One Night with the Alpha King

Chapter 17

The interviewer's expression shifted the moment his assistant whispered in his ear. I watched his face harden, watched him glance at me like I had suddenly become something dangerous.

"I'm sorry," he said, closing my portfolio without looking at the designs inside. "We can't continue with the interview. You can apply for a job elsewhere."

I blinked. The words didn't make sense. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me, Miss Bluey." He stood up, already dismissing me. "We won't be proceeding."

"But you invited me here." My voice came out steadier than I felt. "Did I do something wrong?"

He had the decency to look uncomfortable. "I would advise that you direct your plea to the one you crossed. That's the door. I have other applicants to attend to."

The one I crossed.

Those words followed me out of the building, into the taxi, all the way home. I kept Cody occupied with his coloring books while my mind spun in circles. This was the third company this week. The third interview that ended abruptly, the third rejection that made no sense.

Someone was blocking me. Someone with enough power in the kingdom to make every door slam shut before I could even step through.

I stared at my drafts spread across the kitchen table. Good designs. No, excellent designs. My education hadn't been wasted, and my natural talent showed in every line. These should have been enough to get me hired anywhere in the capital.

But they weren't. Because someone didn't want me employed.

"Mama, look!" Cody held up his drawing. A wolf, surprisingly detailed for a five year old. "It's me when I'm big."

"It's beautiful, baby." I kissed his forehead, pushing down the fear that wanted to choke me. How was I supposed to feed him? How was I supposed to send him to school?

The knock on my door came just as I was spiraling into panic. Nonna stood there with takeout and a determined expression.

"You look terrible," she said, pushing past me into the apartment. "When did you last eat?"

"This morning." Maybe. I couldn't remember.

She set the food on the counter and turned to face me. "Richard wants to help."

"Help how?" I asked, already suspicious. Richard was kind, but he was also a doctor at the Royal Pack Hospital. Too close to the palace. Too close to them.

"He wants to pay for Cody's schooling." Nonna said it quickly, like she knew I would argue. "One of the best schools in the kingdom. And he wants to take us out, the three of us. Just dinner and shopping for Cody."

"Why?" The question came out harsher than I meant it. "Why would he do that?"

Nonna looked uncomfortable. "He cares about you. About Cody. Is that so hard to believe?"

Yes. Because people didn't just offer help without wanting something in return. Not in my experience.

"I don't need charity," I said.

"It's not charity. It's friendship." Nonna grabbed my hands. "Aria, please. Let someone help you. You can't do this alone."

But I could. I had to. Because accepting help meant owing someone, and owing someone meant they could take it away whenever they wanted. Just like the Alpha King had taken away my job, my dignity, everything.

After Nonna left, I sat in the dark with Cody asleep beside me. The moonlight filtered through the thin curtains, and I let myself think the name I had been avoiding all day.

Jack Hudson.

The Alpha King himself. The male who had fired me from the palace after that night. The male whose seed had given me Cody. He was the only one with enough power to blacklist me across the entire kingdom.

But why? What had I done to him besides exist? Besides have his child without asking his permission?

I looked at Cody, his small face peaceful in sleep. He had his father's features. Would he grow up to have his father's cruelty too? Would he learn to hurt people just because he could?

No. I wouldn't let that happen. Cody would grow up kind. Gentle. Nothing like the Alpha King.

My gaze fell on my drafts again. If no one would hire me, I would sell my art. The shops in the lower district bought paintings and designs from independent artists. It wouldn't pay as well as a palace position, but it would keep us fed. It would keep Cody in school.

I could survive this. I had survived worse.

My phone buzzed with a text from Nonna.

Richard wants to meet at the restaurant near the hospital. Day after tomorrow, evening. Please say yes.

I stared at the message for a long time. Something about it felt off. Why near the hospital? Why not somewhere in our district, somewhere more convenient?

But Nonna trusted Richard, and I trusted Nonna. Maybe I was being paranoid. Maybe not everyone in this kingdom was out to hurt me.

Fine, I texted back. But just dinner. Nothing else.

Three dots appeared, then disappeared. Then appeared again.

Thank you. Cody will love it. You'll see.

I set my phone down and pulled Cody closer. His small body was warm against mine, his breathing steady and sure. Whatever happened next, whatever the Alpha King tried to do to destroy me, I would protect my son.

I had to.

The next morning, I gathered my best designs and headed to the art district. The shop owner, an elderly wolf named Gerald, examined my work with careful attention.

"These are good," he said finally. "Very good. I can sell them."

Relief flooded through me. "Thank you."

"But I have to warn you." He looked up, his gray eyes serious. "Someone came by yesterday. Asked about you specifically. Wanted to know if you had been here."

My blood went cold. "Who?"

"Didn't give a name. But he wore the palace insignia." Gerald handed my portfolio back. "I don't know what you did, girl, but you've made a powerful enemy. Be careful."

I took my designs with shaking hands. Even here. Even in the lower districts where the palace rarely bothered to look. He was watching me. Hunting me.

The Alpha King wasn't just blocking my employment. He was making sure I had nowhere to run.

But I had one advantage he didn't know about. I had already survived his worst. I had survived that night, the pain, the humiliation. I had survived giving birth alone. I had survived every day since.

I could survive this too. I just had to figure out how.