Chapter 5

I had received dozens of missed calls from Claus. There were also messages from the security team, the board secretary, and even Claus' assistant.

I glanced over them and tossed my phone aside.

It was obvious that Claus had been looking for me all night. Someone like him couldn't stand being out of control.

Ryan noticed the missed calls and looked up at me. "Aren't you going to return the call?"

"And say what?" I leaned back lazily. "Let him know I had a great time last night?"

Ryan didn't answer, but he leaned closer and rested his forehead gently on my knee, rubbing against me like a dog wanting attention.

"Will you protect me, then?" he asked.

I looked down at him and raised an eyebrow. "Protect you?"

"Yeah." His voice dropped, barely above a whisper. "What if Alpha Claus goes crazy and tries to bite me?"

He sounded all pitiful, but there was a mischievous gleam in his eyes. He obviously wasn't scared at all.

I reached out and pinched his chin, glancing at his face. "Your face definitely makes people want to hate you."

At my words, he lowered his head and kissed my palm. "I'll try my best to make sure you can't bring yourself to give me up."

I felt a strange flutter in my chest, but I didn't respond. Instead, I stood up to freshen up.

By the time I returned to the suite, the sun had fully risen.

Standing outside the door was a shadow, drenched in dew and cold, like he'd been waiting there since nightfall.

It was Claus. He hadn't changed into a suit, just thrown on a black trench coat. His boots were still muddy, and his eyes were bloodshot. His whole demeanor was dark and terrifying.

Clearly, he'd been searching for me all night.

The moment he saw me, he stormed toward me. "Aserina!"

He got closer but suddenly stopped in his tracks because he smelled it—the unmistakable scent of another wolf on me.

That scent clearly told him what had happened last night.

The color drained from Claus' face, and he looked at me like someone had just stabbed him. His voice came out hoarse.

"W-Who were you with last night?"

I didn't bother to answer. I just stepped forward to go inside.

But he grabbed my wrist, his grip shaking with rage. "Aserina, answer me!"

I glanced at his hand, coldly saying, "Let go."

"Answer me first!" His eyes were bloodshot, and his voice came out in a harsh growl. "Who the hell did you sleep with last night?"

I looked up at his crazed expression and suddenly felt a sense of satisfaction.

So this was the gut-wrenching feeling I had when he'd brought another woman into the headquarters.

Now, it was his turn.

I slowly peeled his fingers off one by one and replied casually, "What? Didn't you say finding a little fun is just a minor thing? Since it's so minor, why do you care who I spend the night with?"

Claus looked like I'd slapped him across the face. His breath grew ragged. "This is different!"

"How is it different?"

I met his gaze, emphasizing each word. "You can sleep around with other women, but I can't spend a night with a guy I find attractive? Claus, don't be so disgusting with your double standards."

What I didn't expect was that the person I had used for revenge wasn't at all who I thought he was.

After hearing my words, Claus became surprisingly quiet.