Chapter 3 Bills, Lies and Regrets

Grace

“Right here,” I told George as we arrived in front of Darkwood Apartments.

Eason and I kept an apartment open for when we needed to escape from clubs, and bars in the middle of the night, and were too drunk to trust ourselves to make it home. Eason got more use out of it than I ever had, but I still had a key.

“Thank you, George.”

I stepped out of the car with a grateful smile and hurried inside, feigning urgency. When I was on the upper floors where the windows were mirrored, I looked down until I saw George drive off and sighed before shuffling my way up the stairs to the apartment. Then, I called Eason.

He laughed. “We haven’t had an SOS in a long time. You okay?”

“I’m here. Thank you… I’m never going out again.”

“What?” Eason asked. “That’s not acceptable birthday girl.”

“And I’m selling this dress at the first opportunity.”

He gasped. “Don’t you dare! I handpicked that dress for you and it makes your ass look fantastic. It would be such a waste.”

I scoffed and kicked off my heels. “It attracted a cheating scumbag…”

“Was he handsome?”

“Eason! That’s not--”

“What? You’re a free woman. How do you know he was a cheating scumbag?”

“His mate bond was perfectly intact.”

He hummed. “Fine, sore spot. Throw him back in the sea and go fishing again.”

“Not happening.” I sank onto the couch, pouting. “I went back to his hotel.”

He cheered in my ear. “There’s my Grace! You can’t let one bad catch put you off getting back out there.”

I shook my head. “I’m horny, but I’m also too angry and disappointed to want to get off.”

“Ah, it’s hard having a moral compass. Well, at least enjoy the bathtub and the quiet for the night. There’s food and everything there. Little Bit One and Two will hang in there until Sunday if you want the weekend.”

“I couldn’t—”

“I’m offering. You can. You will, so don’t argue.”

I smiled and shook my head. “Thanks, Eason. I’ll… I’ll see you on Sunday. I love you.”

“Love you, too.”

I hung up as tears stung my eyes. I went to the window and looked out at the lights of the city, feeling worse than ever. The memories of the night crashed down on me. The way he held me close. The taste of his mouth on mine, the heat of his desire threatening to burn me up from the inside. I shivered and then scowled at my reflection.

I pushed away the guilt and the deep stab of grief that cut through me. It wasn’t my fault he was a cheater. I couldn’t have known he was a cheater. Up until that point, it had been everything that I had needed. Memories of my younger self, carefree and full of passion, flashed before my eyes. Cheater or not, he’d brought that part of me out when I thought it was completely gone, so while he was despicable, I couldn’t completely regret the night.

I took a deep breath and headed to the bathroom. I carefully slipped out of the dress. It was a gorgeous dress, but I needed the money. Eason would be upset, but when he found out about everything that had been going on, he’d understand. I dropped the dress into the clothes bin and stripped out of my underwear.

I stepped into the shower, hoping the water would wash away the tangled mess of emotions. The hot droplets cascaded over my body, but my mind was still racing as I thought about tonight and what would await me on Monday. I wanted the distraction. I’d gotten it. Now it was time to focus on the path forward. The Winter Moon Festival was coming up. Some werewolf or lycan woman would want to go out feeling as sexy as Charles had made me feel. I hoped that they’d pay top dollar for it too.

Monday came too quickly. I didn’t even remember the blur of trying to take back all Cecil and Richard’s presents. I had barely made it inside the 60-day return window, so there was a bit more space on my credit cards, but not enough to celebrate. The threat of foreclosure that had been stuck in my mailbox felt like it was burning a hole in my jacket as I boarded the bus a few miles from my house, headed to Wolfe Medical’s headquarters. Eason was going to flip when he found out, but if I could just scrape together enough money and plead enough, maybe I wouldn’t have to tell him. I scrolled through the insurance company’s catalog of everything in the house and worried my lip. Most of the furniture that had been in the house since I was a kid was tucked in the attic. I could see everything that I’d bought since I married Devin. I didn’t know where it all came from, but it all told had to be enough to cover things.

As I sat back, my eyes caught the sight of one of my father’s old posters. His face, younger and alive smiled back at me.

We’re family, the poster said. And family gives each other a ride to work—free of charge.

I chuckled a little as my eyes turned misty. I remembered the PR team thinking that it was a terrible slogan, but it stuck, and everyone loved it. Making public transportation for everyone in the pack had been revolutionary at the time. Mooncrest was the only pack with a system like it in all of the Werewolf States. If there was one thing I told Devin not to change, it was all the public service programs my father put in place.

When my stop came, I stepped off and walked down the street to Wolfe Medical’s headquarters. My stomach was in knots. I hadn’t stepped foot in the building in so long, it felt odd to go in now, but I walked up to the door and watched the automatic door stutter and jerk until it slowly began to open. I frowned. There wasn’t a maintenance sign-up anywhere. The lobby was empty. The screens that had been there before were gone. There wasn’t even a receptionist at the desk.

Instead, there was one lone security guard.

He gave me a thin smile. “Alpha Wolfe, welcome.”

“Good to see you,” I said and headed to the elevator.

“I wouldn’t,” he said. “It’s usually broken.”

My lips twitched. “Thank you for the warning.”

I headed for the stairs instead, walking up to the top floor. By the time I got to the top floor, I was panting and a little dizzy. I hadn’t eaten much today. The floor was empty. I walked past rows of empty cubicles, and a sinking feeling started to fill me. I reached the senior assistant’s desk, but I didn’t recognize the woman. She looked up and turned to lift an entire box of papers onto her desk.

“Hello, Alpha Wolfe. I’ve had the mail gathered for you and organized by date.” Then, she put a letter on top. “As well as my month’s notice.”

I was frozen in place. My stomach plummeted. The woman couldn’t have been any older than I was when I had married Devin.

“Could I… know why?”

“I have to pay my bills somehow,” she said. “With all the layoffs, it’s pretty obvious that I’d be on the list eventually.”

I clenched my job and tightened my grip on my tumbler, before taking a deep breath. I glanced inside and saw bright notes saying “final notice” and “past due” before I looked back at her.

“Your recommendation will be fair as soon as I can review the HR records, but… I would appreciate it if you stayed the rest of the month, and if you haven’t found a new job, considered staying on permanently.”

She blinked but nodded. “Will you need help with the box?”

I shook my head and took it. “I’ll manage. Thank you.”

When I got to my office, I started opening the notices at the top of the box, scanning for due dates and amounts. My stomach turned. I felt ill with every notice I opened. Then, my phone rang.

“Claire? Are you in the office?” It was Gavin, the Mooncrest pack lawyer.

“I am. Where are you?”

He cleared his throat. “It seems you didn’t know. Your husband fired me years ago, but I’m calling to offer my services pro bono if you want me. I heard from a friend how the divorce ended.”

I sank into my seat. “T-Thank you, Gavin. I… I don’t know what to do. Is there anything? There’s a pile of past-due notices, I don’t understand. Mooncrest has never had money problems. Wolfe Medical has never been in debt…”

“Who is the guarantor?”

“It just says the Alpha of Mooncrest.”

He hissed. “Collateral?”

I frowned, looking for the information, and gasped as I saw a line of familiar addresses: they were all Wolfe Medical properties.

“Headquarters, the c-clinics, the factory?” I couldn’t breathe. “G-Gavin…”

“We’ll figure something out. I’m headed your way now.”

I looked up at the portrait hanging across the room. The one of my father the day that he signed the ownership papers for Wolfe Medical’s headquarters.

Hopeless tears slipped down my face even as my jaw tightened.

“Let me know when you get here.”

I hung up and stared into my father’s eyes, the exact same as mine.

“I’m sorry.” I sniffled and dabbed at my eyes. “But I’m going to make this right.”

Somehow.