Chapter 104
Chapter 104:
Gavin’s face turned a blotchy red. He rose from his chair, attempting to exert his meager authority. “Listen here. The Hydes are powerful. They pay the bills. You are an intern with no wolf and no connections. You should be grateful you still have a job. If you don’t like it, you can resign p>
He was trying to bully me. Just like Braydon. Just like everyone else.
I felt the familiar coil of fear tighten in my stomach — every instinct screaming at me to submit, to apologize, to make myself small. But I was done cowering.
I leaned over his desk and stared him down. I didn’t have a wolf to flash its eyes at him, but I had something better.
“You should figure out which Alpha’s territory you’re standing on, Gavin,” I said, my voice dropping to a lethal whisper that surprised even me.
Gavin paused, a flicker of uncertainty crossing his face. “What are you talking about p>
“It is the Alpha of the Blackwood Pack who signs your paychecks,” I said, the words tasting like power on my tongue. “And I am his Mate p>
The color drained from Gavin’s face so fast he looked like a corpse. He slumped back into his chair, speechless.
I didn’t wait for a response. I turned on my heel and walked out, my head held high.
I wasn’t just Adella the wolfless anymore. I was the Alpha’s wife — and I was done hiding.
The adrenaline from my confrontation with Gavin had long since evaporated, leaving behind a cold, shaky residue. I retreated to the breakroom — the only place in the office where the whispers seemed to quiet down, mostly because the humming of the vending machine drowned them out.
𝗥e𝘢𝖽 wit𝗁𝘰𝘂𝘁 𝘪𝗇𝘵е𝘳𝘳uр𝗍𝗶оnѕ 𝗈𝗇
I sat at a wobbly plastic table, unwrapping a sandwich I had made three days ago. The bread was stale, but it was all I had. I kept my head down, trying to make myself small, trying to be the invisible wolfless girl again.
“Is it true p>
The voice was sharp, cutting through the hum of the refrigerator. I looked up to see Elara Vance standing over me — one of the senior designers, a striking she-wolf with sharp cheekbones and eyes that missed nothing. She held a salad in one hand and a look of intense scrutiny on her face.
“Is what true?” I asked, my voice barely a whisper.
Elara pulled out the chair opposite me and sat down without breaking eye contact. “The rumor Gavin is spreading. He says you’re the Alpha King’s wolfless breeder. That you slept your way into keeping your job and getting him in trouble p>
The word breeder hit me like a physical slap. It was a slur reserved for women with no status, no wolf — good for nothing but producing pups.
I choked on my water, coughing violently. “What? No. God, no p>
“He says you’re a gold digger,” Elara continued, her tone clinical, as if she were dissecting a fabric sample.
I looked down at my sandwich, then at my shoes — scuffed flats I had glued back together twice. Heat rushed to my cheeks. “Does this look like the wardrobe of a gold digger to you p>