Chapter 62

Jackson’s POV

It’s been a few days, but she’s still limping.

I watch Aurora limp around the office, trying to complete her tasks. Honestly, she looks pathetic with that white gauze wrapped around her calf. I’m suddenly glad I never completed the mating bond with someone as weak as her.

Something in the room clatters loudly, and Aurora jumps, her head whipping around to find the sound. Since the attack, she startles at every little sound. I wait a few minutes until she’s a bit more relaxed before I kick the bottom of the filing cabinet beside me, and Aurora shrieks quietly.

Again, she looks around, her eyes wide with fear.

A thrill flies through my body, giving me a shot of adrenaline, kind of like how I felt when she was trapped on the balcony. It feels good.

My phone buzzes and when I take it out, a message from Ivy appears:

Ivy: Come to my office. We need another plan to deal with Aurora.

Another thrill floods my veins. Another plan means I get to mess with Aurora again. I never thought it would be so fun or thrilling, but it is. So, I make my way down to Ivy’s office to find her doing her nails.

“I don’t think it would be good for Aurora and my brother to be in a relationship,” she says when I walk in.

“I agree. She could ruin our chances to push further into the business side of things, and she’s pulling Thorne’s attention off Angeline,” I say, not actually caring about Angeline. Though, Ivy will because they’re friends. I still need to convince Thorne to accept my project, and with Aurora around, I don’t think he’ll go for it.

He’s becoming more attached to her, and if he finds out about the things I’ve done to her, he’ll never accept my projects.

“Right. Angeline deserves Thorne way more than that pathetic human,” Ivy interjects. She looks up from her nails and pins me with her narrow-eyed sneer, “If she gets her grubby little hands on my brother for any longer, he’s not going to let her go. What can we do to stop them?”

“Well, the nonviolent answer would be that we should push Angeline and Thorne together and reignite the spart between them,” I tell her as Ivy continues filing her nails. “The alternative is to take Aurora out of the picture completely…”

Ivy lifts her eyes again to look at me, “We can save that for option two. We already attacked her, so we should wait for a little while. It would be suspicious if two attacks happened so soon with no explanations.”

“Too late for that,” I mutter, “Haven’t you noticed how on edge Thorne and Beta Jace are right now?”

Ivy narrows her eyes at me and scoffs, “And who’s fault is that?”

“Oh, no. I may have started this, but attacking her in wolf form was your idea,” I growl. “You can’t pin this solely on me.”

She huffs, like the spoiled brat she is and continues to file her nails. Sometimes, I wonder why I chose her, but then I remember the power and opportunity I get by being with Ivy. She’s my connection to a brighter future, even if she’s a bit dim herself.

“We’ll start with lunch and go from there,” Ivy finally says, getting my attention again. “I’ll handle my brother. All we need is to get them together and remind them how they felt about each other.”

I watch my chosen mate lift her phone to her ear with a grin.

“Hi, Big Brother,” she says in that sickly sweet voice she uses only for him. “I made dinner reservations… Yes, I want to spend time with you since you’re always too busy for me.”

Playing the guilt card.

While Ivy convinces Thorne to join us at Maurice’s Italian Restaurant, I send a quick text to Angeline with the information. She replies immediately that she’ll be there, and I smirk. Angeline is a better match for Thorne, and he’ll see that soon.

Aurora’s POV

Thorne has been like a hawk, watching me, since I returned to work. After a few days of resting, I was going crazy from doing nothing. Thorne didn’t want me to return so soon, but I couldn’t stay in the hospital or at the house any longer.

It’s insanely boring watching TV all day when you’re used to constantly having something to do at work.

I’m still not at full mobility again and my leg hurts, so I have to take medicine with every meal to keep the pain down. However, the doctor said it was healing well when I left the hospital, so I’m hoping my leg will be healed soon.

Sitting down, I glance at Thorne’s office. The visiting viper is still here and talking with him in his office. They’ve been talking for hours. From the whispers around the office, I know Angeline has been here several times since I was out. The news and the sight of them together makes my stomach cramp.

I was hoping Thorne wouldn’t get back together with Angeline, but it looks like that possibility is becoming less and less likely with each day. It doesn’t help that Thorne has been pulling away from me, too. Ever since the attack, he’s been distant… and now he’s hanging out with her?

Laughter sounds from Thorne’s office, and when I turn to look, Angeline is laughing and affectionately touching Thorne’s arm. Again. I can’t imagine what he said or did to make her laugh like that.

Several emotions swirl in my chest at the sight, and I nibble at my bottom lip. I can’t help but be confused, curious, and upset at the same time.

“You ready to leave?”

Looking up, I find Jace standing beside my desk with a questioning look on his face.

“Oh, sure.”

I was hoping Thorne would take me home, but he’s too busy with Angeline. So, I gather my things and follow Jace. I trudge behind him, and I can tell that he senses my emotions because he slows and walks beside me, helping me into the car when we reach it.

Thankfully, though, he doesn’t ask me what’s wrong. I can’t very well admit that I’m in love with his Alpha. That would probably be a disaster.

The drive is quiet, and when Jace pulls into the driveway, he parks, climbs out, and opens my door for me. I hesitate, looking around for any sign of the two wolves from the other day.

“It’s safe, Aurora,” Jace says, holding out a hand for me. “Alpha Thorne made sure there are patrols circling the property, so no one will be getting close to the house again.”

This information makes me pause. Thorne hadn’t told me anything about a patrol.

“He did?”

“He did,” Jace says, and a little stream of warmth floods me. Thorne still cares enough to make sure I’m safe, even if he’s currently distracted by Angeline.

Jace helps me out of the car, making sure I don’t fall when my leg shakes from the overexertion of the day.

“In fact, I can sense one Gamma on each side of the house, and two patrolling a little further away,” Jace adds, pointing in each direction. “Besides, Thorne also has me driving you home, and he told me not to let you out of my sight until you lock the door behind you… which I intend to honor.”

I’d been so scared when those wolves attacked the other day but knowing that Thorne is watching out for me and that there are people out there protecting me makes me feel better.

Even though he’s not here, Thorne is still keeping me safe.

“Thank you, Jace. Would you like to come in for dinner? I have a meal in the crockpot, but it’s too much for me to eat alone, and Thorne seemed busy.”

Jace glances around before smiling and answering, “Sure. I’d love to.”