HUNDRED AND TWO

HUNDRED AND TWO
DRAKE’S POV
The silence of my office gnawed at me.
I sat behind the massive oak desk, hands pressed against my temples, staring at the glass of whiskey I hadn’t touched. Outside, the world moved on the pack, the businesses, the endless weight of responsibility pressing against my chest but in here, my thoughts refused to give me peace.
Her.
Isabel.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw her face from last night eyes wide, lips parted, the way she looked at me like I was something more than a monster. I remembered her body under mine, the softness of her skin, the raw need in her moans that still echoed in my skull.
It should never have happened.
I cursed under my breath, pushing the glass away, the sound of crystal scraping against wood filling the room. One night. One lapse in control. And now, everything was scattered.
Isabel wasn’t just anyone. She wasn’t another faceless body I used to vent my rage, my loneliness, my thirst. She was dangerous for me, for the walls I had built, for the fragile balance of everything I held together. Sleeping with her… I had cracked the foundation.
And worse I couldn’t stop thinking about her.
The stubborn fire in her eyes when she stood up to me. The way her eyes stared at me yesterday like it was unveiling me. The way she was showed concern to me even after I treated her like trash.
Damn her. Damn me.
I clenched my fists, breathing hard.
Then another face crept into my thoughts…Shirley.
The venom in her voice when she spat her hatred at me was louder than any battle cry. The loathing in her eyes, a mirror of everything I deserved. I had broken her, just like I broke Isabel last night, and it tore something inside me I hadn’t thought was left.
I was a father who couldn’t be loved. A man who couldn’t be trusted. A wolf who had built his throne on bones and blood.
And yet… last night, for the first time in years, I had felt different.
A soft knock broke the silence.
‘Enter,’ I growled.
The door opened, and Rayna slipped in, heels clicking against the floor, elegance clinging to her like perfume. She carried herself like she belonged everywhere, especially in the shadows of broken men.
‘Drake,’ she said softly, her eyes sweeping over me, lingering like she could read every thought tearing through me. ‘What’s wrong? You look haunted’
I exhaled sharply, leaning back in my chair. ‘I feel much worse’
She moved closer, setting herself gracefully on the edge of my desk. Her perfume filled the room. ‘Is it Shirley?’ she guessed, tilting her head.
My jaw tightened. ‘Yeah. Her hatred grows by the day. She told me to my face yesterday that she wished I died instead of her Mum. Those words keep jabbing my heart every minute.’
Rayna’s gaze softened, though there was something sharp underneath. ‘She doesn’t understand you, Drake. She only sees the Alpha who’s cold, who makes decisions no child could ever comprehend. But you are more than that. You are a man who’s carried too much for too long. You might need to start showing her you care’
I let out a bitter laugh. ‘How do I even start? I feel it’s already late for me.’
Rayna reached forward, placing her hand over mine. The touch was deliberate, calculated, but in that moment it felt like something I needed. ‘It’s not too late Drake. You just have to try to let her in. You shouldn’t act so strong all the time, show her you are hurting too.’
Her words coiled inside me, pulling at threads I tried so hard to keep knotted. The sting in my chest grew unbearable, and before I knew it, I had spoken words I never intended.
‘It’s easier said than done. Have you met Shirley at all? She is like a ticking bomb waiting to explode. Talking to her most times is so scary, I don’t blame her anyway she is afterall, her father’s daughter.  I just don’t know how to fix it. Every time she looks at me, I see her mother in her eyes. I see everything I lost. And now, Isabel….’
Rayna’s expression flickered at the mention of Isabel, ‘What about Isabel?’
‘Nothing’ I said quickly.
‘What are you not telling me Drake?’
I shrugged ‘It’s nothing Rayna, my thoughts are just all over the place.’
She sighed and squeezed my hand, her voice low, coaxing. ‘You are too hard on yourself. You have been hardened by grief, molded by pain. But that doesn’t erase who you are. You are still a man worth something, Drake. Just give Shirley time, she is just a teenager with raging emotions, I’m sure with time, she will understand you better.’
I lifted my gaze to hers, and for a moment, the walls cracked. Her eyes glimmered with understanding, her lips parted like she wanted to absorb some of my pain.
And then, before I could think, before I could stop myself, our lips crashed together.
Don’t blame me, this is my only way of getting over my grief.
It wasn’t gentle. It wasn’t tender. It was desperate. Her lips were soft, eager, her body pressing into mine as she slid closer across the desk. The kiss tasted of whiskey and bitterness, of comfort wrapped in passion, of two people filling voids that could never truly be filled.
Her fingers threaded into my hair, pulling me deeper, and for a brief, reckless heartbeat, I let myself drown. I needed the distraction, needed to forget Isabel’s touch, Shirley’s hatred, the ghosts clawing at my ribs.
Rayna’s moan vibrated against my mouth as I pulled her closer, my hand gripping her waist.
The office door creaked.
‘Drake? I need to…’
The sound of her voice sliced through me like a blade.
Isabel.
I broke away from Rayna instantly, chest heaving, eyes snapping to the doorway. And there she stood, frozen, her lips parted, her eyes wide with shock and betrayal.
Time stopped.
Her gaze flicked from me to Rayna, to the space between us that reeked of intimacy. Color drained from her face, then returned in a rush of fire.
I opened my mouth, but no words came.
Rayna straightened, smoothing her dress, her lips still swollen from the kiss. She didn’t look guilty. She looked satisfied.
But Isabel… Isabel’s eyes burned. Hurt. Confusion. Fury.
The silence was suffocating, crushing me from all sides.
For the first time in years, I felt powerless. Not in battle, not in business but here, in the wreckage of my own heart, standing between two women who mirrored the chaos of my existence.
‘Isabel, what do you want?’ I managed to ask.
She shook her head once, sharply, as if the sight alone had cut too deep. ‘I’m sorry…I didn’t….I will excuse you' She turned and walked away, her footsteps echoing down the hall.
I sat there, breath ragged, every ounce of control crumbling.
Why was my heart beating so fast?
Rayna’s hands brought me back to reality ‘So, where were we?’