로그인~~~~Anya~~~~The realization that I woke up without dread clouding my chest settled me before I even finally opened my eyes. The early morning was filled with silence. Just peaceful silence. I just remained under my blanket for a few extra seconds. My eyes were locked on the ceiling as morning sunlight filtered through the curtains. The room felt so warm. Safe and comfortable. And yet, it still feels strange whenever I think of this apartment as our home now. If someone had told me weeks ago that I would be living in a human city with Talia and working a normal job, just completely detached from Ridgewood, I would have laughed in their face and called them liars. Yet, here I was. Still breathing the same air humans breathe. Still alive. Still standing. I felt as Anisa stretched lazily inside my mind. ‘Finally awake?’ she stretched.‘Good morning to you too,’ I said as my smile widened. She yawned. ‘You slept like a dead wolf.’I simply rolled my eyes. Helpful observation indeed.
~~~~Anya~~~~The rain refused to stop. As if it was compelling me to make that choice already. It crashed against the pavement in endless sheets of silver. It kept drumming against the rooftops, soaking the roads, and turning the lights on the street of the city into blurry reflections that shimmered across the entire space. For a moment longer than necessary, I simply stood beneath a shelter outside the company building. My hands were now folded tightly around my bag. My heart was really unsettled. And unfortunately for me, the reason for this restlessness was seated in that car that's only a few feet away from me.Larry Zodar.The Alpha who just kept refusing to act like one. That Alpha that kept appearing even in places he shouldn't appear. And that same Alpha who somehow managed to make me confused and suspicious at the same time. The side window remained lowered down, and the rain kept splashing against the black vehicle. Larry just sat inside, staring blankly at me as though he
~~~~Anya~~~~The entire apartment suddenly felt too quiet. “You left Ridgewood. But that doesn't mean Ridgewood is done with you.”Talia moved closer and her expression changed. “Anya?”I just simply handed the phone to her and she read the message out loud. Once. Then twice. Then for the third time.“What the hell!?” Talia's face held no smile.I remained silent. And Talia's eyes widened. “Who even sent this?”“I sincerely have no idea,” I said, still staring into the empty space.“Does it look like it's Kane?” She raised her brow.“Maybe, but I don't know,” I said.“Or it could be Meena!?” She raised both brows.“Maybe,” I managed to say.“It must be someone from Ridgewood,” Talia said. “But I'm not sure this one is from Kane.”“Maybe,” I still repeated.Talia groaned dramatically and threw herself back into the couch. “This is exactly why I hate mysterious people for real,” she said. I couldn't help the small breath of laughter that escaped my lips. It was a very small one though
~~~~Anya~~~~I stared at the message for a moment longer than necessary. The screen was still lit on my hand as it was illuminating the small living room of our apartment now as we got inside. The words just sat on the screen and stared back at me.It was just a message, but yet, it felt heavier than it should have. My chest tightened up again but it wasn't because I missed him, or because I wanted him, and certainly not because I regretted ever leaving Ridgewood. No! It was because it reminded me of all the things I'd spent weeks trying to bury. The rejection. The pain. The humiliations. The death of my father. That coldness Kane held in his eyes when he stood before the pack and granted my rejection. The way Meena had smiled about all of it. The way the whole Ridgewood had watched. The way my entire life became shattered just that single afternoon. All of it. The memories came rushing back like a storm and I swallowed the lump in my throat. I hated everything about it. I hated how j
~~~~Anya~~~~I sincerely hate surprises.Especially those kind that involved powerful men that seem to know more things about my life than they should have. Which was the reason why I just stood here and was staring at Larry Zodar as if he had grown multiple heads.The entire lobby had strangely gone too quiet the very moment he stepped out of those elevators. It wasn't a complete silence though, but the quietness was enough that I noticed it. Several people greeted him with respectful nods while others just simply lowered their heads. They didn't look like they're frightened or forced, the respect just came so natural, which somehow bothered me for reasons I don't know. Was it because I had spent my entire life among wolves who obeyed because they had no choice?This one just felt too different for real. A calm smile rested on Larry's face. Talia on the other hand, looked just too dangerously excited. I made a mental note to deal with her later for sure.Larry's gaze drifted between
~~~~Anya~~~~My eyes were fixed to that spot Larry had been standing long after he had already disappeared into the crowd. There's something about this man that just unsettled me, not really in a dangerous way, not at all, and not in that way Kane unsettled me. Larry Zodar unsettled me in ways I could never figure him out.He was standing in the middle of a luxurious club, and just casually greeting people just like an ordinary business man. And then the next moment he is speaking with enough authority that even grown men straighten their back, lower their heads and straighten their back. And there again, the fact that he knows things he seemed not to have known. Things like where we live now, to the fact that Talia and I needed a job, to the fact that we have a call back interview scheduled for tomorrow. All of it didn't make sense for a bit, just… nothing about him made sense. I turned my eyes to that empty space he had just left, then slowly, I turned back to look at Talia who w
~~~~Anya~~~~This shouldn't be happening. My fingers trembled at my sides. The sound from the heart monitor was no longer even. It was erratic and terrifying. The beeping was violent. “Clear,” I heard from the corner of the room, my body jerking as the doctors trooped in and surrounded my father,
~~~Anya~~~The next morning felt colder than usual. It wasn't because of the weather, but because of the place I'm headed to. Sterling Corporation—Ridgewood Holdings, stood tall before me. Its glass exterior was reflecting the early morning sunlight as if nothing, not even the air in it had changed.
~~~Anya~~~Maybe it was just me. But the air felt heavier than usual the moment I stepped out of Sterling Corporation. My heels clicked softly against the pavement as I walked past the glass doors and tried to ignore the whispers that followed me out of the building like shadows.“They said Alpha K
~~~ANYA~~~ I cried, letting my tears mix with the warm water from the shower as the two liquids intertwined, rolling over my body. I had locked myself unsure of how I could make myself stop and look for a solution inside the bathroom in my new bedroom cage, as he said—not far away from the Alpha’s







