Johan would risk his life for her. He already had. Just like the incident ten years ago. That one had been for Suzette, too.
I ended the video. Put the phone back on the table.
“Thanks for helping me. But don’t get it twisted-this isn’t your fight. Johan runs Vale Pack. Going up against him? That’s suicide. So if you know what’s good for you, stay out of it.”
He scoffed. “Johan plays politics. I conquer. There’s a difference.”
I smiled faintly, not commenting. But deep down, I knew this man, this stranger who kept showing up at the worst times, had saved me twice.
I couldn’t give him my body again. Not for gratitude.
But something else…
“Perfume.”
He paused mid-bite. “What?”
“I want to make you a perfume,” I said, trying not to sound awkward. “As a thank-you gift. If you’ll accept it. I know I’m just a disgraced perfumer now.”
He leaned forward, caught my chin with his fingers, and tilted my face up.
“A personal scent from LunaPharma’s controversial genius? That’s an honor.”
His voice dropped into something smooth. Something hot. I gulped.
“It won’t take long,” I said quietly. “About a week.”
Seven days. That’s how long I had left in Vale Pack.
I’d give him the scent and then disappear.
We finished the meal in surprising silence. Good silence. No fights. Just strange comfort.
He offered to drive me back, but I said no. I returned to the villa alone.
Everything was already packed. But I had to pull out my tools, my formulas. If I was going to make a perfume just for him, it had to be perfect. Something that matched his presence.
I mixed oils and notes, each one sharper, stronger, smoother than the last. I imagined his face. The curve of his mouth. The chill in his eyes.
And then I packaged my sollution and shipped to Silvercrest Healing Dominion, care of Bosley, the one who design my bottles. Time disappeared.
I didn’t even realize how long I’d been working.
Until I felt another presence.
I realized I wasn’t alone.
Jessica’s POV
I froze when I saw Johan walk into my workspace.
The man looked pale, probably from dealing with the rogue who went wild at the hospital earlier. Not that I cared. Not even a little bit.
He scanned the room, then his eyes landed on the formulas scattered on my table.
His expression softened like he had discovered a treasure chest.
Exactly what I did not need.
“What are you doing here? Wouldn’t you rather be at the hospital with your precious Suzette?” I asked, brow raised.
My voice tasted like steel. I did not bother hiding the irritation.
Johan stepped closer, ignoring every ounce of bite in my tone. His gaze remained glued to the sheets of paper like he had earned the right to look.
“Are you making a new perfume for our wedding?” he asked gently, as if he deserved something beautiful from me.
I held back a humorless laugh.
The formulas on the table were not simple.
They were detailed notes of alpha-grade pheromone extract, moonflower resin, diluted silverleaf essence, and ratios balancing wolf scent signatures.
It was crafted for someone powerful. Someone who actually protected me. Someone who was not Johan.
He reached out to touch the sketches, but I grabbed them first and stepped back. His arms came around my waist like he believed he still had a claim on me.
“You are my treasure, Jessica,” Johan said behind me. “As long as you are here, no wolf company can surpass mine. You are my most talented wolf. My favorite.”
I pulled away like he burned me.
I could not believe this man. After everything he had done, he still assumed the world revolved around him.
“What are you doing? Planning to give my formula to Suzette again? Then claim she made it?”
My voice dropped so low and cold it could have cracked stone.
Johan’s smile faded.
“Jessica, your skill is impossible to keep hidden,” he said. “Why worry if Suzette gets some recognition?”
“That is not the point,” I shot back. “If she is truly talented, she should create her own work. If she cannot, she has no right to take mine!”
I shoved the drawings into a folder and walked into the bathroom. I shut the door and locked it behind me.
He let out a frustrated breath.
“You know I rushed over here even though Suzette begged me to stay at the hospital,” he said through the door. “I wanted to make things up to you. I came because I missed you. And this is what I get? A door in my face?”
I rinsed my hands under the sink. They were shaking from pure anger.
“Did I tell you to come here for me?” I shouted back. “You already chose her. I did not complain. So do not say things like I owe you anything.”
Silence. Then a sigh.
“Let us forget what happened like mature wolves, alright? Now can you cook me my favorite stew?”
I stared at the mirror. This man. This man really thought the world owed him something.
I stayed silent.
He knocked.
“I am injured and I have not eaten. Come make me some food. The kind you always made.”
Ten years. Ten years I allowed myself to stay with someone like this.
How had I never seen the real Johan before All this time I had been living with a shadow of him, blind to who he truly was. I laughed bitterly. I would go insane staying with a creature like him. One moment he told me I was important, and the next, one call from Suzette and all that devotion vanished.
Then his phone rang. Suzette’s ringtone.
He answered immediately and practically ran out the door.
The moment I stepped out of the bathroom, I went straight to packing a few more clothes. Everything went into my bags. I was done. Finally done.
I mindlinked Raena while holding the perfume notes.
“Raena, I need a favor. I need specific plants and herbs. Something light but intimidating. It is for a personalized perfume.”
“For you, I will find anything,” she said.
After ending the link, I finished packing every last thing.
Healer Dahlia had already given me a foreign address so she could ship my belongings ahead of me.
Then my phone buzzed. The lycanthrope immigration office called. They needed my signature in person.
Perfect. I already wanted to rush the process.
I grabbed my bag, booked a cab, tossed my phone inside, and stepped out of the gate.
A car pulled up immediately.
Fast. Too fast.
I assumed the cab had just been close by and got inside without checking the plate number.
“Bayview Avenue, please,” I said. Humans thought it was an ordinary mall. Wolves knew the immigration office was hidden behind the bookstore.
The driver said nothing.
I lowered my head to check my phone. A new email from Dahlia popped up. Another contract from the Healers Circle in Europe. I needed to sign it and fax it back.
I was so focused I did not notice the shift in direction. Or the trees. Or the climb uphill.
When I finally looked up, the car was parked somewhere deep in the mountains far outside the city.
My heart stopped.
“What the hell?” I grabbed the door handle.
It locked instantly.
I looked into the rearview mirror. The driver wore a mask.
“Who are you? Why did you bring me here?” I demanded. I checked my app. My actual driver had canceled because of no show.
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