LOGINIvonne's pov “You two really hate each other, don’t you?” Justin's smile immediately vanished. “I don’t hate the Alpha,” Justin said, picking up his drink. “I just really don’t like him. And I’ll treat him better when he stops being an asshole.” I snorted. “That’s fair, I guess.” He laughed softly. “See? Even you agree that he's an insufferable piece of shit.” “Hey, hey, Don’t twist my words,” I warned, but I was smiling. Once the drinks arrived, I pulled out my tablet and notebook, ready to focus. “Okay, let’s get to the real reason I’m here.” Justin leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. “Hit me.” “So,” I began, “I'm sure that by now, you've heard about my goal to double the income of the company. So I’ve been brainstorming ways to expand the outreach of the company—especially to younger audiences. The traditional ads are fine, but they’re not exciting anymore. I want something fresh. Something that’ll trend and that's where you come in.” He nodded slowl
Ivonne’s POV The hours slipped by faster than I expected and Before I knew it, it was almost time to meet Justin. I stood in front of the mirror, brushing a few loose strands of hair into place and adjusting my blouse. The reflection that looked back at me actually didn’t seem half-bad. My dark hair fell in soft waves, my makeup was simple but polished, and the pastel blouse paired with my pencil skirt gave me that perfect mix of professional and pretty. “Not bad,” I murmured, smiling faintly at my reflection. “You look like a woman who can escape any kind of hell forced on her.” Honestly, that’s exactly how it felt. A few hours away from the Manor—away from Hector’s brooding, his teasing, his confusing moods not to mention Lincoln and Alison's drama —sounded like heaven. My shoulders relaxed just thinking about it.I had to leave now before something stopped me I glanced at the hallway after opening my door just a crack. The coast was clear. No sound of Hector’s footsteps, no b
Ivonne's pov He chuckled as I stormed toward the door. “Better Believe it, sweetheart. Because I plan to cash in on that promise sooner or later." My face flamed so bright that I was sure I looked like a tomato. I didn’t look back. I bolted out of his room and down the hall, my heart racing so fast I thought it would burst. “Idiot,” I muttered under my breath, cheeks flaming. “Stupid, stupid idiot!” I couldn’t believe I’d actually said something like that to him. What was in that stupid Lycan mead? I’d never been that out of control before. I pressed a hand to my forehead. “Never again,” I swore. “I am never drinking that stuff ever again.” And Hector — I couldn’t ever let myself forget what he really was. Just because he could act charming when he wanted to didn’t mean he was good. He was manipulative, cunning, possibly a murderer and probably enjoying every second of my humiliation. I was still fuming when I rounded the corner and nearly ran into Lora. “Oh! Miss Ivonne,” sh
Ivonne's pov I was still standing there, staring like an idiot, not believing what I had just remembered when Hector casually lifted a towel from around his cupboard and began drying his hair. The slow, unbothered movement snapped me back to reality, but my mind was still reeling from the flash of memory — my lips on his chest, my laughter, his hand on my waist.“Are you just going to stand there, or did you actually come here for something?” he asked, his voice calm and maddeningly composed.“I—” I blinked, my mouth opening but nothing coming out.He raised an eyebrow, still toweling his hair, his tone unreadable. “You barged into my room. Any particular reason?”My brain scrambled, trying to remember why I’d come here in the first place. For a few seconds, all I could think about was the way his hair clung to his forehead and how the towel moved against his neck. Then, suddenly, it hit me.“Larry,” I blurted. “Larry called me.”Hector paused mid-motion. “Larry?”“Yes,” I snapped.
Ivonne's pov After the weird encounter with Solenne, I made my way to Tessa's room. I knocked lightly, and after a moment, the door cracked open. Tessa peeked out, her eyes bleary and her hair also a tangled mess.It seemed that a nasty hangover was our consequence for last night. “Oh goddess,” she groaned, shielding her eyes from the light. “Why are you so loud?” “I’m not loud,” I said, stepping in. “You’re just hungover.” She flopped onto her bed. “I’m dying. Elara must have cursed me with that drink.” “Elara didn’t curse you,” I said with a small laugh. “an I uh came to ask what happened last night because I seemed to have blacked out.” Tessa blinked up at me. “You don’t remember?” “No,” I said. “Nothing.” “Oh.” She frowned, thinking. “Well, you went to pee, remember? I went too. But you said you were sleepy and didn’t want to come back, so I returned to Elara's room alone.” “That’s all?” “That’s all,” she confirmed, rolling onto her stomach. “You didn’t miss mu
Ivonne's pov I knocked on Elara’s door and immediately regretted how loud it sounded as it worsened my still aching head. The sharp thud echoed down the hall, and after a long pause, a very groggy voice groaned from the other side. “For the love of the goodness! Who is it this early morning?”She sounded like how I felt when I first woke up with that pounding headache. “It’s me, Ivonne,” I said quickly. “Can I come in?” The door opened just a crack, and Elara’s face appeared. Her usually sharp eyes were half-closed, her hair was sticking up in every direction, and she looked about five seconds away from collapsing again.This was the first time I had ever seen a Lycan look anything but perfect. It was actually a refreshing sight. “Oh, goddess,” she muttered, rubbing her forehead. “Don’t tell me it’s late morning already.” “It’s almost noon,” I said, stepping inside. Her room was dim, the curtains drawn, and it smelled faintly of wine and lycan mead. “You look like death.”







