120
JARIS
I kept my eyes on her as I called Lyric. She picked up on the second beep.
“I need you in my office. Now.” I dropped the call.
Marta’s brows furrowed. Knowing that someone was coming, she tried standing to her feet.
“I didn’t say you could get up.” My words halted her on her knees.
She looked at me with surprise, her lips parted in shock.
“B–But I thought-”
“If you don’t do what I say, Marta, you’re getting kicked out of the Pack tonight.”
Dread darted across her eyes. Of course that was her biggest fear. Being away from me. I wasn’t even sure she was worried about the kids.
She startled when someone knocked on the door. She must already guess who it was because her eyes turned pitiful.
“Jaris, please-
“Come in, Lyric.”
She bit her lip so hard I wondered how blood didn’t spill.
The door opened. I didn’t need to look behind to know it was Lyric making her way in. Her caramel fragrance was impossible to miss.
She must have paused at the door, probably taken aback by the sight of Marta in front of her. Well, Marta did look like a mess. Her hair was ruffled–thanks to me–and her tears had ruined her makeup, smearing mascara all over her eyes.
Plus, she was on her knees. Nothing could be more jarring.
Seconds passed. Marta couldn’t lift her head anymore, clearly drowning in shame.
“Um….” Lyric cleared her throat, finally closing the door and walking further into the room. She stopped beside me. “You um.. .you sent for me.”
I nodded. “I did.” My eyes were still on Marta. “You know what to do.”
She only whimpered, not saying a word.
“Don’t make me say it, Marta, or I promise you, you’ll hate yourself for it.”
“Jaris, please!” Her sobs were mixed with frustration now. “You can’t–You can’t do this to me.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose, trying so hard to keep my cool.
It took me seconds but I finally took a deep calming breath.
“You’ve been with me for years, Marta. If there’s one thing you should’ve learned, it’s the fact that I don’t go back on my words. Ever. I’m telling you, right now, if I have to pick up my phone and make this call, you’re leaving my Pack tonight.* That was enough to send fresh dread down her spine. I watched her lips quiver as she dragged her gaze to Lyric’s. Her eyes hardened, she was trying so hard to look tough. But it was impossible with how messy she appeared.
“I’m….sorry.” she mumbled.
“If you’re apologizing, you do it properly, Marta,” I warned.
“I’m sorry!” She almost yelled the words. At least, she was louder. Her frustration was soothing.
I caught Lyric’s surprise.
“What are you sorry for?” pressed.
Marta looked at me like I was unbelievable, but she answered anyway, her voice a little shaky. “For… For setting you up.“.
“Setting her up with who?”
“Alpha Zarek.”
“So, you do realize that what you did was stupid?”
Her eyes
closed as she lowered her head, fresh tears rolling down, es
Successfully unlocked!
“Does that make you stupid?”
She said nothing. Only sobbed.
“Marta?”
“Yes! Yes, I’m so sorry!”
120
I inhaled in satisfaction, folding my arms across my chest.
“Call her name when you apologize,” I added.
“Jaris, please.”
“Alpha Jaris,” this time it was Lyric. “It’s okay.”
But I didn’t even look at her.
“Do what I said, Marta. And look at her when you say it.”
Seconds passed. Her sobs grew more bitter. But finally, she caved, lifting her teary eyes to Lyric’s. “I’m sorry.”
I could see it right there. She was utterly broken. Just what I wanted.
I uncrossed my hands, tucking them in my pockets.
“Get out.”
She wasted no time. She scrambled to her feet, grabbed her purse from a corner on the floor and scurried out of the office like the place was on fire.
It felt like a suffocating veil had been taken off my face. I could finally breathe again. Now I could also look at Lyric. She appeared pale, stunned, and slightly terrified.
What? Why was she acting like she was staring at a moter?
“You–You didn’t have to do that.” She frowned, lowering her gaze to the floor.
“Didn’t have to do what? Get her to apologize for setting you up to get fucked by someone else against your consent?” Her eyes rounded, clearly embarrassed by the raw mention of the word..
“I–I know what she did was wrong, and I
Mate her for it. I just…” she sighed, out of words.
How do these guys manage to do this? Grow soft on someone that’s hurt them? Even I was tempted to kill her when I thought she slept with Zarek.
“Thank you, anyway,” she muttered with an eye roll.
Now that was enough to draw a small smile.
“Would you like to drink with me?” I moved from the table, going to the small wine shelf in the corner.
“Seems like you’ve drained yourself after that exhausting drama. Yeah, sure,” she answered, and I imagined her rolling her eyes again.
I concealed my smile at the shelf as I pulled out a bottle.
***********
LYRIC
Jaris scared me sometimes.
I was grateful for what he did–getting the bitch to apologize. Heck, I deserved more than that from her.
But seeing the way he executed it was what amused me. The guy could be so unfeeling when he wanted to be, and it wouldn’t matter if he had any relationship with you.
I spent some time drinking with him in his office. Non–alcoholic, though. He wouldn’t let me take alcohol with him.
When I left his office, I tried calling Penelope for the hundredth time. The line simply wasn’t connecting. I didn’t understand if she’d given me a wrong number or something, because why the hell have I not been able to reach her since morning?
*****
MARTA
If there were words greater than shame, humiliation, disgrace, Marta would take it.
She felt all of them and worse. It still felt like a dream to her, that Jaris could humiliate her in that manner.
But how did he even find out? She hit her head at the thought of it being Alpha Zarek. The coward must have exposed her. How could he?
She left the Pack as soon as she was out of Jaris‘ office, driving to her favorite hidden bar.
She ordered tons of drinks and wept from time to time.
Right now, there wasn’t a single soul he hated more than Lyric. She hated the very air the girl breathed. She hated the sound of her voice, her stupid smile, her stupid fragrance. She hated everything about her and wanted her gone!
Oh, if only it wouldn’t make her overly suspicious, Marta would’ve plotted her death right now. She’d have derived outmost satisfaction in watching her die.
2/3
120
Her phone had been ringing nonstop in her bag, but she didn’t pull it out, not in the mood to speak to anyone.
She was too busy thinking of ways to damage Lyric’s life beyond repair.
It was devastating that her plan at the hospital didn’t turn out the way she wanted. She’d expected her to get fired! Why did Jaris have to get involved and only got her suspended for three weeks? Three weeks! That was a fucking joke!
Marta hated everything. She hated that the witch was seeming untouchable. Oh, she wanted to see her crumble.
Her phone wouldn’t stop ringing. With a grunt, she retrieved it from her bag and was even more angry when she discovered it was her grandmother calling.
Why the hell won’t they leave her alone? She could’ve called back when she was done wallowing in pain.
“Grandma.” Her voice was hard when she picked.
“You stupid child! Where did you keep your phone? We’ve been calling for ages!”
Marta folded her hands into fists. She really wasn’t in the mood for this.
“I’m sorry. What’s the problem?”
“It’s Lyric, you fool.”
Marta sat up, her brows crinkling. What did Lyric do again?
“What do you mean? What did she-”
“She’s the mother of the twins!”
Subscribed
