CHAPTER 43: CHAPTER 43 FINDING A NEW JOB

Caroline’s POV

After Alpha Draven kicked me out of Storm Valley Pack and Thorne Enterprises, I sat alone in my bedroom, staring at my reflection in the window. Tears streamed down my face as I wondered how everything had fallen apart so fast.

I’d given up everything at Blood Moon Pack, left my job at BuildRight Corp, all for Liam. Storm Valley had seemed like a fresh start, a place that would accept us. Now, here I was again, no job, no pack.

The thought of going back to Maplewood made my stomach turn. I could already hear the whispers and see the smirks.

"Look who’s back, the scentless wolf who couldn’t cut it in Storm Valley."

Rory whimpered inside me, but I forced myself to focus on Liam. He needed stability. While I was making plans to send Liam to daycare, Eleanor walked in.

"You need to rest at home," she said firmly. "I’ll take Liam to daycare."

I was so grateful for her help.Without Elle, I didn’t know if I could have picked myself up from this blow.

As she led Liam out, she turned back. "Caroline, don’t be too sad. I’ll talk to my father about your situation. Blood Moon Pack will always be here for you."

I hugged her gratefully. "Thank you, Elle." While I appreciated her kindness, my heart felt heavy. I hated always relying on Eleanor’s family, even though Alpha Gerald and Luna Marla treated me like their own.

Mabel insisted on staying with me today. It was wonderful; she was an incredible person who gave me lots of advice.

"Life’s full of seasons, dear," she said. "This storm will pass."

After lunch, when she left for the market to pick Liam up, I finally reached for my phone. Maybe it was time to call home.

The intercom buzzed harshly. Downstairs, a courier from Thorne Enterprises waited with a thick envelope,my termination papers and final check. My hands shook as I signed. But I returned the check, writing clearly that I refused it. I wouldn’t take a single cent from his company, wouldn’t give him another reason to look down on me. Rory snarled inside me. Pride was all we had left.

I went back to the apartment and called my parents.

"Caroline, sweetheart! I miss you! How are you and your little cub doing?" My mother said happily.

"Oh, Mom, it’s not like we don’t talk almost every day." I smiled, missing her embrace and the comforting scent of pack and family.

"But we still miss you, honey! Wait, I’ll put you on speaker, your father’s here." She was so excited. I found it strange that my father was home at this hour, but maybe he had taken a day off from his Beta duties.

"My beautiful daughter! How are you? And my little grandson?" My father spoke cheerfully.

"We’re fine, Dad. Liam’s still at daycare." I tried to sound calm, though Rory whined softly, wanting the comfort of our birth pack.

"Honey, it’s good you called now, do you have a minute, or are you busy at work?" My father asked, and my eyes welled up with tears.

"I have time, Dad, I’m having coffee. Do you want to tell me something?" I tried not to cry, knowing my wolf would howl if I broke down.

"Yes, honey, and I think you’ll like the news," my mother was very happy.

"Sweetheart, I’ve retired from my Beta position! Yesterday was my last day serving the pack, the Alpha even threw me a party. He didn’t want me to leave, but now that you’re settled, I decided it’s time to rest," my father said excitedly.

"Dad, that’s wonderful, I’m so happy for you! Mom, now you’ll have time to travel together." I was genuinely happy for them, but this erased my plans of moving back home.

"And you don’t even know the best part.I sold the house and bought a small farm, right here in Maplewood, on the outskirts of pack territory. We’re moving this weekend. Now your mother and I are going to live the quiet country life we’ve always wanted," my father said ecstatically.

Now it was really buried,there was no way I could go back to Maplewood. My parents kept talking for a while about how happy they were and that I should come soon with Liam to visit the farm. We chatted for a bit longer before hanging up.

I buried my head in my hands, overwhelmed by the uncertainty ahead. Rory paced anxiously within me, her presence both a comfort and a restless echo of my own turmoil.

"I don’t think we can go back to Blood Moon Pack," she murmured, her voice low but firm.

"Yeah," I whispered, "let’s wait for Elle to get home first, then figure things out."

"Maybe we should start looking for a new job, see if there’s another pack that would take us in..."

I nodded slowly, lost in thought.

My son came bouncing through the door shouting "mommy, mommy," and my heart overflowed with joy. It had always been like this,ever since he was in my belly, Liam always made me happy. No matter how difficult the situation was, he gave me the strength and courage to face it. My wolf immediately calmed at the sight of our pup, her protective instincts overwhelming any other concerns.

I picked up my son and covered him with kisses.I got up to help Mabel, but she dismissed me and told me to go play with Liam since he had lots to talk about today.

I had already given Liam his bath and we were playing in the living room when he suddenly asked me,"Mommy, is Draven coming here today? I wanna play with him."

I froze,I hadn’t expected Liam to ask about Draven.To my relief, Elle arrived and Liam jumped into her arms. After dinner, I put my son to bed and went back to the living room where Elle said she needed to talk to me.

"Carrie, how are you really doing?" Elle asked, concern softening her eyes as she took my hands in hers.

"I’m feeling awful, Elle. When you got here, Liam had just asked about Draven," I confessed.

"Really? But they only met once. Liam usually doesn’t remember people like that," she said, surprised.

I sighed deeply, feeling Rory whine anxiously inside me. "It’s strange. Like there’s some kind of connection there, even though..." I trailed off.

I told her about calling my parents and how the conversation went. Then she smiled and said, "You’re so stubborn, Caroline," Elle teased with a grin. "Didn’t I say I’d help? And I barely had to try.Do you remember my boss, Joseph Taylor? He’s always been a reliable business ally to our Blood Moon Pack. When he heard from my father that you’re out of work, he asked me to tell you to come work at Puma Global."

"What do you mean? Does he know what happened?" I asked, confused.

"He knows the gist. I told him Alpha Draven thinks you did something you didn’t. He called Draven a hot-headed idiot who’ll regret it and thinks it’s better for you to be working under him if Draven ever decides to apologize," Elle said with a smile.

"He’s not going to apologize, Elle. More likely, he’ll try to stop your boss from hiring me or get me fired," I said bitterly, feeling Rory growl at the thought of facing the Alpha who dismissed me so cruelly.

"No, he won’t. My boss has already made up his mind. Tomorrow, you’re coming to work with me. The pack bond between him and Draven might be strong, but he runs his business separately," Elle insisted.

"Alright, Elle. I’ll go talk to your boss. If he still wants to hire me after that, I’ll accept," I nodded.