Verity:

It had been two days since that conversation, and I had not seen Jaguar at the office.

There were moments when I was this close to asking people around me where he was, but that would go against my style.

The Verity everybody knew would never go around snooping or looking for information.

So that was kind of holding me back.

Until I walked into the employee lounge, I had never been there before.

I usually ate alone in my little corner or on the rooftop, watching the open sky, the clouds, and the birds.

Sometimes being alone just reminded me how I had been left like that without my brother.

And honestly, it also made me feel more secure.

But I was in the lounge today.

Not because I thought I was above it, but because I had a reason to be there before.

The moment I walked in carrying my lunch, the conversations visibly slowed before they completely stopped.

I pretended not to notice.

Most of the women in the office were not particularly fond of me.

Whether it was because of my looks, my position, or the amount of attention I unintentionally received from men, I did not know.

Maybe it was all three.

Because I had heard the female employees talk about me before, and I had literally heard them call me a slut because men were getting hard for me.

As for the men, they were usually much nicer, although most of them kept their distance.

But whenever they passed by me, they would be very nice, mostly because their eyes would be stuck on my breasts instead of my face, instead of focusing on my words.

Which was why the room looked so confused when I pulled out a chair and sat down among them.

Today, I had a reason to do so.

And if being unusually friendly helped me get the information I wanted, then that was exactly what I was going to do.

These people did not know how stubborn and shameless I could be now.

"Hi," I said to everyone very casually before I started eating.

They all stayed silent for a moment before finally resuming their conversations.

"So, is Alpha King Jaguar okay now?" one of the male employees asked a female employee.

"I don’t know. I just heard he had a very abrupt transition. And you know, the Alpha Kings are very powerful, so when his wolf ran into the woods, he started catching the attention of other creatures."

As she started to explain, my hold on the fork tightened.

I wondered what had happened.

It definitely happened after our conversation.

Did—did he transition because of me?

I mean, werewolves transitioned all the time. Why were they making such a fuss about it?

"And he decided to go out of the pack territory and into the rogue community to transition. Now that is the scariest part," the man added.

And I immediately understood why.

Rogue wolves were heavily critical of the Alpha King brothers because they had been kicked out under their rule.

Also, their wolves were so powerful that they posed a threat to everyone around them.

"Oh, but what does that have to do with the Alpha King not showing up?" I slipped into the conversation as if I were one of them.

They were so immersed in the discussion that they welcomed any question from anyone, even me.

"Well, didn’t you hear? There was a certain monster in the woods of the rogue community, and he fought Alpha King Jaguar."

The female employee lowered her voice dramatically, hunching over the table and looking around before continuing.

"Although Alpha King Jaguar is very powerful, the monster isn’t any less."

"Oh," I said. "I thought the monster was a myth."

She puckered her lips and shook her head dramatically.

"No, honey, it’s real. I don’t know why people call it a myth. There have been so many cases."

She rolled her eyes, talking with her entire face.

"So Alpha King Jaguar got hurt?" I asked and she nodded.

"I mean, that explains why he isn’t coming to the office. I heard that night the monster actually attacked some people near the border too. But Alpha King Jaguar got his hands on him. They fought, and usually nobody comes alive from the monster’s grasp. But it was Alpha King Jaguar. There was no way the monster could kill him."

She paused dramatically before continuing.

"So yeah, our Alpha King fought him, beat his ass, and came back. But of course, he still sustained injuries."

She explained all of this while cycling through every emotion possible.

One minute she was sarcastic, the next she was impressed, and then she was sad.

That was exactly why I did not like sitting with these people.

They were so dramatic.

I mean, I was too, but at least I had a purpose.

"Yeah, they were saying that the monster’s claws are heavily poisonous. That is why Alpha King Theodore comes to the office and leaves early, and Alpha King Ragnar is in no mood for any new projects," the male employee explained.

I nodded.

Well, that was really concerning.

I sighed as my phone beeped.

The minute I checked it, I understood what had happened.

Alpha King Jaguar had just liked my story.

The same story from that night where I had practically admitted to being in a relationship.

"Well, have you guys visited Alpha King Jaguar? I mean, we should all do it together as a group," I suggested, planting the idea in their heads.

At the same time, I guessed it was finally time for me to step into their circle.

To finally start blending in with these people.

Also, maybe show Jaguar that I was more than just a very sexy woman.

I was caring too.

Concerned too.

I needed to show him emotions. Something he could latch onto before I snatched it back from him.

"She’s right. We should visit Alpha King Jaguar, but I heard he’s staying in a very secluded cabin these days," the female employee explained.

And I realized, wow, she really knew a lot.

As everyone nodded in agreement, I quietly planned to tag along with them.

...