Chapter 5 No.5

When I woke up, the pain in my head was excruciating.

I looked down and realized I was no longer wearing anything, just wrapped in a bathrobe. My shirt had been torn into pieces and was piled on the bedside table.

A cold shiver ran through me, and my body trembled uncontrollably. After chasing Victor for ten years, I had never been in a real relationship. And yet, my first experience had been taken by those beasts.

I struggled to sit up, reaching for my clothes and trying to slip away, but I collided with someone in front of me.

"Alexander?" I called out, surprised.

I glanced at his bath towel and then down at my own.

The surprise quickly turned into shock. "Did we...?"

Alpha Alexander's handsome face came closer, his wet hair dripping water onto my collarbone. One hand pressed me back onto the edge of the bed.

"What about us?" he asked, his voice low and dangerous.

A strange flutter rushed through my body, and I quickly retreated back into the bed.

"How did you come back? I thought I was going to be..." My voice trailed off.

Alexander took my hand in his.

"When I arrived, those animals were about to tear your clothes off."

"How did you know I was there? Wait, why are my clothes still torn?"

I glanced at the pile of shredded fabric by the bed, my gaze locking with his deep blue eyes, as vast as the ocean.

Alexander turned his head awkwardly. "I tried calling you, but you didn't answer. Lily told me you were at the birthday party, so I searched every luxury hotel in town before I found you."

"Oh... then what about my clothes?"

"I tore them. You vomited all over yourself, and when I tried to undo your buttons, you kept squirming. So, I just ripped them off."

Even though I had already guessed the answer, my face still turned a deep shade of red. I buried my head into the blanket, my voice barely audible, like a mosquito's buzz. "Did you also help me... wash up?"

"Yeah, Lily's working overtime at the company." Alexander suddenly leaned in closer. "So now you're shy?"

I stretched my neck, trying to sound tough. "How could I be? We grew up together. What's there to be shy about in front of you?"

"Is that so?" Alexander's tone shifted, becoming distant. "So, I'm just a regular friend to you?"

"No, I..." I wanted to explain, but no words came out.

Memories began flooding back, and the pursuit of Victor over the years played out like a movie in my mind.

It wasn't until I pulled away from those thoughts that I realized the affection I had felt for him was just a thick filter I had put on him.

But with Alexander? I had grown so used to him being by my side that I couldn't even tell whether this feeling was love.

"Even after everything he's done to you, you still can't let him go?" Alexander's eyes showed sadness, his tone a mix of anger and hurt. I couldn't help but want to reach out and smooth it over.

"It's not that. I don't like him as much anymore."

"Seraphina, never forget to love yourself first."

Alexander withdrew his hand and slowly backed away. I touched the pendant over my chest, finding comfort in its presence.

At Monday's morning meeting, Maxwell Carter informed me that the company's new product had secured an investor who specifically requested I take charge of the project.

As I entered the meeting room, I was surprised to see Victor sitting there.

I composed myself, holding the folder and stepping forward. "Mr. Hale, here are the materials for the project. You can take a look."

Victor reached out and flicked the pendant on my chest. His voice was cold. "Looks like you managed to get it back after all."

I casually shifted to create some space between us. "So you never intended to return it, did you? Was it just to let Grace humiliate me?"

"I can give you something better," Victor said, his usual self-confidence and arrogance showing. "I can buy you luxurious high-end jewelry, anything you want."

"No need," I replied, keeping my composure. "No matter how expensive the jewelry is, none of it is as valuable as this. Mr. Hale, let's talk about the project."

Victor waved the documents away. "I don't care if the project makes money. If I told you to handle it, then just do it."

"Seraphina, I'm keeping my promise. From now on, you're my luna."

For the first time in ten years, Victor called me his luna. In that moment, I felt no joy or excitement, nor any sense of relief or sadness.

It was just an indifferent, detached feeling, like something I once desperately wanted but now didn't care about.

"Sorry, Mr. Hale, but I'd suggest you pick someone else as your luna. We can discuss the project if you have time."

"Fuck," Victor snapped, his anger flaring. He grabbed my chin and forced me to meet his eyes.

Suddenly, he laughed. "I've just realized, you're actually quite interesting."

"Mr. Hale, if you're not satisfied, you can replace me. We have plenty of capable people at the company."

"Humph." Victor scoffed, grabbed his suit, and walked out.

I let out a breath of relief as my phone buzzed with a message.

"I'm downstairs at your office. Steak's ready to be picked up."

It was from Alpha Alexander!

I perked up again, racing downstairs as if it were a 100-meter sprint.