A serendipitous encounter

Aurora

"What the fuck are you doing here, asshole?" I spat, my voice laced with disgust and disdain at the sight of him.

"Baby, I'm so sorry... please, just talk to me and I'll explain—" He took a step closer, but I held up my hand to stop him. Technically, I wasn't supposed to slap the Alpha heir according to pack rules, but I had already broken that rule last night. The redness on his left cheek was still a visible reminder.

God! I just wanted to kill him!

Well, I could actuallly kill him....it wasn't such a bad option.

"I suggest you stay right where you are if you don't want another slap, Ryan," I said sharply. "You know I've never cared about your father's arbitrary rules, and if you push me, I might do more than slap you—I might punch the shit out of you. So back the fuck off before I lose it."

"Look, I know you're mad and you have every right to be," he pleaded, his eyes soft and manipulative as he raised his hands in a calming gesture—something that used to work, but not anymore. "But that thing with Fiona, it meant nothing. Trust me. It was a mistake. I was drunk, she showed up at my apartment, and we just—"

"Don't even try to feed me that bullshit," I scoffed, incredulous. "I know it's been going on for months. I've seen the sneaky glances, those fucking smiles, those touches and the way you used to hide your phone from me. If you lie to me again, Ryan, you'll regret it. Don't fucking test me."

"Baby, please. I admit what I did was terrible, but just give me one chance to make it up to you."

A chance?

This asshole had a serious level of audacity! Wow.

"Don't give him any chances, Aurora," my dad interjected, strolling past me to the mini bar and pouring himself a glass of whiskey. "I only brought him here because Alpha Robert requested it. But I still have the right to decide who my daughter should be with." I knew he was as pissed as I was. Both of us wanted to kill Ryan and bury his body where no one would find it. Mom? She was probably just worried about who would clean up the blood. She hated working.

"Christopher, I'm talking to my mate here. Don't you think you should give us some privacy?" Ryan snapped back, his jaw clenched.

Dad's eyes snapped to him, his grip tightening around the whiskey glass. Yes, Dad. Just throw it in his goddamn ugly face.

"If I were you, I'd watch that tone, boy," Dad said in a low, dangerous voice. "You're under my roof. And you didn't care about privacy when you kept the door open while fucking another bitch behind your mate's back. Why the sudden concern now? Does your definition of privacy depend on what helps you cover up your shit more easily?"

I saw Ryan's face turn different shades of red, a clear sign he didn't like my dad's words. He suppressed his anger, clenching his fists, his gaze shifting to me. "Aurora, we need to talk."

"Actually, no," I said, crossing my arms over my chest. "You screwed up. You fucked my best friend. You've been fucking her behind my back for months. And yet you have the nerve to show up here. If anything, you deserve an award for successfully destroying our seven-year relationship and the mate bond between us. Now—the door's that way, so get the fuck out!"

"Aurora, seriously? Let's not do this. The mating ceremony is next week—everything is set. You can't just leave me over one small mistake."

Small mistake? Was this asshole out of his mind?

"Oh wow!" I exhaled sharply, barely containing my anger. "A small mistake? You really are a fucking asshole, Ryan. I wonder how I didn't realize it sooner."

"Baby, look—"

"Get the hell out, Ryan! Do you not hear me? I told you to get out!"

"Who do you think will take you as a mate after me, huh? What do you think of yourself?" He snapped, venom in his voice and all the facade of guilt and gentleness fading, "You're the only orphan in this pack and you've always been an outcast. You didn't belong here, but my dad let you stay because of Christopher. It's because of me that you get any respect. I'm the reason you're living a good life here—because you're my mate. Otherwise, no one would have even looked at you. You're nothing, Aurora, nothing to be proud of. You should have been grateful that I accepted you instead of rejecting you. And now you're showing me this attitude? This is what I get for all the favors I did for you? You're just an ungrateful fucking—"

"You piece of shit—" My dad's footsteps thundered towards him, his voice enraged. "How dare you talk to my daughter like that?!" But before he could reach him, I grabbed his hand and stopped him.

I thought I didn't have any feelings left for Ryan after he cheated on me, but it seemed I was wrong. His words hurt more than I could have imagined. It was painful—unbearably painful, especially because they came from his mouth.

Tears threatened to blur my vision, but I blinked them away. "I can handle it, Dad. Don't worry."

"But, princess—"

"No, Dad, it's alright. The Moon Goddess bonded me to this asshole, and maybe I needed this reality check because he's much more terrible than I thought." I wiped my eyes with my hand before stepping closer to Ryan, whose face now showed only regret. Too late to give me that face after he just spewed that amount of venom.

"Aurora... I—I—" He hesitated. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to—"

"You're right. You don't need a girl like me by your side," I said, flashing him a smile as I grabbed his wrist. "You're soon to be the great Alpha of the Darkclaw pack, so it's better you find someone more suited for you. And the way Fiona was riding your cock the other day, I'm sure you'll find her pretty suitable."

"Baby, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say all those—"

Before he could finish his sentence, I dragged him towards the main door despite his pathetic excuses and pleas. With a final shove, I pushed him outside.

"Aurora, please listen to me once. I'm sorry, baby. I'm so fucking sorry," he begged, attempting to get back in.

"Goodbye, Ryan." With that, I shut the door in his face, silencing his excuses.

I walked past my mom and dad, rushing to the bar and pouring myself a glass of the strongest liquor I could find on the shelf. Tears brimmed in my eyes, but I refused to let them fall.

That asshole doesn't fucking deserve my tears!

I took a swig from the glass, feeling the burn run down my throat. Both of my parents watched me silently until Dad finally walked closer, with Mom by his side, her eyes teary. I didn't look at either of them, knowing I'd end up ugly sobbing.

I downed the first glass, then the second. Just as I was about to down the third, Dad gently took the glass from my hand. "Enough, Aurora. You can't let this become a habit."

"Don't worry, it won't," I said, my voice cracking. My head hung low as I tried to suppress my tears, but damn it, it hurt.

"Come here, honey," Mom whispered, holding out her arms. This time, unlike last night, I accepted her hug and clung to her as tight as I could. My tears finally flowed freely down my cheeks.

***

"Ma'am, the VIP is requesting a private dance," one of my dancers informed me, smiling ear to ear. Her red, shimmering dress hugged her like a second skin, her beautiful blonde hair cascading to her waist, and her green eyes sparkled with excitement.

Well, it was her lucky day then.

"Then it's your day, honey," I chuckled, leaning back in my chair. "Do the honors."

"Okay!" she chimed before scurrying out of my office, leaving me in silence once again.

As you can already guess, I was back at my club. No, it wasn't exactly a strip club, but it somehow was. We had dancers who entertained the patrons who paid a hefty sum. Whether they'd strip or not was entirely up to the dancers. If they were willing to do a private strip dance for a VIP, it was their choice. They got half of the money, and the rest? The club's. Simple as that.

I'd initially thought of skipping work for a day after Ryan's spiteful words this morning, but then I figured coming to the club would be a good distraction. So here I was. And now...It was almost late enough for me to head home and leave the rest to Marco, my manager, to deal with and wrap up.

I got up from my seat, locked my office, and walked downstairs. The faint sound of music bustled in the club as I exited through the backdoor. When I reached the parking lot, I suddenly remembered that Dad had conveniently snatched my car keys, declaring that I wasn't allowed to drive unless I stayed alcohol-free for a month. No one had ever won an argument with Dad, so I let him take my car.

Now, I'd have to use a cab. What a fucking luck.

I walked out of the lot and stood outside the club's building, waiting for any cab I could flag down. When none appeared, I pulled out my phone to call for an Uber. Just then, a black, beastly-looking car stopped in front of me, taking me by surprise.

I scowled at the car, unafraid of being kidnapped because no one would dare kidnap the beta's daughter, adopted or not.

The window rolled down, revealing a familiar face that took me by surprise. He wore a short-sleeve white T-shirt, showcasing his inticate tattoos and protuding veins that my fingers itched to touch as his one arm rested on the wheel while the other causally smoked a cigarette—there he goes, fuck, that cigarette thing he did letting it rest between two of his fingers and take a drag, it used to make me wet every fucking time and it still did. His messy hair fell over his forehead, and his gaze slowly moved over me, taking in every detail from top to bottom.

Holy fuck!

Before I could speak or stop eye-fucking him, Jaxon's command came, "Get in the car, Poppet."