His wide shoulders were tense beneath the rumpled hospital shirt, evidence of a long, uncomfortable night spent in that stiff chair.
A hot wave of mortification washed over me.
My face burned with shame, knowing he had heard every humiliating word of my marital meltdown.
My boss had become an unwilling witness to my divorce unraveling-catching every painful moment.
After finishing his water, Alpha Sebastian stood and left the room first, not even glancing toward the hospital bed. Beta Sawyer followed him out quietly.
I watched his tall figure until he disappeared through the doorway.
“Eat your chicken soup.”
The cold voice snapped me back to reality. Xavien stood before me, blocking my view, holding a pristine ward bowl filled with steaming soup.
I blinked at him, stunned for a moment. “Just leave it on the table. I’ll eat it later.”
“It’ll get cold,” he replied firmly. “Let me feed you.”
“I don’t need you to feed me.”
His lips curled into a bitter smile. “What, would you rather Alpha Sebastian spoon-feed you instead?”
I gave him a look that said he’d completely lost his mind. “Only the truly paranoid see betrayal everywhere.”
His shoulders sagged slightly, the tension easing. “Quit your job with him, and maybe I’ll believe you.”
I didn’t even flinch.
“Then I guess you’ll just have to live not knowing.”
His expression darkened once more. “Of all the jobs out there, why choose to be his secretary?”
“Because I want to,” I answered simply.
“I know you’re doing this to get back at me. You want revenge.”
A cold laugh escaped me as I reached for the congee he held. “Thank you for the visit, Alpha Xavien. You can leave now.”
He looked as if I’d struck him physically. In all our years together, I’d never addressed him so formally, so sharply.
He sat down on the edge of my bed, jaw clenched stubbornly. “I’m not leaving. We’re still married, and I have a responsibility to care for my wife!”
I rolled my eyes silently and said nothing. Before he could attempt to feed me, I took the soup and began eating it myself.
***
About an hour later, Alpha Sebastian returned-this time accompanied by Beta Sawyer and Amara.
I hadn’t even realized Amara had stayed overnight. Apparently, she’d gone out to get breakfast and happened to run into Sebastian on her way back. But it was clear she hadn’t lingered out of concern for me or guilt.
She stayed because of Sebastian-wanting to keep an eye on him.
Amara stepped forward, wearing a polite smile and holding a paper bag. “Secretary Celina, I’m truly sorry about last night,” she said softly, her tone practiced and sincere. “I misunderstood the situation and believed Deputy Zoe’s lies. I hope you can forgive me.”
I studied her for a moment, then shrugged lightly. “People make mistakes. But just so we’re clear-I don’t owe you anything.”
Her smile faltered briefly before she forced it back into place. She glanced quickly at Alpha Sebastian, clearly hoping he had heard her apology.
He did not respond. His gaze remained fixed on me.
“You did well,” he said quietly, voice low and steady. “I’ll take care of the rest. Focus on getting better.”
I nodded once. “Understood, Alpha Sebastian.”
Behind him, Beta Sawyer shifted uneasily.
“Celina-I mean, Miss Celina-I’m really sorry,” Beta Sawyer stammered, tripping over my name. “I should have stopped you from going to the factory. I should have gone with you.”
I raised an eyebrow but said nothing. My expression was unreadable-neither angry nor forgiving.
A heavy silence settled over the room, thick with tension.
Near the window, Alpha Xavien stood with his arms crossed, jaw tight. He didn’t speak, but the sharp, cold look in his eyes was unmistakable-territorial and blaming.
His gaze seemed to silently accuse Beta Sawyer of putting me in harm’s way.
Beta Sawyer immediately felt the weight of the tension. He glanced at Alpha Xavien, caught the warning in his eyes, and quickly dropped his gaze. His voice died in his throat as he took a step back.
The atmosphere grew heavier still. No one dared speak.
After a long pause, Amara cleared her throat. “I think it’s best if I request reassignment,” she said quietly. “I don’t want to cause any more tension here.”
Alpha Sebastian didn’t even look her way. He offered no reply. His attention remained solely on me.
Sensing the charged silence, I smoothly shifted the topic.
“By the way,” I said, adopting a businesslike tone, “my recording pen caught something useful. I found the names of two employees who have been collecting salaries without doing any actual work.”
I reached for my phone. “I’ll log into the cloud and pull up the audio file now.”
Celina
I tapped my phone screen, preparing to access the cloud and retrieve the audio file. The room fell into a heavy silence as I unlocked my device, but I could still feel the weight of eyes fixed on me-most notably, hers.
I glanced at Amara, disbelief washing over me. First, Xavien’s attempt to sabotage my career, and now Amara’s interference? Especially after I’d just extended her a lifeline to help her save face in front of Sebastian. The betrayal stung deeper than I expected.
“Are you thinking of resigning?” Alpha Sebastian’s voice cut through the tension, calm but unreadable. Was he probing me, testing my resolve?
“Absolutely not,” I replied firmly, without hesitation. Despite the divorce and everything, Xavien had no authority over my career decisions.
Xavien’s face drained of color, his fury barely contained. Amara, standing close by, shot me a glare so icy it could freeze fire.
Alpha Sebastian, however, allowed a small smile to curve at the corners of his lips. “Good to hear.”
He glanced at his watch before continuing, “The doctor says your leg will need at least a week to heal properly. Would you prefer to return to Denver early? I can arrange my private jet for you.”
I shook my head quickly, “That won’t be necessary. I’ll come back with the others as planned.”
The offer was tempting, but having him send a private jet just for me felt… inappropriate. I didn’t want to impose, no matter how kind the gesture.
“Very well. We’ll return together then.”
The warmth in Alpha Sebastian’s eyes deepened slightly, sending an unexpected flutter through my chest. It was a subtle moment, but it left me breathless.
He told me to get some rest and left the room, Beta Sawyer following closely behind.
Amara lingered, clearly wanting to say more, but in the end, she hurried after Alpha Sebastian, casting one last venomous look my way.
I sighed quietly to myself. It was painfully obvious now: any woman within Sebastian’s orbit was automatically labeled a rival in Amara’s eyes.
“Celina, are you seriously flirting with him right in front of me? Do you think I’m already dead?” a furious voice erupted beside me, making me jump.
I turned to face Xavien, his thunderous expression unmistakable. Right… I’d almost forgotten my soon-to-be ex-husband was still here.
“Alpha Xavien, please lower your voice. This is a hospital,” I said evenly, refusing to rise to his anger.
“Don’t call me Alpha Xavien!” he snapped.
“Fine,” I replied with a saccharine smile, “Alpha Xavien, then. Now please, get out of my sight.”
I lay back down, pulling the blanket over my head as his heated presence lingered nearby. Despite his Alpha status and all his displays of dominance, there was nothing he could do to me here.
–
Author
Celina remained hospitalized for three days.
Throughout that time, Alpha Xavien refused to leave her side. No matter how much she ignored him or treated him like invisible air, his stubborn persistence was relentless-both irritating and exhausting.
His phone rang constantly during those days. Sometimes he answered; more often, he abruptly ended the calls.
His frustration was growing more and more apparent.
Celina had a theory.
[Maybe the Shadow Pack had managed to bail Cici out? It wasn’t impossible.
If Xavier had been released so quickly, the Blood Moon Pack’s legal team was clearly effective. The Shadow Pack’s lawyers would be just as capable.]
One afternoon, while Alpha Xavien was distracted, Celina slipped into the bathroom and called Harlow.
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