Chapter 6

• I began by sorting and categorizing the documents. My memory had always been exceptional—almost photographic—and the white wolf blood running through my veins only heightened that ability. Once I had a general idea of the contents and the type of data needed, I started entering the information.
• The process was tedious, but far from difficult. I picked it up quickly and my pace kept accelerating.
• The rhythmic clatter of my typing soon drew the attention of the other Omega wolves. I heard them whispering among themselves:
• “Look at how fast she types—her fingertips almost sparkle with light. I thought I was fast, but I can’t compare to her.”
• “I thought someone from such a small Pack wouldn’t know anything about this kind of work. But she’s surprisingly efficient.”
• “Exactly. Did you see her this morning? She worked with the same speed and precision. I guess just because she’s from a small Pack doesn’t mean she’s completely useless. Otherwise, the old Alpha Ken wouldn’t have approved of her. I heard it was the Moon Goddess who destined her for Alpha Nick. And the Moon Goddess doesn’t make mistakes.”
• “So what? Didn’t you notice? Alpha Nick hasn’t even acknowledged her presence. Sooner or later, she’ll be gone. And now that she’s pissed off Mary, look at the work she’s been saddled with today. It’s only going to get worse from here. Let’s see how long she lasts.”
• “Ugh, forget it. It’s not like we can do anything. Best not to get involved or we’ll get burned too.”
• “…”
• Their muttering reached my ears like soft static, but I ignored them and focused entirely on my work.
• I had no intention of exhausting myself. When I was hungry, I took a bite of the sandwich I brought; when I was thirsty, I brewed myself a cup of coffee; when I got tired, I’d stretch my legs with a short trip to the restroom.
• By the time most people were winding down for the day, there was still work to be done. I went for dinner first, then returned at a relaxed pace to continue working.
• Because of that dark chapter in my childhood—being imprisoned—my one principle now was never to mistreat my own body. Especially my stomach. Meals had to be eaten on time, no matter what.
• When I returned, Mary slammed her hand on the desk. “Wendy! Are you done with your work or not? You keep wandering off! I told you this data needs to be finished tonight—it’s needed first thing tomorrow! And you? Eating, drinking, running around—what is this attitude?! If you don’t want to do it, say so. I’ll assign it to someone else. But if this causes any losses for the Brown Pack, can you take responsibility?”
• Her incessant nagging grated on my ears. I raised a hand and rubbed them. “You said it just needs to be done today. It’s not even 7 p.m. yet. I know what I’m doing.”
• “Don’t act like you’re on top of things. You haven’t even worked for that long and—”
• I finally snapped. “That’s enough!”
• The room went silent. Mary immediately clammed up, and the others stared at me, startled.
• I hated noise—my white wolf ears were too sensitive—and Mary had been testing my patience all day.
• “Save your complaints for tomorrow if I haven’t finished by then. Right now, get out of my way. You’re distracting me. If I fail to complete the work, it’ll be your fault, not mine. Understood?”
• Mary flinched from the force of my words, but the anger quickly returned to her face.
• “Oh, so now you’re already trying to dodge the blame. Fine! Let’s see if you can finish it tomorrow!”
• She stormed off, high heels clacking angrily across the floor.
• With nowhere else to vent, she turned on the others. “No one’s leaving until all the work is done!”
• I scoffed quietly and got back to work.
• One by one, the others finished up and left. By the time the office emptied, I was the only one remaining.
• At 9:30 p.m., I hit the final key. The job was done.
• Thankfully, the lights were still on. I could go home now.
• If it were someone else doing this task, they probably wouldn’t have even gotten dinner, scrambling non-stop until ten or eleven. But I worked efficiently and scheduled everything perfectly. It wasn’t difficult at all.
• Just as I was packing up to leave, my phone rang. Mary.
• “How much longer do you need?”
• “I’m already done,” I answered calmly.
• “What? Are you sure you checked everything carefully?”
• She clearly hadn’t expected me to finish this fast.
• I stroked the jade bracelet on my wrist and replied with patience, “I’m sure. If there’s nothing else, I’m hanging up. I’m off now.”
• “No, wait! You can’t leave yet!” Mary’s voice spiked in panic, like she was afraid of something unraveling.”
• I stopped mid-step, suspicious. “Why not?”
• “Mr. Jones just called—there’s another set of data to be added. I’ll bring it to you. Wait there.”
• “Just send it to me. It’ll be faster. No need for you to come all the way here.”
• “No, it’s complicated. You’ve never worked with this kind of data. If anything goes wrong, it’ll be a disaster. Just wait, alright? I’m already home and heading over now. Don’t get impatient—Jones only just told me! I didn’t ask for this either!”
• “…Fine.”
• If Mary was going out of her way at this hour, maybe she really wouldn’t be trying to make things harder for me. That didn’t seem like her style.
• I returned to my desk. Put on music. Opened a little game to relax. When I looked up again, forty minutes had passed—and Mary still hadn’t shown up.
• I went to the restroom, then scrolled on my phone for a bit. Another twenty minutes ticked by.
• Still nothing.
• I called her.
• “When will you get here?”
• “I took a cab to save time, but there was a traffic accident on the road. Total standstill. I’ll be there in about thirty minutes, okay? Ugh, today is just cursed. All because Jones didn’t tell me earlier. Now I’m stuck out here in traffic. Driver, hurry up, will you? I’m in a rush!”
• Her voice made my head throb. The irritation built in my chest. “Fine. Just hurry.”
• I hung up and waited.
• Another forty minutes passed. Still no sign of Mary.
• My patience was nearly gone, and the darkness outside only made the wolf inside me more restless. It began to whimper uneasily.
• I called again. “Mary, are you planning to spend the night here at the Brown Packhouse offices with me?”
• She snapped, “Why are you rushing me? You think I’m not rushing, too? I’m stuck in this damn traffic! Just a few more minutes—maybe ten. Hey, driver, ten minutes, yeah? Great. I’ll—”
• “Ten minutes,” I cut in coldly. “If I don’t see you in ten minutes, I’m leaving. You can enter the data yourself.”
• Then I hung up.
• Something felt off.
• I opened my messages and sent her number to someone: Track this number. I need to know where she is.
• Five minutes later, I got a reply.
• The location? A residential neighborhood.
• I froze, then fury rose in my chest.
• Mary. Very good.
• She dared to trick me.
• I’d actually believed she’d come all the way from home just for work. How naive.
• I grabbed my bag and headed for the door, already planning how to make her regret this.
• But I hadn’t gone far when—click—the lights went out.
• The office was instantly swallowed by pitch-black silence.
• I froze in place.
• My eyes darted around the darkness as I slowly stepped back toward my desk. My hands trembled as I fumbled through my bag for my phone, turning on the flashlight.
• The wolf inside me hated the dark. It always had.
• The old Alpha Tim once said it was because I’d been kidnapped by Rogues as a pup. But I couldn’t remember that time at all.
• All I knew was that the fear of darkness was bone deep. My body began to shake, cold sweat breaking out on my skin.
• The wolf inside me curled up tight and whimpered endlessly.
• I dropped to the floor, hugging my knees, and eventually crawled under the desk.
• The phone’s flashlight barely helped. The blackness around me felt alive, like a nightmare from a forgotten past come to life.
• I tried to talk to the wolf inside me, to calm both of us down.
• “It’s okay… it’s okay… someone will come soon…”
• But it kept trembling.
• What happened?
• Why the power outage?
• When would it come back?
• I reached for the security guard—but realized I didn’t have his number. Panic clouded my mind.
• I couldn’t think.