Anya POV
"Nothing," I whispered, my voice trembling under the weight of his accusation. "I wanted nothing from you."
Declan stared at me, his chest heaving slightly. For a second, the ice in his eyes seemed to crack, revealing a swirling vortex of molten gold—his wolf, fighting for control. His scent, that overwhelming mix of storm and pine, flared so violently it felt like a physical caress against my skin, wrapping around me, begging me to stay even as his human face twisted in disgust.
He released my chin abruptly, as if my skin had burned him.
"Get up," he growled, stepping back.
I hadn't realized I was cowering against the door until I scrambled to stand, my legs shaking like a newborn fawn's.
The elevator dinged outside, and a moment later, a breathless Dannie Hill stumbled into the open doorway of the suite. He looked like a man walking to the gallows. His eyes darted between the disheveled Alpha and me, his face draining of all color.
"Alpha Blackwood," Dannie choked out, bowing his head in submission. "I... I am here as you commanded."
Declan didn't look at him. He kept his gaze fixed on the city skyline outside the window, his back a wall of rigid muscle. "Take her," Declan said, his voice devoid of emotion. "Get her out of my sight."
Dannie let out a breath of relief and reached for my arm, his grip bruising. "Yes, Alpha. Immediately. I apologize for the disturbance—"
"And Hill?"
Declan turned. The air in the room instantly grew heavy, crushing the breath out of my lungs. This was the Alpha's Command—a power that forced every wolf to their knees. Even as a wolfless, I felt the static pressure of it prickling my skin.
Dannie froze, whimpering softly.
"Never again," Declan said, his voice low and lethal, "offer up a member of my Pack like a piece of meat to solve your problems. If I hear of you pimping out your subordinates again, you will not have a position to lose. You won't even have a Pack."
Dannie nodded frantically, sweat dripping from his brow. "Understood, Alpha. Never again."
"Go."
The single word was a dismissal and a threat. Dannie yanked me into the hallway. As the heavy mahogany doors slammed shut behind us, severing the connection to that intoxicating scent, I felt a bizarre, hollow ache in my chest. My soul felt... empty.
But Dannie didn't give me time to mourn the loss of something I never had.
The moment we were alone in the silent, carpeted corridor, his fear mutated instantly into rage. He spun on me, his face purple with fury.
"You useless, wolfless bitch!" he hissed, shoving me backward. I stumbled, catching myself against the wall. "Do you have any idea what you've done? You almost got me killed!"
"I didn't do anything!" I cried, tears finally spilling over. "You sent me there! You told me to fix it!"
"I told you to apologize, not to act like a whore and insult the Alpha!" Dannie spat. He jabbed a finger in my face. "You're done, Carroll. You hear me? You are fired. Effective immediately."
The world tilted on its axis. "Mr. Hill, please... my mother's medical bills... I need this job."
"Not my problem," he sneered, straightening his jacket. "Pack your things. If you're not off the premises in an hour, I'll have security throw you out. And don't bother applying anywhere else in this Pack. I'll make sure everyone knows you're poison."
He stormed off toward the elevators, leaving me alone in the dim hallway. The silence that followed was deafening. I was ruined.
Thirty minutes later, I was shoving my clothes into my battered suitcase in my small room on the lower floors. My hands were shaking so hard I could barely zip the bag.
My phone buzzed on the nightstand. It was Camryn.
I stared at the screen for a long moment before answering. "Hello?"
"Anya! Oh, Goddess, are you okay?" Camryn's voice was thick with tears. "I saw Dannie storming through the lobby. He looked murderous. What happened?"
"I'm fired, Cam," I said, my voice dull. "He fired me."
"No..." Camryn gasped. "Anya, I am so, so sorry. This is all my fault. I never should have opened my big mouth."
"It doesn't matter now." I sat on the edge of the bed, clutching the phone. "Declan... Alpha Blackwood... he hates me. He thinks I planned it all."
"He's an idiot if he thinks that," Camryn said fiercely, though her voice dropped to a whisper. "But... Anya, maybe it's for the best. You don't want to be mixed up with him."
"Why?" I asked, wiping a tear from my cheek.
"I heard the older staff talking in the breakroom," Camryn whispered, as if sharing a state secret. "They say the Alpha has been celibate for years. Rumor is, he found his Fated Mate a long time ago, but they can't be together yet. Maybe she's too young, or from a rival pack. He's waiting for her."
My heart stopped.
Waiting for her.
A memory flashed in my mind, vivid and sharp. Last night, in the heat of the moment, my fingers had traced the hard line of Declan's collarbone. There, inked into his skin in stark black numerals, was a date.
0825.
August 25th.
It wasn't a birthday. It was an anniversary. A mark of devotion to the woman he actually loved.
Nausea rolled through me. I wasn't just a mistake to him; I was a betrayal of his true mate. That explained the coldness, the anger, the disgust in his eyes this morning. He had broken his vow of celibacy with a wolfless nobody, and he hated himself for it. And by extension, he hated me.
"Anya? Are you still there?"
"I'm here," I whispered, gripping the phone until my knuckles turned white. "I have to go, Cam. I have to leave."
I hung up before she could argue. The shame was a physical weight, crushing me. I grabbed my suitcase and fled the room, desperate to put as much distance as possible between me and the man who had marked my soul, all while his heart belonged to a ghost.
