Jackson smiled. This time, not only did she not refuse him, but she also drank the tea obediently. Did it mean that she didn¡¯t ha te him so much? He looked at her quietly, his eyes never leaving her, as if he was looking at his beloved. As he kept watching, he gradually became more entranced by her. It was not until she finished drinking that he reluctantly looked away and picked up a napkin to wipe the corners of her mo uth. No matter how dim the light was, everyone present could see the deep affection in their Alpha¡¯s eyes. They thought that Ms. Palmer was just someone who had helped with the Weston City project bidding. But it appeared the frail human woman meant much more than that to their leader. When some of the Sterling pack members saw their Alpha¡¯s actions, they couldn¡¯t help but take out their phones and quietly take photos of the two of them. Taye felt a little ufortable with Jackson¡¯s actions. She wanted to push him away, but with so many eyes watching, it would embarrass him. Alphas were not rebuffed in public, and she didn¡¯t want to risk him losing face with his pack or risk him bing upset with her. Jackson¡¯s smile deepened and his wolf preened inside of him when Taya didn¡¯t reject him. He lowered his head and asked her gently, ¡°Have you seen my brother before?¡± He felt that Taya¡¯s resistance to him must have something to do with his brother, and he wanted to ask her directly about it to get to the bottom of the situation. Taya frowned. ¡°You have a brother?¡± Jackson nodded. ¡°Yes, his name is Michael Sterling. He used to be the Alpha of the Sterling pack. You¡¯re sure you don¡¯t know who he is?¡± Taya shook her head. She had never paid attention to any news rted to the Sterling pack. How could she know Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. Michael? It was Jackson¡¯s turn to frown. Since Taya didn¡¯t know who his brother was, it meant that Michael had never looked for her. But there was another possibility: his brother had used Jackson¡¯s name to deal with Taya. Thinking of this, Jackson hurriedly asked her, ¡°Did I do anything bad to you five years ago?¡± Taya thought he was testing her again, so she was disgusted and replied impatiently, ¡°No.¡± She answered decisively, without hesitation, which caused Jackson to pause in surprise. If his brother hadn¡¯t gone to find Taya in his name, it could only mean¡­ She just didn¡¯t love him anymore. When Jackson thought of this possibility, his heart ached. And this was just under the circumstance of him having lost his memory. What would happen if he were to recover it? Taya didn¡¯t notice anything wrong with Jackson. She stood up and said, ¡°I¡¯m going to the bathroom.¡± She saw that Jackson was lost in thought, so she walked out of the banquet hall without waiting for his response. The bathroom was huge and luxurious. Taya looked at herself in the mirror. She wore beautiful and heavy makeup, making her look even more simr to Tara. She hated to see herself like this, so she quickly looked away and walked into a stall. When she came out to wash her hands, the bathroom door was suddenly closed with a loud bang, followed by the click of the lock. Taya sensed that something was wrong, and she quickly turned around. Roman was there, sitting in a wheelchair. He was wearing a patient gown and a face mask, with his hands hanging limp on the armrests of the wheelchair. His eyes were dark and malicious, staring at her fixedly. Chapter 214 Chapter 214 Chapter 214 Taya¡¯s heart skipped a beat the moment she saw Roman. Fear and nervousness overwhelmed her. ¡°Roman¡­ Beta Starke¡­¡± She was so scared that the blood drained from her face and her voice was trembling. Seeing she was so scared, Roman tilted his head slightly and said, ¡°Taya, long time no see.¡± Even though she was trembling, she kept outwardly calm. ¡°Is there something you came here to see me about?¡± Roman seemed to smile and raised his eyebrows slightly. ¡°Nothing, I just want to thank you.¡± After that, he removed the mask on his face, revealing his mou th, which was covered in stitches. The dense stitches looked a little scary, making Taya step back. However, Roman did not care at all. He crooked his finger at her and said, ¡°Come here.¡± Taya shook her head. Not only was she unwilling to go over, but she also turned around and ran to the bathroom next This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. door. Seeing this, the two bodyguards holding iron rods behind Roman immediately caught up with her. After blocking her way, they held her arms on both sides and carried her to Roman. The bodyguard held her down, and she fell to her knees at Roman¡¯s feet. ¡°You¡¯re still so good at running.¡± After mocking her, Roman lowered his head to look at Taya with a sinister smile. ¡°But where can you run to?¡± He chuckled, staring at her with his cold eyes. ¡°Thanks to you, my hands and legs are disabled, and even my mo uth is ruined. How do you think I should thank you?¡± He stressed thest sentence as if he wanted to tear her apart. Seeing him like this, Taya was so scared that she trembled. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t understand¡­¡± ¡°You don¡¯t understand?¡± Roman raised his eyebrows, and the twisted smile on his face became more and more ghastly and terrible, misshapen with all of the stitches. ¡°The night you gave me the contract, I met a group of people. The leader of that group was wearing a golden mask. ¡°He said something then, but I was tortured so much that I almost fainted and didn¡¯t hear clearly what he said. When I woke up, I tried my best to recall and think about it. Fortunately, I finally remembered. Guess what he said?¡± Roman spoke in a tone that felt like he was chatting with an old friend, which made Taya feel even more scared. Especially when he mentioned that the leader was wearing a golden mask. She had previously suspected that the person who had made a move against Roman was Greyson, but she had no proof. She shook her head. ¡°I have no idea¡­¡± ¡°You can¡¯t guess?¡± Roman sneered. ¡°Haha, then I¡¯ll tell you.¡± He bent down closer to her. So close she could feel his breath on her face. ¡°He said that I hugged her, kissed her, and let her sit on myp, so he had to punish me. I¡¯ve thought about it carefully. You¡¯re the only one I¡¯ve ever hugged and kissed but haven¡¯t slept with¡­¡± Taya¡¯s face turned paler. She had thought that Roman was here to get even with her for the fake contract, but it turned out that he was here for a different revenge! Chapter 215 Chapter 215 Chapter 215 While she was lost in her thoughts, Roman ignored the tearing pain in his thigh, raised his leather shoes, and lifted her chin with the tip of his toes. N?velDrama.Org exclusive content. ¡°Bitc h! I¡¯m in this state because of the people you sent to me. Don¡¯t you think I should thank you?¡± Taya didn¡¯t see the anger in his eyes before. Now, she was forced to look up at him and saw the wolf rising within him. Whatever had been done to him must have been done with silver knives, so that he couldn¡¯t ever heal from it. She was so scared that her heart skipped a beat. But she couldn¡¯t show Roman any weakness, so she gritted her teeth. and forced herself to calm down. ¡°Roman, I have never sent anyone to harm you, nor do I know the masked person you mentioned¡­¡± Even if Roman firmly believed she had sent Greyson to ki ll him, she could not admit she knew Greyson. It was true that she had not ordered Greyson to deal with him. She had only found out about it the next day after reading the news. Moreover, she was also a victim-not just of Greyson, but of Roman. ¡°You don¡¯t know him?¡± Roman was sure Taya was ying du mb, and heughed sinisterly again. His strange and gloomyughter gave Taya goosebumps all over. Clenching her fists, she gritted her teeth and denied, ¡°That the masked man even dared to deal with you means he must have a powerful background. How could someone like mee into contact with such a powerful person¡­¡± ¡°You can still talk smoothly, just like before. I almost believed you again, but this time¡­¡± His wolf¡¯s eyes were full of gloom and anger, and his voice was cru el when he spoke again. ¡°I will never let you off!¡± After saying that, he kicked Taya away. Chapter 216 Chapter 216 Chapter 216 Before Taya had time to react, the bodyguard hit her hard on the back with an iron rod! When the stick came down, she felt a piercing pain spreading from her back, making her break out in a cold sweat¡­ ¡°Bitc h ! Not only did you deceive me with the Knight pack, you also sent someone to harm me. Do you think I¡¯m easy to deal with?¡± His appearance was ruined, his body was disabled, and he had to face a huge breach of contract penalty from the Knight pack. These were all because of her. When he woke up and learned that his father had been arrested and the Starke pack had fallen, he wanted to revive his pack with the contract Taya had helped him get! However, the Knight pack told him that ording to the contract terms, if he broke the contract, not only would he not be able to get the Weston City project, but he would also have topensate the Knight pack with a huge penalty fee. Only then did he realize that the breach of contract use in the agreement stated that the Starke pack could not receive any negative news. N?velDrama.Org exclusive content. It was as if they had already anticipated that he would be exposed to negative news, intentionally asking him to correct the contract terms and then revealing his negative news. This ruined his reputation and burdened him with a huge breach of contract penalty. This made him suspect that Taya and the Knight pack had yed him together. After all, the person who asked him to correct the contract that night was Mr. Chilton of the Knight pack! But he wasn¡¯t sure if the masked man was Mr. Chilton, so he had to force Taya to tell him. ¡°Tell me! Who¡¯s that masked man? Is he Mr. Chilton?¡± His cold voice came from above her head, which made Taya tremble with fear. She didn¡¯t understand why Roman suspected the man in the mask was Mr. Chilton. Just as she was about to ask him, she was hit by another stick. The pain of her bones and flesh breaking were so painful that she could not even make a sound. She could only curl up to try to relieve the pain. She wore in et phth Sony Phy Roman though and hit her hard with on tren rode Chapter 217 Chapter 217 Chapter 217 It hurt¡­ Suffocating pain¡­ It was so painful that Taya had difficulty breathing¡­ However, Roman did not intend to let her go so quickly. He ordered the two bodyguards to press her down on the sink and look at them with a sinister smile. ¡°My only regret is that I haven¡¯t slept with you, but watching the live broadcast is quite exciting. Don¡¯t you think?¡± This sentence was much more lethal than the pain in her body. Taya shook her head desperately at Roman, regardless of the injury on her back. ¡°Beta Starke, I really don¡¯t know who the masked man is, and I don¡¯t know what you mean by Mr. Chilton¡­¡± She gritted her teeth and didn¡¯t tell him about Greyson because she knew that Roman would let his pack guards vite her once she said who he was. Now he just wanted to use this method to force her to tell him who Greyson was. She would still have had a chance if she didn¡¯t tell him. Not that she actually know who Greyson was. Roman had always known that Taya was very smart. He couldn¡¯t get anything out of her if he didn¡¯t do something. He raised his chin to the two guards and ordered coldly, ¡°Do it!¡± When the bodyguards heard the order, they immediately went to take off Taya¡¯s clothes. Frightened, Taya tried her best to resist, but she couldn¡¯t resist Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. the two men. They held her arms from both sides and pressed her down on the sink. One took off her shirt, and the other took off her pants. The two of them quickly stripped her nak ed¡­ Roman¡¯s lustfulughter could be heard in her ear when they pressed down to touch and kiss her. ¡°Get lost! Don¡¯t touch me!¡± She struggled madly, but the more she struggled, the more excited Roman became. ¡°Keep going!¡± ¡°Roman, I¡¯ll tell you who the masked man is. Let me go!¡± They stopped when they heard that she would say who the masked man was. However, Roman did not care at all. ¡°Fu c k her first and teach her a lesson!¡± He used to be like that before. Every time he wanted to sleep with her, she would use words to dissuade him, which prevented him from approaching her several times. Today, even if the goddess herself came down, he would deal with Taya first. After receiving the order, the two men leaned down and groped at her. The bathroom door was kicked open from outside just as the two men were about to vite her. The person who rushed in was Jackson, in a ck suit¡­ Taya felt like she had seen the old Ss when she saw him. He was the one who rushed in to save her when she was bullied in the bathroom by her ssmates. ¡°Ss¡­¡± She couldn¡¯t help but cry out, causing Jackson¡¯s heart to ache and even his limbs and bones to hurt. Without hesitation, he rushed over, kicked the guard over, removed his coat, and covered her with it. ¡°Taya, don¡¯t be afraid¡­¡± He picked her up, hugged her tightly in his arms, comforted her in a low voice. and She suddenly couldn¡¯t tell whether it was Jackson or Ss. In the wheelchair, Roman tilted his head to look at Jackson. ¡°How are you?¡± He greeted Jackson casually as if he was unafraid of him. Or it could be said that Roman was ready to fight to the death. Chapter 218 Chapter 218 Chapter 218 Jackson¡¯s eyes turned bloodshot, deadly with his wolf shining in them when he looked up at Roman. ¡°Roman, how dare you vite my woman! You¡¯re courting death!¡± Holding Taya in his arms, he walked up to Roman and kicked his wheelchair over. Roman¡¯s hands and feet were still under treatment, and he could not exert strength. After being kicked, hey on the ground like a soft shrimp and could not move. His wolf was nowhere to be seen other than in his eyes, and the injuries he¡¯d suffered kept his wolf¡¯s strength at bay. However, he didn¡¯t care at all. He turned around, opened his mou th full of stitches, andughed ominously at Taya. ¡°Taya, you¡¯re amazing. Even Jackson fell in love with you. No wonder you don¡¯t want me to sleep with you¡­¡± Jackson was disgusted by his words. It was as if someone had defiled the treasure in his heart, Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. making him suddenly paranoid and terrible. Like a madman, he stepped on Roman¡¯s mou th with his heavy leather shoes. He crushed him with all his strength as if he couldn¡¯t wait to smash his m outh. The cruelty in his eyes finally made Roman feel scared. The Alpha was holding back¡­ He begged for mercy desperately, but Jackson acted as if he didn¡¯t hear him and kept pushing him to death. Seeing Jackson like this, Taya instantly came to her senses. The person who hade was not Ss but Jackson. Back then, he had also crushed her heart like this¡­ Taya was absent-minded while Jackson was dealing with Roman. No one noticed the bodyguards behind them who had gotten up. Without warning, the back of Jackson¡¯s head was hit hard by the iron rod in the bodyguard¡¯s hand. The impact made Jackson¡¯s vision darken, and he almost fell to the ground, but his wolf kept him strong and alert, able to Chapter 218 withstand more than a human like Taya could. 3/5 He was afraid that Taya would fall, so he gritted his teeth and forced himself to kneel on one knee. When he saw the person. in his arms did not move, he breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°Jackson, are you all right?¡± Taya¡¯s hand wrapped around the back of his neck. It was wet. She loosened her grip and saw that it was covered with blood. She was so scared that her face turned pale. She grabbed his arm, and her eyes were full of anxiety. ¡°You¡¯re injured! Let¡¯s get out of here and go to the hospital!¡± She had only injured her back, while Jackson had injured his head. It was a fatal wound if he didn¡¯t get medical attention. With so much blood flowing out, it must be severe, and with this much blood, he would need to see a pack doctor. Taya didn¡¯t think shifting alone could heal it. Jackson shook his head. Without saying a word, he gently ced her on the ground, stood up, and straightened his back. When he turned his head, the murderous look in his eyes made the bodyguard holding the iron rod shiver. The bodyguard didn¡¯t dare to step forward, but he was eager to have a try. He even winked at the other guard lying on the ground. The pack guards thought that they would have a better chance of winning if they attacked together, but Jackson lifted his foot and kicked him a few meters away, his Alpha strength unmatched by anyone in the room. Then, he turned around and knocked down the other bodyguard, who rushed up with a punch. After knocking the two down, he took away the iron rods in their hands and hit their heads hard. His movements were neat and efficient, without the slightest hint of mercy, an eerie coldness shining in his eyes. He didn¡¯t turn to look at Roman, who was lying on the ground, until the two bodyguards fainted. Seeing that Jackson had lost his mind, Roman was paralyzed on the ground and didn¡¯t dare to move or even make a sound. Jackson saw that he was scared, so he picked Taya up and walked out of the bathroom. Taya was worried about the wound on his head and wanted him to put her down, but he held her tightly and refused to let go. ¡°Taya, are you hurt?¡± Jackson¡¯s voice was trembling. If he had been a stepter, she would have been defiled by those two bas tards! Chapter 219 Chapter 219 Chapter 219 ¡°No.¡± Taya shook her head. Compared to the wound on the back of his head that was still bleeding, the wound on her back was nothing. ¡°You¡¯re badly injured. Let¡¯s go to the hospital first.¡± Taya¡¯s hands were covered with his blood, reminding her of the night he was hit by a car five years ago. This made her feel even more guilty. He had been seriously injured twice to save her. She didn¡¯t know why Jackson had protected her like this. Jackson nodded. When he walked past the banquet hall with her in his arms, several Sterling pack guards saw them and quickly surrounded them. They med themselves for not protecting their Alpha well because Jackson was severely injured. All of them apologized. Jackson didn¡¯t care at all. After ordering them to take Roman to the police station, he hurried to the hotel lobby. Taya was n aked. Fortunately, Jackson¡¯s coat was big enough to wrap around her petite body. However, she was still a little ufortable. Afraid the people who came in and out of the hotel would see her, she buried her head in Jackson¡¯s arms. While she was nestled in his arms, a group of pack guards suddenly walked in from the hotel¡¯s entrance. There were about 20 of them blocking their way. Jackson stopped and looked at the man who exited the Lincoln stretch limo at the hotel entrance. He wore a ck suit and a ck coat; his whole body was hidden in the dim light. He stood there like a statue, staring at the two of them with gloomy and cold eyes. ¡°Alpha Sterling.¡± Taya¡¯s face suddenly turned pale. She didn¡¯t have time to think about why Griffon was here. All she could think about was burying her head in Jackson¡¯s chest. She thought Griffon could not see her, but she did not know that his cold eyes were fixed on her. Jackson noticed something off about Griffon but didn¡¯t know why. ¡°Alpha Knight, what do you mean by this?¡± He didn¡¯t seem to have offended Griffon. Why did he send so many bodyguards to surround them? Griffon walked up to them with his long legs. The moment he lowered his head, he saw that Taya was n aked. His face was instantly dark, and even his beautiful eyes were as cold as a sharp sword. ¡°Leave her to me,¡± he said. His eyes were fixed on Taya. With that kind of gaze, as a man, Jackson naturally knew what it meant. He hugged Taya tightly and stepped back, his eyes filled with possessiveness. ¡°What¡¯s your rtionship with her? Why do you want me to hand her to you?¡± With a sneer, Griffon nced at Taya. ¡°Do you want to follow him or me?¡± He couldn¡¯t even be bothered to answer Jackson¡¯s question. He only spoke to Taya. Taya¡¯s heart almost jumped out of her throat. She thought that he hade to the hotel for something, but she didn¡¯t expect that he was here to see her. Taya didn¡¯t know what to do and looked at him with confusion. Griffon has never exposed his rtionship with her in front of anyone. Moreover, after saying he would nevere to her again, he appeared so openly in front of her. What¡­ what¡¯s wrong with him? ¡°She¡¯s unfamiliar with you, so she won¡¯t go with you.¡± Jackson¡¯s arms tightened around Taya as if he wanted to pull her into his body. In fact, he had vaguely guessed the rtionship between them, but he was not willing to overthink it. He was afraid that he would not be able to bear it if he continued to ponder, so he decided to y du mb. N?velDrama.Org exclusive content. Noticing Jackson¡¯s uneasiness, Taya came back to her senses. ¡°Alpha Knight, I¡¯m sorry. I can¡¯t go with you.¡± Jackson had just been injured because of her, and she had to apany him to the hospital for treatment, so she boldly refused Griffon. Chapter 220 Chapter 220 Chapter 220 Hearing Taya¡¯s words, the chill in Griffon¡¯s eyes deepened. Taya saw his fists clench at his sides, and a smattering of hair pop out on the back of them¡­his wolf was dangerously close to the surface. His ws were probably poking into his palms. Taya didn¡¯t dare to stare at him like this. She¡¯d already pushed him enough but denying him, and she didn¡¯t want to make eye contact and have his wolf take that as a challenge. She quickly turned her head and said to Jackson, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Jackson¡¯s eyes shed with his wolf, his pupils dting when he heard her. No matter what their rtionship was, at this moment, Taya chose him. Somehow, that felt better than anything else that could have happened in his life right now. He hugged Taya tightly, setting his previous doubtful thoughts aside. Without saying a word, he strode past Griffon. Griffon turned his head and looked at Taya. His eyes seemed to pierce right through her to her very soul. She quickly lowered her eyes again, trying to avoid his burning gaze, but he suddenly grabbed her arm. He yanked her out of Jackson¡¯s embrace. Taya tumbled to the ground as Jackson stumbled slightly, unprepared for the other Alpha¡¯s action. Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. The wound on her back rubbed against the cement, causing pain to s hoot through her. She managed to ignore the throbbing and quickly reached out to pick up the coat that had slipped off her body when she fell. Griffon kicked it away before her hand could touch the corner of the fabric. Then, she felt a warm sensation on her body and a ck coat tightly wrapped around her. This coat was veryrge,rger than Jackson¡¯s. Even her exposed legs were covered by it. The faint fragrance of the material jolted her into awareness, into the memory of her body being wrapped in this scent once upon a time. She slowly raised her head and looked up at Griffon standing in front of her. Had he lost it? He¡¯d just snatched her out of Jackson¡¯s arms-in public! Was he not afraid that others would see? Never before had he ¡°imed¡± her in public. No, an Alpha like him would never im a weak little girl without a wolf. ¡°Griffon!¡± Jackson partially shifted into his wolf form, his ears pointing, fangs dropping, and his fingers curling into half-paws with long, ck ws. He let loose a terrifying roar and rushed toward Griffon. Chapter 221 Chapter 221 Chapter 221 He was just as much an Alpha as Griffon was, and he didn¡¯t give a good god dam n if he was on the other¡¯s wolf¡¯s territory or not. No one would treat Taya that way. When Taya¡¯s clothes slipped off just now, leaving her exposed, Griffon¡¯s pack guards had turned their backs to give Taya privacy. Nudity might bemon among shifters and within packs, but it wasn¡¯t common for non-shifters. And clearly, this non-shifter meant something to their Alpha, so they wanted to be respectful. Now that they sensed Jackson¡¯s hostility, scented the pheromones of his lycan form, they immediately turned back, shifting into their own lycan forms and leaping at Jackson before he could reach Griffon. No matter how powerful Jackson was, he was no match for so many men in half-wolf form. He was quickly pinned to the ground, unable to move. Andre stepped forward, patted him on the shoulder, and smiled, ¡°Alpha Sterling, Alpha Knight has some personal issues to deal with. Please step aside.¡± is tone was very polite, but his actions were very rough. Whether Jackson was willing or not, the pack guards pulled him away. Jackson¡¯s chest heaved as he boiled over with rage. Taya knew nothing good woulde of Jackson and Griffon getting into a fight. There were too many pack issues and Alpha issues at y, so she tried to smooth the situation over as best as she could. Especially since she couldn¡¯t bear the thought of either man getting hurt by the other. ¡°Alpha Knight, I¡¯ll go with you. Don¡¯t hurt him.¡± The wound on Jackson¡¯s head was still bleeding and there was no way he¡¯d be able tobat all Griffon¡¯s pack guards. He was a powerful Alpha, but he was weakened from blood loss. However, Griffon acted as if he hadn¡¯t heard her at all. He raised his hand and pinched her chin between his thumb and index fingers. ¡°You¡¯re so worried about him. Did you have a great time sleeping with him, letting him touch you with his filth y hands? I should remove his hands for that.¡± Taya opened her mo uth to retort but didn¡¯t know what to say. He let go of her chin, lifted her coat, and looked at her corbones covered with bite marks. His expression turned from chilled to cial. ¡°You two really can¡¯t bear to be apart from each other, even during that time of the month¡­¡± Taya was floored. She had only told Greyson that she was on her period. How did Griffon know? She looked at Griffon in shock, only to see his eyes fall on her blood-stained hands. That was a lot of assumptions for him to make. In the face of his humiliation and distrust, Taya was much calmer than before. She said in a low voice, ¡°We are no longer together. Whom I sleep with, how I do it, and when I do it is none of your business.¡±Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. Chapter 222 Chapter 222 Chapter 222 Before Taya could blink, Griffon¡¯srge hand was wrapped around her neck, and she was lifted off the ground. The force of his tight fist choked her airway, suffocating her. The suffocating feeling was slowly taking hold of her heart, making her desperately gasp for air. However, Griffon only tightened his grip on her neck¡­ Taya tried to tug at the corner of Griffon¡¯s shirt with trembling hands, but she didn¡¯t have the strength. She¡¯d never have the strength to fight back against a ruthless Alpha like him. She could only look at him with tears as she struggled to breathe, hoping he would show mercy and let her go. Seeing her face abnormally pale, as if on the verge of death, Griffon quickly let go of her and tossed her to the ground. After taking the chance to breathe, Tayay there with her hands covering her heart. With difficulty, she managed to get out the word, ¡°Medicine¡­¡± She needed to take her heart medicine or get oxygen. Otherwise, she would di e! Every time she saw Griffon, she would take a lot of medicine to control her condition. For so many years, she had only had an attack once in front of him, but that time he mistakenly thought that she was pretending to be ill for money. Since then, she had hidden her heart disease very well and had never told him about it. But now¡­ Taya stretched her hand to Griffon and begged for help in a trembling voice. ¡°I¡­ Heart attack¡­ Please¡­ save me¡­¡± Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. She was not afraid of death, but the feeling of suffocating made her body and brain¡¯s survival instincts kick in. Griffon narrowed his eyes at her. ¡°Where is the medicine?¡± The medicine was¡­ Oh no. She¡¯d taken an extra dose right before leaving the house. Which meant she hadn¡¯t brought it with her. Chapter 223 Chapter 223 Chapter 223 Taya gave up on asking for help. Covering her heart, she turned over and looked up at the sky. It was dark and gloomy, without a trace of light, as if she hade to h ell¡­ It was her time, and she epted it. Then, she felt the world spin around her, and a man picked her up. Taya forced her eyes open in his strong arms and looked at the perfect profile. She couldn¡¯t see the expression in his eyes clearly, but she could feel that he was holding her very tightly as if he was afraid of losing her. This was the first time Griffon had shown her affection or care in front of anyone. She was greedy for such an embrace and couldn¡¯t help but to lean her head on his chest. I¡¯ll just indulge myself for once¡­ Griffon quickly put Taya into the car. Walking toward the hotel, Tara saw Griffon getting in the car with a woman in his arms. Her face darkened, and she hurriedly walked over, her wolf rippling inside of her with warning. ¡°Griffon, who is she?¡± she asked. When Griffon saw her, he quickly closed the car door so Tara couldn¡¯t see who the woman was. She could only stare at the woman in the passenger seat through the dark window tint. ¡°I said, who is she?¡± she growled out. Griffon had already proposed to her, and they were even talking about when their mating ceremony would be. But here he was, embracing another woman and putting her in his car. And for everyone to see! ¡°Why aren¡¯t you saying anything?¡± Ignoring her, Griffon went straight to the driver¡¯s seat, got in the car, and closed the door without hesitation. When Tara saw the stretch limo disappear from her sight at an extremely fast speed, it was everything she could do to keep from shifting into her wolf and chasing after the car. She hadn¡¯t even been able to catch a sniff, to scent if the woman was familiar. And she knew better than to ask Griffon¡¯s pack guards. They wouldn¡¯t say a peep about anything unless they had been explicitly given permission to. She took out her phone and made a call. ¡°Find out who the woman is that apanyied Alpha Knight to Seaview Hotel today!¡± *** Breathless, Taya used all her strength to turn her head and look at Griffon. He was concentrating on the road as he dr ove at high speeds. ¡°You¡­ Go¡­ Your mate¡­ Don¡¯t worry¡­about me¡­¡± Every syble was a struggle. She leaned back against the passenger seat and tried to take a deep breath, but she could not relieve the suffocating feeling no matter how hard she tried. Griffon frowned and nced at her, but he didn¡¯t reply. With a Once the car stopped, he came around the side of the car to Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. pick her up. Taya stretched out her weak hand to pull his wh ite. shirt. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t want¡­hospital¡­¡± Taya¡¯s fingers were cold, as if her body temperature was dropping rapidly. Or maybe she was losing cirction? Either way, Griffon¡¯s heart trembled, and his wolf pawed at him that he had to hurry. ¡°Listen to me. You¡¯re struggling to breathe, and there¡¯s oxygen in the hospital.¡± Afterforting her, Griffon held her tightly and went straight to the emergency room. One of the doctors rushed forward. ¡°Alpha Knight¡ª¡± ¡°Ste, I think she¡¯s had a heart attack. Help!¡± Ste was interrupted by Griffon before she could even speak. She nced at the woman in Griffon¡¯s arms, then quickly led him toward a hospital room. ¡°Come with me!¡± She pushed open the door and asked him to put her on the bed. Secondster, an oxygen mask was over Taya¡¯s ashen face. Chapter 224 Chapter 224 Chapter 224 Breathing in the fresh oxygen made Taya feel like a fish that had been out of water for too long, suddenly returning to the pond and regaining a new life. She grabbed the oxygen mask and desperately inhaled. Seeing that her face had regained a hint of color, Griffon¡¯s furrowed brow started to unwrinkle slightly. He looked at Ste, who was examining Taya. ¡°How is she?¡± he asked. After listening for a while, Ste felt something was wrong with Taya¡¯s heart. ¡°The oxygen has helped a bit, but I need to examine her further and run some tests.¡± Taya¡¯s heart didn¡¯t sound healthy at all, and given how she looked and her symptoms, Ste was sure it was some type of heart failure. But she didn¡¯t dare to say anything in front of Griffon before she had conclusive test results. ¡°Run everything. I need to know exactly what¡¯s wrong with her,¡± Griffon demanded with a growl, letting themanding tone of his Alpha seep through. Ste nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll go make the arrangements.¡± Hearing their conversation, Taya gave up struggling. Her illness could no longer be hidden. If Griffon knew, then let him know. After Ste left, Griffon took out his phone and called Andre. ¡°Two things. Remove the hotel¡¯s surveince footage and s hut Jackson¡¯s m outh up.¡± ¡°Yes, Alpha,¡± Andre replied respectfully. Only then did Griffon put down his phone and look at Taya. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me you had a heart attack?¡± His expression was as unmoved as ever, as if he was not worried about her illness but instead med her for hiding it. Seeing his unconcerned expression, the little ripples stirred up in Taya¡¯s heart gradually faded. She raised her hand and wanted to remove the oxygen mask to speak, but he grabbed her wrist. ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡± Griffon¡¯s Alpha voice rang in Taya¡¯s ears, sparking hope that he actually cared. She pressed down on her chest, trying to control the frequency of her heartbeat, but she was frightened by Griffon, who suddenly leaned over. His tall andrge, muscr body, with its stifling sense of oppression, hit Taya, making her unconsciously shrink her neck backward and into the pillow. If he noticed her shrinking away from him, he gave no indication. He pressed her down on the bed even more, lowered his head, and stared at her pale face. ¡°Are you still feeling unwell?¡± he asked softly. It was rare for Griffon to show care for her like this. Actually, it could be said that he had never been so concerned about her before. This unexpected gentleness made Taya extremely ufortable. She pressed her body tightly against the hospital bed despite the pain, only heaving a sigh of relief when she had managed to put another inch between them. She lowered her head and said softly, ¡°My back¡­¡± She looked well-behaved and quiet, the same as when she Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. had been with him, as if she had never changed. Griffon¡¯s cold expression softened slightly. He undid her coat and looked at her back. The three dark red marks of the iron rod almost sank into her flesh. It was as if he could see the marks of broken bones. *** ¡°What the goddess happened?¡± Griffon¡¯s expression was deadly. ¡°Did Jackson hit you?¡± Taya quickly shook her head. ¡°Not him. Roman¡­¡± Griffon frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t understand. Exin.¡± Taya had no choice but to tell him everything that had happened in the hotel. As soon as Griffon knew she hadn¡¯t had s ex with Jackson, his furrowed brows slightly rxed. However, when he heard that she was almost vited by the pack guards brought by Roman, his eyebrows tightly knitted. together again. Without thinking, he took out his phone and made another call. ¡°Joe, deal with Roman!¡± Mr. Chilton quickly replied dutifully, ¡°Yes.¡± Taya looked at Griffon, shocked that he would help her deal with Roman. Did he help her because he found out that the woman he had slept with almost vited by someone else or because he cared about her? Thinking of Mr. Chilton of the Knight Pack that Roman had mentioned, she couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Is that Joe¡­ Mr. Chilton?¡± Hearing this, Griffon¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change much, but his eyes narrowed. He nodded slightly in response. When Taya saw him nod, her face darkened. Roman said she conspired with Mr. Chilton to trick him and suspected Mr. Chilton was Greyson. What did this mean? She wanted to ask Griffon, but she didn¡¯t want him to know that she had slept with Greyson. She was afraid that Griffon would be angry, afraid that he would think she was promiscuous, and even more afraid of his verbal insults, so she didn¡¯t dare to bring it up. Chapter 225 Chapter 225 Chapter 225 Looking at her pale face get even paler, Griffon raised his hand to touch her cheek. ¡°I¡¯ll get the doctor to look at it.¡± His broad palm almost wrapped around her face. His fingers caressed against her skin, and for a second Taya let herself get lost in the fantasy that the man before her cared about her very much and could not bear to let her get hurt. As if he loved her deeply. Seeing Taya staring at him in disbelief, Griffon suddenly came to his senses. He removed his hand from her face, turned around, and quickly walked out. Through the ss window of the hospital room, Taya saw him instructing the doctor named Ste to check her back first. Soon, Ste came in. Under Griffon¡¯s gaze, she first checked the wounds on Taya¡¯s back. ¡°It looks like your soft tissue is bruised. I¡¯ll get you something for the pain.¡± After saying that, Ste took out a can of ointment, scooped up a spoonful, rubbed it in her palm, and applied it to Taya¡¯s back. N?velDrama.Org exclusive content. Her movements were gentle, but as soon as she touched it, Taya felt a piercing pain and cold sweat dripping down her back. Griffon stepped forward and held her trembling shoulders. The high temperature of his palm made Taya grit her teeth and endure. Ste took a few more vials of her blood for testing. Taya was exhausted. She closed her eyes and wanted to fall asleep, but she looked uneasily at Griffon. Taya forced herself to open her eyes and looked at Griffon, who had been sitting by her hospital bed the entire time. ¡°Can you let go of Alpha Sterling first?¡± Seeing that she was still thinking about Jackson when she was in such a state, Griffon eyes, which had finally softened, turned cold. ¡°You need to worry about yourself and leave shifter matters to the shifters. Such affairs have nothing to do with you.¡± After saying that, Griffon got up and left without looking back. Looking at his figure disappear from her sight, Taya sighed helplessly. As usual, Griffon was as ruthless as ever. After the blood test, Ste returned to the ward with the report, but she didn¡¯t see Griffon. She thought he was gone, so she handed the report to Taya, who was lying on the bed. ¡°Ms. Palmer, your heart failure is very serious. Why didn¡¯t you get hospitalized?¡± Hearing Ste¡¯s voice, Taya, who had been dozing off several times, struggled to hold herself up and reached out to take the report. ¡°Being hospitalized is just waiting for death in a different ce¡­¡± Her voice was filled with endless despair as if she was ready to d ie. ¡°Does Alpha Knight know?¡± Taya shook her head. Seeing this, Ste understood. ¡°Shall I tell him?¡± She had thought that Ste would tell Griffon directly, but she didn¡¯t expect that Ste would ask for her opinion. Chapter 226 Chapter 226 Chapter 226 ¡°Do you think you could keep it between us? I know you¡¯re obligated to tell him whatever he asks since he¡¯s your Alpha, but¡­¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Ste nodded and made her own request. ¡°But you have to tell me what your rtionship to him is.¡± This was the first time she had seen her Alpha care so much about a woman, which made her a little curious. ¡°I used to be his lover¡¯s substitute, but now¡­ we have no rtionship,¡± she replied softly, trying to seem as though she didn¡¯t care. Ste¡¯s lips curved into a smile. ¡°His lover? Are you talking about Tara?¡± Taya nodded, and the smile on Ste¡¯s face She didn¡¯t say anything else. After telling Taya to get some rest, she turned around and walked out of the room. After Ste left, Taya couldn¡¯t hold on any longer. She closed her eyes and fell asleep. N?velDrama.Org exclusive content. She didn¡¯t know how long she had slept, but the moment she opened her eyes, she saw Griffon sitting next to her. He was wearing a ck sweater, and in the sunlight, his tanned skin and chiseled features were set off. Though he looked casual, almost rxed even, Taya knew better. He held a medical report, his eyes moving over the lines as he flipped through the pages one by one. There was no change in his expression as he looked at the report. Ste must have made a fake report for him. She had kept her promise. Not only did she help Taya keep her illness a secret, but she also made a fake report for her. Taya didn¡¯t need to worry about it. But hadn¡¯t Griffon already left before she fell asleep? Why was he still by her bed? She struggled to sit up, but as soon as she moved, the wound on her back was pulled, and pain shot through her. ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡± Seeing that Taya was moving around as soon as she woke up, Griffon barked at her to stay still. He reached out to hold her shoulders and turned her over. With his help, Taya slowly turned her body to avoid touching the wounds on her back. But she was thirsty¡­ She looked up at Griffon and saw that his face was void of any emotion. She swallowed the words on the tip of her tongue. She reached out to get the ss of water next to the bed, only to find that the blood on her hand had been washed clean. She had even been changed into a hospital gown. ¡°What do you want?¡± Before Taya could think about who had dealt with her hands and clothes, she heard Griffon¡¯s voice above her head. ¡°Water¡­¡± He picked up the ss of water next to her, put his arm around her waist, lifted her up, and held the cup to her lips. Taya was stunned for a second, and her eyes were full of doubt as she stared straight at him as if trying to detect any subtle changes in his expression. However, Griffon did not have any expression on his face. He was still as distant as usual. The only difference was that the way he looked at her somehow seemed gentler. As she slowly finished drinking the water, Griffon gently set her down, his movements so tender that Taya began to wonder if the man in front of her was an impostor. ¡°You¡­¡± She wanted to ask him what was wrong. However, Griffon stared at her and said solemnly, ¡°I¡¯ve already sent someone to look for a suitable heart for you. Wait a little longer. I¡¯ll do my best to cure you.¡± His words were like a warm current that slowly flowed into the bottom of Taya¡¯s heart, giving her a glimmer of hope. If she hadn¡¯t known that she was in thete stage of heart failure, she would probably have smiled and replied sweetly, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll wait for you.¡± However, she couldn¡¯t make a promise to him. ¡°I¡¯ve been looking for a suitable heart for many years but haven¡¯t found one. But you don¡¯t have to worry. I can Chapter 227 Chapter 227 Chapter 227 Griffon¡¯s face morphed into something between rage and frustration. ¡°I said I would cure you, and you¡¯ll do as I say. Regardless of your human status, I am the Alpha in Arcadia, and my word goes.¡± He pulled on the quilt to cover her, picked up report again, and sat next to her. the His thick, long eyshes drooped down, covering his big, dark beautiful eyes, making it difficult for people to discern what emotions were hidden beneath them. But there was a faint hint of anxiety lurking between his furrowed brows, so slight that it would be hard to perceive if one didn¡¯t look carefully. Griffon had always been good at controlling how he presented himself to others. Most Alphas were pros at hiding their emotions, but Griffon was next level. Taya didn¡¯t have the energy to try to figure out what he was thinking so shey on her side. They rarely got along so quietly. It seemed that in the past five years, he had never been with her in this way. From time to time, Taya would wonder what kind of position she upied in his heart. If she was just a contract lover, a substitute, then why did he stille to her after he ended the contract? This time, he even snatched her away from Jackson in front of so many people. Could it be that his wolf was upset to see her with someone else? Was it that he couldn¡¯t stand the thought of her being with another Alpha after him, since Alphas were so possessive of ANYTHING that they had ever viewed as belonging to them? Or¡­maybe, in his heart, he liked her a little. Taya didn¡¯t dare to even think the word ¡°love.¡± An Alpha wolf like Griffon would never fall in love with someone like her. And if they did¡­they would never admit it or give into it. The Elders would never allow it to happen. While she was lost in her thoughts, a phone vibrating pierced the silence in the room. Griffon took out his phone and looked at the number on the screen before answering the call. ¡°Alpha Knight.¡± Andre¡¯s voice came from the other end. ¡°The surveince footage is done. No one else will know about Ms. Palmer¡¯s presence at the hotel. Also, after you left with her yesterday, Jackson passed out. I had to take him to the hospital.¡± Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Well, then¡± Griffon responded tly. ¡°Is he awake?¡± ¡°He just woke up and asked to see Ms. Pal-¡± ¡°No,¡± Griffon interrupted, a growlcing his tone. Andre was in a dilemma. ¡°Sir, I¡¯m not sure what to do. After all, he¡¯s the Alpha of the Sterling Pack. Now that they have been looking for him, I can¡¯t keep sending people to lock him up¡­¡± After thinking for a few seconds, Griffon finally said, ¡°Let him go.¡± Then, he ended the call and looked over at Taya, who was sizing him up. Taya had already guessed whom he was referring to, so she didn¡¯t ask. It would be fine if he were willing to let go of Jackson. When she recovered a little, she would go to Jackson to thank him. Griffon stared at the IV drip for a long time. When the bag was empty, he pulled out the IV line for her. Taya nced at the three bags of medicine next to her. Were all three of those for her? But Griffon pulled out the needle. Did he not want her to get an IV drip? While she was full of doubts, Griffon pulled the quilt back and picked her up from the bed. Taya looked at his profile in a daze and asked, ¡°Where are you taking me?¡± ¡°Away,¡± he said gruffly as he carried her. He took her to his private pack manor, located deep in the Knight packnds. His portion covered an area of hundreds of acres, and there was arge garden. From a distance, it looked like a sea of flowers. The drive up to the house took minutes, and Taya was in awe of how massive the estate was. The vi decoration was in French style, simple, bright, and very elegant, yet somehow it seemedfortable and livable. When Griffon put Taya on the soft bed, she realized he had brought her home. Chapter 228 Chapter 228 Chapter 228 ¡°Griffon, you¡­¡± Taya wanted to ask him why he had taken her here, but she didn¡¯t know how to ask him. She lowered her head and did not dare to look at him. However, he seemed to have read her mind, ncing at her. ¡°You can rest here for a few days before I take you back.¡± And that was all he said. When Taya heard that he would take her home, she was no longer so nervous. As for a reason¡­ Perhaps because of choking her, causing her to almost break, he felt sorry for her. Although the reason was farfetched, she didn¡¯t dare to think too much about it. Plus, it didn¡¯t matter how much she thought about it, she would never be able to figure out his reasons. The man was a puzzle wrapped in a mystery. Griffon helped her lie down on the bed and called the housekeeper in. ¡°Frank, go and prepare some light food.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Frank hurried off. As soon as he left, Griffon called two maids to prepare some female supplies and help Taya wash up. The wounds on her back and the symptoms of heart failure made it painful for her to move. She had to rely on others¡¯ help if she wanted to wash up. anticipated her needs and arranged everything for her. She was touched and couldn¡¯t help whispering, ¡°Thank you¡­¡± Griffon didn¡¯t reply. He just nced at her and turned to leave the room. After he sat down on the sofa on the second floor, he took out hisptop and began to work. It was not until Frank, the housekeeper, went upstairs with the food he had prepared that he stopped his work. He looked at Frank and said, ¡°Give it to me.¡± Frank was stunned momentarily when he realized that his Alpha was going to take the youngdy¡¯s food to her himself. Now, it made sense why he was working here instead of his office. He¡¯d been waiting.Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. Chapter 229 Chapter 229 Chapter 229 Frank quickly handed him the tray. ¡°Alpha, be careful. It¡¯s hot.¡± Griffon nodded, got up, and walked towards the second bedroom. The maid had just finished drying Taya¡¯s hair. When she saw the Alphaing in, she quickly lowered her head and left quietly. Both maids had helped Taya bathe, and there was no makeup on her face, which made her look pale and sickly. Griffon would probably have thought she had an incurable disease if it weren¡¯t for her beautiful features that covered up some signs of illness. Fortunately, he had read her examination report and found nothing wrong with her except for congenital heart disease, so he didn¡¯t think too much about it. Sure, humans were weaker¡­but money could fix anything. He ced the tray on the bedside table, took the small bowl of soup, stirred it with a spoon to cool it off a bit, and held it out to Taya. N?velDrama.Org exclusive content. ¡°Open.¡± Taya looked at him nkly for a moment, unable to react immediately. Was this the same person? ¡°You don¡¯t like it?¡± Griffon put down the soup in his hand, picked up another bowl from the tray, lifted a spoonful up again, and motioned for her to open her m outh with a look. Taya finally came to her senses from disbelief when the warm soup touched her lips. She opened her mo uth awkwardly and ate the bite. ¡°Do you want more?¡± After feeding her spoon by spoon, Griffon picked up the other bowl of soup next to him and wanted to continue to feed her. Taya quickly shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m full.¡± Only then did Griffon put down his bowl and wipe the corners of her mo uth with a cloth napkin. Taya had been with him for five years, but he had never cared for her like this, had never even shown her any inkling that he was capable of caring for someone like this. She opened her eyes and stared nkly at the man before her. Was this really happening right now? But Griffon didn¡¯t think it was odd or inappropriate at all. After putting the napkin down, he took out his phone and called Ste, asking her to bring the medical equipment to the vi. Hearing this, Taya quickly recovered from her shock. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine after I rest. There¡¯s no need to trouble Ste.¡± Griffon gave her a sidelong nce and used his Alpha voice on her. ¡°It¡¯s up to me to decide if it¡¯s troublesome.¡± Taya had no choice but to s h ut her mo uth obediently and let him do as he pleased¡­ Chapter 230 Chapter 230 Chapter 230 Griffon had already left the room when Ste came in with a pile of instruments. Watching Ste give her medicine and administer IV fluids, Taya felt embarrassed. Ste gave her a meaningful smile. ¡°Ms. Palmer, you¡¯re so lucky.¡± Ste was probably referring to the fact that Griffon treated her differently. But this difference was probably only be due to pity. After all, they had been together for five years, and even the most indifferent person would show more concern upon suddenly finding out that she had heart disease. Ste didn¡¯t know what Taya was thinking, though. She applied some tape to the IV on the back of her hand, took a few boxes of medicine, and handed them to her. ¡°You are so lucky. I just bought a batch of medicine from a pack abroad. It¡¯s not something we typically need, but since it has a long shelf life and we see humans at the hospital since theye into town for business, I decided to stock up. Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. ¡°It should at least relieve some of the pain¡­¡± Taya¡¯s heart warmed. She¡¯d heard horror stories of other shifter areas never having anything for human medical needs. That it was something Ste thought about showed just what a good person she was. She reached out to take the medicine, smiling and softly saying, ¡°Thank you.¡± After telling her to rest, Ste left. Griffon was sitting on the sofa outside, dealing with business, using several phones andputers at the He was busy to the point of being overwhelmed, yet he remained at home steadfastly, obviously for the sake of the s ic k beauty in the bedroom. That sickly beauty must be very important to him, Ste thought. After Griffon hung up the video conference, she walked over. ¡°Alpha Knight, Ms. Palmer still needs to rest for some time. I¡¯lleter to give her another infusion.¡± Griffon didn¡¯t even look at her. He just nodded, looking a little tired. He thought Ste would leave when she finished filling him in, but she stood there. Chapter 231 Chapter 231 Chapter 231 Griffon frowned. ¡°Is there anything else?¡± Ste hesitated briefly. ¡°Alpha Knight, do you¡­ care about Ms. Palmer very much?¡± She thought that if the Alpha cared about Taya so much, it would be unfair for her to help Taya hide how serious her illness was from him. Griffon raised his head and arched an eyebrow as if reprimanding her for daring to ask him something so personal. At receiving his look, Ste quickly wanted to apologize, but Griffon spoke before she could. ¡°She fulfills a need.¡± Ste was surprised. She¡¯d thought for sure that the Alpha cared for Taya, given how anxious he was at the hospital. He¡¯d rushed in, demanding the best care for her, and then he¡¯s gone so far as to bring her to his personal pack home to ensure she was more Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. she knew that Taya was just a glorified s ex toy for Griffon, she felt no guilt for helping Taya hide the gravity of her illness from him. Griffon had always been cold-hearted. Sometimes even to pack members. He did not keep useless people around, no matter if they were part of the Knight pack. The Knight pack was one of the most powerful wolf packs in the world for a reason. Everyone must serve their purpose and do their duty¡­Taya¡¯s being to have s ex with the Alpha. And she couldn¡¯t do that in her condition. If he discovered that Taya was seriously ill, he would probably abandon her before she died. Chapter 232 Chapter 232 Chapter 232 The door to Taya¡¯s room was open, and the voices of the two people outside were clearly audible. The harsh truth of Griffon¡¯s words ripped through her. She meant nothing to him. Five years. Five years of her life-the LAST years of her life- spent on a cr uel man who only viewed her as an elevated se x toy. She¡¯d hoped and hoped that he felt SOMETHING for her, but she had never before had a moment that made herpletely lose hope like now¡­ She raised her right hand and increased the speed of the slow drip of the IV, thinking that if the fluid were infused faster, the symptoms would improve faster and she could get out of here. After Ste left, Griffon looked toward the bedroom and saw that the door was open. A snarl crossed his face. He got up and walked quickly to the room. As soon as he walked in, he saw Taya adjusting the IV. Her face showed little emotion; she looked as gentle and obedient as before. When she saw himing in, she smiled at him and dispelled any worry he had that she¡¯d overheard what he¡¯d said to Ste. Then again, he¡¯d spoken quietly, so she probably did not hear them. If she had a wolf¡¯s senses, she would have easily heard what was being said. This was one time he was actually d she was a human. After letting out a sigh of relief, Griffon sat down beside her. ¡°Do you feel better?¡± Taya pretended that nothing had happened and nodded. ¡°I do now, yes. Then, they didn¡¯t say anything. The silence made the atmosphere between the two of them slightly awkward. Seeing that he wasn¡¯t going to leave, Taya couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Alpha Knight, can you help me find my bag?¡± Her bag had been left in the banquet hall of the Seaview Hotel, and her phone and other things were inside. She was afraid that Harper would be anxious if she couldn¡¯t find her, but she had no way of retrieving her belongings on her own right now. Griffon felt a little ufortable when she called him ¡°Alpha Knight.¡± She¡¯d always called him that out of deference to his position of power and their power dynamic. But since they had parted ways, he felt that she was getting farther and farther away from him. Every time she called him ¡°Alpha Knight¡± made the distance between them feel even more vast. Griffon frowned. He cleared his mind, took out his phone, and called Andre. Andre had to return and forcefully take Taya¡¯s bag from Jackson¡¯s hands. Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. Andre looked at the small whi te leather bag in his hand and couldn¡¯t help shake his head. This was probably the most childish thing he had ever done. When Andre arrived at the vi with Taya¡¯s bag, Griffon had already left the guest bedroom where Taya was and was now buried in his work in the study. Andre knocked on the door. ¡°Alpha, here is Ms. Palmer¡¯s bag.¡± Andre ced it on Griffon¡¯s desk. Griffon raised his eyes and nced at Frank, who was standing beside him. ¡°Take it to her.¡± ¡°Yes, Alpha,¡± Frank answered, then took the bag and turned to leave. After Frank closed the door, Andre began to report thetest situation to Griffon. ¡°Jackon is sending people to look for Taya. It seems that he won¡¯t give up until he finds her.¡± ¡°And Ms. Thorin is also looking for the woman you were holding yesterday. I¡¯m afraid your mother will be rmed if it goes on like this¡­¡± Just mentioning Griffon¡¯s mother made Andre break out in a cold sweat, let alone what consequences they would face if they really angered her. ¡°Let Ste deal with Tara. As for Jackson¡­¡± Griffon¡¯s eyes narrowed and turned to the amber of his wolf¡¯s eyes. It was as if Andre had touched his sore spot just by mentioning Jackson¡¯s name. ¡°Let him look for her.¡± If Jackson was as great of an Alpha wolf as he thought he was, he would be able to find her. He would deserve to find her. As for whether he could see Taya or not, that decision was not up to Jackson. Chapter 233 Chapter 233 Chapter 233 Andre nced at Griffon. The look in his Alpha¡¯s eyes was borderline terrifying, and Andre could tell how crazy his possessiveness was from the gleam there. He had wanted to persuade Griffon to return Taya to Jackson, but when he saw Griffon¡¯s expression, he tactfully s hut his mo uth. He knew better than to challenge his Alpha when his mind was set on something. Griffon probably felt something for the woman, even though he didn¡¯t want to admit it, so he decided to fight with Jackson. However, the Alpha didn¡¯t express his thoughts, so Andre couldn¡¯t point them out. He respectfully replied with a ¡°yes, Alpha¡± and tried to block all news of Taya being at the pack manor. Although the pack members who worked in the personal, private house were all the Alpha¡¯s trusted followers, they could not resist the means of the mother Luna in the old house of the Knight pack. Andre felt he should clear all the obstacles for the Alpha as best he could. Taya didn¡¯t know about what had happened in the study. When she saw Frank bring her bag in, she quickly sat up. ¡°Ms. Palmer, this is your bag.¡± Taya took the bag from him with both hands and thanked him repeatedly. ¡°Thank you.¡± Frank smiled kindly. ¡°Alpha Knight found it for you. If you want to thank someone, thank him.¡± The corners of Taya¡¯s mou th curled into a polite smile, but she didn¡¯t reply. It was not proper for Frank to stay in the room for a long time without anyone else in there, so he turned around and went out after saying, ¡°Have a good rest.¡± After he left, Taya opened her bag and took out her phone to look. Harper had been calling over and over. Frightened, Taya immediately called her, and Harper answered on the first ring. Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Taya, what¡¯s going on? Why is Ss at our door? He couldn¡¯t possibly still be seeking revenge after five years, right?¡± Taya didn¡¯t expect Jackson toe to her house. ¡°He¡¯s not there to harm me.¡± She told Harper about the MPC¡¯s request for her to entertain Harper, hiding at the stairs, nced at the man who was guarding the door. ¡°Taya, his head is wrapped in gauze, and he¡¯s wearing a hospital gown. He looks a little strange.¡± Chapter 234 Chapter 234 Chapter 234 Hearing this, Taya felt even more guilty. ¡°Harper, he got injured to save me. Can you help me? Tell him to return to the hospital and wait for me to find him in a few days.¡± Harper only processed part of what Taya said. ¡°Save you? What¡¯s going on?¡± Taya gave a general exnation about Roman¡¯s attack at the hotel. She hated telling Harper these things, because Harper¡¯s wolf was more than a little vengeful. When Harper learned the truth, she insisted on finding Roman and tearing him into pieces. Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. However, when she heard from Taya that Griffon had already sent someone to deal with Roman, she suddenly s hut her m outh. ¡°So¡­ you¡¯re with Griffon right now?¡± Taya could only nod in agreement and mumble a ¡°mmhmm¡±. She dare not hide anything from her best friend. Harper sighed long and muttered, ¡°What a bad rtionship.¡± Then, she hung up the phone. After putting her phone into her pocket, Harper grabbed the soup she¡¯d brought and walked to the front door. She¡¯d beening to bring Taya something to help her feel better, but as soon as she saw Ss, she¡¯d hid at the side of the front steps where he couldn¡¯t see her. She waited there for a long time, but he didn¡¯t leave. Now that she¡¯d talked to Taya and knew what was up, she walked behind Jackson, frowning when she saw him motionlessly leaning against the doorframe. ¡°Taya asked you to go back to the hospital. She¡¯lle to you in a few days.¡± She conveyed Taya¡¯s message and turned to leave. Jackson suddenly grabbed her arm. When Harper turned around and saw his bloodshot eyes, she froze. Chapter 235 Chapter 235 Chapter 235 ¡°Harper.¡± The word he choked with sobs made Harper¡¯s heart tremble. She wouldn¡¯t admit that he was Jackson. She had always thought that he was Ss. Therefore, it would be a lie to say that Harper was not shocked when he called her by her name like before. However, she did not give him any response. She just stared coldly at his scarlet eyes. Back then, she had apanied Taya to Wolverly Capital to find him, but his pack guards had driven them away. Later, Taya persuaded her to return to Arcadia, and then the Sterling pack robbed her of her photos. At that time, the rented house was in a mess, and all the furniture she had was destroyed. What made Harper even more disappointed was that he wanted to k ill Taya. These things were lingering in Harper¡¯s heart, and even after their reunion, she still felt extremely resentful. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Jackson seemed to have mustered up all his courage to This apology had been dyed for five years. ¡°The person you should say sorry to is Taya.¡± The only person he had let down was Taya, not her. ¡°I¡¯ve let you down, and I¡¯ve let Taya down even more¡­¡± say that. After muttering to himself, Jackson subconsciously tightened his grip on Harper¡¯s hand. His bloodshot eyes that were shining with his wolf were pleading. ¡°Please tell me where she is. I have something very important to tell her.¡± Although Harper¡¯s wolf felt something was wrong with Jackson, she didn¡¯t want to think too much about it, so she pushed him away. ¡°She said she woulde to you in a few days. If you have anything to say, wait until shees to you.¡± ¡°No, she won¡¯t. Griffon took her away. He won¡¯t let here to me¡­¡±Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. Chapter 236 Chapter 236 Chapter 236 As soon as Jackson mentioned Griffon, he felt a sharp pain all over his body, as if his bones had been pierced. His wolf howled within him. He knew that Taya had sold herself to save his life, but he didn¡¯t know that the person who had bought her was the Knight pack Alpha. If he hadn¡¯t taken her away from him that day, he would still be in the dark. Jackson felt terrified at the thought of Griffon, who was even more powerful than him. There weren¡¯t many wolves in this world that had that effect on him, but Alpha Knight was one of them. Griffon could ruin him with no effort at all, and wouldn¡¯t even have to touch him. He grabbed Harper¡¯s hand again. ¡°Please, tell me where she is. If I can¡¯t find her, I will go crazy¡­¡± Harper looked at the irrational wolf and suddenly felt he was the same as when he discovered that Taya had sold herself after the car ident. At that time, Ss was no longer as gentle as he used to be. He scolded and kissed Taya and was not like a normal person at all. Now he was holding Harper¡¯s hand with red, desperate wolf eyes. He looked stubborn and crazy, which made her feel pity for him for a s second. She couldn¡¯t help but ask him, ¡°Since Taya is so important to you, why did you want to ki ll her five years ago?¡± Jackson froze, his blood freezing. ¡°I¡­tried to ki ll her?¡± Seeing that he didn¡¯t admit to what he had done, Harper put away her pity. ¡°Five years ago, she went to find you for thest time, but you kicked her hard in the heart. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that passers-by discovered her, she would have died on the side of the road. Don¡¯t tell me that you didn¡¯t do it or don¡¯t remember it.¡± No wonder Taya never came to see him again. It turned out that ¡°he¡± almost kicked her to death. Jackson curled his lips and smiled. The bitterness and helplessness in his smile made him more painful. He slowly released Harper¡¯s hand, held the doorframe, and slumped over in pain. Seeing him like this, Harper frowned even more. ¡°Are you going to sit here and wait for her to return?¡± Jackson didn¡¯t seem to have the strength to speak and could only nod slightly. Harper knew he had been stubborn since childhood, and it was useless to persuade him to leave, so she told him the truth cruelly. ¡°Every time Taya is taken away by Griffon, she won¡¯t be able to return for at least two or three days. You can¡¯t stay here forever, can you?¡± Judging from his expression, he seemed to know whom Taya had sold herself to. It didn¡¯t matter if she told him. There was nothing he could do when it came to Alpha Knight.Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. Chapter 237 Chapter 237 Chapter 237 To Jackson, Harper¡¯s words were a fatal bl ow. ¡°Every single time?¡± He raised his blood-red eyes in disbelief and looked at Harper. ¡°The past five years¡­ she has been with Griffon?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Harper replied indifferently. Her words cut through Jackson like a knife. He had thought that she had only sold herself once, but he hadn¡¯t expected that she had been with that man for five years. No wonder Griffon looked at her with a wolf¡¯s possessive eyes. Then what should Jackson do? He had loved her for so many years¡­ From the beginning of love to the deep love before amnesia, it was almost engraved into Jackson¡¯s bones. He loved her so much that he would rather d ie in a car ident than let her be with another man to save him. He couldn¡¯t ept that Taya was lying under another man¡¯s body and being possessed by another wolf. Chapter 237 He couldn¡¯t bear it, not even once, let alone for five years¡­ Taya, whom he had been reluctant to touch since she was a child, had been with Griffon for five years¡­ His heart convulsed, and even his limbs and bones ached. His vision darkened, and then he fainted. Seeing Jackson suddenly fall in front of her, Harper was shocked and quickly called for someone to take him to the hospital. When Jackson came out of the hospital, it was already dark. Harper sighed helplessly and took out her phone to send a message to Taya. Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. [Taya, you¡¯d bettere to the hospital earlier to see Ss. He seems to have something very important to tell you.] When Taya saw this message, she breathed deeply and wondered why Jackson hurried to find her. She looked at her body. Although she had taken special medicine, it was not that effective in a short time. Especially with the wound on her back. It hurt so much if she moved a little. Even if she wanted to leave now, she couldn¡¯t. After thinking for a while, she replied to Harper. [I¡¯ll do it as soon as possible.] Then, she put down her phone and looked at Griffon, who was helping her pull out the IV needle. It was not until the evening that she finished her IV drip. Griffon changed the medicine bag and fed her food and water. He could have asked the servants to do it, but he insisted on taking care of her himself. Looking at him, Taya felt that he was doing this just to help her get better as soon as possible so that she could help him solve his wolf¡¯s primal needs. Thinking of this, Taya felt as if a basin of cold water had been poured over her body. When Griffon pulled out the needle, he pressed his slender fingers on her hand. As soon as he pulled it out, she immediately withdrew her hand. In Griffon¡¯s eyes, her avoidance of touching him was somewhat harsh, and he swept her a cold nce. ¡°I¡¯ve touched every part of your body. Why are you avoiding me?¡± His tone was always interrogative and dismissive. Taya used to think he was overbearing, but now she felt he had never taken her seriously. She pursed her lips and did not reply. Her pale face was tinged with loneliness. Griffon lifted his fingers, pinched her chin, and forced her to look at him. ¡°You want to go find Ss?¡± When Taya heard Ss¡¯s name again, she felt her heart skip. Then she quickly realized he must have seen it when she replied to Harper. Chapter 238 Chapter 238 Chapter 238 Taya had nned to tell him about her departure after she got out of bed. Since Griffon had taken the initiative to ask, she could take the opportunity to ask him. ¡°He must have something urgent to discuss with me. Could you please have someone take me home?¡± ¡°Are you so anxious to see him?¡± Griffon looked down at her from where he stood, towering above her. Under the shadows of light, his face looked even more sinister and frigid. ¡°Yes.¡± Taya was a little afraid of him but still nodded, against her heart¡¯s wishes. Even if she didn¡¯t want to see Jackson, she had to leave immediately. Since Griffon was nning his mating ceremony to Tara, it was inappropriate for Taya to stay at his house overnight. She had only forgotten about his mate-to-be because she had been touched by the warmth he showed. Now that she hadpletely woken up, she felt she should no longer be entangled with a man with a fianc¨¦e. Taya looked calm, but there was a hint of anxiety in her eyes. It seemed that she couldn¡¯t wait to leave. When Griffon saw her like this, theplicated emotions he felt gradually disappeared and were reced by coldness. ¡°It¡¯s only been a day since you two parted, and you miss each other so much. It seems that you two have rekindled your love.¡± In the face of his sarcasm, Taya did not exin anything. She lowered her long eyshes to hide her eyes. Seeing that she was silent, the shifter became increasingly livid, and his hand holding her chin became more and more uncontroble, ws starting toe out and poke into her flesh. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you don¡¯t love him anymore? Why do you still want to get back together with him?¡± Trying to ignore the sharp pain in her chin, Taya smiled at him. ¡°I could be your lover for many years even though I don¡¯t love you. Why can¡¯t I rekindle my love with him?¡± She didn¡¯t know if the first half of her sentence made him choke or the second half made him so angry that he was speechless. Taya looked up at him and saw that his eyes werepletely his wolf¡¯s right now. There wasn¡¯t just the hint of his wolf¡­it was Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. But she quickly suppressed the emotion she couldn¡¯t help feeling for him. Griffon suddenly pressed down on her and pressed her against the bed. His lips were almost pressed against hers. He didn¡¯t touch her, but such close contact instantly made her suppressed feelings rise again. ¡°Didn¡¯t I warn you that Jackson is the future son-inw of the Knight pack? How dare you be with him? ¡°Do you think that after he called off his mating, you will have a chance to be his new mate? That¡¯s why you¡¯re eager to rekindle your old rtionship?¡± If she hadn¡¯t heard with her own ears that his thoughts about her were limited to his physical needs, Taya would have surely thought that he was jealous. Fortunately, she no longer had any expectations of him, so she remained unmoved by what he said. ¡°Alpha Knight, you know I want to marry into a wealthy pack for protection, and now that my ex-lover hase knocking, naturally, I¡¯m tempted. As for the warning you gave me, you said he was the future son-inw, but no one knows what will happen, right?¡± Her question made Griffon feel she didn¡¯t even care about her dignity and had no limit to how low she would stoop. No wonder after learning about Jackson¡¯s broken engagement, she moved into his house and went in and out of hotels with him. Did she think that as long as she could control Jackson, she didn¡¯t have to take the Knight pack seriously? That she could look down on Griffon? She was provoking him¡­but what about him? What was he doing? He kept going to her again and again¡­ Griffon stared at her pale face and wished he could strangle her to death with his ws, but¡­ he couldn¡¯t bear to do that. ¡°Taya, you really don¡¯t know what¡¯s good for you¡­¡± After a long moment of silence, Griffon mmed the door and left. Chapter 239 Chapter 239 Chapter 239 Taya heaved a sigh of relief. She thought that since she had fallen out with him, he would send someone to take her home. Not only did he not send someone take her home, he also asked Frank to take good care of her. He had never appeared again, as if he hadpletely forgotten about her. Ste had given her special medicine for heart failure for the past few days, and her body had quickly recovered from the very worst of her symptoms. She could leave the bed and walk, but her body was still really weak. Just getting up and going to the bathroom was enough to half-destroy her. Ste said that special medicine could relieve pain and symptoms, but it wouldn¡¯t extend her life. She was destined to di e as scheduled, and no one could save her. When Taya came out of the bathroom with the help of the bathroom wall, Ste was packing her medical items up. Seeing that Taya was sweating, she quickly walked over to help her. Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Taya, you¡¯d better go to the hospital for thest treatment. Don¡¯t force yourself. You won¡¯t be able to stand it¡­¡± ¡°No.¡± Taya shook her head firmly. Ste sighed. ¡°Alpha Knight will find out if you keep doing this.¡± Taya pursed her lips and forced a smile. ¡°So¡­ Ste, can you take me away from here?¡± Ste gave a helpless smile. ¡°No one dares to take you away without Alpha Knight¡¯s permission. Taya did not make things difficult for Ste anymore. With her help, she sat down on the bed again. Ste picked up the water ss next to her and handed it over. ¡°You probably can¡¯t eat much now, so drink something.¡± Late-stage heart failure patients were prone to stomach bleeding if they ate too much, so they could only rely on water to maintain hydration. However, it wouldn¡¯t be long before she couldn¡¯t even drink water. When Taya took the water, she looked up and wanted to thank Ste, but she saw the scratches on her face. ¡°Ste, what¡¯s the matter?¡± She didn¡¯t look closer at Ste when she was doing her checkup and IV. Now she saw the deep nail marks on her face and realized she had been injured. Ste touched her face and said calmly, ¡°A patient scratched me.¡± Griffon asked her to handle Tara, and the simplest way was for Ste to admit that she was the woman Griffon carried into the car. After that, Tara brought a group of her pack mates to break into the hospital, hitting and smashing things, and even scratched her a few times. However, she didn¡¯t want Taya to know or ask any questions. ¡°Be sure to use vitamin E on them so they won¡¯t scar,¡± Taya said. Ste had a beautiful face, so it would be a pity if she were to be disfigured. And oftentimes, doctors put other needs before their own. Ste nodded and left with her medicine bag. When she left, Taya thought of Griffon, and she felt suffocated. Taya didn¡¯t know what he meant. He was going to mate someone else, but still kept Taya locked up at his home. Did he want Tara and want her? If that was the case, then he was too greedy. Chapter 240 Chapter 240 Chapter 240 While Taya was hugging her legs and leaning against the headboard in a daze, bright headlights hit the floor-to-ceiling ss. Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. Then, the sound of wheels rolling on the ground came from downstairs, and a luxury car stopped at the vi¡¯s gate. A pack guard holding an umbre opened the rear door, and a tall man slowly got out of the car. He tore off the tie around his neck with one hand and ordered coldly, ¡°Don¡¯t let him in.¡± The pack guard replied with a ¡°yes.¡± After walking the man to the door, he turned around and walked toward the iron gate outside the garden. Taya stood before the French window and followed the pack guard¡¯s line of sight. From a distance, she saw a man outside the iron gale. She was too far away and it was raining heavily, so she couldn¡¯t see the man¡¯s face clearly and didn¡¯t care much about him. Withdrawing her gaze, she struggled to walk down the stairs with the help of the wall. Griffon hadn¡¯t returned for several days, and she hadn¡¯t had the chance to propose leaving. Taya had to seize the opportunity now that he was back. Griffon had just taken off his coat and handed it to the servant when she got downstairs. His gloomy and cold face became even more of a snarl when he saw hering downstairs. However, Taya didn¡¯t notice and quickly went up to him. ¡°Alpha Knight¡­¡± She wanted to say a few words to him, but he didn¡¯t even give her a look and went straight to the bathroom. Frustrated by the rejection, Taya¡¯s face darkened. He left her at home, ignored her, and even red at her. Did he think she was a punching bag? Taya wanted to give up on asking him about leaving, but when she saw Frank, who was following her closely, she resisted again. Without Griffon¡¯s permission, Frank, the servants, and the pack guards would keep an eye on her. Even if she wanted to escape, she had no choice. Thinking of this, she gritted her teeth and sat down on the sofa in the living room, After about an hour, the bathroom door slowly opened. Then Taya quickly got up and walked over. ¡°Alpha Knight, you said you would take me home after a few days of rest. Now that I¡¯m almost recovered, can you let me go?¡± The wolf still ignored her. He just nced at her with a growl and then walked to the second floor. Taya felt embarrassed when she was ignored by him, and she dared not approach him anymore. But she couldn¡¯t stay in his house all the time. ¡°Alpha Knight.¡± ¡°Alpha Knight¡­¡± Taya mustered up her courage and strength to catch up with him. She didn¡¯t expect him to stop suddenly. Before she had time to stop, she bumped into his back. The impact was so strong that she almost rolled backward down the stairs. Fortunately, Griffon reacted quickly and wrapped an arm around her waist. The two of them were extremely close to each other. Their eyes reflected each other¡¯s appearance¡­ Taya lowered her head and whispered, ¡°Thank you.¡± Then, she stood still and pushed him away. Griffon nced at her indifferently and asked with a growl, ¡°Have you discussed this with him?¡± ¡°What?¡± Taya raised her head to look at him, her eyes full of confusion. Griffon looked at the figure outside the window and asked, ¡°He was able to find this ce. Didn¡¯t you ask him toe to pick you up?¡± Taya followed his line of sight and looked out the window, but she couldn¡¯t see clearly. She had no choice but to take a few steps. Looking down from above, she could see everything outside. Chapter 241 Chapter 241 Chapter 241 With the help of the bright streetlights outside the iron gate, she could finally see who the man was. ¡°Jackson¡­¡± How did he find this ce? ¡°Your old lover is here to pick you up, so you were eager to leave?¡± His sarcastic tone pulled Taya back to reality. She looked at Griffon, who had already walked to her side. He had just taken a shower and smelled pleasant. But what he said was so unpleasant. Taya pursed her lips and did not reply. She wanted to leave. But if she walked out of the vi at this moment, Griffon would definitely think that she had discussed it with Jackson. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you leaving?¡± Griffon lowered his head and looked at her with frigid eyes. Seeing the iciness in his eyes, Taya was afraid he would think she didn¡¯t want to leave, so she quickly turned around. However, as soon as she took two steps towards the stairs, Griffon grabbed her by the arm and pulled her into his arms. ¡°As expected, you¡¯ve discussed it with him!¡± A low growl came from above her head, which stunned Taya for a moment. Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. ¡°I didn¡¯t discuss it with him.¡± ¡°Then how did he know you were here?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, either. Maybe it¡¯s-¡± ¡°Don¡¯t try to evade the issue. You wanted me to find your purse so you could contact him.¡± Before she could exin, Griffon interrupted her. Taya stopped talking. He had already decided that she had contacted Jackson toe to pick her up, and no matter what she said, the Alpha wouldn¡¯t believe her. It was better just to forget it. ¡°He came to pick you up as soon as you recovered. How else would he know when to get here if you hadn¡¯t told him?¡± His pressure andck of trust made Taya feel very tired. She took a deep breath and then spoke. Chapter 242 Chapter 242 Chapter 242 ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve discussed it with him. I asked him to pick me up when I can leave the bed and walk around.¡± Seeing that she admitted to it, Griffon sneered, his wolf showing in his eyes and his fangs dropping slightly. ¡°You¡¯re so cheap. You haven¡¯t fully recovered yet but already wanted him to sleep with you!¡± Griffon never failed to think the worst of her. Taya raised her face and smiled provocatively at him: ¡°You¡¯re right. I¡¯m desperate to sleep with him, so please let me go!¡± Griffon¡¯s body stiffened. Taya could feel that she had angered him, but she didn¡¯t know if she was too angry and that was overriding her fear of him. She just didn¡¯t want to let him off the hook. Like a thorny rose, she stabbed him with all her thorns and said, ¡°We¡¯ve separated, and you¡¯re getting mated. We don¡¯t have any reason to see each other ever again.¡± Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. Griffon¡¯s body became stiffer, and his eyes was so dark they looked like ink might start to seep from them. ¡°What did you say?¡± He spoke in a low and ominous growl, and his fangs were fully extended now. Looking directly into the Alpha¡¯s eyes, Taya gritted her teeth and said, ¡°I told you not to pester me anymore. I don¡¯t want to see you again. Please let me go and let me go home with him.¡± After they separated, Griffon came to find her several times, which always made her mistakenly think that he could not let go of her. But when she heard him say he had only physical needs for her, she decided she had to make a clean break from him. Since she wanted to cut off all ties, she had to be more decisive with her words. Otherwise, it would seem like she wanted to refuse but was still willing to ept him. She needed to present a strong stance. An Alpha would only ept a strong stance. Taya thought that if she acted decisively enough, he would let her go and let her get out of his house. However, he held her waist with onerge hand and backed her Chapter 243 Chapter 243 Chapter 243 up against the French window. The moment his lips pressed down on hers, Taya waspletely stunned¡­ He was not kissing her. Instead, he was biting her lips. Hard. He repeatedly crushed his body against hers and bit her as if he had umted too much anger in his heart, but also as if he had endured her for a long time before venting it on her in this way. Taya¡¯s mind went nk. It wasn¡¯t until she felt a sharp pain on her lips that she realized what Griffon was doing. She instinctively tried her best to push him away, but he grabbed her wrists with one hand and lifted her hands above her head, pinning her in ce. Taya¡¯s eyes widened as she looked at the handsome face before her. For a moment, she felt that he waspletely crazy¡­ ¡°Griffon!¡± While struggling, she groaned and tried to stop him from going wild, but as soon as she opened her mo uth, she was bitten again. This time, it changed from being biting to kissing. It was crazy and unrestrained, and it was as if he was unleashing all of his pent-up passion and frustration on her. Her traitorous body responded to him, and she kissed him back. Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. Just as she was about to explode from his kiss, Frank¡¯s voice came from downstairs. ¡°Alpha Sterling has called the pack police. He said that you illegally detained Ms. Palmer. Now the police are here and are waiting outside.¡± Chapter 244 Chapter 244 Chapter 244 Griffon paused momentarily, raised his hazy eyes, and looked out the window. Then, he looked down at the delicate woman in his arms. ¡°Your old lover is as ungrateful as you.¡± After saying this, he turned around and ordered Frank in a cold voice, ¡°Let hime up.¡± Since he wanted to see Taya, he would let him see her as long as he could bear it! ¡°Yes, Alpha,¡± Frank answered. He let Jackson in after giving some instructions to the pack police. Jackson, who was soaked all over, staggered up the stairs with the help of the handrail. The head wound had affected the powerful wolf, but he was pushing past the pain and blood loss. When he saw Taya being forcibly kissed by Griffon against the floor-to-ceiling window, he started to shift partially into his wolf, into his lycan form. Over the past few days, he had checked all the assets under Griffon¡¯s name instead of under the Knight pack. Finding them took a lot of effort, but now he was here, seeing everything with his own eyes. Jackson was rooted to the spot, and his expression was filled with disbelief before other emotions started to take over. ¡°Taya!¡± He staggered over and tried to pull Griffon away from her, but he was stopped by the pack guards behind him. Griffon had his back to Jackson, so he couldn¡¯t see hist expression, but he could hear the copse in his voice, hear the other Alpha¡¯s anger and hurt. He couldn¡¯t help but smile, sped the back of Taya¡¯s head, and deepened the kiss. There was no way the other Alpha didn¡¯t smell Taya¡¯s arousal for Griffon. Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. After telling Frank to let Jackson in, Taya didn¡¯t expect Griffon to kiss her again. It was not until she heard Jackson¡¯s voice that she understood Griffon¡¯s purpose. Although she had already let go of Jackson, she still couldn¡¯t help but be shocked when she saw his bloodshot eyes. She felt that the man struggling to rush to them was not Jackson but Ss. Because only when Ss saw her being bullied by another man would he break down. His desire to protect her above all else had been Ss¡¯s only weakness. Subconsciously, she didn¡¯t want to make him sad, so she struggled desperately. However, the more she struggled, the harder Griffon kissed her. And then he slid the hand wrapped around her waist to cup her breast. Chapter 245 Chapter 245 Chapter 245 ¡°Griffon, don¡¯t touch her!¡± Jackson roared like a madman, wishing to rush forward and k ill Griffon. However, he was pinned down by Griffon¡¯s strongest pack guards and couldn¡¯t move at all. Had he not been injured, he would have been able to throw them off, but his head wound kept him from essing his full wolf powers.¡± He could only watch as Griffon slowly took advantage of Taya. Except¡­was he really taking advantage of her? Jackson could smell Taya¡¯s arousal, could tell from the zed-over look in her eyes that at least part of her wasn¡¯t resisting him. ¡°Don¡¯t¡­ don¡¯t it here!¡± Taya forcefully pushed Griffon and only squeezed out this sentence with difficulty. Because if Jackson wasn¡¯t watching, she wasn¡¯t sure she would want him to stop. However, Griffon sealed her lips with his again, and she couldn¡¯t say anything. She was so angry and turned-on that she trembled and bit Griffon¡¯s lips fiercely. She wanted to force Griffon back in this way, but she didn¡¯t Something about it must have tapped into his wolf¡¯s animalistic desires, even though a human was the one doing it. She knew that s ex between wolf shifters could be very rough, with the she-wolves giving out just as much as the males did. Perhaps she¡¯d awakened something not just in herself, but something in him in regard to how he looked at her. With a roar, Griffon suddenly let go of her, his chest heaving up and down. He picked her up and walked into the bedroom. Jackson desperately tried to yank away from the pack guards holding him backing, letting out a warning growl. ¡°Griffon, I won¡¯t let you touch her!¡±Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. The heart-wrenching voice behind them made Griffon stop. He slowly turned around and looked down at Jackson. When he spoke, themanding power of his Alpha wolf infused his words with warning. ¡°She¡¯s my woman. I can touch her if I want. What right do you have to forbid me from doing so?¡± His powerful and arr ogant aura made Jackson, who was kneeling on the floor, look like a despicable dog rather than the strong Alpha he was. in Griffon¡¯s arms. ¡°She¡¯s not your woman. She¡¯s mine. I grew up with her, and we love each other. I¡¯m willing to look past the fact that she has no wolf, and you won¡¯t. How could she be yours if you don¡¯t truly ept her for who she is?¡± They had promised to be together forever! How did she end up being his? How could she be his even now? Jackson couldn¡¯t ept it, and his mind was in a state of me ntal breakdown, as if his wolf was turning feral inside of him. Seeing Jackson¡¯s expression, Taya was slightly shocked. Didn¡¯t he abandon her five years ago? Why did he look so sad? Holding Taya tightly in his arms, Griffon red at Jackson, who was clearly on the verge of going mad. ¡°If you¡¯d like, you can sit outside the door and listen to just how wild and passionate she is while I¡¯m inside her.¡± Chapter 246 Chapter 246 Chapter 246 The moment the door was closed, Jackson¡¯s desperate roar was cut off. Taya was thrown onto the bed by Griffon, and his massive body was pressed down against hers. She¡¯d thought he was deliberately provoking Jackson, but she didn¡¯t expect him to be serious. He was going to sleep with her! ¡°I¡¯ve slept with another man since you. Don¡¯t you think I¡¯m dir ty now?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care. I¡¯m going to erase every bit of any other man from your body.¡± After saying this, Griffon¡¯s deep eyes became more determined, as if he had made up his mind to fully possess her and mark her with his scent again. It wasn¡¯t until this moment that Taya realized Griffon was angry. He was so angry that he didn¡¯t even care that she was dir ty! Part of her wanted to struggle because she thought he was only doing this to re-stake his im of possession on her, to own her again and assert his dominance over her because his Alpha wolf couldn¡¯t stand the thought of someone else having imed what it considered his. But the other part of her, the part that would always be helplessly in love with Griffon, forever tied to him¡­that part won out. She melted under him, grabbing at him and raking her nails over him. His lovemaking was ruthless, passionate-like thest time they¡¯d been together before he broke things off with her. It seemed that he was deliberately doing what he could to make her be more vocal, and as much as she tried to keep quiet, she couldn¡¯t. It was too much. He did his best to punish her and vent his anger, unable to control his impassioned desire for her. It was a longing that belonged to him. As soon as he touched her, he lost control of his emotions. ¡°Taya, you¡¯re destined to be mine¡­¡± His eyes were full of possessiveness. It was the first time Taya had seen him like this. She stared at the man who was kissing her deeply. For a moment, she was in a trance. ¡°Griffon, who am I to you?¡± Was she a tool for se x, or did he leave some space in his heart, in his soul for her? She felt that maybe she was not as simple as just a physiological need for him because these actions weren¡¯t the actions of a man who was just sating a bodily need. There was a glimmer of hope again. Then Griffon grabbed her face, leaned close to her car, and growled, ¡°Don¡¯t dream I will love you!¡± He didn¡¯t love her, and he wouldn¡¯t! He had repeatedly lost control because of her, but he just couldn¡¯t ept that she was with another man! However, he didn¡¯t even notice that when he was together with her, his heart was unprecedentedly calm and content¡­ Griffon¡¯s words were like a heavy b low to Taya¡¯s heart, extinguishing thest glimmer of hope. She smiled and said, ¡°I don¡¯t love you either¡­¡± Then his lovemaking became even fiercer, more possessing. After it was over, Griffon pushed up from the bed and got up to go to the bathroom. Tayay there and looked in the direction of the door with despair¡­ This was Griffon¡¯s bedroom, and the door was a secured one. Without a remote control, it was impossible to open. While they were having se x, the man outside the door had been pounding on it crazily. Taya suddenly remembered that when Ss woke up five years ago and learned she had sold herself to save him, he pointed at her nose and scolded her. He scolded her for being shameless and for having s ex with another man when he was on the verge of death. She felt wronged then, but now she felt very guilty when she confirmed what he had said. Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. It wasn¡¯t because of Jackson but because of Ss, who once held. her in his heart and loved her¡­. Taya sighed deeply when she heard his heart-wrenching voice. She struggled to lift the quilt, put on her clothes, and walked to the door. When she plucked up the courage to open the door, she saw Jackson¡¯s red wolf eyes and bloodied hands. Chapter 247 Chapter 247 Chapter 247 ¡°You¡­¡± Taya was speechless. She didn¡¯t know how to exin any of this right now to Jackson. Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. She was wearing Griffon¡¯s clothes, which were huge on her body. Her lips were red and swollen, and seeing the love bites on her neck hurt Jackson. His eyes were red, and his hands were trembling. He wanted to touch the ces Griffon had touched, as if he could erase the evidence of what the other wolf had done, but Taya avoided his hand. For Jackson, the action of Taya instinctively avoiding him was more hurtful than the sounds they made when they were locked inside Griffon¡¯s bedroom. He took a step back in disbelief and looked at the woman standing at the door. Until this moment, Jackson realized that what five years apart meant was not amnesia but loss. After his brother pretended to be him and tried to kill Taya, hepletely lost her¡­even though his brother¡¯s attempt hadn¡¯t been sessful. Angry, burning tears welled up in his eyes, making it impossible for him to clearly see what Taya looked like. He staggered forward with difficulty, raised his hand, and pulled her into his embrace. He hugged her with all the strength he dared, as if he wanted to pull her into his bones and blood. But he couldn¡¯t feel any response from her. In the past when he hugged her, she would smile and put her arms around his waist. She would snuggle in his arms and acted like a spoiled child. ¡°Ss, can you stop being so busy with work and spend more time with me?¡± Taya had asked him to spend more time with her. But he had never had time to apany her in order to give her a better future and life. When he had time, she and he had missed each other because of a car ident¡­ This regret gripped his heart, suffocating him to the point of being unable to breathe. Even if he were to take inrge mouthfuls of air, it would not be able to alleviate the pain in the slightest. His wolf wed inside of him, desperate for things between him and Taya to go back to what they used to be. When a drop of moisture fell on her corbone, Taya was shocked. She wanted to raise her head, but his big palm grabbed her. ¡°No, don¡¯t look at me¡­¡± The Alpha would never allow someone to look upon his weak moment. Taya stopped moving and allowed him to hug her, but her mind went nk. Jackson was acting abnormally. It was as if he had changed into another person. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± He buried his head in her neck and apologized in a low, gruff voice. ¡°I couldn¡¯t ept that you were willing to sell yourself to save me. I was in an emotional blind rage. I had a car ident on the way home, and my head injury made me forget about you¡­ ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Taya. I just remembered. I¡¯m so sorry¡­¡± Hearing his sincere words, Taya couldn¡¯t help but choose to believe him. He had not lied to her. He had really lost his memory. He said that he lost his memory on the way home, but when she went to Wolverly Capital to find him, he clearly hadn¡¯t lost his memory. Taya was very confused and wanted to ask him what was going on. But he suddenly let go of her and took a photo from his pocket. ¡°This is my elder brother. Look, do I look like him?¡± There were two people in the photo taking side by side. The man on the left was in a ck suit, while the man on the right was in a casual white suit. They wore different clothes, but their appearances were exactly the same, as if carved from the same mold. Taya looked at Jackson in disbelief. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Chapter 248 Chapter 248 Chapter 248 Jackson¡¯s eyes were red as he smiled bitterly at Taya. ¡°My brother didn¡¯t want you to pester me, so he deliberately impersonated me to hurt you¡­ I only recently discovered what he did to you five years ago.¡± Jackson paused, his eyes full of guilt. Taya¡¯s heart stopped beating, and her face, which was as pale as paper, turned even paler little by little. Ss had never considered abandoning or killing her. His brother was the one who had been ruthless to her and said those harsh words back then¡­ Ss had never changed, and she had never loved the wrong person¡­ The wolf she loved hadn¡¯t changed his mind and wanted to dump her off for being a human. The resentment that had lingered in her heart for Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. many years waspletely released when she knew the truth. All of a sudden, she stopped struggling, feeling sad, or resentful. She heaved a deep sigh of relief. When she looked up at Jackson again, she had never felt so rxed. ¡°It¡¯s not your fault. This misunderstanding was caused by our fates. It¡¯s all in the past now. You don¡¯t have to apologize for it¡­¡± Her tone made Jackson¡¯s heart ache even more. Did it mean that she had let go of their past and him? ¡°You¡­ you don¡¯t want me anymore?¡± Jackson¡¯s voice was trembling as he asked. Taya raised her hand and touched her neck, covered with kiss marks from Griffon. With her like this, how could she be with Ss again? She hid the emotions in her eyes and looked at Jackson with a smile. ¡°As you can see, I¡¯m no longer pure¡­¡± Jackson stared at her for a long time. Suddenly, he plucked up his courage, raised his hand, and tried to wipe away the marks on her neck. ¡°I¡¯ll clean it up. It¡¯s okay¡­¡± His fingers were trembling when he wiped her neck. Seeing him like this, Taya couldn¡¯t help but cry as well. How possessive had Ss been in the past? Every time she talked a little more with other men, he would be furious. He cared about her very much and would not allow anyone to touch her. That was why he had copsed after learning that she had sold herself. It was in his wolf¡¯s very nature to be protective and possessive beyond all else. And now, after witnessing her sleeping with another man with his own eyes, such a wolf actually said that it was fine. He feared that she would abandon him, but she couldn¡¯t be with him again. They had already missed each other. Taya raised her hand to stop him. ¡°Ss, I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ve been with him for the past five years. It¡¯s been more than once.¡± In anger, she¡¯d signed the agreement and handed herself over to Griffon. Even though they had cleared up the misunderstanding, it was still a fact that she had betrayed him. She was not worthy of Ss, who only had eyes for her. ¡°I know.¡± Jackson nodded and said indifferently, ¡°As long as you¡¯re willing toe with me, it doesn¡¯t matter¡­¡± He would no longer be as childish as before. He would protect her and not let her suffer any more harm. Even though his wolf hated that she¡¯d been with another Alpha, his wolf also longed for Taya. His firm gaze made Taya¡¯s heart tremble slightly. Ss really loved her. She had degenerated into such a state, and he was still willing to ept her. Taya opened her mouth and wanted to say something, but a strong force behind her suddenly pulled her away. Her back mmed into a sturdy chest, and her soft body was held in Griffon¡¯s arms. ¡°You want to leave? Did you ask me?¡± Chapter 249 Chapter 249 Chapter 249 She turned around to look at the man who was hugging her tightly. His face was cold and gloomy, and his thin lips were tightly pursed. His face was angry, indicating that he had heard everything they had just said. He must have thought she was leaving with Jackson, so he rushed to stop her. He had already gone too far with her in front of Jackson. Why wouldn¡¯t he let her go? Taya lowered her head and hid her eyes, fearful they would give away theplicated emotions she was feeling. Seeing that she didn¡¯t resist, Griffon¡¯s expression softened a little, but his eyes were full of coldness as he looked at Jackson. ¡°Alpha Sterling, why do you want to take over the woman I¡¯ve slept with thousands of times?¡± These humiliating words made Jackson angry. He clenched his fists, shifting partially back into his lycan form and rushed forward, wanting to sh at Griffon with his ws. His wolf tried to take over on instinct, forgetting about his injured state. Griffon was one of the only Alphas as powerful as him; with these injuries, Jackson couldn¡¯t overpower him. Before his ws could even touch the corner of Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. Griffon¡¯s shirt, Griffon lifted his leg and kicked him to the ground. ¡°You¡¯re overestimating your abilities!¡± Griffon raised his hand and flicked his sleeves. He snorted out a growl at Jackson on the ground. He didn¡¯t care about Jackson¡¯s life at all, which made Taya more and more disappointed. With a cold face, she pushed Griffon away, rushed to Jackson, and squatted down to help him. ¡°Ss, are you hurt?¡± Seeing that she was worried about another man, the hostility in Griffon¡¯s eyes rose sharply, and his wolf rose to the surface. It was as if something important had been stolen, and he could not help but want to take it back. ¡°Come here.¡± His sense of superiority would not allow him to make a move toward her. He just stood there, looking down at the pair. Griffon¡¯s expression wasmanding, warning, and oppressive, suggesting punishment would be inflicted if she didn¡¯t obey. Looking into his eyes, Taya felt extremely tired. She didn¡¯t want to go over at all¡­ But she knew his character. He wouldn¡¯t let her and Jackson leave safely if things didn¡¯t go as the Alpha wished. She didn¡¯t care. She had been under his control for five years, but Jackson was still injured, and he had to go back for treatment. Taya sighed heavily, helped Jackson, and ced him on the sofa. Then, she spoke softly to him and said, ¡°Wait for me here. I¡¯ll talk to him, and then we¡¯ll leave together, okay?¡± Jackson didn¡¯t want her to return to Griffon, but when he heard she would go with him, he couldn¡¯t help but let her. After giving him a gentle smile, Taya turned around and approached Griffon. ¡°Alpha Knight, you must have heard what we just said, right?¡± Griffon pursed his lips and didn¡¯t say a word, indicating that he had heard it. Then Taya continued. ¡°We promised to be together for a lifetime. You heard about what happenedter because of his amnesia and elder brother. I misunderstood him, and that¡¯s why I signed that agreement with you in anger¡­¡± Griffon interrupted her. ¡°Do you mean you¡¯re unwilling to stay with me?¡± Taya nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right. I didn¡¯t spend your money in the past five years because I didn¡¯t want to owe you anything. Now that Ss is back and the misunderstanding has been cleared up, I want to go back to him and be with him. Can you let me go?¡± Chapter 250 Chapter 250 Chapter 250 Her eyes were clear, without distracting thoughts about him, only pleading. All the blood in Griffon¡¯s body was cold, and his littlefort after touching her copsed instantly. His heart was torn open, and his whole body was in pain, including his wolf. Griffon clenched his fists and tried to suppress his ws from ripping into his palms, but he couldn¡¯t stop it. Couldn¡¯t stop the pain of her words. That kind of pain was something that had never happened before. It traveled all over his body and hurt his limbs and bones¡­ ¡°Alpha Knight, thank you for helping me when I was most helpless. Otherwise, Ss wouldn¡¯t have survived. I¡¯m very grateful to you, but my feelings for you are limited to this-¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough!¡± Griffon let out a roar, causing Taya to shut her mouth. She didn¡¯t dare to look at him. She lowered her head and waited for his wrath. However, after waiting for a long time, Griffon did not respond¡­ Taya slowly raised her head and saw his cold and disappointed eyes. Her heart felt like it was being grabbed by something, and it hurt so much that she had difficulty breathing.ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org . Alphas were good at controlling their emotions. At this time, Griffon had already calmed down. After five years, there was nothing else besides gratitude for this woman. For such a woman¡¯s sake, he lowered his status and went to find her again and again. However, she had ruthlessly told him repeatedly that Ss was the only person she loved. He was nothing in her heart. If he continued to pester her, he would appear to be ridiculous, and his pack and other packs would no longer respect him. Griffon put away the disappointment in his eyes and glowered at Taya. ¡°Get lost!¡± He only said two words, not a single extra word, which meant he let her go. Taya should have been happy that she had achieved her goal, but she was heartbroken. She looked at the Alpha, gritted her teeth, and walked toward Jackson. When she helped Jackson leave, she couldn¡¯t help looking back. Griffon had shifted into his wolf and was down the hallway. The moment he turned the corner and never looked back, it indicated that all of this was over. Frustrated, Taya couldn¡¯t catch her breath. Her hand that was holding Jackson was trembling in pain. ¡°Taya, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Her face, full of despondency and emotional breakdown, made Jackson realize something, but he didn¡¯t dare to think more. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Taya shook her head. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Jackson nodded, held her hand tightly, and left the vi. Griffon stood in the yard in his wolf form and watched them leave. He stared fixedly at the petite figure, unable to describe his feelings. He just had an impulse to rush forward and carry her back. But the words she said pulled him back to reality. She was just a human woman who did not love him. It was not a big deal. Why should he miss her? He looked away. Jackson and Taya supported each other out of the vi. There were a few cars that Jackson had brought. The people in the cars were all pack guards, and their faces were all injured. Before Jackson went in, they had already fought with Griffon¡¯s pack guards. Seeing Jacksone out safe and sound, the guards breathed a sigh of relief. One of them opened the door for the two. Chapter 251 Chapter 251 Chapter 251 Jackson helped Taya into the car first before he got in. Ignoring his injuries, he picked up a clean towel and wiped Taya¡¯s wet hair. His movements were very gentle for fear of hurting her. However, his expression changed when his gazended on her exposed skin. Taya, whom he had loved and cared for all his life, had been bullied so hard by that bastard¡­ This was not the first time. A full five years was enough to make Jackson regret a lifetime. Seeing that Jackson was staring at her neck in a daze, Taya subconsciously covered her skin and wrapped her coat tighter around her. Jackson hurriedly exined, ¡°Taya, that¡¯s not what I meant. I just felt that I was too useless to make you hurt¡­¡± Taya shook her head and said, ¡°It¡¯s not his fault. I volunteered.¡± How could she me Griffon when she signed the agreement herself? Jackson¡¯s heart trembled for a moment. Her willingness was harder for him to ept than if she had been forced. Instead of answering, he continued to dry her hair with a dry towel. Looking at him gently taking care of her, Taya couldn¡¯t bear it, but there were some things that she had to make clear. ¡°Ss, I have something to tell you¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s talk about it when we get back, okay?¡± She was interrupted by Jackson as soon as she opened her mouth. He seemed to have noticed something and didn¡¯t want to listen to her. Seeing that his forehead was still wrapped in gauze, Taya put down what she wanted to say first. Jackson wanted to take her back to his vi, but Taya didn¡¯t want to. She wanted to go back to Harper¡¯s. That small home gave her a sense of security. She could sleep better there. Jackson had no choice but to take her back to her home, but he was unwilling to go in because he was afraid that Taya would tell him something after going inside. Seeing this, Taya was not hurrying to get out of the car. ¡°Ss, some things need to be made clear.¡± She didn¡¯t have much time left. This injury had worsened her condition. If it weren¡¯t for the special medicine that Ste gave her, she might not have had the strength to say much to him right now. While she still had some strength left, she wanted to ensure she said everything she needed to say. ¡°Don¡¯t take what I said in Griffon¡¯s vi to heart. I said that just to leave safely.¡± She was referring to when she said, ¡°Now that Ss is back, the misunderstanding has been resolved. I want to go back to him and be with him¡±. Jackson was smart enough to understand what she was talking about but couldn¡¯t ept it. ¡°Why?¡± She had already rejected Griffon, so why wasn¡¯t she willing to return to him? Was she still ming him? Taya looked at him apologetically. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Ss. It¡¯s my fault. I betrayed you first.¡± A trace of frustration appeared on Jackson¡¯s handsome face. ¡°You didn¡¯t betray me. You sold yourself for me. Andter, you did it because of anger¡­¡± Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. The corners of Taya¡¯s mouth curled up slightly. ¡°I was indeed angry at first, butter I was willing to do so.¡± Her light¨Chearted words made Jackson¡¯s breath catch. It was as if a big hand was strangling his heart, making him unable to breathe. ¡°You¡­fell in love with him?¡± This question almost took Jackson¡¯s breath away. His eyes, which had finally recovered their original color, gradually turned red. He looked at Taya with his bloodshot eyes, pleading with her. He seemed to be begging her to deny it. However, no matter how reluctant Taya was to hurt him, she could only harden her heart now. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve fallen in love with him¡­¡± She couldn¡¯t say if she loved Griffon like she loved Ss before or if she loved Griffon more than she loved Ss. Chapter 252 Chapter 252 Chapter 252 Jackson had already realized it but didn¡¯t expect her to admit it. She probably didn¡¯t care about his feelings because she didn¡¯t love him anymore. It made sense. He had been absent for five years in that way, so it was normal for her to fall in love with someone else. However, why did he feel so ufortable¡­ The suffocating feeling gripped his heart, making it impossible for him to break free. In the end, he could only say, ¡°Then what should I do¡­¡± He had only lived for Taya since he was a pup. She had fallen in love with Griffon. What should he do? Seeing him like this, Taya¡¯s eyes were filled with guilt. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± Jackson raised his head, his bloodshot eyes reflecting her apologetic face. ¡°I don¡¯t want your apology. I want you. Taya, please don¡¯t love him anymore. Love me again, okay?¡± He grabbed Taya¡¯s cold hand and put it in his palm. ¡°I¡¯ll treat you well in the future. I won¡¯t let you get hurt at all. Let¡¯s go back to the past and be as carefree as we were before, okay? My pack will ept you. You¡¯ll be my Luna, you¡¯ll be one of us¡­¡± Taya shook her head gently. ¡°Ss, we can¡¯t go back to the past¡­¡± Jackson didn¡¯t believe her at all. ¡°You¡¯re lying to me, aren¡¯t you? If you really loved him, you wouldn¡¯t have said those heartless words to him just now. You don¡¯t love him at all. You¡¯re just ming me. That¡¯s why you lied to me like that¡­¡± ¡°I said those heartless words because he doesn¡¯t love me.¡± Taya calmly interrupted Jackson. ¡°He bought me because I look like Tara Thorin. Now that she is back, he will mate her soon.¡± Another reason was that she was about to die. She didn¡¯t want Griffon to see her miserable state before she died. It was too ugly. She thought that even if she were to die, she had to Meave a good impression on Griffon. When he found out in the future¡­ If he could still remember her in the future, he would only remember her delicate and beautiful face, not her disfigured appearance. Jackson looked at her and suddenly gave a bitter smile. If she was just a substitute, why did he touch her after Tara returned? Moreover, Griffon did it before him, clearly dering his sovereignty as a more powerful Alpha. Perhaps it was because Griffon had never expressed his feelings for Taya that she didn¡¯t know how crazy the possessiveness hidden in his wolf¡¯s eyes was. However, even though Taya thought Griffon didn¡¯t love her, she still fell in love with him. Jackson couldn¡¯t judge how deep her love was. His heart ached as if a needle had pricked it, but he couldn¡¯t do anything to her. He held her hand tightly, his fingertips trembling. ¡°Taya, he doesn¡¯t love you. Can you let him go and start over with me?¡± Even though he knew Griffon had feelings for her, he didn¡¯t want to tell her. His selfishness only wanted Taya to return to his side. He couldn¡¯t remember when he started to fall in love with Taya, but he had loved her since he could remember. How could he let go of someone he had loved for half his life just like that? However, Taya pushed his hand away¡­ ¡°Ss, even if you don¡¯t mind, we can¡¯t start over¡­ He was also the man she had once loved. Simrly, she did not want him to see her miserable state before she died. Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Only by severing ties with him would he stop pestering her, and she could leave this world at ease. Chapter 253 Chapter 253 Chapter 253 ¡°Ss, do you know why I¡¯m here to entertain you? It was Tara who forced me to do this. Otherwise, I would never have seen you again!¡± ¡°I¡¯vepletely let go of you. I hope you can also let go of me and return to Wolverly Capital to manage the Sterling Pack. That¡¯s your home.¡± After finishing her words in one breath, Taya wanted to open the door and leave, but Jackson hugged her from behind. He buried his head in her hair. ¡°Taya, I can¡¯t let you go. I WON¡¯T let go.¡± Jackson was inherently stubborn and paranoid, unlike Griffon, who was arrogant and cold¨Chearted. Jackson wouldn¡¯t just turn around and leave after a few harsh words. To break cleanly with him, Taya had to be even harsher. Taya took a deep breath, gritted her teeth, and said, ¡°Alpha Sterling, listen carefully. I don¡¯t care if you can let me go or not. I don¡¯t love you anymore. If you keep bugging me now, you will only make me look down on you and annoy you.¡± She pried open his fingers one by one that were pressing against her waist and continued in a cold voice: ¡°Do you think I can still reconcile with you after your elder brother kicked me twice? I¡¯m telling you, it¡¯s impossible. Those two kicks only made me hate you even more, and because you didn¡¯t return to Wolverly Capital, I was forced to entertain you, which made me even more disgusted with you¡­¡± ¡°Taya ¡­¡± His face was full of disbelief as if he couldn¡¯t believe that Taya, who used to be so delicate and lovely, would say such harsh words to him. ¡°Alpha Sterling, there are plenty of women in the world. Why do you have to stay with me? I don¡¯t love you anymore.¡± Jackson¡¯s eyes were full of sadness. He stared nkly at Taya in front of him, unable to utter a word. Taya clenched her fists, suppressed the pain in her heart, gritted her teeth, and said, ¡°I don¡¯t want to entertain you anymore. Please go back to Wolverly Capital. Please don¡¯te to me again in the future.¡± After saying this, she left without looking back, as if she didn¡¯t care at all. As her fading figure disappeared from Jackson¡¯s blurred vision, he came to his senses. He pushed open the car door and followed. Taya knew he was following her, so she sighed deeply and went inside alone, ignoring him. Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. She knew about Ss¡¯s feelings for her. He had always doted on her since childhood, giving her everything she wanted. As they grew up, he worked hard to earn money to provide her with a good life. He had been working part¨Ctime jobs since high school. Such a good young wolf must have loved her so much that he would do anything for her. However, what she could repay him with was to shift her love and have less than two months to live¡­ She had once asked him what he would do if she had passed away before he. Ss said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll go with you andmit suicide in front of your grave, since we won¡¯t be able to fully mate like wolves. I¡¯ll never let you be alone on the way to hell.¡± He was a man of his word, so she believed he would not do anything foolish now that he had found her home and had a backup n. However, Taya was still afraid to tell him she was about to leave this world. She pushed the door open and entered her home while Jackson stood guard at the door, staring at the door motionlessly. The pack guards behind him all looked puzzled. Their Alpha seemed to have changed since getting his head wound. Although he still looked like a strong Alpha, his eyes showed a trace of sadness. Chapter 254 Chapter 254 Chapter 254 Taya knew Jackson was waiting outside the door, but she didn¡¯t chase him away. The Sterling pack wouldn¡¯t allow him to waste his time in Arcadia. They needed their Alpha back in Wolverly. She took a shower and then took the medicine prescribed by the hospital before. She had forgotten to take out the special medicine Ste had given her and her phone. She was in a hurry then, so she put on Griffon¡¯s clothes and helped Jackson out of the vi. She picked up the coat with a man¡¯s fragrance and touched it, reluctant to part with it. But the tenderness in her eyes faded when she thought of what he had said in her ear. The will was still unopened in the drawer. Taya took it out and found the piece of paper with the words ¡°Griffon.¡± She picked up a pen and wrote, He said, don¡¯t dream that I will love you. It turns out that he doesn¡¯t love me. Perhaps it was because Taya had been tormented for the past few days that she fell asleep as soon as shey on the bed. The man outside the door was leaning against the doorframe and did not move, as if waiting for Taya to Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. give in. However, after waiting an entire night, she still did not open the door. In Alpha Knight¡¯s home, Ste brought her medicine bag over to check on Taya. However, Frank told her that Ms. Palmer had left and that Ste didn¡¯t have toe here to treat her. Ste was a little surprised. She didn¡¯t know what had happened yesterday and thought Ms. Palmer had found a way to leave. She thought it would be better for Taya to leave. After all, no one knew when this illness would take her away. She didn¡¯t want her to d ie in Alpha Knight¡¯s house and cause any misunderstandings. Chapter 255 Chapter 255 Chapter 255 Ste nodded at Frank and was about to return to the hospital when Andre¡¯s voice came from upstairs. ¡°Ste, Alpha Knight has asked you toe up.¡± Ste had no choice but to go upstairs obediently. ¡°What does Alpha Knight want from me?¡± Andre was Ste¡¯s cousin, and they both worked for Griffon. However, Andre grew up with Griffon, so he was closer to him than Ste. ¡°You¡¯ll know once you get in.¡± Andre motioned for Ste to enter the study by herself. Ste nodded, pushed the door open, and entered. ¡°Alpha Knight, you were looking for me?¡± Griffon was sitting in front of the study, staring at hisputer. When he saw Steing in, he only raised his eyebrows and nodded to the side of his desk. ¡°Take this to her.¡± Griffon indicated the small white leather bag and a few medicine boxes. When Ste saw the things on the table, she was happy she¡¯d had the medication repackaged. Now that it was in Griffon¡¯s hands, Ste was d that she had reced the packaging when giving it to Taya to avoid arousing suspicion. ¡°Yes, Alpha.¡± Ste took the bag and medicine, turned around, and was about to leave when Griffon stopped her. ¡°Is there anything else I can do for you?¡± Griffon took out a business card and handed it to her. ¡°This is Dr. George in Chicago. He¡¯s been looking for a suitable heart for Taya. Contact him in the future.¡± Ste had heard of Dr. George, a world-famous cardiology expert. And Griffon had asked him to find a matching heart for Taya! Surely, he must care for the human. Why else would he hire such a famous expert to look for a heart for her? ¡°When he finds a heart, you can take her directly to have transnt surgery, and you don¡¯t have to tell me about anything rted to her in the future.¡± His cold words interrupted Ste¡¯s guess. He wouldn¡¯t have such an attitude if he cared about her. Obviously, he wanted to do something good for her atst for dumping her. As for whether Dr. George could find the heart or not and whether Taya survived, he obviously didn¡¯t care at all. Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Such indifference could only mean that the two of them had broken up. However, his efforts might be in vain. Taya¡¯s condition may not wait for a suitable heart anymore. Chapter 256 Chapter 256 Chapter 256 Ste thought for a moment. Griffon didn¡¯t care about Taya, so she said nothing more. She replied with a ¡°yes¡± and left with her things. Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. After she left, Griffon couldn¡¯t help tightening his grip on hisptop. When Ste left, she remembered that she had forgotten to ask for the address but did not dare to return. She could only ask Andre, who was still standing at the door. ¡°Do you know where Ms. Palmer lives?¡± Andre nodded. When Taya first started seeing Griffon, he would always pick her up from that small house, so he knew where she lived. ¡°Shall I take you there, or should I send you the address?¡± Ste nced at the medicine and said, ¡°Give me the address. Alpha Knight may need you at any time.¡± Andre nodded. He took out his phone and sent the address to Ste. Ste took Taya¡¯s things, got in the car, and drove to the small house As soon as she got there, she saw a group of pack guards in ck and Jackson, the Alpha of the Sterling Pack. The man leaned against the doorframe. He looked fatigued, but even at this distance, Ste could feel the power radiating from him. Chapter 257 Chapter 257 Chapter 257 Ste recognized immediately recognized Alpha Sterling. In fact, she¡¯d studied medicine because of his friend. Ste refused to think about the past anymore. Instead, she walked over and asked, ¡°Alpha Sterling, why are you standing guard in front of Ms. Palmer¡¯s door?¡± Jackson heard a familiar voice. He slowly opened his bloodshot eyes. When he saw the woman before him, he was slightly surprised. ¡°Ste?¡± Ste saw that his eyes were red as if he hadn¡¯t slept. for a long time. She couldn¡¯t help but furrow her brows. ¡°Alpha Sterling if you continue to push yourself like this, your body will suffer. You might be a strong wolf, but your pack doctor¡¯s skills are insufficient to bring someone back to life.¡± Jackson knew that she was mocking Eric, so he didn¡¯t reply. Their feud was none of his business. ¡°Why are you here?¡± he asked. Compared to the grudge between her and Eric, he was more concerned about why she hade to look for Taya. Ste picked up the bag in her hand and waved it. ¡°I came to deliver something to her.¡± Jackson recognized the bag. It was the same one that Taya had carried to the banquet. After he sent someone to find the bag, it was snatched away by Andre, and it fell into Griffon¡¯s hands. Ste must be here to run errands for Griffon. ¡°Why, Ste, are you working for Griffon now?¡± She had learned a lot of medical skills at university. Aftering back, she did not return to the Sinir family. Instead, she came to Arcadia to find her cousin, Andre. They both scoffed at the Sinir family and followed Griffon. If Eric found out about this, he would be furious. Andre didn¡¯t care. After all, he had run away from home since childhood, but Ste¡­ was Eric¡¯s taboo. ¡°Whom I work for shouldn¡¯t have anything to do with you.¡± Jackson was that man¡¯s friend, so Ste wouldn¡¯t show him any respect. Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. But why was he standing guard at Taya¡¯s house? Ste was very confused, but she didn¡¯t want to ask. She was just here to deliver something and was not interested in anything else. She raised her chin at Jackson, not caring if she was directly challenging an Alpha. He was too weak to do anything, and no one would dare do anything to someone who worked directly for Alpha Knight. ¡°Step aside.¡± Chapter 258 Chapter 258 Chapter 258 Ste knocked on the door, but there was no response. Taya must have fallen asleep. Just as she was thinking about how to open the door, a roar came from behind her, and she turned to see a woman in her half human and half wolf lycan form. ¡°Who are you? Why are you guarding my house?¡± Harper had sent several messages to Taya but received no response, and her calls went unanswered. She was very worried about her, so she decided to go to the house. As soon as she got there, she saw tons of pack guards in ck. They blocked Jackson and Ste, so Harper didn¡¯t see them. All she knew was there was never a good reason for pack guards to be at a human¡¯s home. Her wolf¡¯s protective instincts for Taya immediately kicked up, and she partially shifted and roared at them. Jackson heard Harper¡¯s voice and motioned for his pack guards to get out of the way. Only then did Harper see Jackson. ¡°Why are you blocking the door of my house with so many people?¡± Harper looked at him angrily, her wolf eyes shing with rage. He had kicked Taya twice before. Was he nning toe and do it again in person? Jackson lowered his head apologetically. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Harper. I have something to discuss with Taya.¡± Harper clenched her fists said coldly, ¡°Wasn¡¯t she taken away by Griffon?¡± Harper didn¡¯t know that Taya was back. She wanted to drive Jackson away, but then she saw his eyes. The harsh words she was about to say were held back. After all, he was like her younger brother who she had taken care of since childhood, and it was difficult to forget that when he looked so upset. ¡°Taya is back. She doesn¡¯t want to see me.¡± Harper rolled her eyes at him again. ¡°You tried to k ill her. Why would she want to see you?¡± Jackson¡¯s eyes turned fully into his wolf¡¯s, and indescribable angry and sadness filled him. Even if he didn¡¯t do it, his elder brother did.Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. Chapter 259 Chapter 259 Chapter 259 It made sense for Taya to hat e him now. Jackson was sad not because Taya ha ted him but because she had said she had let go of him and no longer loved him¡­ Harper didn¡¯t know what had happened between them. Seeing Jackson like this, she thought Taya had taught him a lesson. In the past, when the two of them had a conflict, Taya would be angry and didn¡¯t want to see him. At that time, he had also been like this, guarding the door and not leaving. His wolf was too protective and stubborn to give in. In the end, it was Harper who mediated and let Ss in. She watched them hug each other, full of joy and happiness when they made up. But what happened this time was not as simple as before, and it was impossible to solve the misunderstanding like before and then smile happily. However, as a middleman, she would still help him open the door. Harper pushed Jackson away and opened the door. ¡°If you want to find her, go find her. Why did you bring so many people with you?¡± Jackson saw that Harper was still willing to open the door for him as before, and he quickly waved his hand and asked the pack guards to leave first. The pack guards, however, were a little worried. They had only left momentarily during the banquet, and their Alpha has suffered a nasty head wound. How could they dare to leave again? Jackson¡¯s cold gaze swept over them. The guards could only retreat and wait by the cars, not daring to disobey their Alpha. After Harper opened the door, Jackson and Ste Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Harper nced at Ste and couldn¡¯t help snorting. ¡°Alpha Sterling, you¡¯ve got some bal ls on you, coming to see Taya with a pretty she-wolfpanion.¡± She amused Ste. ¡°I didn¡¯te with him.¡± Harper raised an eyebrow. ¡°Then who are you?¡± Ste introduced herself politely. ¡°I¡¯m a doctor sent by Alpha Knight to treat Ms. Palmer¡¯s heart issue.¡± After saying that, she picked up her medicine bag. When Harper heard Griffon¡¯s name, her face darkened again. ¡°He doesn¡¯t want Taya anymore. Why should he care about her health?¡± Chapter 260 Chapter 260 Chapter 260 Ste didn¡¯t know what to say. She just looked at Harper with a faint smile, which made Harper feel a little annoyed. She asked them to sit on the sofa, then turned around and knocked on the door of the bedroom. ¡°Taya, someone¡¯s looking for you.¡± Taya had already woken up when they opened the door and came in. She had heard their conversation outside but was too weak to get up. When she tried to get up, Harper had alreadye in. Seeing that she wanted to get up but couldn¡¯t, Harper immediately rushed over. ¡°Taya, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Jackson and Ste also came in. Jackson wanted to step forward, but Ste beat him and said, ¡°I am the doctor. You go away.¡± Jackson was pushed to the side, and Ste stepped forward quickly. She raised her hand to touch Taya¡¯s forehead and then took out a thermometer to take her temperature. ¡°Did you get wet in the rain?¡± Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. The temperature was not very high, but for Taya, this little bit of temperature could ki ll her. When she walked out of Griffon¡¯s vi, it was raining. Jackson had used his jacket to shield her from the rain, but she still got wet. Jackson¡¯s face was full of self-me. He wanted to grab her hand, but Taya avoided him. Sometimes, it was easy to forget just how delicate Taya was with no wolf to protect her and help her heal. In front of Ste, Taya was afraid of being exposed, so she just avoided his touch and didn¡¯t drive him away. Her resistance was like a thorn in Jackson¡¯s heart. Taya would never be the same as before¡­ She once agreed with him that he shouldn¡¯t take it seriously if she said hurtful words when she was angry. He would wait for her to calm down and then coax her. She would definitely forgive him. But he had been waiting at the door all night and still couldn¡¯t get Taya back¡­ Ste saw their small movements, and she couldn¡¯t help but have suspicion. However, since she had found an excuse to see Taya, she would not ask any more questions. Chapter 261 Chapter 261 Chapter 261 ¡°It¡¯s just a slight fever. I¡¯ll be fine after taking some aspirin.¡± After taking Taya¡¯s temperature and giving her some aspirin, Ste handed her the bag and the medicine she¡¯d brought. ¡°This is what you left in Alpha Knight¡¯s house. He asked me to return it to you¡­¡± At first, Ste wanted to give her a few more boxes of medicine, but seeing that she kept winking at her as if she didn¡¯t want the other two people in the room to know about her illness, Ste didn¡¯t take them out. ¡°Thank you.¡± Taya was grateful that Ste had helped her hide her illness. Ste could tell and blinked at her. ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡± Taya looked at the coat on the table and said, ¡°Ste, please take the coat back to him.¡± Ste followed her gaze. If they broke up, why would she have worn his coat home? Ste had a lot of questions swirling around, but she couldn¡¯t ask any of them. She nodded, picked up the coat, and left with her medical bag. When Harper heard that Taya only had a low fever and was fine, she heaved a sigh of relief. She sat in front of the bed and helped Taya sit up. Taya looked at Jackson, standing by the bed like a statue. ¡°You can leave now.¡± Jackson¡¯s heart skipped a beat. Something was choking him again, making it hard for him to breathe. How could Jackson ept this? How could the old Ss ept this? His eyes were red as he stared at her pale face. ¡°Taya, please give me another chance¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ve made myself clear to you,¡± Taya said with a poker face. ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org . Hearing this, Harper understood that Taya would not forgive Jackson. She stood up and said to him, ¡°You can leave. Right now.¡± Chapter 262 Chapter 262 Chapter 262 Jackson looked at Taya, who had turned her head away. The pain suddenly spread all over his body, making him shake. His wolf wasn¡¯t sure how to process anything he was feeling and was having a visceral bodily reaction. ¡°Are you so cruel to me because you¡¯ve fallen in love with Griffon? I¡¯ve loved you for most of my life. How can you do this to me?¡± There was a sudden resentment in Jackson¡¯s eyes. It was resentment towards Taya¡¯s heartlessness and her falling in love with someone else. She had been promised to him. They had ns. Even though everyone else had looked down on her for being a human, for not getting her wolf, Jackson had still loved her and not cared. And now she was doing THIS to him. How dare she? Taya looked at Jackson and clenched her fists. She gritted her teeth and said, ¡°Yes, I fell in love with him. You know what I look like when I love someone. Since I¡¯ve fallen in love with him, I won¡¯t show mercy to anyone else.¡± Hearing this, Jackson was so angry that he could not stop trembling, shifting partially into his wolf form. He rushed forward, grabbed Taya¡¯s chin in his wed fingertips, and leaned over to kiss her. His domineering kiss was the same as before. But in the past, Taya would respond to him¡­ Jackson slowly let go of Taya, who did not react at all. His heartpletely sank when he saw the disgust in her eyes. ¡°Taya, you¡¯ll regret this¡­¡± Jackson turned around and staggered away. Looking at his back, Taya felt a lump in her throat and burst into tears. 3/5 Seeing Taya like this, Harper was a little puzzled. ¡°You obviously can¡¯t bear to part with Jackson. Why did you send him away? Are you still ming him for kicking you¡­¡± Taya shook her head. ¡°He didn¡¯t do it.¡± Taya told Harper about Jackson¡¯s twin brother. So, it was true that Ss had lost his memory and then be Jackson. He hadn¡¯t lied to them. Their love for Ss had not been in vain, but¡­ There was a deep look of confusion in Harper¡¯s eyes. ¡°Then why did you do this to him¡­¡± Taya took a deep breath and was about to tell Harper about herte-stage heart failure when Harper¡¯s phone rang. ¡°Damian¡¯s calling.¡± When Taya saw Harper¡¯s bitter expression after hanging up the phone, she asked worriedly, ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°He said something happened at his parents¡¯, and he was in a hurry to get there.¡± ¡°Then don¡¯t stay here with me. Hurry up and go back with Damian to help take care of things,¡± said Taya. Not only was Harper not in a hurry to leave, but she also sat down beside Taya¡¯s bed. ¡°Damian said that his family owed others some debts. He¡¯ll pay them back as soon as he gets back. I don¡¯t have to go with him.¡± I don¡¯t Damian wants to take Harper home. He¡¯s ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org . hiding something, thought Taya. Taya looked at Harper sitting there, peeling an orange. She wanted to say something but didn¡¯t know where to start. Now that Harper and Damian were mated, no matter what she said, she feared it would affect their rtionship. Harper would always take her mate¡¯s side. After peeling the orange, Harper looked at Taya. She smiled and said, ¡°I know what you¡¯re worried about. Don¡¯t be. I¡¯ll handle it. Damian doesn¡¯t want me to go back to his packnds. It¡¯s no big deal¡­¡± Chapter 263 Chapter 263 Chapter 263 Taya took the orange and ate it, but she had no appetite. Her stomach felt sour when she swallowed it, and she almost threw up. Frightened that Harper would be worried, she endured it and managed to keep the bite down. Harper was probably in a pensive mood after talking to Damian and didn¡¯t notice anything wrong with Taya. ¡°Harper, did Damian tell you how many debts his family owes?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Harper nodded. After a pause, she told Taya how much money they owed. ¡°Two hundred thousand. But he took his own money to go back to his parents, not mine¡­¡± Harper was afraid that Taya would be worried about Damian taking advantage of her, so she tried to comfort her by telling her that her personal finances weren¡¯t affected by what was going on with his family. Except, that wasn¡¯t necessarily true. Harper paid for the mortgage of the house Damian had bought in his pack¡¯s Arcadia neighborhood, but now that they were mated, Damian didn¡¯t let her control any money. She¡¯d heard of males bing more controlling after mating, and she wasn¡¯t sure if that was what was happening, if something had changed with his wolf after the mating ceremony. If Taya knew that the money Harper earned after getting mated was used to pay off the mortgage and cover their daily expenses, she would probably be Harper didn¡¯t tell Taya what had happened after she married Damian. She feared Taya would worry about her, so she kept it to herself. But she had to say something. Taya wouldn¡¯t let it 1. Harper knew her best friend well enough to know Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. that. ¡°After the mating ceremony, Damian changed a little. Of course, he¡¯s still as good to me as before, but there¡¯s something going on with him. I don¡¯t know how to describe it¡­¡± Chapter 264 Chapter 264 Chapter 264 Damian¡¯s behavior was confusing. Now that he and Harper were mated, he had taken over the finances and he was keeping track of the expenses and Harper¡¯s money. But on the other side of things, he was being very kind and tender. No matter how hard and tiring his work was, he would clean up the house and prevent her from cooking or washing clothes when he returned home from a business trip. Harper had alwayscked love in her life growing up in the orphanage. When she met Damian, a male who cared for her like this, she handed over her heart and relied heavily on him. Although Damian still treated her with the same kindness and care and affection after they were mated that he had treated her with before they mated and moved in together, he always found excuses regarding financial things. And heined about being poor in front of Harper. It affected Harper because was a soft-hearted she-wolf. She took the initiative to pay the mortgage because Damian didn¡¯t have enough money. Damian recently said that his sales had not improved, and he didn¡¯t get the bonus he typically got when sales were better. As one of the wolves in his pack who lived in the big city in Arcadia, it was up to him to help care for the older pack family members back home. Since Damian was struggling with his job currently, Harper had to take care of his pack responsibilities now that she was his mate and part of his pack. ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Now, on top of that, there was $200,000 in debt in their family. Although Damian said he would pay it back himself, the money belonged to their joint property. After the mating ceremony, Harper put all the money and some that Damian had given her into an ount. She wanted to deposit some funds for their future pups. Damian said that his basic sry would also be transferred to that ount. But it didn¡¯t take long for $200,000 to be deducted. When they mated, the mating gifts they gave Harper was $180,000. With his little money, it was precisely $200,000¡­ Harper didn¡¯t want to guess what Damian was thinking about after they had dated for so many years. Money was unimportant to her, and his love was the most important. But that this had happened so soon after they were married didn¡¯t make Harper happy. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me earlier?¡± Taya asked. If she knew that Damian asked Harper to pay off the mortgage and all the daily expenses after they married, she would have tried to talk to Harper about how something was wrong. At the very least, she wouldn¡¯t have let Harper take out all her private savings after the mating ceremony and transfer them to a joint ount. Although Damian and Harper had been in a rtionship for many years. Harper needed to leave a way out for herself. What would Harper do if something went wrong between them in the future? Fortunately, Taya had left more than $200,000 for Harper. Chapter 265 Chapter 265 Chapter 265 Seeing Taya let out a long sigh, Harper didn¡¯t feel aggrieved butforted her with a smile. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s just a little money. I¡¯ll make it back at work.¡± How could Taya not be worried about her? Taya knew how much money Harper had earned over the years. Although she had be the manager recently and didn¡¯t have to work bottle service anymore, she still had to stay upte to earn money. Taya was afraid that Harper wouldn¡¯t be able to take it, but Harper didn¡¯t care about it at all. ¡°What you should be most concerned about now is the rtionship between you, Jackson, and Griffon, not me.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve broken up with both of them. Now, you¡¯re the ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. only one left by my side. I only care about you.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m able to work, and I¡¯m a strong wolf. If anything happens in the future, I can deal with it.¡± Harper was not afraid of abandonment, and she still trusted Damian now, so she was unwilling to dig too deep. If one day she found out that Damian had let her down or had other intentions, she wouldn¡¯t hesitate to leave him. Harper might be soft-hearted, but she was tough. Once she was in a predicament, she was much more decisive than Taya. Harper chatted with Taya for a while and then went to cook for her. After dinner, she was in a hurry to go to work. Once Harper left, Taya¡¯s gentle expression gradually faded away, and she didn¡¯t force herself to try to appear to be better than she was. Originally, Taya had nned on telling Harper about her condition, but once Damian called, that thought went out the window. It was more important to talk to Harper about that instead. If she had told Harper that she didn¡¯t have much time left, Harper might not be able to handle it on top of what was currently happening in her life. Taya thought momentarily and decided to put it off for the time being. With Ste¡¯s special medicine, she wouldn¡¯t suddenly pass away, would she? She still had time to tell Harper everything, right? Chapter 266 Chapter 266 Chapter 266 Harper hurried downstairs and saw several luxury cars parked outside. Some of the windows were open, and pack guards in ck were sitting inside. She recognized at a nce that they were Jackson¡¯s men. Harper thought that Jackson had left long ago. She admired his persistence. She knocked on the car window, but there was no response. On the contrary, a Sterling pack guard got out of the car behind her. ¡°Miss, Alpha Sterling said that he wanted to be alone. Please don¡¯t disturb him.¡± Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. Harper didn¡¯t say anything. She turned around and left, but the window behind her rolled down. ¡°Harper.¡± She turned to look at Jackson. It was clear that he was upset and trying to hide it. It wouldn¡¯t do for an Alpha to show emotion like this in public. Jackson had always been aloof and stoic in front of others since childhood, even before he knew he was an Alpha. But he was gentle in front of Taya and didn¡¯t hesitate to show his true emotions. As a child he showed hostility most of the time. More hostility than was expected for such a young pup. His hostility became worse as he grew up, but when he met Taya, itpletely disappeared. Harper knew Taya had hurt Jackson badly, but she could do nothing about it. Jackson didn¡¯t know whether to hate Taya or not. He wanted to ask her why Taya had rejected him so harshly, but Harper didn¡¯t know what to do. She couldn¡¯t figure out why Taya spurned Jackson after the misunderstanding regarding the kick to the chest was resolved. She thought that maybe it was because of Griffon. Jackson invited Harper into the car. The two sat in the spacious luxury car and looked at each other. In the end, Harper said, ¡°You¡¯ve changed a lot in the past few years.¡± Although Harper had seen him twice before, she had never carefully looked him up and down. He was no longer as immature as he had been. He had be nobler and more elegant. Harper used to think he was God¡¯s favored one, but she didn¡¯t expect it to be true. Jackson was the most powerful man in Wolverly Capital. What else could he be if he was not God¡¯s favored one? Chapter 267 Chapter 267 Chapter 267 Jackson chatted casually with Harper for a while. When they talked about Taya, his face slowly darkened. ¡°Taya and Griffon weren¡¯t actually a couple. It was just a contract between them. But it¡¯s true that she fell in love with him. If it it weren¡¯t for him, she might not have recovered from what happened after she was kicked in the chest and after she was turned away from Wolverly Capital.¡± Harper didn¡¯t hide it from Jackson and told him the truth. There was no point in hiding anything. Plus, everything had changed because of him. Taya had fallen in love with Griffon because she wanted to forget him. Jackson couldn¡¯t describe how he was feeling at the moment, but the hole in his heart was getting bigger, as if it was devouring him little by little. ¡°If you miss her once, you¡¯ll miss her for the rest of your life. Let her go early¡­ After saying that, Harper pushed the door open and got out of the car. Jackson fell back into the car seat and closed his eyes, trying to settle his wolf down. The pack guard received a call from Wolverly Capital and hurried forward to knock on the window. ¡°Alpha Sterling, your father is calling.¡± Jackson indifferently took the phone from the bodyguard. Old Alpha Sterling¡¯s aged and weak voice came from the other end of the line. ¡°Jackson, it¡¯s time to return to Wolverly Capital.¡± Jackson didn¡¯t reply. He just looked out of the car at Taya¡¯s house. It was because of the Sterling pack, his family, that he had lost Taya. Back then, Jackson med Taya for selling herself and had a big fight with her, which made Taya so angry that she ran away. Then, the Sterling pack found him. ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org . Jackson¡¯s brother didn¡¯te at that time. It was another packmate who came. Jackson wasn¡¯t willing to go with him, so he tied Jackson up and brought him back. His only option was to jump out of the car. And even after all that, nothing changed. He was still taken away. And then he lost his. Jackson¡¯s brother told him that they were twins. When they were born, there were some changes in the family. Topete for the Alpha position of the Sterling Chapter 268 Chapter 268 Chapter 268 There was an ident during the kidnapping. Jackson¡¯s mother died on the spot, and his fatherter fell into aa. years Jackson was picked up by human traffickers and sold to a family. Twoter, his adoptive parents passed away, and he was sent to the orphanage. Jackson¡¯s brother was lucky. He was protected by his father and escaped the disaster. Later, the housekeeper found him and brought him home. But Jackson¡¯s brother had had brain can cer all these years. He could only send someone to bring ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org . Jackson home by force to protect the Sterling pack, which he had obtained with incredible difficulty. Jackson¡¯s brother knew about Taya¡¯s existence, but he felt that her family background would not be able to help Jackson. Not only was she also an orphan who had no powerful connections to offer the Sterling pack, she also couldn¡¯t ever be a proper Luna. Besides that, it would affect his mediation with his uncles, who were eyeing the Alpha position, looking for a chance to take control of the pack. As such, his brother hid the fact that Jackson had lost his memory. He knew he was going to di e, and with his father still being in a vegetative state, it was important to make sure Jackson could take over without Chapter 268 incident. However, he didn¡¯t expect Taya to bug him at the Sterling pack house. Her words shook him. So his brother had no choice but to send someone to bribe the people in the orphanage and destroy all their photos. That¡¯s why, when Jackson investigated, he hadn¡¯t found anything. Jackson believed his brother¡¯s words and thought Taya was a scheming lia r. He ordered the pack guards to drive her away, off of Sterling packnd. Later, Taya insisted on looking for Jackson, but she thoroughly angered his brother. In anger, Jackson¡¯s brother pretended to be Jackson and tried to ki ll Taya. 3/7 Chapter 268 Then, Taya had nevere to find Jackson again. Jackson had been sent abroad for Alpha training by his elder brother. 4/7 Jackson was gone for three years, receiving all of the training necessary to learn pack politics and laws, both domestically and internationally. Then he received word that he had toe home and take over as Alpha because his brother had died. Not long after Jackson took over as Alpha, his father woke up. Now, they were in unknown territory. Jackson had been made the Alpha, but when his father woke up, he would naturally be the Alpha. His father had only woken up about a year ago, so he didn¡¯t know what Jackson¡¯s brother had done. Jackson didn¡¯t ask his father about it when he noticed something was wrong. Not long after Jackson¡¯s father woke he sent his uncle, who had kidnapped his family, to prison as a witness. up, Now, the Sterling Pack was entirely in their hands. However, the family was huge, and Jackson still needed to stay in there and help the older Alpha. But now that Jackson had regained all his memories, he was in no mood to care about the Sterling Pack. If he could do it again, Jackson would rather be Ss and stay by Taya¡¯s side. Even though he had been poor and miserable, Taya was with him. But now¡­ Jason took a deep breath, and the sound of his father coughing came to his ears again. ¡°Jackson, the Sterling Pack can¡¯t do without you. Hurry up and go home¡­¡± Back home, Jackson¡¯s heart was so heavy that he couldn¡¯t breathe. Although Jackson¡¯s father had woken up, his body was disabled, and he could not move. He could only spend the rest of his life in the hospital bed. He wasn¡¯t strong enough to be the true Alpha, but he had been respected and loved, so many in the pack were willing to overlook the odd situation. In addition, he had lost his mate and pup, which made him depressed. Now he was about to d ie. If Jackson didn¡¯t go home, the Sterling Pack that his father and brother had risked their lives to keep would fall into someone else¡¯s hands. Jackson tightened his grip on his phone and withdrew his reluctant gaze from Taya¡¯s house. ¡°Fine,¡± he replied. Chapter 269 Chapter 269 Chapter 269 Ste put Griffon¡¯s coat in a garment bag and carried it to the vi. She pushed open the door of the study. The afterglow of the setting sun shone through the French windows and sprinkled on the man¡¯s body, covering it with ayer of faint golden light. Ste nced at the pile of cigarette butts in the trash can and frowned slightly. Griffon didn¡¯t smoke, and she didn¡¯t know when he started. But she had no right to interfere in his business. She knocked on the doorframe to alert him of her presence. Chapter 269 ¡°Come in.¡± The Alpha did not even turn his head, just spat the words out as if he was uninterested. Ste walked over. ¡°Alpha, Ms. Palmer asked me to return this to you.¡± She handed the bag to him. Only then did Griffon turn around and nce at her. ¡°Throw it away.¡± He looked indifferent, as if he had abandoned something he did not care about. ¡°Yes.¡± Ste turned to leave with the paper bag. Ste had guessed that Griffon would ask her to throw it away, but she still came here. She didn¡¯t dare to dispose of his things at will and risk the Alpha¡¯s wra th. When she walked out the door and was about to throw the bag into arge trash can, the man¡¯s voice suddenly came from behind her. ¡°Put it there.¡± Ste looked back at him, but he didn¡¯t look at her. He still had his back to her. She couldn¡¯t figure out what he was thinking. She walked over and ced the bag on the sofa. ¡°I¡¯ll return to the hospital now.¡± The Alpha nodded slightly. After Ste left, he turned around. Write yourment Gifts ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org . The Billionaire Alpha¡¯s Contract Lover It was just a coat Taya had worn, but it made him, who had always been decisive, hesitate. He threw away his cigarette irritably, picked up the coat, and rubbed the fabric between his fingers. Her scent still infused the coat, which made him reluctant to let go of her. Realizing this, Griffon¡¯s face darkened. He threw away the coat and opened another pack of cigarettes irritably¡­ Ste hurried out of the vi. A few patients were still waiting for her to see Chapter 270 Chapter 270 Chapter 270 She quickly got into her car. Turning the steering wheel, she saw a red Ferrari driving over¡­ The person who got out of the car was tall and carried a Chanel bag. When the woman saw Ste reversing the car, her face suddenly darkened. ¡°Ste!¡± Tara didn¡¯t expect to meet Ste in Griffon¡¯s private home. Tara had never been to this ce before. It took her a long time to find the address, but Ste could go in and out at will? Not eptable! She was his mate-to-be, but Griffon hid where he lived. Tara, who felt wronged and angry for no reason, had no time to care her image, to care how she would be perceived as the future Luna of the Knight pack. She rushed forward and knocked on the window. ¡°Ste, get out!¡¯ Ste rolled her eyes at Tara. ¡°Id iot!¡± She didn¡¯t want to talk to Tara. She reversed the car and stepped on the elerator. Tara didn¡¯t expect Ste to be so dismissive of the Alpha¡¯s mate. She was so angry that she clenched her fists and red at the speeding car. Ste Cobb, the director of the pack hospital, right? She would make Ste unable to survive in Arcadia! Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. Tara fixed her hair, turned around, and walked into the manor. However, the pack guards at the door blocked her way. ¡°Miss, you are not allowed to enter at will.¡± This time, Tara learned her lesson. She stopped making a fuss and said confidently, ¡°Alpha Knight sent for me. ¡°I¡¯ll need to verify that.¡¯ Tara¡¯s face instantly darkened. She didn¡¯t expect to be questioned. Tara said there was no need and took out her phone to call Griffon. She called him several times, but he didn¡¯t answer, making her angry. Without Griffon¡¯s permission, the pack guards wouldn¡¯t let her in. Tara had no choice but to give up. Tara felt slighted and ufortable. Ste could enter Griffon¡¯s home, but his mate couldn¡¯t? It was apparent that Griffon didn¡¯t take her seriously! After thinking for a while, she took out her phone and called old Mrs. Knight. ¡°Hello, old Mrs. Knight, this is Tara¡­¡± Chapter 271 Chapter 271 Chapter 271 Jackson left Arcadia. Before he left, he sent a message to Taya. [I¡¯m going back. I won¡¯t bother you anymore. Take care.] When Taya read this message, her eyes turned red. He was still the same as before, never making things difficult for her. She wanted to reply but felt she had hurt him so much. If she replied, it might give him hope. Suppressing the sadness, she put down her phone, cleaned herself up, and went out with her bag. She had cut ties with Griffon and Jackson. They would note to her again in the future, so she could leave with peace of mind. But before she left, she had to go to the Midwest Packs Association offices and finish her resignation. Then, she would find a suitable opportunity to share everything with Harper. Taya arrived at MPC and went straight to the Tara¡¯s office. Tara had juste back. She sat on the sofa and yed with her mobile phone. Seeing Tayae in, Tara raised her eyebrows. She crossed her legs and leaned back on the sofa, scrutinizing her. ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. ¡°Taya, why aren¡¯t you entertaining Alpha Sterling? Why are you here?¡± Tara¡¯s tone was hostile. Taya ignored Tara¡¯s attitude. ¡°Alpha Sterling has returned to Wolverly Capital. It¡¯s time for you to hold to your end of the deal.¡± Taya wanted to wrap everything up cleanly before she died. Tara didn¡¯t expect that Jackson had already returned to Wolverly Capital. After a moment of shock, she looked Taya up and down again. ¡°Alpha Sterling didn¡¯t take you¡­¡± Tara thought that if Jackson took a fancy to Taya, he would take her with him. When the time came, she would transfer Taya to the MPC branch office in Wolverly Capital and use her to get some benefits from Jackson and the Sterling pack. But thanks to Taya fooling around with other men, it appeared Jackson had kicked her to the curb and didn¡¯t want anything to do with her. Now, there was no point in any of it. Taya was useless to her. Tara picked up her phone, clicked the approval button in thepany¡¯s system, and asked Taya to go through the handover procedure with L. All of the awfulness Tara had put her through¡­and it was THIS simple. Taya finished going through the handover process and left MPC. All she had to do now was square things away with Harper. When she entered the subway station to head home, she received a call from Ste. ¡°Taya, I found some new medicine that I think will be a huge help to you.¡± Ste wanted to take them to Taya but was too busy at the hospital to leave. Taya refused politely. It wasn¡¯t that she didn¡¯t want it, but medicine like that would be too expensive and she wanted to save all of her money for Harper. Ste seemed to have sensed her embarrassment and said gently, ¡°I don¡¯t care about the cost of the medicine. Come here. I¡¯ll wait for you at the hospital.¡± With that, Ste hung up, not giving Taya a second chance to refuse. Looking at her phone¡¯s darkened screen, Taya was hesitant. She knew Ste was not short of money for medicine, but she couldn¡¯t take advantage of her. She hadn¡¯t paid for the medicine that Ste had given her already. Now she would get more¡­ She stood at the entrance of the subway station and sighed. Afraid that Ste would wait for her in the hospital indefinitely, she turned to get on the subway to her. As soon as she entered the hospital, she saw Damian supporting a pregnant woman and walking toward the obstetrics and gynecology department. Her face suddenly changed. She hurriedly followed him, her hands trembling. Fortunately, she was rational enough not to rush forward to question him. Instead, she took out her mobile phone and recorded it. After recording the video, she nned to send it to Harper, but she hesitated. If Harper saw this video, she might not be able to bear it¡­ She put down her phone hard and walked towards Damian. Chapter 272 Chapter 272 Chapter 272 Male shifters were not allowed to enter the gynecology department. It could be too much if their wolves were exposed to their mates in pain while delivering or going through contractions. After sending the pregnant she-wolf in, Damian sat in a chair in the waiting area. As soon as he turned around, he met Taya¡¯s sad gaze. He was shocked and took a few steps back to stabilize himself. ¡°Taya, why are you here?¡± are you here?¡± Damian looked visibly panicked. He probably didn¡¯t expect Taya to know about that. Harper told Taya everything, which made him a little unhappy. She was his mate, and she shouldn¡¯t be sharing all of their business with her best friend. After a moment of fear, Damian quickly calmed down and exined to Taya without batting an eyelid. ¡°I already went back. My sister wasn¡¯t feeling well, so I brought her to the big pack hospital to get checked out.¡± On the surface, this made sense, but¡­ ¡°Your sister?¡± Howe she had never heard that Damian had a sister? ¡°She¡¯s pregnant, so it was inconvenient for her to attend the mating ceremony. You may not have met her before. Harper knows her. I guess she forgot to tell you¡­¡± There was a hint of sarcasm in Damian¡¯s last sentence. Taya didn¡¯t ask any more questions. However, how she looked at Damian was no longer as gentle as before. She walked in the direction of the elevator. After entering, she did not close the door immediately. Instead, she hid in the corner and looked toward the obstetrics and gynecology department. Thinking that Taya had left, Damian waved to the pregnant woman. The woman immediately came over. After saying something, the woman shook Damian¡¯s hand, acting like a spoiled child. Damian scratched her nose. Their behavior was very intimate. They didn¡¯t look like siblings at all. Instead, they looked like a couple who had been in love for many years. Taya also recorded this scene and then sent a message to Harper to ask her about Damian¡¯s sister. [He does have a younger sister, but I haven¡¯t met her before. What¡¯s wrong?] Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Taya typed quickly. [Nothing. I saw Damian at the hospital. He was taking her to the obstetrics and gynecology department.] When Harper saw the message, her face darkened. [The obstetrics and gynecology department? Isn¡¯t he with his family on packnds?] Taya told Harper what Damian said. But why didn¡¯t he tell Harper he was back and taking his sister to the hospital? He obviously didn¡¯t want Harper to know. It was so strange. Harper turned off her phone, took out her car key, and went straight to the hospital. Taya still didn¡¯t sent Harper the video. She¡¯d let Harper see for herself. If Damian really betrayed her, the video in her hand would be the evidence, and she would send it to Harper. Harper didn¡¯t arrive very quickly. Taya feared they would leave after the woman saw the doctor, so she chose a ce where they couldn¡¯t see her and sat down. About half an hourter, the pregnant woman came out and was helped to the inpatient area by Damian. Taya immediately got up and followed him. When she saw that Damian had