Chapter 33 - 34
Elodie’s POV
I’d already signed my resignation papers. All I had to do now was wait for them to find a replacement, and then I’d be gone. Out of this company. Out of his world. Out of the life I thought was mine.
Still, that didn’t stop the ache in my chest as I turned to leave his office with the tray in my hands. Nobody here cared about me, no one cared about what I gave up, about what I lost. There was no point explaining, no point fighting anymore.
Just as I stepped past the doorframe, Sienna’s voice floated out behind me. It was soft, honeyed, with that perfect edge of concern.
“Don’t be upset, Dante,” Sienna cooed. “I’m sure she didn’t mean it. Don’t waste your temper on her.”
Those words sliced me open. My mate’s anger, soothed by another woman’s touch. The Alpha of the Bellini Pack, comforted not by his wife, not by the mother of his child but by the woman everyone whispered was his future Luna.
My hand trembled, the tray tipping just enough for the coffee to spill, scalding my fingers again. The burn stung, but I didn’t make a sound. Pain in my skin was easier to bear than the pain splitting me apart inside. I walked quickly to the nearest sink, ran cold water over my hand, and pulled the little tube of ointment from my bag. I always carried medicine. Liora used to scrape her knees so often, and I learned to be ready for anything. But she wasn’t with me anymore. He’d taken her to Italy, to his pack, leaving me with nothing but the memory of her laugh echoing in my chest.
I swallowed hard and forced myself back to my desk. I arranged papers I couldn’t even see clearly, the letters blurring behind my wet eyes. If anyone noticed, they pretended not to. That was the thing about this company. About him. My grief didn’t matter. My place had already been erased.
And then the whispers started.
“Did you hear? The Alpha’s girlfriend is here.”