The Alpha Behind The Mask-Chapter 61: Cold Shoulders

​Aurora’s POV

​He chuckled lightly... "You caught me."

​It sounded like a joke, but I didn’t take it lightly. "How did you get my number, Alpha Oscar?" I demanded, my voice trembling with a mix of exhaustion and irritation. "And how did you pay for the surgery? You didn’t even ask me. I hate this—I hate people thinking they can just move pieces of my life around like a game."

​Oscar said, his voice smooth and maddeningly relaxed, "Calm down, Aurora. I’m not trying to control you; I’m trying to help you. Let’s talk over lunch. I have something important to tell you."

​I frowned, the words of a sharp refusal sitting on the tip of my tongue. He was an Alpha—and not just any Alpha, but the brother to the Alpha King. He had no right to go behind my back, yet the weight that had been crushing my chest for months was suddenly gone because of him. I swallowed my pride, my voice tight. "Fine. Lunch."

​After the call, I went through the motions of my morning like a ghost. I made breakfast I couldn’t taste, took a quick bath, and headed to the Packhouse mansion. exchanged quick greetings with the staff, my mind still miles away, and took the lift to the top floor—Alpha Oliver’s workspace.

​I sat at my desk and tried to focus on the tasks for the day, but my eyes kept drifting to the hallway. When Oliver finally walked in, the air in the room seemed to freeze. I stood up, smoothing my skirt.

​"Good morning, Alpha Oliver," I said clearly.

​He didn’t even turn his head. He walked past me as if I were a piece of office furniture, the scent of expensive cologne and cold power trailing behind him. He entered his office and shut the door without a word.

​I sat back down, but the anger from the night before—from Raymond, from Oscar, from the hospital—boiled over. I couldn’t take it anymore. I wasn’t going to be ignored by him, too.

​I marched to his office and didn’t bother to knock. I pushed the heavy door open and found him sitting behind his desk, looking perfectly composed as he took a slow sip of coffee.

​"Is that how we’re doing things now?" I snapped, my voice echoing off the mahogany walls. "No hello? No ’good morning, Aurora’? Just the usual cold shoulder?"

​Oliver set his cup down with a slow, deliberate click. He looked up at me, his blue eyes piercing and unreadable.

​"You are just my assistant... I am not obligated to respond to your greetings," he said simply.

​I folded my arms across my chest, my heart pounding against my ribs. I was tired of this cold silence.

​"I know why you’re acting this way, Alpha Oliver," I said, my voice steady despite the adrenaline. "It’s because of that kiss. You remember it, and instead of being a man and talking it out with me, you’re acting like a coward."

​He didn’t say a word. He just stared at me, his face etched with a deep frown, but I saw a flicker of something dark in his eyes. It was like I had touched a raw nerve.

​"That was a mistake," he finally said, his voice flat and robotic. "We were both drunk. It meant nothing. Forget it happened."

​"I wasn’t that drunk, Oliver," I shot back, stepping closer to his desk. "I knew exactly what I was doing. And I think you did, too. But if you’re so ashamed of it that you can’t even look me in the eye, then we have a problem."

​I took a deep breath, throwing my final card on the table. "If you can’t get past this and let us work together like normal people, then I will have to resign. I can’t work for a ghost who ignores me."

​I saw his eyes widen for a split second, a flash of genuine shock that broke through his kingly armor. He looked like he wanted to roar, to reach across the desk and grab me, but he stayed frozen.

​I didn’t wait for him to find his voice. I turned on my heel and walked away, my head held high. I felt his gaze burning into my back as I pushed through the heavy doors and marched back to my desk.

​When I got back to my desk, I waited... hoping... he would come to me and let’s talk about it... but he didn’t... minutes turned into hours and he never made an attempt to talk.

​I received a message from Oscar: "I’m at the eatery a few blocks from the packhouse. See you soon."

​I typed back a quick "On my way," and grabbed my bag. As I walked past Oliver’s closed office door, I felt a pang of disappointment but swallowed it down.

​I arrived at the small, quiet restaurant and found Alpha Oscar already seated. He was dressed casually in a hoodie and pants. His red hair fell messily over his eyes, giving him a relaxed, almost boyish look.

​When our eyes met, I swallowed hard, feeling the weight of the favor he had done for me.

​"Good afternoon, Alpha Oscar," I said as I approached.

​He scoffed lightly, pulling out a chair for me. "Oscar is just fine, Aurora. We’ve passed the formalities."

​I sat across from him, and he handed me the menu. I wasn’t in the mood to eat—my stomach was tied in knots from the morning’s confrontation—but I forced myself to pick something and placed my order with the waitress.

​As soon as she walked away, I leaned forward. "How did you know about my brother’s bills, Oscar? And why would you pay them without even talking to me?"

​Oscar opened his mouth to respond, his expression softening, but before a single word could leave his lips, the atmosphere in the room shifted.

​The air grew heavy, thick with a scent I knew all too well—cedarwood, rain, and cold, sharp power. It was an intoxicating smell that usually made my heart race for all the wrong reasons.

​Even Oscar’s expression changed. His eyes shifted from me to something over my shoulder, a smirk slowly spreading across his face.

​I turned in my seat, my breath catching in my throat.

​Alpha Oliver was standing there. He had ditched his suit jacket, his white shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows, looking like he had stormed straight out of the office. His eyes were burning with a dark, possessive intensity I had never seen before.

​"The lunch is over," Oliver said, his voice a low, angry rumble that vibrated through the floorboards. "Aurora, get up. We’re leaving."

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