Chapter 3

Aurora POV

“Excuse me?” I bark, shocked by Jackson’s words. “I’m here for my rightful salary, and you’re still trying to control who I sleep with after we’ve broken up?”

Who does he think he is?

Jackson’s hand shoots out and wraps around my neck. I gasp, fear and surprise filling me as he squeezes and cuts off my windpipe. I claw at his wrist, but my short nails do nothing but deepen the glare on his face.

“J-Jack-son.”

His eyes suddenly jump over my shoulder, and immediately, Jackson’s face changes from angry to determined. He releases me, and my legs give out beneath me, sending me to the ground in a fit of coughs and gasps.

“Ivy is here,” he mutters.

I don’t have a chance to catch my breath, either, because Jackson yanks me up by the arm and pulls me inside. I try to get away, but he’s stronger.

Something wet puffs in the air and when I blink through it, Jackson continues to spray it all over me. It’s a scent masking spray he’s had for a while. He uses it on Gamma missions where he can’t let someone smell him.

“What are you— Ah!” He shoves me into a cupboard, crouches down, and reaches for my face. I jerk back, thinking he’ll choke me again, which makes him smirk.

“If you hide well, I’ll consider giving you the money,” he says, then slams the cupboard door.

What does he mean by ‘consider’? That’s my money, not his!

Trying to calm myself down, I take deep breaths and quietly try to push the cupboard door open. It doesn’t budge. He may not have always been the nicest, but he’s never locked me up before.

I hear a door open somewhere and a loud, high pitched female voice call out, “Why are there sinky cardboard boxes by the door?”

“Baby,” Jackson says. A shuffling sound follows before he speaks again, “It’s from that vain, gold-digging human girl. She’s been bothering me again.” The gentleness in his tone is one he never used with me, but the hurt from his words… that’s familiar.

He’s never been one to sugar coat his words, but being so blatantly cruel is awful.

“She needs to crawl back to the pit she clawed her way out of and leave us alone,” Ivy hisses.

“Baby, it’s okay. I’ll deal with her,” Jackson says, then changes the subject. “What were you coming here for today?”

“Oh, I brought some of my things, and I wanted to make sure the place is presentable before my older brother and some of our friends come to visit you later,” she says.

Silence sits heavy in the air, and I lean in, wanting to hear Jackson’s response.

“A-Alpha Thorne?”

His stutter gives away his nerves, but I don’t blame him. I’ve heard about Alpha Thorne before. The Alpha family is very secretive and doesn’t allow gossip to spread, but everyone knows he’s sharp, intelligent, and dangerous. I’ve never met him, but I do know that Ivy is his stepsister.

“Yes, and you need to prepare well,” Ivy says. “Make sure my brother feels well-received.”

There’s a hint of worry and nervousness in her tone as well. Is she worried he won’t like Jackson? Or is there something more going on? Maybe the relationship between Ivy and Alpha Thorne isn’t as good as it seems to the public.

Things are silent for a while, and then I hear the sound of fading footsteps. Worried that he left me here, I push the cupboard door, but again, it doesn’t open. I debate on calling out, but I don’t know if I should.

After what feels like forever, the door finally swings open, and Jackson leans in to grab me. He jerks me out and shoves me toward the front door.

“No, Jackson, give me my money!”

“Get out, Aurora. I don’t have your money on hand,” he growls. Again, he pushes me toward the door.

This time, I turn on him, spitting the first words that come to mind, “What would Alpha Thorne think if he knew you abandoned your mate and stole her money?”

Then, his hand is around my throat again as he yells, “You pushed me to this!” Jackson’s face is red as he shouts, but I can’t focus because I can’t breathe.

“L-Le-t g-go,” I gasp, blinking away the darkness that starts to creep in to the edges of my vision.

“This is your own fault, Aurora,” Jackson snarls and slides his grip to the back of my neck and into the hair at the base of my neck, pushing my head down and pulling me like a collared dog. I stumble, coughing and choking, as he tugs me toward the back of the house. I’m too weak to fight him, and when I try, he only tightens his grip.

“What did she do this time?” Jackson’s sister asks from somewhere behind us as he leads me up the stairs to the attic door.

“No, Jackson you can’t—”

“Shut up!”

He throws me in, and I fall, rolling across the dusty floor. Before I can get up, he slams the door and the lock clicks into place.

“Make sure she doesn’t come out. If she starts making too much noise, tie her up and gag her,” Jackson orders to his sister. His words silence me immediately, making me shrink back, curl into a ball, and look around.

The attic is filthy and filled with junk and cobwebs. It’s dark, despite the sunlight coming through the window at the other end of the room.

Even though the room is large, I’ve never felt so small and afraid. My neck hurts and my scalp burns. I’m stuck here, and while I’ve never been treated like I’m important, I’ve never been hurt this much by Jackson before.

He kept me from being bullied when we started dating. Since being with Jackson, I hadn’t felt like the small, weak human who is surrounded by werewolves. Everyone left me alone after I started dating Jackson, but now, I’m in the same position I was in before Jackson.

Weak and pathetic.

He’s making me go through that pain again; this time, it’s from his own hands.

I can’t give up.

No matter what Jackson does, I can’t let him or anyone else make me into the frightened girl I used to be.

Rubbing at my neck to ease the pain, I stand up and walk over to the small window. The sun is setting, which tells me I’ve been here for a while, but not anymore. I won’t let Jackson control me.

I send up a prayer and reach out, pushing the window. When it creaks and swings open, I almost cry because that little squeak is the best sound I’ve ever heard. I peer out of the window and look down. The distance between here and the ground is just short enough that I could climb out, but I’m on the second floor, so I would need…

I glance around the room, my eyes landing on the sheets covering old junk.

Scenes from movies pop into my head, as do images of me falling from the second floor. Shaking my head, I grab two of the sheets and tie them together. I must try to escape, or I might not get out of here.

When I don’t see anyone outside, I toss one end of my makeshift rope out the window and carefully squeeze through. I almost slip but quickly catch myself and climb down the rope. Sounds of laughter and talking come from inside, letting me know Jackson and Ivy’s guests have arrived.

At least they’ll be distracted so I can get away.

The moment my feet touch the ground, I sneak along the edge of the house. The driveway is close, and if I can get there, I can get away. I just need to avoid being noticed.

Just a few more feet—

I turn the corner and run right into a solid chest.

Stumbling back, I look up and nearly gasp. The handsome man from last night stares down at me, his eyes piercing and his gaze curious.