Chapter 25

Aurora’s POV

“I heard she slept with someone high up to get the position.”

I glance over my shoulder, and the group of women go silent. They scurry away to gossip somewhere else as I take the last sip of my tea and look around the staff room. The few people that remain also stare at me, a strange look in their eyes.

Whispers follow me as I leave the small room. Were those women talking about me?

“Her,” I hear someone say.

“Trading sexual favors?” A female voice whispers. I barely catch her words, but they make me stiffen.

“Yeah, but I don’t know who with,” the original voice says. I quicken my pace, lower my head, and try not to let their words get to me. I haven’t done anything to cause people to think I’m sleeping with Thorne; in fact, while we’re at work, I keep as much distance between us as possible.

Had someone seen us outside of work?

That doesn’t seem possible because the only times we’re together outside of work is when we’re at my temporary house.

When I reach my desk, I avoid Thorne’s gaze and grab the stack of papers that need copies. I quickly leave my desk, not wanting to give anyone anything to gossip about and make my way to the copy room.

Luckily, it’s empty, so I busy myself with making copies and arranging them as the machine spits papers out. I promised Thorne I would do my work well, so I push away thoughts of gossiping women and focus.

That is, until I hear the soft click of the door behind me. I whirl around, coming face to face with an unfamiliar man. He leans against the copy room door and smiles at me.

“Sorry, I just came to make a copy,” he says, holding up some papers.

“Oh, sorry. I’ll be a few more minutes, but I can let you go before I start on the next set,” I tell him. I still have a few more papers to copy, and it’ll take a little longer than a few minutes.

“No worries,” he says, moving closer. “I can wait.”

Nodding, I look back at the newly printed papers, grab them, and stack them with the others. Something brushes the back of my arm, making me jump and look to my right.

The man grins down at me before he moves behind me and to my other side. This time, a soft touch skims across my backside.

“What—”

“Your name is Aurora, right?” The man asks, cutting me off. My annoyance flares when his eyes trail down my body, lingering a bit too long on my chest and legs. I suddenly wish I hadn’t worn a skirt today. His too interested gaze sends goosebumps across my skin, and not the good kind. The kind that yell ‘danger’ or ‘predator.’

Shifting uncomfortably, I take a step away from him while answering, “Yes, I’m Aurora.”

He hums, closing the distance that I just created between us. “I thought so. You’re the only human woman here, and that hair…” he reaches out and touches one of the strands of my hair that hangs over my shoulder.

“Excited?” He asks, “Your heart is racing. I could help you relax, but it wouldn’t bring your heartrate down.”

I jerk back, suddenly aware of my racing heart.

Bile crawls up my throat at the hidden meaning in his words as his eyes move down my body again. My heart thuds loudly in my ears as I move away from the man. He doesn’t get the message and follows me.

“Y-You need to leave,” I stutter, my fear betraying me.

“I heard that you like men with money and power,” he ignores my words. “I have plenty of both, and I know how to treat my lovers well. You wouldn’t be disappointed.”

“Please go away. I don’t want you to—”

I gaps when he grabs my arm and pulls me close to his body. He grins, backs me against the wall, and cages me there. Everywhere he touches burns, and my fight or flight instinct screams to run.

“Come on. I’ve heard you like trading sexual favors,” he whispers, his disgusting lips touching my neck. I whimper and push against his chest. He’s stronger, though, and keeps me in place. “I can give you what you need, and I can help you stay on Alpha Thorne’s good side. You just need to come to my bed, and I can give you anything you want.”

“S-Stop,” I beg.

The man pulls back to look at me, and I take my chance. I lift my foot and bring it down hard on his foot. The moment his hands release me, I run.

Tears blur my vision as my heart jumps to my throat, choking me as I find the nearest bathroom and lock myself inside. I cover my mouth with my hands to keep my cries quiet. I try to breathe through them, closing my eyes and sliding down to the floor as tears spill over my cheeks.

Something prickles over my skin, and I rub at my arms and neck, trying to get the feel of that man off me. When that doesn’t work, I jump up and rush to the sink, turn the hot water on, and slather my arms in soap.

I scrub until my arms are red and burning, needing to get rid of the dirty feeling that sticks to me. Then, I stare at myself in the mirror while my eyes dry of tears as anger replaces the fear.

What did I do to get this kind of treatment? Are people so obsessed with power and status here that they think assaulting someone is okay?

Taking deep breaths and wiping my eyes, I clean myself up. I might have to tell Thorne, but the thought of doing that right now has my hands trembling again. If I can just make it through the day, I can figure out how to deal with this.

With one last look in the mirror, I make my way back into the hall and toward my desk. However, before I can get there, I pass by the staff room and notice Jackson inside. He’s talking to a group of people, and his words have me stopping in my tracks.

“She’s definitely sleeping with one of the higher ups,” he says, nodding to a man next to him. “She’s even seducing them to block me from getting my gamma promotion. I wouldn’t put it past her to be sleeping with more than one of our esteemed leaders.”

A protest climbs up my throat, and I want to go inside and deny it, but I can’t move from my spot.

“That’s awful. I’m not surprised a human would stoop to selling her body for a job like this,” one man says.

Another chuckles, “She’s probably enjoying it too. All human women come to your bed with a little incentive. They’re greedy little leaches that will do anything for money, though, I wouldn’t mind letting her suck a bit out of me. She’s got a fuckable body.”

“I have a few dollars I could part with for a taste of her,” a third man says, and Jackson laughs.

I cover my mouth with my hand and bite back the bile rising within me at their awful words. A blanket of humiliation covers me, weighing on me as I force myself to leave. I don’t want to hear any more of Jackson’s lies… though, they’re not entirely lies.

And that makes me feel worse because I slept with Thorne for money, like Jackson said.

It may not be exactly like he said, but I exchanged my body for money and a job.