Chapter 81
Chapter 81:
And for the first time in my life, I wanted to be kept.
The silence in the penthouse the following morning was different. It wasn’t the heavy, suffocating quiet of a hospital room — it was the charged, electric stillness of a predator’s den.
I sat at the black marble dining table, my fingers tracing the rim of my coffee cup. Across from me, Dallas was reading a report on his tablet, his dark brows furrowed. He looked devastatingly calm, like a dormant volcano. But I knew better now. I knew about the silver bullets. I knew about the ghosts.
Knowing didn’t mean I would submit to being a trophy on his shelf.
“I’m applying for a job,” I said, my voice cutting through the quiet.
Dallas didn’t look up. He took a slow sip of his black coffee. “Oh p>
“S&D Design,” I continued, watching him closely for a reaction. “They have an opening for a Junior Restoration Consultant. It fits my degree in Art History perfectly p>
𝘙𝘦с𝗼m𝗺𝖾𝗇d 𝘁о уo𝘂𝗋 𝗳𝗿i𝗲n𝗱s
He finally lowered the tablet. His golden eyes met mine — unreadable and bottomless. “S&D is a prestigious firm. The work is demanding p>
“I can handle demanding,” I countered, straightening my spine. “But I need you to agree to something, Dallas p>
He leaned back in his chair, the leather creaking softly. “And what is that p>
“No calls,” I said firmly. “No Alpha’s Command to your Elders or connections. I want to earn this on my own merit. If they hire me, I want it to be because I’m good enough — not because the Alpha King made a phone call p>
A ghost of a smile played on his lips — a strange, almost satisfied expression I couldn’t quite place. It was as if I had walked into a trap I didn’t know was set, its mechanism padded with velvet.
“Very well,” he said, his voice smooth. “You have my word. No calls p>
I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. A surge of triumph moved through me. I was carving out a piece of this life for myself, something separate from him. My degree was already in hand — a fact that felt like a first real victory. Now I simply needed to prove it was worth something.
“Well, that’s a start,” Azalea’s voice chimed in.
She breezed into the dining area, heels clicking on the marble. She dropped her purse onto the counter and gave me a pointed look. “But a job isn’t the only thing you need, Adella. You need a life. A backup plan p>
The temperature in the room dropped ten degrees in a heartbeat.
Dallas went still — that terrifying, absolute stillness of a wolf locking onto prey. “A backup plan?” he repeated, his voice low and dangerous.