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“I'm getting fed up on this matter,” I sent my reply and sighed, staring at my sad self in the mirror. 

Everything was going well before our marriage so what went wrong? Did I become ugly to him? Have I become boring and irritating in his eyes? Did I somehow do something to offend him? Is that what caused all of these awful treatments? 

A chime from my phone brought me out of my reoccurring thoughts. 

“I've told you to find yourself another man, V. You can't continue living like a nun for crying out loud. Aren't you tired of being celibate despite having a husband?”

“How can you advise me to cheat on my husband?” I sent my response and hers came almost immediately.

“How are you sure your seemingly busy husband isn't cheating?”

I shook my head, typing and reminding her of what his father or the Alpha would put him through if they heard about him cheating. He just wouldn't try it.

“You know some parents publicly act like they hate it but support it in private right?” She replied again and I let out a hot breath. 

"I know, I know," I typed back, frustration evident in my words. "But I just don't think it'll happen. He just wouldn't risk it."

My friend's response popped up almost instantly. "Then you need to take matters into your own hands. Show him what he's missing. Bring the spark back into your marriage."

“Like I haven't been trying to do that already,” I wanted to type as I read her words. It wasn't the first time she had suggested something like this, but this time, it seemed different. Desperate times call for desperate measures, right?

"I don't know," I hesitated, my fingers hovering over the keyboard. "Do you really think that'll work despite all I've done in the past?"

"Trust me," she replied confidently. "Men are simple creatures. Appeal to his primal instincts. Give him something he can't resist."

Her words echoed in my mind as I stared at my reflection. Maybe she was right. Maybe this was exactly what our marriage needed. A jolt of excitement, a reminder of the passion we once shared. Something out of the ordinary. Something different from what I've been doing. But what? 

With a newfound determination, I made up my mind. "Okay." I typed back, my heart racing with anticipation. "But what do you suggest we do now? All our past plans failed woefully…"

“Hmm," she said and I could hear her sigh from across the screen. "He has an office, right? And you still have the aphrodisiac I asked you to buy two weeks ago. It's simple. Go to his office unannounced. Surprise him with a little gift—yourself. Give him a little something to boost his desires. Then, seduce him. Make him forget about everything else."

“What if he's in a meeting? Or stuck till nighttime?”

“Then that's perfect. Get in, prepare something to ease his mind, and add the aphrodisiac to it. Once that's ready, walk-in seductively, give it to him with a peck, and wait for the magic to happen. Trust me when I say he'd take a break just to have a piece of his wife.”

It sounded risky, but at this point, I was willing to try anything. "Alright," I agreed, feeling a surge of adrenaline coursing through my veins. "I'll do it."

I logged off from the chat site and set my phone aside. This was it. This was my chance to reignite the passion in my marriage of two years.

But as I began to prepare myself for the task ahead, doubts crept into my mind. What if it didn't work? What if I made a fool of myself? What if...?

“Valerie,” my wolf called and I shook my head. No. I couldn't afford to entertain those thoughts. I had made my decision, and I was going to see it through.

With a deep breath and a few words of encouragement from my wolf, I turned away from the mirror and headed for the door. It was time to make my move.

My heart raced as I stepped out of the private elevator onto the top floor of my husband's office building. The familiar sight of his workspace greeted me, but to my surprise, it was deserted. The quiet hum of the air conditioning was the only sound echoing through the empty corridor. I went out too and it was the same thing. Empty.

Panic began to creep into my mind as I went back to his office. Where could he be? Had he left for the day already? Or worse, had he caught wind of my plan and deliberately avoided me? What if...?

I quickly pulled out my phone and dialed his personal assistant's number, my fingers trembling slightly as I waited for him to pick up.

"Hello?" came the voice on the other end, professional and composed as always.

"It's Valerie," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. “I am trying to reach my husband but it's not connecting. Neither is the office line. Do you know where he went?”

There was a brief pause before his assistant spoke again. "Oh, Mrs. Allen, I'm sorry I didn't inform you earlier. Me, the Boss and the rest of the staff went to our branch office for an emergency meeting. We should be back soon."

My heart sank at the news. So much for my well-planned surprise. "Do you know when you'll be done?" I asked, trying to keep the disappointment out of my voice.

"We should be back within the hour. Hopefully, before then the boss will be able to return your call" his assistant replied. "Is there anything I can help you with in the meantime?"

I hesitated for a moment, considering my options. I could leave and come back later, but that would mean wasting precious time. No, I had come here with a purpose, and I wasn't going to leave empty-handed.

"No, that's okay," I said finally, mustering up a smile. "I'll just wait."

"Alright, just let me know if you need anything," his assistant said before hanging up.

I sighed and pocketed my phone, glancing around the empty corridor. It seemed like I had no choice but to wait. But as I settled into one of the nearby chairs, determination flickered in my eyes. I may have hit a roadblock, but I wasn't about to give up. This was just a minor setback, a delay in my plans, nothing more.

With a deep breath, I leaned back in the chair and waited for my husband to return, ready to execute my plan as soon as he walked through that door.

As I sat behind my husband's desk, waiting for his return, my mind raced with thoughts of what I would say and do when he walked through that door. But as the minutes ticked by, impatience gnawed at me, urging me to take action.

With a shaky breath, I reached into my purse and retrieved the small bottle of aphrodisiac I ordered. The brown liquid inside shimmered faintly in the soft glow of the office lights, and I couldn't help but wonder if today was the day he'd finally unleashed his beast.

Carefully, I uncorked the bottle and poured a few drops into a glass of orange juice and the rest into a cold juice in the freezer. As the liquid dissolved, a heady aroma filled the air, sending a shiver of anticipation down my spine.

But before I could second-guess myself, I downed my portion of the drink in one swift gulp. I didn't expect the feeling to come almost immediately and to dull it a bit, I rose from the desk and began to pace around the office, the click of my heels echoing in the empty space. 

I began to feel hot and as I made my way towards the window, my foot caught on something. A loose floorboard perhaps, and I stumbled forward, reaching out to steady myself.

To my surprise, the force of my fall triggered a hidden mechanism in the floor, causing a section of the wall to slide open with a soft hiss.

Curiosity piqued, I stepped cautiously into whatever it was, my heart pounding in my chest. The insides were dark and the air was filled with mixed scents. As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I gasped in shock at what I saw before me. Rows of neatly hung clothing lined the walls, clothes that I washed, spread, and ironed with my own two hands. 

My husband's clothes! I knew he had a room where he spent most of his nights, so I wasn't surprised at that. What surprised me was the lingerie, the pajamas, the sex toys charging in the corner, the used condom pack lying on the floor, and everything a lady who's been denied her husband's touch shouldn't see in his office room. 

And at the center of it all stood a small table, upon which lay a framed photograph. No doubt it was my husband, Daniel, but he was locked in an embrace with someone else, another woman.

My breath caught in my throat as I reached out to touch the image, my fingers trembling with shock, fear, and a lot more.

But before I could reach the picture to see who my husband was cheating on me with, a deafening explosion rocked the building, causing me to scream and tremble in fear. I dashed out of the room to find the whole building disintegrating, brick by brick.

"Oh no," I immediately yelled, rushing towards the exit, and the last thing I remembered was trying to leave the building in one piece.