AMBROSE'S POV
"Want to grab a coffee with me?" George knocked on my office door, and I shook my head.
"You should come out of the office and breathe a little. Overworking yourself isn't exactly going to take you anywhere," George said, walking away nonetheless, and I crumpled the paper in my hand.
It's been exactly three days since Valerie ran away from the forest that day.
She probably came to return the clothes that I found later where she was standing along with her cycle at some distance.
Her wide eyes and trembling hands told me how traumatized she was, and honestly, who wouldn't be?
That day, I lost control over my anger because of what those rogues were doing. They dared to r*pe three human girls and cut their bodies before dumping them in the river.
The local police had been searching for them, and one of the cops in their team, a werewolf of our pack, told me that one of the men who got caught was a rogue, and he threatened he would reveal the werewolf's identity to the humans if we don't get him out.
We did as he told us, but unfortunately, he didn't know who he was messing with. I asked my spies to follow him, and that's when we found his other friends.
None of them were remorseful for what they did, and when my members confronted them, they said I could do whatever I wanted to get them, but they won't stop, and that's when I decided I wanted this filth out of this world.
That day when I killed them in the forest, those rogues were planning to abduct one more girl living alone, and it was good we grabbed them beforehand.
'Ambrose, Valerie is a rogue. Imagine her surprise when she saw you mass killing rogues like that?' Cyrus commented, and I groaned.
"I know, okay? What do you expect me to do then? It’s not like I can appear in front of her again and again. She doesn't have any feelings for us! She made it very clear that -"
"What did she say? Weren't you the one throwing a tantrum about her identity? Logan already explained everything to you. One of the alphas tried to r*pe her after befriending her. And it was after the alpha knew she was under the council's protection. Do you expect her to be so trusting towards others after that?" Cyrus said, and I sighed.
That's true. It came as a shock to me. Everything Valerie went through in just a few months of becoming the rogue. She was betrayed time after time.
She wasn’t just hurt. Valerie was traumatized.
'And you are sitting here, still throwing a tantrum about it when you should be begging for her mercy,' Cyrus said, and I quirked my brow at his choice of words.
"Begging?"
"I mean, trying to fix things. Were your feelings for her real? If so, how can you even stay so calm?" Cyrus's words made me bite my lips.
How can he say something like that when he is a part of me and knows what and how I feel?
I was just wary of approaching her. I don't want her to look at me like I am some kind of monster. That would be beyond humiliating.
However, Cyrus was right. The least I can do is return her cycle to her, right? I thought before walking out of the office, spotting George.
"George, hold up. I will accompany you," I descended the stairs.
"Let me guess, we are going to that cafe you own and a particular rogue work?" George started the car, and I grinned at him when he smiled mischievously.
"I didn't say that, did I?"
"Well, it serves good coffee, and the host is especially good," George shrugged before accelerating the car. I just hope things don’t escalate badly.
The first thing I smelt as soon as we stopped a block away from the cafe was a weird presence. It was as if some otherworldly presence was near us, but it was hard to define what species. It was definitely not human.
"George, wait up for me. I think there is someone -" I followed the smell that was leading toward a building, fainting at a higher pace than I expected. This wasn’t a werewolf either. No werewolf is as fast as this.
Running as fast as I could amidst the humans without making them suspicious, I stopped when the smell vanished.
"Alpha, what is it?" George rushed to me, and I shook my head, looking at the top of the building with a sigh.
"It's nothing. Let’s go," I said.
"Hey, Valerie! Come and join us. We will give you a nice tip," I heard a boy say when we entered the cafe, and I looked at the girl behind the counter, who didn't look in good shape.
I noticed how Valerie paused what she was doing before her nostrils flared, and she tilted her body, her eyes meeting mine, making me nod at her.
However, rather than nodding back, she turned around quickly, making me sigh.
Yup. It's going to take a hell lot of effort to explain everything to her and establish the same bond we had earlier.
I mean, it wasn't a bond, but there was something, right?
"Come on, Valerie. The tip will be more than your monthly salary," the boy said again, and I looked at Valerie, who rolled her eyes before placing the order on the counter and smiling at the girl.
She looked tired. But more than that, she looked conflicted about something. It looked like something was going on inside her head.
Was this boy bothering her?
"Valerie, are you not -"
"Will you not shut up?" I walked to the boy and his group, who looked up at me.
I could see the boy's eyes widening, but of course, he needed to show his friends he was strong, and thus, he immediately stood, glaring back at me.
"Sir," George placed his hand on my shoulders, and I was about to grab the boy's collar when someone held my hand, and my heart skipped a beat at the familiar touch and smell,
"What is your problem, Cameron? I told you I was busy, didn't I? Do you want me to leave what I love for your pennies? I am not doing this job for money but because I like working. Here, take this money and shut up," Valerie slammed a few hundred dollar bills on the table.
Her actions were shocking. Was she really giving up so much money when she worked so hard to earn it?
"Valerie," I looked at her, confused, and she looked at me with a sigh.
"What do you want, sir?" Her tone was professional, but I could feel the underlying frustration in her voice, and seeing she wasn't completely robotic towards me like she behaved at her flat in front of Logan, I sighed, a little relieved.
"Your special order and five minutes?" I asked, and she was about to turn around when the other guy held her elbow harshly.
"Who is this b*tch? Do you think we are some beggars like you?" The boy said.
"Leave her hand,"
"Leave her hand,"
That boy, Cameron, and I said at the same time.
"Cameron - ," The boy started, but Cameron looked at me with jealousy before he grabbed that boy's hand and twisted it behind.
"Hey, what are you -" the manager rushed to us, and Valerie turned to look at Cameron.
"Get out," She said calmly.
"I didn't mean to cause any ruckus here, Valerie. We just wanted to have fun. I didn't know my friend -" Cameron started, but Valerie scoffed before she stepped close to him and placed her hand on his shoulders.
Honestly, I was jealous that she was touching some human like this, but the next moment, she slid her hand on his neck, grabbing it in a steel grip.
"If you dared to make my work problematic, I will gouge your eyes with my bare hands and feed them to the wolves in these forests," Valerie's eyes were as cold as ice, and for the first time since I met her, I felt like I didn't know her at all.
"I will get your order ready. Please be seated," Valerie looked at George, completely ignoring me, and I noticed how Cameron slumped in his seat.
"Man, are you sure this is the girl you like? From the looks of it, she doesn't seem to like your presence too much," one of the boys said as we turned.
"It's nothing. Valerie has insulted me in the worst ways. These are just the starters. However, no matter what she says, I will never forget how she saved my family's life when we were almost starving five months ago. She came into our life like an angel, and I have devoted my loyalty to her since then," Cameron smiled before looking at Valerie.
"This is how she stays most of the time so that people don't take her goodwill for granted and treat her badly. I am sure it’s a facade to hide how she got hurt,," Cameron took a sip of his milk tea.
Even a human knows she has had a past without knowing anything, and look at me.
"Here is your order," Valerie placed the coffee in front of us, and I held her hand.
"Hey!" The boys immediately stood, and before George or the manager could handle the case, Valerie glared at them, making everyone sit back.
"Well, he was holding you - so we thought -" the boys looked away like scared kids, and I couldn't help but feel what a badass mafia queen she looked like among these humans.
"Five minutes," I said, and she sighed.
"Manila, handle the counter," She said before she held my hand and pulled me away from the crowd to the back area.
"Let me start speaking,” She said before taking a deep breath.
“I am sorry for leaving your clothes there and running away. If you want to punish me for that, you can send a formal letter to the council before doing that. That's the standard procedure. If you want me to leave this place, then give me two days to arrange things and -"
"Ssshhh," I had to place my finger on her lips to shut her useless blabbering, and I liked how her eyes immediately widened in shock.
"I missed you," I said after a few seconds.
The flicker of emotions in her eyes was enough to tell me she missed me too but was too proud to speak it.
"Those rogues r*ped three human girls before dismembering them and throwing them into the river. A member of the local police reported, and we investigated. I lost control of my anger and -" I bit my lips.
I don't know what I was doing. Rather than saying sorry, I was blabbering and giving excuses about why I did that.
What might she be thinking? I am such a fool.
"Okay," she nodded before looking at her watch.
"Time's up," She said, not adding anything, and I felt frustrated to see how calm she was acting.
I don't know what I wanted her to do. React probably? Scream, throw a tantrum, ask me why I didn't come, tell me why she hates me, or why she can't like me back? But something other than this calm behavior.
"If you don't forgive me, I will kiss you," I said the only thing I could think of, and I waited for her to slap me or push me away, but rather than that, she smiled before she burst out laughing.
"Hahahaha!" She bent, placing her palms on her knees as she tried to control her laugh, her eyes crinkling into a crescent moon, making me look at her in amazement.
"You are beautiful," I muttered before I could control my mouth, and I saw her eyes widening slightly as she looked up at me.