Chapter 103
Chapter 103:
Dallas pushed off the counter, his movements fluid and silent. He held out a steaming mug. “Caramel macchiato. Extra foam. Just how you like it p>
I stared at the cup. He knew my coffee order. The intimacy of that small detail frightened me more than his growl ever had. I took the mug, my fingers brushing his. A spark of electricity snapped between us, making me gasp.
Before I could retreat, Dallas stepped into my space, trapping me between his body and the cold marble counter. He was so large he seemed to eclipse the room. He reached out, wrapping a lock of my hair around his finger and bringing it to his nose to inhale slowly.
“You smell like fear, Adella,” he murmured, his voice a low rumble that vibrated through my chest. His thumb brushed my lower lip, rough and warm. “You are my wife. You can’t hide from me forever p>
My breath hitched. “I’m not hiding. I just… have work p>
His obsidian eyes bored into mine, seeing every insecurity I tried to bury. “Go to work. Conquer your little world.” He leaned down, his lips grazing the shell of my ear, sending shivers cascading down my spine. “But remember this — don’t lock the door next time p>
The command was absolute. A promise and a warning, wrapped in velvet.
Two hours later, the scent of Dallas’s expensive coffee had been replaced by the cloying stench of cheap cologne and nervous sweat.
I sat in Gavin Stout’s office, my hands folded tightly in my lap. Gavin, the mid-level manager who usually ignored me, was currently sweating through his polyester shirt.
“It’s nothing personal, Adella,” Gavin said, avoiding my eyes as he shuffled papers on his desk. “But the client was very specific. They feel your presence in the main design studio is a distraction. We’re moving you to the archives team in the basement p>
The basement. A windowless tomb for forgotten files.
𝘔о𝘳𝘦 𝗇𝗈𝗏e𝗹𝘀 𝗈𝗇.сo𝗺
“Which client?” I asked, though I already knew the answer.
“The Hyde Pack,” Gavin muttered, wiping his forehead. “Mr. Braydon Hyde insisted. He threatened to pull their contract if we didn’t make adjustments p>
Rage, hot and sudden, flared in my gut. Braydon. He couldn’t just reject me and break me — he had to bury me too. He wanted me out of sight, stripped of the one thing that gave me dignity. My work.
A week ago, I would have cried. I would have accepted my fate as the weak, wolfless girl everyone expected me to be.
But I could still feel the ghost of Dallas’s touch on my lip. Conquer your little world.
I stood up. The chair scraped loudly against the floor.
“No,” I said firmly.
Gavin blinked, his mouth falling open. “Excuse me p>
“I was hired by Elder Augusta Marshall,” I said, my voice steady, channeling the steel I had borrowed from the Alpha King. “I will not be banished to a basement because your client has a personal vendetta against me. If you want to move me, you can explain it to Augusta yourself p>