“Good,” I thought bitterly,though my heart ached at the sight.
“Mr. Taylor,with all due respect,if this isn’t about my work at this company,I have nothing to say to Alpha Draven,” I said firmly,looking at Joseph while fighting back tears.
“Caroline,this has nothing to do with your work here. In fact,Reeves tells me you’re doing exceptionally well,and I’m happy I hired you. Draven’s matter is about what happened at his company,” Joseph assured me.
I glanced at Elle,who was watching me with protective concern. When I turned back to Draven,the intensity in his eyes nearly broke my resolve. I steeled myself against the pull.
“Unless Alpha Draven has come with pack enforcers to claim I’ve broken some law,I have nothing to say to him. So,Mr. Taylor,if possible,I’d like to return to my work,” I said firmly and heard Draven’s heavy sigh.
“I came to apologize,Caroline. Could you please hear me out? I made a terrible mistake.” Draven’s voice was hoarse as he rubbed both hands over his face.
I stood frozen,conflicted. Eleanor came to me and took my hand. “Look,sweetie,if it were up to me,this arrogant Alpha wouldn’t even get near you,but it seems he won’t give up. Just listen to him once. Better here than at home with Liam around.”
My friend was right. The last thing I needed was for this confrontation to happen anywhere near my son. I nodded stiffly.
“Fine,Alpha Draven,I’ll listen to you,but it’ll be after my working hours,” I said firmly.
“Caroline,” Joseph intervened gently,”as your boss and new friend,let me give you some advice. Talk to Draven now,use my office. Eleanor and I will be in the meeting room if you need anything. I’ve already made it clear to Draven that you’re not alone here.”
I sighed and agreed.If that’s how it would be,let’s get this over with.
Eleanor and Joseph left,and I was alone with Draven once again.
My heart was racing; despite everything,my body still responded to his presence. Rory paced anxiously within me,torn between wanting to run and wanting to submit to her Alpha.
He walked toward me,and I stepped back instinctively. I couldn’t let him touch me because I knew my resolve would crumble.
“Carrie,please don’t pull away from me,” Draven spoke,pain evident in his voice.
“Sit down,Alpha Draven. You wanted to talk,I’ll listen,but that’s all,” I said harshly.
We sat across from each other,and the anguish on his face was unmistakable. But I refused to believe it meant he missed me as much as I missed him.
Draven sighed and began explaining everything they had discovered. He told me it was Linda who had set me up and that she was the one leaking information,but they had to maintain the charade until they could identify who was really behind Linda’s actions.
I wasn’t surprised that Linda was a traitor; she had always been lurking around,trying to discover everyone’s secrets.
“Caroline,please forgive me,” he said,his violet eyes pleading. “I was a complete fool. I acted on impulse,I was unfair and cruel to you. I’m deeply sorry. When I saw those emails,I were so hurt that I didn’t want to listen to anyone. I didn’t give you a chance to defend yourself. Please forgive me!”
Rory whimpered at the sincerity in his voice,but I hardened my heart.
“Alpha Draven,you threw me out of your pack and company. You hurled vicious insults at me. You didn’t listen,didn’t even allow me to defend myself. You said the gutter was where I belonged.” I couldn’t stop the tears that fell from my eyes. “Do you really think it’s that simple? That just asking for forgiveness will make everything forgotten? You broke the bond of trust between us in a way I never imagined possible.”
He reached out to touch my hand,and I recoiled from his touch.
“Don’t touch me,please,” I whispered,closing my eyes.
“Caroline,please,” his voice broke. “Give me a chance. We can fix this. Alaric hasn’t stopped howling since you left. We both need you.”
“Unfortunately,I can’t,Alpha Draven. I was thrown out,humiliated,trampled on. The words you said to me cut deeper than any physical wound ever could. I can’t simply forget that.” I stood up straight,summoning every ounce of strength I had. “I appreciate that you took the trouble to come here and explain that you’ve cleared up the matter,and I’m sincerely happy that you’re making progress in discovering who’s been sabotaging you,but I can’t offer you anything more than that.”
With that,I lowered my head,stood up,and left the room without looking back.
I went straight to the conference room and entered sobbing,tears flowing freely down my face. Eleanor ran to me and wrapped me in a embrace. Joseph gently placed his hand on my shoulder.
“You and Eleanor can go home whenever you want. I’ll let Reeves know. See you tomorrow. You have a friend in me,Caroline,” he said softly before leaving me with my friend.
As Eleanor held me,I could feel Rory curling into a tight ball within me,mourning what might have been with our mate. But the wound was too deep,the trust too broken.
Draven’s POV
I watched Caroline walk out of Joseph’s office without even looking back,and my heart shattered into a thousand pieces. I sat there,slumped in Joseph’s chair,feeling more defeated than I had ever felt in my life. Alaric was howling in agony,feeling the pain of Caroline walking away.
Joseph returned and silently handed me a glass of bourbon. “Drink this. It’ll calm your nerves. After you’ve collected yourself,we can talk about what happened.”
I accepted the glass with trembling hands as Joseph picked up his phone. “Reeves,I’m giving Miss Bennett the rest of the day off. Thank you.”
He hung up and sat across from me,pouring himself a drink as well. After three shots of the burning liquid,I finally managed to speak.
“I’ve destroyed everything,Joseph. I ruined my only chance at happiness. I love her,and I’ve made her hate me.”
Joseph took another sip of his bourbon and spoke thoughtfully. “Since when is the mighty Alpha of Storm Valley Pack a defeatist who gives up after the first rejection?”
I stared at him as if he’d grown an extra head. Didn’t he understand? Caroline despised me. The look in her eyes was unmistakable-hurt,betrayal,and anger.
“I’m going to call Ryan later,and the three of us are going to properly drown your sorrows at my place,” he said,standing up. “Give me your car keys. You’re in no condition to drive.”
I handed him my keys. Joseph called Ryan,and we left the office in my SUV.
Ryan was already waiting in Joseph’s driveway when we arrived.
“Holy moon goddess,what happened?” Ryan exclaimed when he saw me. “You look like you’ve been dragged through hell,Drave!”
“From what I gather,Caroline basically told him to take a hike,” Joseph said with a slight smile that earned him my death glare. “Let’s go inside. I still don’t have all the details,and I’m dying to know.”
After Ryan helped Joseph set out drinks and some food,we settled into Joseph’s den with its floor-to-ceiling bookshelves and leather furniture. They both looked at me expectantly.
I recounted everything-my desperate apology,Caroline’s cold rejection,the tears in her eyes that broke me.
“I hurt her beyond repair. She’ll never forgive me. I’ve lost her.”
“What do you really want with Caroline,Draven?” Joseph asked calmly,taking another sip of his drink.
“She’s the love of my life,Joseph! I want her as my mate,and more than that,I want her as the Luna of my pack!Ever since that woman from the masquerade disappeared,nothing felt real anymore. No one else ever made me feel alive.I became the stereotypical playboy Alpha,moving from one woman to another.But then Caroline walked into my office… confident,beautiful,dressed like she owned the damn room. And just like that,everything changed.I didn’t even see it coming,I just fell for her. And now,without her,I feel like there’s nothing left of me.”
“Goddess,you’ve got yourself into quite a mess,my friend,” Ryan said seriously. “The worst part is that I didn’t even try to stop you when you went all dictator on her. I should have,but I didn’t. Caroline is an exceptional woman,she raised a child alone,built a career from scratch. She might be hurting now,but she won’t let you back in easily.”
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