Chapter 6

• John’s POV
• After I got Grace settled at home, lying pale and weak in bed, her mother’s sharp, worried glare felt like a knife in my spine. My mind churned with frustration and guilt. Grace was in this state because of Aurora’s reckless stunt, and I had to fix it.
• By the time I returned to the office, night had already fallen. Only the lights of the night-shift department remained. Brown was still waiting for me, his expression tight with concern.
• “John,” he said as I walked in, holding a form in his hand, “Aurora… she officially submitted her resignation.”
• I froze for a brief second. The image of her leaving with that box earlier lingered in my mind, but I forced myself to bury it beneath certainty. I took the thin paper and glanced at it. The signature was Aurora’s—neat yet determined.
• “She’s just throwing a tantrum, Brown.” I tossed the resignation onto the desk, loosened my tie, and poured myself a stiff drink. “She loves me. I’m sure of it. She has no standing in her Pack. If she leaves me, where else can she go? Who would take her in? The outside world is far too dangerous for someone like her. She only needs time to cool off and face reality.”
• I swallowed a sip of the drink, the burn sliding down my throat as I tried to choke down the knot of unease tightening inside me.
• Yes, that had to be it. Aurora was blinded by jealousy. She would eventually understand that Grace’s situation was special and I was simply fulfilling my responsibility. She would return. She couldn’t live without me.
• Brown hesitated before pushing his glasses up his nose. “Let’s hope so, John. But Miss Aurora hasn’t been herself lately.”
• I waved him off, unwilling to continue the conversation. That was when my personal phone buzzed. It was Grace’s mother. Her voice was sharp, furious, and trembling with panic. I could feel her anger through the phone.
• “John! What is going on? Grace has been crying nonstop since she got home. She’s unstable. She just coughed up blood again! The doctor said she’s suffering from extreme stress! Is this how you take care of my daughter?!”
• My temples throbbed. Images of Grace coughing blood and Aurora’s stubborn expression flashed in my mind. Guilt mixed with anger, and Aurora’s selfishness became the target of it.
• “Ma’am, I’m sorry,” I said, my voice low and steady. “This is all a big misunderstanding. I will handle it. I promise I’ll make sure Grace’s condition stabilizes.”
• When I hung up, the small worry sparked by Aurora’s resignation was completely overshadowed by a fierce determination. Aurora had gone way too far. She needed to acknowledge her mistake, apologize to Grace, and end this chaos once and for all.
• An idea struck me. I grabbed my phone, found Aurora’s number, and dialed. The call rang for a long time before she finally answered. There was nothing but silence on her end.
• “Aurora,” I said, voice firm with no room for argument, like a final warning, “nine tonight. VIP room at the Dark Moon bar. If you want that ruby pendant back, be on time.”
• I didn’t give her the chance to refuse. I hung up immediately. I knew how much that ruby pendant meant to her—it was her only link to her birth mother. She would come.
• Right at nine, I arrived with Grace. Max and his crew were already gathered. Grace leaned against me, paler than usual, but in her eyes I caught a faint glimmer of hope—small but present.
• I had called everyone over partly to have witnesses for Aurora’s apology, but also because… maybe I wanted their presence to demonstrate how unreasonable Aurora’s stubbornness looked.
• Aurora arrived right on time.
• She pushed the door open, and the moment she saw the crowded room, her eyes turned ice-cold. She stood tall, though, her posture straight and unyielding, her gaze fixed directly on me—or rather, on the ruby pendant hanging around Grace’s neck.
• “I’m here. Give me back the pendant,” she said. Her voice was calm, but distant in a way that felt unfamiliar.
• Max and the others immediately launched into taunts, hurling nasty insults, doing everything they could to humiliate her and pressure her into apologizing.
• Watching Aurora’s clenched jaw and rigid expression, irritation bubbled inside me. I just wanted this entire spectacle to end.
• “Aurora,” I said, my tone cold, “you crossed the line today. Apologize to Grace, and we end this here.”
• She snapped her head toward me, her eyes wide with disbelief—and unmistakable disappointment.
• That look pierced something in me, but Grace’s sobs and her mother’s furious words echoed too loudly in my memory. I hardened myself.
• Just as a tense silence settled over the room, my phone rang—an urgent call about an overseas project. I had to answer it. I shot Aurora a sharp look, signaling her to wait, then stepped out to take the call.
• The conversation dragged on far longer than I expected—almost ten minutes. When I finally finished, I rubbed my forehead and headed back toward the private room. Before I even touched the doorknob, I heard Grace scream in terror.
• My heart plummeted. I pushed the door open at once—
• And the sight inside sent my blood boiling.
• A silver-gray wolf was pinning Grace to the floor.
• Her face was pale, contorted with fear, the ruby pendant swinging wildly from her neck. Max and the others were frozen in shock.
• “Aurora! What the hell are you doing?!”