Gina

I walked out of his office with the file tucked under my arm and went straight to mine. Dropping it onto the desk, I leaned back in the chair and exhaled.

That’s when I realized I hadn’t eaten a single thing today. In the rush of coming here, I forgot to grab something. My stomach twisted in protest, reminding me how empty it was.

With a sigh, I grabbed my phone and headed for the cafeteria.

The cafeteria wasn’t particularly lively, just the low hum of conversation and the occasional clatter of trays.

I sat down with a quick meal, eating slowly, though my mind was far from the food. I thought about calling my mother, about telling her the update she’s been waiting on. But I knew how that would go.

She would remind me of every reason not to take this path and right now, I couldn’t afford to hear her voice pulling me back. No, I will only call her after I signed the documents and sealed this job. By then, it would be too late for her to stop me.

On my way back, I stepped into the lobby and there I ran into Eric. He was leaning casually against the reception counter, laughing with one of the nurses. The second his eyes met mine, his smile faltered.

He excused himself quickly, as though he had been caught in something he shouldn’t be doing. I spun on my heels, pretending not to notice, and quickened my pace toward my office. But of course, Eric followed.

He caught up with me at my door, his hand wrapping around mine before I could step in.

I jerked free, glaring at him, “What the hell do you want, Eric?” My voice trembled with anger.

His expression softened instantly, the same look he always wore whenever he knew he had messed up.

“Gina, I’m sorry,” he murmured, his tone heavy with practiced regret. “I never meant to hurt you.”

I almost laughed at the audacity.

“Never meant to hurt me? By sleeping with my best friend? Oh, it was just an accident.

It wasn’t even the first time you two were sneaking around behind my back while I was busy loving you. While I was killing myself covering your shifts, working overtime just so you could—” my voice cracked, rage and betrayal crashing together in my chest, “ fuck her in the comfort of my absence.”

Eric’s eyes dropped, guilt flickering in them for the briefest second. “How can I make things right?” He asked in a low, pleading voice.

“You can start…” I snapped, “by never showing your face in my presence again. We’re done Eric. You and Adele can have each other.”

He flinched, his voice desperate. “Whatever happened between Adele and I was just casual. Don’t throw this away because of her, I don’t want to lose you.”

This time I did laugh loudly and bitterly. “You must really think you’re something.

Let me make this clear, Eric, even if every man in the world ceased to exist and you were the last one left, I’d sooner become a nun than take you back. You are nothing but a piece of shit.”

His jaw tightened, his tone shifting from guilty to arrogant in an instant. “So that’s it, you’re breaking up with me after everything I’ve done for you?”

“Yes,” I said coldly. “And don’t act like you recommended me for this new job out of kindness. It was just a way to get me out of your sight, wasn’t it? To make sneaking around with Adele easier. So thank you, because now I won’t have to look at either of your pathetic faces again.”

He smirked, leaning closer. “You really think you’re walking into something better? You do realize this isn’t just a job. It’s a position for the Lycan king, worse than werewolves, and I know how much you hate their existence.

You will still see me around, every day.”

I crossed my arms, savoring the flicker of unease in his face as I replied. “The director already updated me and I have accepted the job. And if it comes down to it, I’d rather face wolves than waste another second with you.”

His smirk faltered, slipping into genuine alarm. “ Please tell me you thought this through. We are talking about him, the cursed king, the one who murdered all three of his mates in cold blood. One mistake, Gina, one slip and he will tear you apart.”

His words buzzed in my ears, but I had no interest in listening to more of his poisonous warnings. I was done with the cheating, the lies, the manipulation. Done with the walking red flag I had wasted years of my life on.

I turned to leave, but his hand clamped down on my wrist, painfully tight.

“Eric, you’re hurting me, let me go.” I struggled, twisting against his grip.

“You’re not taking this job,” he barked, his voice losing its fake softness, revealing the selfish, controlling man underneath. His hold only tightened, and before I could react, his other hand grabbed a fistful of my hair.

“Let me go!” I cried, my voice breaking as tears burned my eyes.

“Let her go.”

The voice wasn’t Eric’s, it was deeper and dangerous, certainly did not belong to a human.

A growl rumbled through the air, and before I could even process what happened, Eric was ripped away from me. His body thrown across the hall like a ragdoll. He hit the wall with a sickening thud, sliding to the floor.

My breath caught in my throat. My hands trembled as I stared wide-eyed at the figure standing in the shadows. Tall, commanding, and radiating a presence that made the air itself heavy.