Chapter 4

Keyla's POV

"Babe," She called out one more time.

I was shocked. My wolf growled, and, for the first time, I felt like we were on the same page. I knew Chase didn't care that I was his mate, but the thought of him being with another woman made me upset.

Chase took a step backward, putting his hands in his pockets. "You can leave now, Ms. Scott."

"Yes, Sir." I wiped the tears that stained my cheeks and headed for the door. But the lady blocked my path.

"You can't leave until you tell me what you are doing—"

"—Let her go, Sullivan. She's just an employee who came late for work. I was trying to let her know that—" He looked at me, his eyes holding no emotion. "—She either does her job the right way or quit."

Without uttering anything, I walked out of his office and headed for my seat. I had gotten the message. It was clear I meant nothing to him. I leaned on my table for a few minutes, trying to process everything that had happened.

I wish he had asked me why I was late, then I would have told him that Oakley was sick with Lycan-flu all night and I had to stay up and take care of her. And my dumb wolf just had to break free and act as she pleased.

"Are you okay?" Someone asked, pulling me out of my thoughts. I looked up to find the lady from earlier. I think Chase called her Sullivan. "Earlier you didn't look so good."

I stood up. "Thanks for your concern, Ma'am, but you don't have to worry about me. I'll be fine." My wolf was growling inside, ready to attack. It took a lot from me to hold her back.

"Okay, then," she replied. She offered me a handshake. I stared at it, not wanting to have anything to do with her. "Come on, I'm sure my hands won't bite."

I chuckled at her light joke. I stretched my hand, shaking hers. "I know Ma'am. Sorry about that."

She smiled. "That's fine."

I couldn't help but admire her. She had long brown wavy hair that got to her waist and blue eyes like the sea. Her slender features were accentuated by her beautiful gown. She was so beautiful. No wonder Chase liked her.

"I have to say, I think you look familiar," she said.

"Well, I don't think we've ever met before."

"Definitely, but I still can't help but think that you look like my best friend, Curtin Scott."

My eyes widened as I heard that name. "Wait a minute, you're Sullivan Church, daughter of the White Moon's Pack Alpha."

She raised a brow at me. "How do you know that?"

"Well, Curtin is my brother, and I had a lot from his maids about his best friend."

She snickered. "Yeah, Curtin isn't one to talk about affectionate and emotional things."

"Yeah, you're right about that," I replied. I was about to sit down when she continued.

"But he did tell me something, something very... shocking." She placed her hands on my table and leaned in. "Tell me, Keyla, does Chase know that you murdered your parents?"

My heartbeat fastened, and I held my chair, stopping myself from falling. "Who... How—" Then I remembered what she said. "—Why in the world would Curtin tell you that?"

She laughed. "It's obvious he trusts me. But I do not care about that." All of a sudden her eyes darkened. "Listen up, stay away from my fiancé, or else I'm going to tell him who you really are—a murderer."

As she walked away, I dropped into my seat like a vegetable. She had said a lot of things to me, but only one mattered and hurt more, and I couldn't believe it.

"I can't believe they're engaged."

***

I raised my hands, dancing to the rhythm of the songs. The lights from the disco ball also added to the ecstasy from the drinks.

Oakley walked up to me, handing me another shot. I downed it. She said something to me.

"What?!" I yelled. I couldn't hear her through the loud music. "What the heck are you saying?"

She rolled her eyes as she pulled me closer to her. "I was asking what you think about this place. Isn't this the best place to help you forget about your dumb stupid mate?!"

I couldn't help but laugh. I wasn't sure if it was because it was fun or if the alcohol was starting to kick in. "Yeah! This place is so crazy. Like... mate who?"

We chuckled as we continued dancing. After getting home from work, I told Oakley what had happened. She got upset and suggested we go out to have fun.

We danced and drank a lot. I was starting to let go of the pain I felt earlier.

Just then, something hit me hard—a smell—similar to Chase's, but different too. Cedar, wood, and chocolate. It was weird and yet I longed for it. Karen howled inside of me, echoing the word "mate" in my head. I turned around, looking for Chase, but I couldn't find him. He was nowhere to be found. I was confused. If he wasn't here, then why was I feeling the way I was?

All of a sudden, I felt a hand reach for my chest, but I dodged. I turned to find a weird-looking guy standing behind me. He reached for my chest again, but Oakley was faster than him.

"Hey, get your hands off of my best friend," Oakley yelled as she pushed his hand away.

"How dare you, Bitch!" he yelled.

I slapped him. "Hey, don't call my friend a Bitch!"

His eyes widened in fury. He was about to raise his hand and hit me when someone spun him around, grabbed him, raised him and dropped him hard on a table.

Everyone gasped. I turned to find a familiar-looking guy in front of me. It was Chase. He was there all the while. But then I noticed something. He looked different. He wasn't dressed in his normal office wear but in leather jeans and a jacket. His neck-long hair was wet and unkempt. He had amber eyes like flames from a fire, a tattoo of a crescent moon on his neck, and some piercings above his brows.

He stared at me, his amber eyes completely breathtaking. I couldn't help but chuckle.

"I can't believe this," I muttered to myself as I realized what was going on. Just when I thought I could forget about Chase, I ended up replacing someone else's face with his just so I could see him one more time.

I ran off the dance floor and towards the entrance. When I got out, I wiped the tears that had left my eyes. I tried to stop more from flowing, but it didn't work. Then the smell came again, a magnet pulling me. It hurt so much.

All of a sudden, a hand held my waist, and I was spun around gently. My eyes met with those amber eyes. He touched my cheeks, brushing away the tears that rolled down.

His eyes held nothing but anger. "Tell me, who hurt my mate?"

My eyes widened in shock. He was real, but then—he wasn't Chase.