#Chapter 6: Be Caught

Renee’s POV My heart slams against my chest as Eric’s grip on my wrist tightens. His eyes bore into mine and my instinct is to break eye contact, he is the Alpha after all. Staring directly into his eyes is a sign of dominance, which is exactly why I can’t look away. He holds my gaze while he uses his fated mate abilities to sense me, and even though we were once bonded, it still feels invasive. "How is this possible? Where is your wolf?" Eric asks, his tone, a mix of anger and confusion. I lift my chin and narrow my eyes. “I’m wolfless.” Hearing myself say this with such certainty suddenly makes the statement become true. Eric must believe me because a flash of self-doubt crosses his face until he casts a glance at Debbie and I notice his thoughts running wild. “Are you trying to sexually harass me by not letting me go?” I spit at him, which is enough to yank his attention back to me before he can see the resemblance of himself to Debbie. He holds back a look of shock and just as quickly lets go of me. Seeing that there’s no better time than now, I grab Debbie’s hand and hurry us out the door hoping that my exit appears more dignified than panicked. The walk home isn’t too far which I’d normally consider a good thing for Debbie’s sake, but now I wish there was more distance between Eric and me. I don’t slow my pace until we’re at our front door. It’s not until then that I become painfully aware of Debbie’s harsh breathing and a pang of guilt strikes me. I know I could’ve slowed down the moment we were out of Eric's office, it’s not like him to chase after someone- let alone someone he thinks is his fated mate. That would be too submissive, too romantic for him. Debbie doesn’t complain about the exerted energy, she may be physically weak but she doesn’t let that seep into her attitude. I take a minute to close my eyes and take a deep breath and nearly loose it again when something tugs at my hand. “Can Eric be my dad? Please, mom.” Debbie whines, either unaware or uncaring of my startled reaction. Despite my unnerved demeanor, I almost laugh. “No,” I say which should be the end of the conversation but of course isn’t. “Why not?” Debbie asks as though there will be no answer good enough, and perhaps in her mind there won’t be. I pause before answering, looking into her big green eyes and try to put myself in her place. She’s never known her father, not really anyway- though that’s Eric’s fault. He made it perfectly clear he wanted nothing to do with me, which by extension means he wants nothing to do with Debbie either even if he didn’t say that in so many words. I suppose her curiosity and desire for a dad is only natural, running in a pack is in our blood. “Because he’s my boss. It would be inappropriate.” I tell her matter-of-factly. Debbie claps her hands excitedly. Apparently, whatever I just said was taken as an opportunity rather than an obstacle. Debbie crosses the entryway and pauses before going into the kitchen. “That would mean he can protect you at work,” Debbie points out as though that would ever happen if Eric knew who I really was. I just shake my head. How do I explain to my heart-broken, ill child that this man is arrogant enough to seek revenge on me after being rejected? He wouldn’t protect me, not at all. My heart aches at the depth of this realization. “Would you at least consider it?” Debbie begs bringing her hands folded at her chest. “I don’t know,” I tell her honestly. The truth is, quitting isn’t an option. The pay at Blue Moon Group is far superior to any job out there. When I took this job, I made a promise I would only stay long enough to pay for Debbie’s treatment, but that doesn’t mean the fated-mate bond doesn’t run deep. With an air of satisfaction Debbie spins around and nearly skips into the kitchen. A sudden wave of exhaustion hits me. I look around our narrow entryway and its lacking décor. Maybe I can stay longer at this job if only to liven up our home. I think we deserve that. My phone rings in my pocket, pulling me out of my self-pity party. I check the caller ID and the weight of today’s anxiety lifts off my shoulders. “Hi, Jasper.” “Everything okay?” He asks and somehow it still takes me by surprise that he can sense something is off just by two words, even over the phone. I guess when you save someones life you become sensitive to subliminal signals like that. “I’m fine,” I say and mean it too. Eric doesn’t know who we are, I have a high paying job, we’re safe inside our barren walls. “Well, I have some news that’s going to make you feel even better.” Jasper coyly. I perk up at this. “…and?” I ask hoping he can hear the smile in my voice. “I found a new method to treat Debbie,” Jasper blurts out with such excitement it takes me a second to process this news. “Meet me at the hospital when I return,” Eric adds before I have a chance to respond. Stunned by the sudden change of my mood I fumble over my words. “Y-yes, we will absolutely do that,” I bring my hands to my mouth, touching the smile on my lips. “You really think so?” “I know it,” Jasper answers with a certainty that instills me with a sound confidence that we are on the right track, that everything I’ve done hasn’t been for nothing. I hang up with Jasper and meet Debbie in the kitchen. She stands looking at the near empty fridge, her back towards me. The sight of her frail body cases me to pause. Sometimes I forget how weak she is, especially when I feel so strongly that our situation is looking up. It’s as though my hopes meet reality when I see her and notice other pups even younger yet bigger than her. I hold off on telling her the news Jasper shared with me, not until I meet with Jasper and go over the details and get a plan in place. I have to be practical. Until then, I’ll keep working for Eric. I’m a wolfless person, there’s no way he can sense me, besides the me that he knows was declared dead five years ago. He may not even remember me, considering how coldly he treated me when we were married, he should be glad to be rid of me. There’s no reason for him to sniff me out. The next day at work is a breeze. I knew I was worried about nothing. I find myself even getting lost in the designs, momentary breaks where I’m not worried and get to just create. It’s almost lunch time and I’ve managed to avoid Eric. If I can just get through the second half of the day and get my assignments complete, maybe he’ll resolve to not needing to ever see me. No chance of being found out, no chance of any rekindled romance-sorry Debbie. “Renee?” A small voice sounds followed by a light knock on the heavy wooden door. I look up from my large standing glass desk littered with drawings and dress mock ups. My eyes fall on a petite blonde woman in a black pencil skirt and fitted black blouse. Everything about her is sharp; her cheekbones, her nails, even her pin straight ponytail hangs down her back at a sharp angle. Though I’m taller than she, I suddenly feel so small. “Eric wants to see you,” she says and turns around which I suppose is her way of telling me to follow her. My shoulders slouch and I quickly pick myself up. I can’t let on any sign that I could have some reason to be upset to be seen by my boss. That’s all this is, a mere meeting with my boss this happens all the time in workplaces. Though, somehow I can’t push aside the feeling that this isn’t just a typical work-related check in. I follow the blonde woman down the hall, her heels clacking off the polished floors and echoing down the tall glass windowed hallway. We don’t say a word to one another, instead I take the entire time to compose myself right up until we stop at the elegant oak double doors. She knocks lightly and the silence lasts a beat too long and for a moment I hope that Eric has changed his mind and I won’t need to see him after all. Then I hear some shuffling around and the stifling of some laughs. “Come in,” Eric says. The woman pushes the black handle down and swings the door open. Instantly I see Mia and a smile fall from her face just as Eric straightens his tie. I take a deep breath and force my face to remain expressionless. “Madam Annie!” the beta Andrew exclaims and my body goes numb. “Excuse me?” I say, sounding more confident than I feel. “Take a seat. Let’s have a chat,” Eric flashes me a smile and sits on the corner of his desk, “Annie.” The door shuts behind me.