Amelia's POV

I was attending a Ball special for werewolves to celebrate the New Moon with my Alpha mate - Jared Marrok. But all of a sudden, I saw black and fainted disgracefully to the ground.

Curious crowd gathered at the center of the courtroom, puzzled as to how to help me. I was so scared and felt so helpless. Never did I ever feel so alone even with all these people around me. All of them were werewolves and I was the only human around.

"She's just acting up again." Saying, my mate of five years threw a set of keys at me. He always does this, as if that will make my seizure go away.

Miraculously, I got over it and the drive back home was filled with deafening silence. I pursed my lips and looked around the car to ease myself. My heart felt uneasy. Jared was driving erratically across empty roads.

"I had to miss the Ball because of your stupid seizures. Again." He growled at me. Why was he so angry?

"I didn't summon it on purpose," I said, my voice slow and soft. "I don't care. You got your attention and now you're making me drive you back to your tacky studio apartment. Which I'm paying for."

"Thank you for the rent then. You insisted to stay in a shitty apartment close to your workplace for access." I said calmly. He looked at me with raging eyes. He wasn't like this before. He was sweet and calm. I don't know what demon possessed him. My wandering gaze fell on a small velvet box and a rose in his car compartment. As I was to touch it, he swatted my hand away.

"Don't Touch things which aren't yours. Basic manners, Amelia." Saying, he stopped in the middle of nowhere and turned to me.

"Since you look healthy enough to argue with me, why don't you find your way back home? I'm sure you can walk." I was confused by his sudden outburst. Why is he punishing me? What did I even do?

"My phone's dead." I reasoned.

"I don't care." Saying he hurled me onto the sidewalk at 1 am on a December night and sped away back to the alphas' Ball.

He found me six years ago and I've been loyal to him ever since. He was loyal too, until seven months ago.

The next day, I found myself sleeping on a bus stand seat. Other travelers looked at me weirdly, and that was my cue to walk back home, 10 miles away.

At my 'tacky studio apartment' my mate aka fiance was waiting on the porch impatiently.

"It's freaking three in the afternoon. Where the hell were you? Why didn't you lift my calls?" He asked without even noticing how dehydrated I was. He just pulled me inside after finding the keys under the doormat. I freshened myself up and sat at the table quietly.

"Where is the vase I gifted you?" He asked coldly.

"Like many other gifts - it didn't last long and cracked so I threw it," I said, remembering how it was decorating the garbage can instead. Worthy there.

"Whatever." I looked down and saw he made a sandwich. He was distracted so I took the sandwich and took a bite. He looked at me incredulously.

"What the hell? That was mine." He claimed.

"I have been serving you for six years. Can't I have one sandwich because I didn't eat anything since yesterday?" As I countered, he strode to my side and grabbed the ceramic plate, hurling it mercilessly to the wall.

It shattered with the food all over, just like my heart.

"Don't fucking talk back to me." Growling, he pulled me up by my arm and shoved me into the car.

At the signal, his eyes caught something lingering in the backseat and he reached for it.

"What the hell is this? I swear I'm going to shred all your clothes to pieces if you continue behaving like this."Jared was always particular about not leaving any of my belongings in his car. He hated it. He held it up and it looked like underwear.

"It's not mine." I was quick to say and he was quick to be embarrassed. He expected me to question and yell at him. But he was scornful and frustrated when I didn't even pay heed to him. He figured out he shouldn't press on that topic and continued driving silently.

We reached Baroness County to collect our wedding suit and dress. Our wedding was to be burgundy-themed.

"Ah, Alpha Jared and Miss Amelia! Your suit and dress are ready to pick up. Perfect timing." The sweet, joyful man said.

"We want to do an outfit check first." Jared insisted. He had a comical smirk on his face. As I tried the dress on and showed it to him, he came over and shamelessly picked at the deep v-line.

"What is this? Trying to steal attention from all the men there, huh?"

"But you selected it—"

"Take it off. We will take another one."

"But we already bought it—" He cut me off again,

"I'm paying. You should just listen to me." The shop employee just looked at us with an uncomfortable smile.

As we were heading out, he gave the bags to me and took a call like it was the most urgent one.

"Oh yes, that! Haha, why did you leave it in my car? You're such a silly little girl....yeah, don't worry about that...3rd avenue at your photoshoot? I'm coming."

Jared didn't even look back and got into his car, speeding off somewhere. Meanwhile, I looked at the bags in my hand and abandoned them close to a public trash can. Because that's where they truly belong.

I stared at the new company group chat update. A picture flaunting Aurora with an intimate, suggestive smile for a photoshoot with Jared as the male model. I was quick to put a thumbs up and unpinned Jared's chat from my list of contacts.

The next morning at ten, I entered my work building when the lift doors opened. Jared and Aurora White were chuckling but their happiness was short-lived when I entered.

"Ah! Stop doing that, sir! It's annoying! Ms. Amelia! Alpha Jared is being too playful and irritable! Handle him for me!" I heard Aurora's squeaky voice command.

"No. You're on your own." I replied frugally.

"Keep lying about me to everyone and one day, it'll all come back to bite you." Jared said in a tone I hadn't heard in a while. He sounded so soft and vulnerable with her while he always yelled and growled at me.

"The shepherd and tiger story, huh? Well, it won't work for me. Everyone in this building 'loves' me. Im their top supermodel for photoshoots!" Aurora squeaked like a rat.

"Am I right, Amelia? Oh, but you work with clothes. You wouldn't know how a supermodel looks like, right? I can't live a boring life like yours with the beauty I have, haha!" I rolled my eyes. Jared noticed and when we got out of the lift, he grabbed my arm with force and pulled me aside,

"Were you giving attitude just now? Go apologize to Aurora." Said Jared.

"I didn't do anything wrong." I looked over and saw Aurora pouting and refusing to face me. How childish.

"Go apologize. Now." He seethed. The anger dripped out of his teeth.

"She insulted my job. I put the clothes on her skinny body. Remember that." Jared suddenly realized I was in control of the situation and let me go. I walked past them, meeting up with my PA. However, Jared is the chairman of this fashion company and we all work under him. Even Aurora.

"Miss. You've got delivery." My PA knocked and said,

"I didn't order anything." I didn't look up.

"It's from boss." I then lifted my head and saw a small cake box. It sat on my desk for a while until curiosity got the best of me. As I opened it, disappointment flooded me.

'Boss forgot about his fiancée but I like sharing, haha!' There was a note attached inside. The cake was half eaten and I felt myself crumbling.

I decided to throw the cake away and went into the lift. To my dismay, Aurora was there too. Suddenly, the lift started shaking and Aurora clung to me tightly, bringing me down with her! Her fear-stricken actions were shaking the lift even more!

Two minutes of this, and I see a man with rolled up sleeves and a worried face rip the lift doors open. It was Jared,

"Jared, I'm- hurt—" I was about to say, but Jared's attention was fully towards Aurora. I watched her being wheeled away as she kept crying. I was left there to fend for myself when my arm was cut up brutally by Aurora's claws.

I was on the verge of getting another seizure, but who was his priority? Not his fiancee.

In the evening, I was to go back home with Jared, but he never picked up my calls. I got a notification on my social media. The posts were about Aurora in the hospital and everyone who visited her.

'Best employer EVER!'

She captioned. And of course, there was a separate video of Jared holding her hand and caressing it. He was even smiling shamelessly.

Later that night, I was making late dinner when there was a knock at my door.

"Can I ask for a favour?" Jared invited himself in and sat on the couch.

"Make me muffins and pastries. Now." Saying, he switched the TV on and started watching WWE.

"But I'm making my dinner. The counter is occupied." I said rationally.

"Then take my card, go get the necessary groceries and get yourself something too. Don't be stupid." He said and threw his wallet on the TV table. I sighed and did as he barked. Later into midnight, I was damn near exhausted when I stumbled and handed him the muffins and pastries with trembling hands.

"Thanks." He said, but he shot his gaze up and saw my arm covered in bandaids soaked in blood. His gaze softened when he met my eyes.

"You...made them while you were injured? You didn't go to the hospital?"

"I needed a guardian to come with me but no one was there. Everyone went to console Aurora. Is there anything she wants? Ramen, fried dumplings, chocolates? Or my soul?" I said nonchalantly and took over the TV remote.

"That's not nice. I was trying to be empathetic with you." I rolled my eyes.

"I need to sleep. Go deliver them to her."

"How are you so sure they're for her?" He asked. I looked him dead in the eyes and replied,

"In our six years together, I never saw you even touch sweet stuff. You even made my palate shift to sour and spicy even though i suffer from epilepsy." That shut him up real quick and he left.

I was scrolling mindlessly on WhatsApp and tumbled across _MyLove_ chat. I almost forgot that it was Jared's. Even his profile picture boasted Aurora in her new model photoshoot. I quickly changed the contact name to _Loser_ and shut the phone.

[TWO DAYS LATER...]

There was a knock on my cabin which disrupted me.Looking up,I sighed at Jared.He held a box with food in his left hand.

"I visited mom.She made crackers for you because you like them."Jared said.

"Hmm.I'm busy."I said plainly.

"But I texted you.I need your time.We need to discuss about our wedding."Jared was too stupid to take hints.Slamming my pencil to the table,I replied.

"That won't be necessary,"I said coldly.

"Why?"He was confused,which was expected.

"Because the guest list is incomplete.We were too busy for that."I sarcastically said.

"That's fine.We will discuss it over lunch then.Come."Taking my wrist,he dragged me out to an expensive restaurant.

"Give us five oysters,chicken soup with chilli oil and some vanilla ice cream for the lady and an 8oz steak for me.That's it."I sipped on expensive wine as I raised my eyebrow.

"Just steak?For that alpha appetite?"

"I had lunch."He replied,and that shushed me efficiently because I knew who kept him company.

I was scrolling on the phone mindlessly."Who are you talking to?"Jared asked.

"My mom,"I replied monotonously."Okay.Well,I'm going to the bathroom."

"You're not a toddler to inform me."I retorted.He just sighed and went away to do his business.Fifteen minutes turned into half an hour and that turned into an hour.Jared didn't come back.

After paying the bill for our half-eaten food,I got a text from Jared saying,

<Jared:Meet me at the Greenhouse Amusement Park.Right now.Bring tomato-flavoured chips on your way too.>

Jared texted in a commanding tone but I let it go.He must've booked for the evening,forgetting that I had tons of work to do as the chief designer.

"There's your order."I wasn't surprised to see Aurora clinging onto his arm ever so tightly as I got there.Aurora snatched the bag of chips from me and squealed,"Thank you so much!I was out here with my work-husband and thought I'd let you in on the fun too!You've been working your ass off and it pains me to see you—"

"I just came to give the chips.I'm going back to work."Cutting her off abruptly,I turned around to leave.

"If you leave,I'll cut the amount from your paycheck,Amelia."The warning from Jared made me stop in my tracks and I turned around.I knew I was wheeled into a boatload of their drama now.

"Do whatever you want."Giving up never felt so easy.

Jared said he would come back to'teach me a lesson'at my studio apartment.But he will be in for a surprise.Leaving the note and the set of keys on the table,I left the apartment with whatever I could call mine.My luggage fit half of the car trunk and I sped off.

I hope Jared would love his birthday gift the next day.

Hours of drive later,I saw my mom on the porch and ran to her.She embraced me,saying things like,"Oh you've grown so old!I can see you lost weight,my baby!"And so on.She asked me about Jared and I neatly brushed his topic off.

Around late in the night,I was bombarded with texts from the one I'd been expecting.

<Jared:Where the hell are you?Where are all your items?>

<Jared:Don't be a pipsqueak.So what if I gave priority to Aurora,huh?Stop being petty just because she's prettier than you.>

<Jared:Fine.Do whatever you want.But if you're not coming back within two hours I'll track you down.You know me.>

I rolled my eyes.His warning was long in the past.I deleted his contact,switched my phone off and let the slumber take over me.At last,I would sleep peacefully with my tummy full of my mother's homemade food.

The next day was tightly packed in my schedule as I had to look for an apartment and hail a job.My mom sat me down at breakfast and explained,

"Baby,you're my everything.If you need that 47,000$for a down payment,you're taking it from me."

"But that's a lot of money..."I said with tears twirling in my eyes.

"You're my priceless child.My one and old who gave me hope and home after your father left us."She reasoned and I hugged her tightly.

"I'll be the best fashion designer in the country,ma.I love you."I promised her mindfully.

In the evening,I was drained out of life after five interviews and looking at six estates around my neighbourhood.But the smell of cinnamon buns greeted me like a warm hug to the soul.

"Hello,baby!"My mother gently took the bags off of me and hugged me tightly."You're such a big girl now.I'm so proud of...you..."

Her words were fading when she noticed the tears rolling down my cheeks.How long has it been since I've been appreciated?Just told that I'm someone to be proud of...?

Just then,an unexpected message popped up on my screen.