?Chapter 115:

Without wasting another second, I ran for the door, my heart pounding in my ears. My shoes echoed against the marble floor as I sprinted down the hallway, my throat tight with fear.

“Help!” I screamed, my voice ringing out. “Someone, please help!”

Ryder’s POV

I sat rigidly in my swivel chair, my eyes fixed on the conference room’s mahogany table, pretending to listen to the marketing team’s presentation. But my mind wandered, consumed by a single thought: Jasmine.

Days had passed since ourst conversation, and the silence was suffocating. I’d tried to convince myself it was for her own good, that keeping distance would protect her from the dangers lurking in my world. But the truth was, I missed her. Desperately.

Ourst conversation was a brief one. I saw the sadness in her eyes but convinced myself it was for the best. Hopefully, when I got back, she wouldn’t hold any grudges against me.

My palms grew sweaty, a telltale sign of my growing unease, and I wiped them on my suit pants. My gaze flickered to the round clock, and a frown threatened to pull the lines on my face. This goddamn meeting wouldn’t end until after an hour and thirty minutes. I hadn’t felt this nervous in years. Not since… well, not since I’dst let someone close.

I stretched my legs, my eyes scanning the gathering of Alphas and Lycans, my mind numb to their discussions. Protecting my feelings had be a fragile art, one I’d mastered at the risk of my pack’s well-being.

These days, I couldn’t even handle work for a straight hour without my thoughts drifting to her. I tapped the tips of my fingers soundlessly against the table, hoping they’d notice my impatience and wrap up this meeting. My mind was consumed by her. Every. Single. Day. I’d been stuck in this limbo, craving the one person I couldn’t have—Jasmine.

Even Ace seemed to sense my agitation. His constant growls and angry jabs at me were things I chose to ignore; there was no need to fuel his disappointment.

“Damn it,” I muttered, raking my hands through my hair.

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I needed to get out of here, but duty kept me anchored. I nced at the clock again—fifty more minutes. My brows furrowed. Why did time move so slowly when you wanted to jump on the next ride?

Tomorrow… the word was like a sweet dream. Luckily, our business dealings were wrapping up. I’d finalized thest details, and tomorrow’s meeting would be the final hurdle. Then, I’d be free to leave, to face the root of my distractions.

Though the mind link, I reached Maverick. “Inform Jasmine I’ming tomorrow.”

Maverick was quiet for some time before he spoke. “You want me to tell her?”

I nodded curtly. “Yeah. I owe her that much.”

Maverick’s tone turned skeptical, a bit hesitant. “You sure you don’t want to talk to her yourself?”

“Are you going to lecture me on how to do things?” I snapped. He was pissing me off, making it sound like I was asking him to do something outrageous. If I was being truthful, I was supposed to be the one telling her I’d be back, not Maverick. But even though I wanted to hear her voice, I also didn’t want to. It would only fill my head with more ‘Jasmine-based’ thoughts that would drive me insane.

“My apologies. Got it, Alpha,” Maverick said, and the link went dead.

The mind began its third phase of thoughts that tormented me. Damn my pride! I wanted to hold her again and feel her smooth skin on my coarse palms, its velvety texture lulling me, soft to the touch. I wanted to kiss those lips, lose myself in her fragrance, press my body against hers so that we became one. But that was a luxury I couldn’t afford.

“Yuck!” I cursed, frustration boiling over.

Ace growled softly, as if sensing my turmoil. I knew if I let him take control, like he’d done earlier, he’d ruin everything for everyone. Ace was the most impatient personality I knew. The only reason I tolerated him was because he was my wolf.

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