Liora’s POV
The bus station smelled of iron and dust, the air heavy with the noise of travelers rushing in every direction. I kept my hand firmly on Jonathan’s small shoulder while Emilia carried the luggage. Jonathan’s little fingers tugged at my coat every few seconds, his dark eyes wide with confusion.
“Why can’t we just stay with you?” Emilia’s voice cracked as she stopped in front of me. "It's not safe for you to roam the human world all by yourself." Her hands tightened around the suitcase handle.
I exhaled slowly. “Because this is not safe for him. You know it.” My voice was steady, but the words scraped against my chest. “I can’t drag him around while I’m trying to find a house for us to stay.”
"Well why did we check out of the hotel we were staying in?" Emilia asked.
"Because we stayed too long. Remember as we are in the human world we still have some existing packs and I smelt someone's territory." I said. "And besides we need to have our own place. You can't keep dragging Jonathan along every time. It's not safe and so I need to find an alternative quickly."
"And so where to now?"
"I have booked another place while we were still at the office." I reached into my bag and gave her a file along with some dollar bills. "Check in and get something to eat. I'll be back soon."
Jonathan tilted his head up at me. “Mama, are you coming too?”
My heart clenched. I bent down, pressing a kiss to his forehead. “Not yet, sweetheart. You’re going somewhere with Aunt Emilia for a little while. I’ll join you soon.”
He frowned, his lower lip wobbling, but Emilia crouched and pulled him into her arms. “We’ll be waiting,” she whispered to him, though her eyes never left mine.
“Liora, you’re asking me to leave you alone in a strange city,” Emilia hissed under her breath when Jonathan looked away. “At least let me stay with—”
“No,” I cut her off softly but firmly. “If things go wrong, I need to know he’s safe. That means you have to be with him. I can’t do this if I’m worrying about him every second. Please, Emilia.”
She stared at me for a long moment, torn between anger and understanding. Finally, her shoulders slumped. “You’re too stubborn for your own good.”
“Maybe,” I admitted, forcing a faint smile. “But you know I’m right.”
Jonathan clung to my skirt one last time before Emilia took his hand and led him toward the bus. I watched until their figures blended into the crowd, my chest hollow and heavy all at once.
The rest of the day blurred into paperwork, cramped taxis, and endless walking as I inspected one apartment after another. Emilia’s words echoed in my head, but I kept going until I found a perfect three-bedroom apartment at the edge of the city about ten minutes away from the office. It needed work—new plumbing and new paint—but it was mine. I signed, paid, and arranged the repairs, my exhaustion growing with every decision.
When I finally returned to the hotel that night, my feet dragging, I felt hollowed out yet strangely steadied. I had taken the first step forward, even if it meant walking alone.
"How was it?" Emilia asked handing me a takeaway pack filled with rice and curry sauce.
I dived into it without wasting time. I had gone through the day without a drop of water on my system and I was exhausted.
"It went fine." I said in between bites. "Found a place and paid." I started coughing.
"When do we move in." She asked handing me a cup of water.
"Next week max." I said calming down. "There are some works that need to be done and we have to go furniture shopping."
"Well then I'll make the list and bring it over to you."
The next morning began with a knot in my stomach that no amount of coffee I managed to digest could untangle. Sleep had eluded me again and I kept on tossing and turning all night. Every time I closed my eyes, Jasper’s face hovered there. His stormy eyes, sharp voice, the way he had said Don’t disappoint me like it was both a warning and a premonition.
I hated that it echoed inside me even now, long after I had left his office.
Johnathan was still curled up on his little bed when I began to dress for the day. His drawings from yesterday were scattered across the floor, bright colors and he gave me lopsided smiles that tugged at my heart. He always drew us as three, never two. Me, him, and a tall figure whose face he always left blank.
My chest tightened at the reoccurring sight. He didn’t know it, but his crayons were sketching out a truth I fought desperately to forget.
By the time the hired taxi dropped me off at the glass tower of Kent Enterprises, I had forced my smile into place. An Alpha never falters in the face of hardship. A mantra that was engraved in my soul as a child and became my rock as I grew up.
The elevator chimed and opened onto the 34th floor. Vanessa was waiting by the reception desk like a cat perched to pounce. Her powder-blue suit was perfectly fitted, her smile as radiant as the sun—yet something about it made my stomach twist.
“Miss Gray,” she greeted warmly, though her eyes were sharp. “I trust you slept well? Big day ahead.”
I knew better than to relax. “I slept fine, thank you,” I said, keeping my tone even.
She tilted her head as if studying me. “You look a little pale. Nerves? Or perhaps something else keeping you up at night?”
Her words dripped with sweetness, but my pulse raced. "No worries, I am fine. May I know where my office is located."
"Sure," She drawled walking forward. "Follow me."
And I did. She led me up the stairs to a room where there were like a hundred different cubicles. At the far end was a an office door where she led me too.
It was spacious and bare except for the desk and computer system. Once I stepped in, I began thinking if how I would arrange this place to suit I and Johnathan needs.
"Well since you have seen your office, let me take you to meet your team members." She said walking out.
I wasn't ready but I had to walk up to her. She had large straids despite wearing heels.
"I'm sorry but I don't think I'm ready yet. I need to put together the first phase of the project. I can't just go and show my face to them." I refused.
She didn't respond to me. Just kept on walking and I kept following her. "Hello I'm speaking to you."
She abruptly stopped in her tracks making me bump into her back. She turned with a sly smirk on her face.
"You aren't ready? Sorry sweetie but this organization doesn't move alongside your schedule. If you can't keep up then the door is over there." She pointed to the exit. "No need to drop a resignation letter, HR
will just deactivate your access to the company and it won't take five minutes."
The morning light crept softly through the curtains, warm but hesitant — like it, too, was afraid to touch the silence that filled the apartment. Liora sat on the edge of her bed, shoulders slightly hunched, her eyes fixed on the floor. Her coffee had gone cold in her hands. She hadn’t taken a sip.Last night had been long.Too long.Jonathan had finally fallen asleep close to dawn, curled beside her, one arm wrapped around his bear. The little girl was still asleep in the small room across the hall, her breathing steady and soft. Everything looked peaceful on the surface. But inside, Liora’s wolf was restless — pacing, growling low in her chest, sensing danger that wasn’t yet visible.She rubbed her temple, forcing herself to breathe evenly. She couldn’t afford to break down — not in front of her son, not with the stranger child still under her care. She had to be strong. She had to pretend that things were normal.Normal.She almost laughed.Nothing about her life was normal anymore
The office was quiet that night.Too quiet.The building usually buzzed with life—phones ringing, printers running, footsteps echoing along the marble floor. But now, only the hum of the air conditioner and the faint tapping of Liora’s keyboard filled the silence.Most of the staff had gone home hours ago. The city lights outside painted silver lines across the glass walls, stretching over her desk where piles of files still waited. It was almost midnight, but Liora couldn’t bring herself to leave. Her body was tired, but her mind wouldn’t rest.She had been typing for minutes without really seeing the words on her screen. Her thoughts kept drifting—to Jonathan, to the little girl, to Mami. And to the strange scent that had followed her again that morning. It had been faint, barely there, but enough to make her wolf stir uneasily under her skin.Something was moving again.Something she couldn’t see.She rubbed her neck and leaned back on her chair, staring at the empty hallway outside
Morning came slowly, stretching itself across the skyline of the city. The light filtered through the glass walls of the tall building, painting faint gold lines across Jasper’s office. The air smelled faintly of paper, ink, and coffee — everything he usually loved about a quiet start. But today, it all felt heavier.Jasper sat behind his desk, staring at his computer screen, though the words on it refused to form sentences. His eyes traced the same line three times before he sighed and leaned back in his chair. His tie was loosened, his sleeves rolled up, but even the comfort of that couldn’t ease the quiet storm brewing in his head.He hadn’t meant to call her.Not last night.Not after hours.But when he saw her name pop up on his task list earlier that evening, something in him reacted before logic did.Liora.Her name still lingered on his tongue like an unspoken thought.He rubbed his temple and tried to focus on the project reports stacked on his desk. Everything around him scr
Morning came too fast.The soft hum of Lagos traffic floated through the half-open window, mixed with the faint smell of Mami’s tea boiling in the kitchen. Liora turned on her side, eyes still half-closed. Jonathan was curled up beside her, sleeping with his small fist resting against her arm.For a few seconds, everything was calm. Peaceful.Until she remembered the message.She sat up slowly, blinking as last night’s words flashed in her mind:“Don’t forget to rest.”Jasper.Her boss.The last person she expected to send anything like that.Her heart gave a small, nervous flutter.It wasn’t a love text, of course — just four simple words — but somehow, it felt heavier than it should.Personal. Caring. Unusual.She rubbed her temple, scolding herself softly. “Don’t overthink it, Liora. He’s just… being nice.”Still, she couldn’t help checking her phone again before getting up. The message was still there. No follow-up. No emoji. Just his name and those four words.Mami looked up from
The office was almost empty when Liora stepped out.The hall lights were dim, casting long shadows on the polished floor. Her heels clicked softly as she walked toward the elevator, clutching her bag to her side.The echo of Jasper’s words still lingered in her mind. “Don’t let it break you.”She sighed quietly as she stepped into the elevator.It felt strange hearing something like that from him. Jasper was always the strict type — calm, confident, impossible to read. But tonight, he sounded... human.The elevator doors closed, and for the first time that day, she let herself lean against the wall.Her head ached. Her eyes burned from staring at her screen too long. She hadn’t even eaten since lunch.When the doors opened, cool air rushed in from the lobby.The security guard by the exit nodded. “Goodnight, Miss Gray.”“Goodnight,” she said with a small smile.Outside, the night was calm. The city lights blinked against the dark sky, and cars moved lazily through the street. She pul
The rest of the day passed in a blur of reports and meetings.Liora tried to focus on her work, but her mind kept drifting back to that moment — the way Jasper had said her name. Quiet, careful, almost gentle.It wasn’t like him.He was always composed, almost cold. But today… something had shifted.By late afternoon, the office had begun to thin out. The soft hum of computers mixed with the fading buzz of conversations. Liora was still at her desk, finishing a report, when a familiar voice broke through the calm.“Miss Gray.”Her hand froze mid-typing. She looked up.Jasper stood by her desk, one hand tucked in his pocket, the other holding a file.“Yes, sir?”His eyes flicked to her screen. “Still working?”“I wanted to finish this before the day ends.”He studied her for a moment. “Come to my office when you’re done.”Her chest tightened slightly. “Now?”He gave a small nod. “Now.”Jasper’s office was quiet as always — modern, glass walls, a wide desk, and a view of the city painte