Chapter 6

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."