Chapter 14 #2
Two weeks after my ultrasound, I woke up with a cold. It was a human ailment I’d never had before, my werewolf genes protecting me even though I was wolfless, but I heard rumors it could happen in Omega wolf pregnancies.
I hated it. And it wasn’t just because of the fact that it was yet another proof of my weakness, it just simply sucked.
My throat was scratchy, and I couldn’t get warm enough, no matter how many layers I had on.
My skin burned with a heat that made my heartbeat slow, my vision blur, and my mind feel hazy.
“The client at Wilfords wants an in-person inspection,” Wendy’s tone was too shrill for my hearing, which seemed far more sensitive than it had been yesterday. “You will be escorting him to the site by noon.”
I’d wanted to skip work so badly, but doing so would have fed the already frenzied nepotism rumors flying around about Alpha Damien and me.
I didn’t have much work scheduled anyway, so it would be fine, or so I’d thought, only for Wendy to barge into my office literally in the middle of my lunch break to make demands of me. I stared at her blankly.
“Isn’t that case assigned to you?”
Acting like I hadn’t spoken, Wendy shoved my half-eaten lunch off my desk before dropping off a stack of documents, a condescending tone seeping into her voice.
“These are the first set of documents you need to go through.”
Staring at the spilled lunch, I’d have to clean off; I decided I’d had enough.
“I already told you,” I bit out, ignoring the flare of pain in my throat at the exertion. “I won’t be doing work assigned to you anymore.”
Wendy’s bold red lips curled up into a mocking, victorious smirk.
“Oh, you’ll do whatever I want you to, Raven,” she said confidently. “You think you are a social pariah at work now? Wait till everyone discovers how you are pushing your work onto other underprivileged people simply because you are screwing the boss.”
My lips parted with shock, and it took me several moments to gather my words.
“I don’t—” I started to defend myself, only to pause as a thought suddenly occurred to me. “You knew the side elevator wasn’t working the day you sent me to accounting.”
My suspicions were affirmed when Wendy continued to stare at me blankly without even attempting to refute my accusation. My lips parted with genuine shock.
“Wendy, I could have gotten seriously hurt.” If Alpha Damien hadn’t gotten trapped with me, I could have been trapped for hours or worse. Definitely worse.
“Too bad that didn’t happen,” Wendy rolled her eyes, her sharp gaze meeting mine with a surprising amount of venom. “If you don’t want another ‘accident,’ I suggest you hop to it. Or else—”
“And what accident would you be referring to, Miss Falcon?” Alpha Damien’s glacial cool yet unquestionably authoritative voice boomed as he stepped into my office.
Wendy jumped, her eyes widening almost comically before she hurriedly spun to face him.
“Mr. Blackwell. This is—” she started to explain, but he didn’t let her finish.
“Have your desk cleaned out in five minutes, Miss Falcon.” His gaze was dark and dangerous, an unspoken threat in his voice. “Also, don’t bother trying to get another job anywhere in this city.”
Maybe it was common sense, or it was Wendy’s survival instinct finally kicking in, but she didn’t try to argue with Alpha Damien before racing out of my office like death was on her heels.
And there went any hope of ever clearing my name at work. I shuffled onto my feet, meeting Alpha Damien’s dark gaze.
“I could have handled—”
My words were cut off abruptly as Alpha Damien took my hand in his, leading me out of my office without any explanation. Startled, I tried to free my hand from his grasp.
“Damien, what are you—”
I fell silent as Alpha Damien ushered me right into the fully occupied lunch breakroom that fell eerily silent at our entry. I froze as their curious gazes fell on me, literally cradled in Alpha Damien’s arms.
When I’d insisted on keeping our personal and work lives separate after Alpha Damien and I made our arrangement, it was precisely because I’d wanted to avoid a situation like this. I started to pull away, but Alpha Damien didn’t let me. His hold was steadfast.
“I am engaged to Raven Caine,” he announced suddenly, and my mind went blank.
“If any staff here thinks this is grounds to ostracize and bully her, you can follow Wendy Falcon out the door right now because if I have to single you out myself for inappropriate behavior, the consequences will be dire.”
With his arm still around my waist, he escorted me out of the lunchroom and straight into the privacy of his office, where he finally let go of me. I felt a sudden, inexplicable chill in the absence of his touch.
“You didn’t have to do that,” I scrabbled for control, my voice thin and reedy.
Alpha Damien’s jaw clenched, his golden gaze a study in brutal beauty before he looked away sharply, his hands in fists at his sides.
“No one is allowed to treat you like that,” he swore bitterly. “No one.”
Something shifted in me at his words. I’d never had anyone defend me like that. Openly. Boldly. Fiercely. Without a trace of shame. Like I was theirs. Wholly. My heart thudded in my chest, and I found I was lost for words.
“I...thank you.”
Alpha Damien’s gaze softened, and he took a hesitant step towards me.
“Raven, I…”
He was still speaking, but his words sounded like they came from underwater. I took an unsteady step forward to better hear him, and my ankles gave way beneath me, and I went down. My vision went hazy around the edges.
“Raven!”
My world went dark.