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Mauve’s POV
The moment Jester’s face turned to me, my knees threatened to buckle. How was he here? How had he become the director of Shadowpine Hospital?
“Surprised to see me, Mauve?” he asked, his voice as smooth and familiar as ever. It carried that same unsettling charm I’d fallen for once, but now it felt like a blade pressed against my skin.
“How?” I managed a whisper. “How did you become the director here?”
Jester leaned back in the chair, clasping his hands together with a smug smile. “Let’s just say the Moon Goddess has a funny way of giving people second chances. When Father learned about my fall from grace with Shadowfang, he reached out to me. Family bonds, you know? Blood ties can be quite… persuasive
I stepped back. “Director Smith is your father?”
He nodded. “By blood. He saw potential in me, potential that I’ve been quick to fulfill. And now, here I am. In
charge. The Moon Goddess must have smiled upon me because it feels like fate has delivered me right back to you.”
He pointed his finger at me.
I inhaled deeply, trying to ground myself, but his scent hit me, sharp and unsettling. It wasn’t the same as before. There was something darker. He was still Jester, but now it felt as though something had changed, something deeper and more sinister. The air around him seemed heavier, his aura more oppressive.
“This isn’t fate,” I spat. “This is manipulation. Just like everything else you’ve ever done.”
His expression flickered, but he quickly recovered, that infuriating smile returning. “You wound me, Mauve. I’m not the same man I was. I’ve grown, evolved. And I’ve been given a chance to make things right. With you.”
I clenched my fists, anger bubbling beneath the surface. “You don’t get to ‘make things right by walking back into my life and pretending the past never happened. You destroyed me, Jester. You tore apart everything I wa left me to pick up the pieces. You don’t get to play the victim now!”
He stood, and before I knew it, his arms were wrapped tightly around me. “Mauve, listen to me. We could have
everything we ever wanted. I’m in a position of power now, and I can offer you so much more than what you have here. I could make you the Vice President of the hospital. Imagine it, Mauve–you and me, ruling this place just like
we ruled Shadowfang. Side by side.”
My stomach churned at his words. “We didn’t rule Shadowfang!” I hissed, pushing him away. My wolf growled in my head, making me dizzy. “You ruled it, and I was your pawn. A tool for your ambitions, I’m not going to let you do
that to mo sapinl
The Seated Lun
His expression darkened. Black veins almost lined the surface of his skin “You have a choice, Mauve Be with me, or…” He paused, letting the threat hang in the air “Or I’ll fire you This hospital is mine now, and you’ll have no place in it without my blessing!”
His words crashed down on me. My job at Shadowpine was my sanctuary, the one piece of stability I had managed to carve out for myself. Losing it would mean starting over yet again. But the thought of being tied to Jester, of falling back under his control, was unbearable. No, I couldn’t even stomach it!
I shook my head, my voice trembling. “You’re a monster”
He stepped closer, his hand reaching out to brush against my arm. I recoiled, the contact sending terrifying chills down my spine. “Think about it, Mauve,” he said softly. “We were meant to be together. The Moon Goddess brought us back together for a reason. You’ll see that eventually.
“NO! I’d rather die than be with you again!”
I couldn’t take it anymore. Without another word, I turned and stormed out of his office. The walls of the hospital blurred as I moved, my vision clouded by tears. I didn’t stop until I found the stockroom.
I collapsed onto a crate, burying my face in my hands as the tears came. My body shook with sobs as the weight of everything crashed down on me. Elias’s proposal, Jester’s reappearance, the impossible choices that seemed to surround me at every turn–it was all too much!
“Why?” I whispered. “Why can’t I just have a normal, peaceful life? Why am I always caught in these storms?” The silence offered no answers, only the hum of the fluorescent lights above me I felt trapped, as though fate had tethered me to Jester, no matter how far I tried to run. Was I truly destined to suffer under his shadow forever?
I stayed in the stockroom for hours. The tears eventually dried, but the ache in my chest remained. I didn’t know what to do, what choice to make. The idea of standing up to Jester filled me with dread, but the thought of giving in to his demands was even worse. It was like I’d be sentencing myself to a never–ending cycle of life and death.
By the time I finally emerged, the hospital was quiet, the halls nearly empty. I slipped out unnoticed,
made up.
my mind
The HR office light was still on, its occupant working late as always. I stepped inside, clutching the letter I’d hastily written on a scrap of paper. The HR officer looked up, startled by my sudden appearance.
“Mauve?” she asked. “Is everything okay?”
I placed the letter on her desk. “Here’s my resignation. Effective immediately.”
Her eyes widened. “Mauve, what happened? I was the one who interviewed you, so I know how this job is so special to you.”
“That’s so true. Being here is the best thing that happens in my life. But I have to do this. I’m so sorry, Miss Brown, and thank you for everything.” I turned and walked out before she could say another word, leaving behind the job that had been my refuge. My second chance in life.
