Chapter 27

Aurora’s POV

They all know now.

My heart climbs into my throat, cutting off my air supply. Everyone who listened to Thorne’s announcement thinks Thorne is paying special attention to me. How could they not? The moment word got to him about the rumors, he decides to deal with it.

If that’s not being attentive, I don’t know what is. Also, I’m not sure if I should be happy or unhappy that he is suddenly putting me under a probationary period.

Confusion fills me at this new development. Will this make people back off?

I hope so. Maybe this announcement will let people know that Thorne isn’t going to let them bully a coworker. I can only hope and pray that is the case. I don’t want to think about people coming after me even more after this.

However, that’s unlikely because I already feel the weight of eyes on me. I try to ignore them and work. They’re probably cooking up more lies to spread, and I don’t want to know what new rumors are going to circulate because of this.

Glancing at Thorne’s office door, I think about telling him this doesn’t change things, that I still want to quit, but before I can gather the courage, he calls me into his office.

He probably knows what I was thinking.

“Don’t think I forgot about what you said earlier,” Thorne says as I close the door behind me.

“Which part?” I ask, hoping that I can convince him to let me quit.

Thorne crosses his arms over his chest, “You mentioned an attack earlier. Tell me what happened.”

Not wanting to let the man get away with what he’d done, I nod. I wanted to tell him anyway, and I guess now is the time.

“It wasn’t an attack, like a fight,” I clarify. “I was making copies of the packets for a meeting when a man I don’t know came in. He closed the door behind him, but I didn’t think anything of it until he started touching me…”

I take a deep breath, remembering how the man had grabbed me. The fear I felt returns briefly, sending a shiver down my spine, and before I know it, Thorne is in front of me.

“What did he do? Are you hurt?”

I shake my head, answering him, “He grabbed me and said I could sleep with him for money. It scared me because he was stronger than me. Everyone here is stronger than me.” I take another breath, only now noticing that Thorne’s hands are cupping my elbows and holding me steady.

“Do you remember who he was?”

“I don’t know anyone here, but he said he had a high position,” I tell him, looking up. A hard glint sparks in Thorne’s eyes, and his grip tightens slightly on my arms. It’s not enough to hurt, and it doesn’t scare me like the man earlier.

There’s less than a foot of space between us, and he looms over me. I can feel the warmth coming off his body. His hands are big and strong on my arms, yet even with his height and strength, I don’t feel threatened. Actually, somehow, his presence is kind of comforting in a way.

“What did he look like?” Thorne asks, pulling my attention back to his face.

“He was tall, but not as tall as you,” I tell Thorne while trying to remember everything. I want the man to get in trouble for what he did, so I continue, “He had light brown hair, with a bit of blonde in it. Brown eyes, and he said he was a director, but he didn’t say what department he was in…”

I’m distracted momentarily by the brush of Thorne’s thumb on the side of my arm as I try to think of something else that would help.

“What was he wearing?” Thorne questions.

“Gray suit with a red tie,” I answer then mutter, “He might be limping if he didn’t heal already.”

“Oh?”

I nod, “I stomped really hard on his foot with my heel to get away.”

Thorne smirks and lifts a hand, brushing it down the back of my head. My heart skips a beat then nearly stops altogether when he leans in slightly and says, “Good girl.”

I have to swallow the gasp as he pulls away. I don’t know what to do while he walks back to his desk, but something in me wants to run far away. I shouldn’t feel so on edge just from two words.

“Don’t listen to what anyone here says about you, Aurora,” he continues. “You’re not a whore and you don’t deserve to be seen as one. I may be your boss, but I’m also the man in your bed. I want you to be able to come to me if you need help or if someone bothers you again.”

I nod, unsure of what to say. Do I say thank you to that? Probably not, but still, it’s on the tip of my tongue when he speaks again.

“Next time a man touches you or tries to touch you without your consent, tell me. I won’t allow it.”

With those words, I remember the contract and the terms I agreed to. He’s reminding me, I realize, that I’m not supposed to have any other man besides Thorne.

“Did you hear me, Aurora?”

“Y-Yes. I hear you. I’ll tell you if something else happens.”

It makes me nervous when he uses my name like that, like it’s a command. It makes me want to respond instantly when he talks all authoritatively like that, and I wonder if that’s something special to Alphas. Jackson never made me feel that way when he called my name.

Though, I guess, Alphas are leaders. It’s probably a normal tone for Thorne to use when he wants attention from someone. He’s a man who is used to being in command with people listening.

I don’t miss the smile that pulls at Thorne’s lips as he dismisses me to go back to work.

“Oh, can I help you?” I ask when I notice a woman standing at my desk.

The woman looks up from her phone and smiles at me. I’ve never seen her before, but she doesn’t look threatening, and she doesn’t look familiar.

“Hi. I’m Jace’s sister,” she says, holding out her hand to me. I have to think for a minute about who Jace is before I remember.

“Beta Jace?” I ask, and she nods.

“Yes, I’m Emma. I wanted to welcome you to the office,” she tells me when I place my hand in hers. “We’re having a dinner tonight, and I thought, what better way would there be to welcome you than to invite you to join?”

I glance around, looking for any sign of this being a prank or joke, but no one is paying us any attention.

“I would love for you to come. There will be a lot of pack members there. My brother and Alpha Thorne will be there, so you’ll know at least two people. I can even give you a ride there if you want. What do you say?”

“Um… I can find my own way there, but I would like to come. Thank you for the invite.” I offer a smile and she returns it, telling me she’ll see me later.

It would be nice to have an ally here, and Emma seems nice enough. She thought of including me in this dinner, so she can’t be all bad.