Chapter 9
Even across the bed, I could see the way her lips parted with each breath, the flush in her cheeks, the curve of her spine where she curled around my shirt. Every detail pulled me in like gravity.
Storm stirred again, smug and knowing, but I shut him out.
I didn’t sleep. I just laid there, listening to her breathe, doing everything in my power not to
reach for her.
[END FLASHBACK]
A sudden blast of cold water jolted me back to the present. Right-the shower. Morning. She was gone, and I was still trying to wash the ghost of her off my skin.
I turned the water even colder.
Eventually, the heat in my body dulled enough to shut Storm up. I shut off the water and grabbed a towel, wrapping it tightly around my waist.
A mind-link buzzed in my head.
Beta: I passed along your message to Miss Amelia about the internship. But honestly… why didn’t you just tell her yourself?
That’s none of your concern.
I walked to my closet to find something clean to wear. Something that didn’t smell like her.
Amelia
The car door shut behind me, and for the first time in days, I felt something like hope.
This was it. A real opportunity. Working on the King’s campaign team? That was miles above anything I thought I could get. Until now, I hadn’t even let myself admit how fascinated I was by politics.
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Chapter
But Richard’s leadership? I’ve admired it for years. His policies. His public speeches. His
calm, steady power.
And, okay, yeah-he’s hot. Obviously. But this was about more than that.
My head was still spinning from the past twenty-four hours. Everything had changed since Richard re-entered my life.
The car slowed to a stop, and I stepped out, barely taking two steps before a voice stopped
me cold.
“You went home with that guy last night, didn’t you?”
Adam.
My stomach dropped.
“That guy?” I repeated, my voice rising. “You mean the guy who tried to get me drunk?”
Adam flinched.
“The one I begged you to help me get away from, and you just… walked away?”
He looked away, jaw tight.
“You don’t get to be mad,” I snapped. “You don’t get to ask where I went after that.”
He stepped toward me. “So where were you last night, Amelia?”
My phone rang.
I held up a finger and turned away to answer. “Hello?”
A voice greeted me: “Miss Amelia, your interview for the King’s campaign team will begin shortly. Please arrive within the next thirty minutes.”
I blinked. “Wait-my interview is today? I thought this was just a follow-up.”
“The other candidates have already begun arriving,” the voice replied. “Please check in at
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Chapter 9
the main reception as soon as you can.
+25 BONUS
I didn’t even glance back at Adam. I just walked past him, ducking into the building long enough to splash water on my face and run my fingers through my tangled hair.
I grabbed my bag and flagged down a cab.
The driver raised an eyebrow when I gave the address. “The pack house?”
I nodded.
He snorted. “I sure hope you don’t work there. You seen how things have been going lately? That Alpha’s running us into the ground.”
I blinked and snapped back. “How exactly is he running things into the ground?”
The driver shifted in his seat, clearly not expecting me to talk back. “Taxes are high. Rules keep changing. People don’t know what’s coming next.”
I raised an eyebrow. “But have those changes actually affected you? Like—personally?”
He hesitated. “Well… no. Business has been better, actually. More people moving through
the area, more cab fares.”
“So, what exactly don’t you like about him?”
He let out a grunt, then muttered, “I just don’t like the guy.”
“What’s that?” I asked.
The driver cursed. “She breaks down sometimes.”
Moments later, the engine cut out completely.
I groaned. “I’m going to be late.”
I glanced around-no other cars in sight.
I jumped out and ran.
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and completely disheveled.
Still, I walked in with my chin high and tried to pretend like I wasn’t dying.
The receptionist barely looked up. Then she did-and wrinkled her nose.
“Sorry, hun, the food pantry’s down the street. Opens at noon.”
I blinked. “No-I’m here for an interview.”
The woman raised an eyebrow. “We don’t take walk-ins. All candidates are referred by someone on staff. Who sent you?”
“I-I was invited,” I said. “I was told to come here for an interview.”
The woman scoffed. “By who?”
My voice faltered. “By-by the Beta, N-Nathan!”
“Yeah sure, and how do you know the Beta?”
A deep, familiar voice cut through the air behind her.
“Stop it, Meredith. She’s my guest.”
And Meredith’s face shifted in horror.
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