ELLA.

I froze instantly.

It was as if time itself had come to a halt, my body locked in place as my eyes landed on the two figures standing right outside the elevator.

Leonard.

Lurgard.

Both of them stood there, unmoving, their presence filling the space with a suffocating tension. But it wasn’t just their presence, it was the look in their eyes.

Dark and cold, filled with something dangerously close to murderous intent.

My heart skipped a beat.

Before I could even process what was happening, Lurgard moved. His reaction was immediate, almost instinctive, as he stepped forward and shoved Lawrence off me with enough force to create distance between us.

"What the hell are you doing?" Lurgard demanded, his voice sharp, laced with clear annoyance as he glared at Lawrence.

The sudden shift left me slightly unsteady, my back brushing against the wall of the elevator as I tried to regain myself.

Leonard, on the other hand, didn’t say anything at first. He stood there, his expression carefully controlled, almost indifferent, but it didn’t fool me. Not for a second.

The way his fists clenched tightly at his sides gave him away completely.

He was far from calm.

"Relax, Lurgard," Lawrence said quickly, straightening himself as his own expression darkened in response. "It’s not like I was doing anything bad."

His tone only seemed to make things worse.

"You—" Lurgard snapped, his patience clearly wearing thin as he grabbed Lawrence by the collar without hesitation.

The movement was sudden, aggressive.

For a second, it felt like things might spiral completely out of control.

My breath caught slightly as I glanced toward the elevator doors, a wave of unease washing over me. If this had happened on any other floor, if this wasn’t the last one where only their offices existed, I would have been completely mortified.

The thought of colleagues gathering, watching this unfold, whispering among themselves...I couldn’t even imagine it.

"Enough. The both of you!"

Leonard’s voice cut through the tension like a command, sharp and authoritative.

And just like that, there was silence.

Both of them went quiet instantly, as though a switch had been flipped. Lurgard’s grip on Lawrence’s collar loosened before he finally released him, though the tension between them remained thick in the air.

"Lurgard, we are going to be late," Leonard added, his tone calmer now, but still firm as he stepped into the elevator.

No one argued.

No one spoke.

I lowered my head slightly, not wanting to meet any of their gazes, and quickly stepped out of the elevator. The moment my feet hit the floor outside, I felt a strange sense of relief, like I had just escaped something suffocating.

Behind me, I could hear movement.

Lawrence followed.

And then, a second later, Lurgard stepped back into the elevator as well.

The doors slid shut with a soft sound, sealing whatever tension remained inside.

But somehow... it didn’t feel like it was over.

I didn’t spare Lawrence a single glance as I walked straight into his office, my steps quick and firm, each one echoing the frustration that still burned inside my chest.

I knew he was behind me, I could feel it in the shift of the air, in the faint sound of his breathing, but I refused to turn back. At this point, even looking at him felt like too much.

"Theresa! I’m sorry." His voice came almost immediately after he stepped in, laced with urgency, with something that almost sounded like desperation. "It was my wolf, La, he—"

"Your wolf, Lawrence?" I cut in sharply, spinning around to face him, my brows raised in disbelief. My voice carried a cold edge, one that I didn’t even bother to hide. "You could have controlled it."

The words left my lips before I could soften them, but I didn’t regret it. Not one bit.

His jaw tightened slightly, and for a brief moment, something flickered in his eyes, frustration, maybe even pain, but he didn’t back down.

"I couldn’t, Theresa," he replied, his tone firm now, almost defensive. "Seeing you with another man makes me crazy."

I let out a small, humorless scoff, folding my arms across my chest as I stared at him. Crazy? That was his excuse?

"You can’t blame me for wanting my mate to myself," he added, his voice dropping lower, more intense, as if that alone should justify everything.

The word mate hung heavily in the air between us, suffocating, binding, complicated.

But I didn’t respond.

I couldn’t.

Because if I did, I might say something worse.

Instead, I simply watched him, my expression blank, my silence louder than any words I could have thrown at him.

And then, just like that, he turned.

Without another word, he walked past me, his shoulders stiff, his movements sharp with restrained emotion. The next thing I heard was the door to the inner office slamming shut, the sound reverberating through the room and leaving behind a heavy, uncomfortable silence.

I stood there for a moment, completely stunned.

Speechless.

Wasn’t I supposed to be the angry one here?

My lips parted slightly as I tried to process what had just happened, but no words came out. Instead, a wave of irritation surged through me, stronger than before.

Unbelievable.

He was acting like this because I ate with someone else?

Then what exactly would happen when he finds out the truth?

That he isn’t the only one.

That he never was.

My hands curled into fists at my sides, the tension building up until I couldn’t take it anymore. I slammed my fist against the desk in front of me, the sharp sound cutting through the silence.

I shut my eyes tightly, drawing in a deep breath, then another.

I needed to calm down.

I had to.

All this anger, all this stress...it wasn’t good. Not for me. Not for the life growing inside me.

Slowly, I exhaled, forcing my body to relax, even though my mind was still anything but calm.

Maybe I should just rest for a while.

Yes... that would be better.

I moved slightly, about to settle down, when the office door suddenly opened again without a knock.

I froze.

The presence that stepped in wasn’t unfamiliar, no, far from it. There was something about the aura, the scent...something that tugged at my senses in a way I couldn’t quite explain.

My brows furrowed as I turned to face the intruder.

"Where is Lawrence?" the man asked, his voice steady, direct, his gaze already scanning the room as if I were nothing more than a minor detail.

I blinked, caught off guard.

Who the hell was he?