Chapter 4: Fear

Harley’s whole body was tensed up. All she could feel was fear and disbelief. She began to regret all that had happened, it was her fault, if not she wouldn’t have been here.

She regretted a whole lot of things, especially her actions. If she hadn’t kissed him that night just to escape her ex and her sister, then she wouldn’t have been caught in this mess. Not only that, she regretted coming to his office this late to apologize.

Harley took a step back, her heart racing as though on a marathon, she begged,

“I am really sorry sir, I swear I won’t say a word to anyone, sir,” she pleaded. But despite her repeated requests, he stood still, with his gaze fixed on her, as if he had just stumbled upon something intriguing.

“How can I trust that you won’t tell anyone?” he asked.

“I will not expose your secret sir, I know how to keep a secret.” She begged in fear.

“Yeah you right. If I kill you my secret won’t be leaked.” He said with a very cold expression that made fear wash all over her. She racked her brain, looking for something to say to save her life. At that moment, she wasn’t naive. She had seen it all, and he could tell she understood. She knew the truth—he was a werewolf—and there was no way her mind could twist the events into anything else. The realization hit her hard, but she wasn’t going to show it.

“Now what?” she asked quietly, her voice betraying a mix of fear and exhaustion. The defeated expression on her face caught his attention, and for some reason, it didn’t sit well with him. He had expected her to beg, to plead for mercy—but this? This was different.

He wasn’t used to this kind of surrender. The way her eyes had lost their spark stirred something in him, something he couldn’t quite explain. A sense of discomfort settled in his chest, followed by a growing irritation.

Unable to stay still, he shot up from his chair, feeling the tension rise in his body. He began to pace back and forth across the room, each step heavier than the last. The silence between them thickened, and he couldn’t shake the agitation gnawing at him. It wasn’t just her fear that bothered him—it was the way she had completely accepted the truth. And that left him wondering, for the first time, if he had underestimated her.

“Please I don’t want to die yet, please I will do anything, as long as you won’t kill me.”

Suddenly, a knock came loudly, causing the both of them to go silent immediately. She looked at Adrian’s face and saw that he still had that strange glow on him, meaning that if whoever the person knocking was to walk into this office, then she wouldn’t be the only one knowing his secret.

Adrian signalled her then to discharge whoever the person was. She was a bit cautious at first, but she knew she had no choice. Her lifer was in the line here, and all she can do is agree to what ever this man asked her to do.

Slowly, she moved to the door and slightly opened it, but a voice followed.

“Mr. Patrick, Hello, I know it’s a bit late, I know you are working overtime, I brought you.......... Harley? What the hell are you doing in Mr. Patrick’s office?” The person called out in shock.

It was Kate, and it seemed she was clearly trying to shoot her shot, and this time, Harley was a bit afraid of the type of rumours she might start spreading after this.

She sighed, holding tightly to the door incase Kate tried to force herself in. “I’m sorry, but Mr. Patrick is busy and wouldn’t be receiving guests, whatever you have for him should wait till tomorrow.” She said and closed the door, but not before Kate’s angry words echoed.

“You slut, no matter what you do, Mr Patrick would never like you. You ugly ........” But Harley shut the door before she could complete what she was saying, shutting her voice out too.

Adrian was clearly amused, and the smile on his face showed that. He watched Harley frown as she entered the office, and he knew the words must have gotten to her.

After so many minutes, she looked up at Adrian, her eyes begging as she asked,

“Can I leave now?” she asked with a serious expression, that did a good job at hiding her fear.

Adrian raised a brow, his lips twitching with a smirk as he scanned her up to down, the amusement not leaving his face even for one.

He leaned closer to her, and as expected, she took a step back, her brows furrowing as he asked, “I see you are no more scared, that’s interesting.” He commented, and Harley’s breath hitched.

For the first time, she couldn’t help but wonder if this was fun to her boss, but what could she do even if it was.

Taking a deep breath, she told him calmly, “I will take my leave now. It’s getting late.” She didn’t want him to see she was still slightly shaking inside, as she turned around stiffly to leave.

Adrian watched her leave keenly, he was a bit amused at how she was trying so hard to act calm and strong.

Her back was straight, and though her voice was slightly shaky, it held a certain strength. Still, he could hear her heart pounding with fear. It seemed he had finally discovered the one thing about her that truly intrigued him.

As Harley turned to leave, her legs suddenly felt very weak, and she was afraid that she would miss a step and end up falling on her face. She closed his door behind her as soon as she stepped out, and hurried off to the elevator.

She reminded herself that it would be very embarrassing if she fell down on her face, and she kept reminding herself to keep walking steadily towards the elevator, and all she wanted was just to run home.

Her imaginations were running wild, and the fact that she knows nothing about him, made her even more afraid. She feared that he would turn into his beast form and come after her. She even imagined a scenario of him joining her in the elevator, only to tear her apart, limp from limp.

She shook her head speedily, her heart now pounding from fear. “Nothing will happen to me.” She said to herself, “I will get back home, have a nice warm bath and eat dinner, alive.”

The elevator arrived and the door opened with a ding sound. Letting out a sigh of relief, Harley rushed into the elevator, her heart pounding as she watched the door closed, but right before it could shut completely, a hand reached out and the door opened again.

It was as though the dreaded moment had finally come, as she watched the same guy she was trying so hard to avoid, stepped into the elevator.

Harley took 2 steps back, her eyes widening as the pictures from her imagination began to flash through her eyes. As soon as he reached out his hand towards her, she screamed.

Adrian was stunned but quickly covered her mouth to stop her scream, but this only fuelled her fears. It must have been her imagination, but she couldn’t help but think that this was the best place to kill her, away from the company’s surveillance camera.

“Calm down,” He told her with a frown, “Stop shouting, I said I won’t kill you, remember?” He asked her, and she nodded repeatedly, but her eyelids were flicking with tears.

It took her a while to calm down, and that was when he let go out her mouth. Noticing how she quickly moved to a far end of the elevator, her body still trembling.

Adrian sighed tiredly, rubbing his temples as he said, “I’ll take you home,” he said simply, ignoring the surprised look on Harley’s face. He could still smell her fear clearly, and it enraged him.

“Thank you sir, but I can find my way back home” she replied, her skin prickling with unease. The idea of letting him take her home felt like a mistake she wasn’t ready to make.

“I can find out where you live,” he continued, his voice cool and calm. “You know you filled out your personal info correctly, right?”

She bit her lip and stared at the floor, caught in a moment of uncertainty.

“I insist,” he said, his tone firm, leaving no room for argument for her. Harley clutched her bag tightly, trying not to show her fear as they rode together.

The elevator descended in silence, the tension between them so thick it was suffocating. When the doors slid open to reveal the basement parking lot, Harley hesitated.

She clutched her bag tightly as she looked at the well lit parking lot, her heart pounding with unease.

The first thought to that came to her mind was, “Run Harley, run as fast as a deer.” She didn’t wait any longer and took the advice, but as soon as she made to dash out, he held unto the strap on her handbag and drew her back.

“Not so fast.” He said, as he drew her back to her side. Harley almost cried out in fear, and again she began to think, “What if she never made it home.”

“Sir, I have a sick mother, she has cancer, and she has no one else but me, I can’t die now.” She cried out in fear.

Adrian didn’t know how to react, the fact that she was still scared of him infuriated him.

She followed him to his car, every step hesitant. When he unlocked the door, she hesitated again before finally slipping inside. The interior felt colder than the night air. For a while, neither of them spoke.

Then his voice shattered the silence.

“You haven’t told me where you live,” he said, then, with a smirk that made her stomach twist, added, “Or would you rather I take you back home with me?”

A shiver tore through her, and she clenched her hands in her lap, trying to steady her breathing. Was there a way out of this?

Aiden, on the other hand, was battling his own turmoil. He hadn’t followed her out of cruelty—at least, he didn’t think so. Something inside him refused to settle when she was far away. But now, seeing her frozen beside him like prey caught in a trap, he felt something unexpected: frustration. Her fear thrilled him in a way that disturbed him, yet it also grated on his nerves.

He let out a breath, gripping the wheel tighter. “Calm down. For God’s sake, I’m not going to kill you.”

She flinched, her wide eyes darting to his.

“You believe in God?” she blurted.

His gaze snapped to hers, sharp and unreadable. Then his lips curled into something almost amused. “Your mouth is quick. Quicker than your brain.”

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, dropping her head. She regretted speaking the second the words left her lips.

Aiden exhaled through his nose, shaking his head. “I already told you—I won’t kill you. Not to keep my secret.”

“Really?” she asked, voice barely above a whisper.

“Really.”

But her body refused to believe him. Tears welled up, spilling over before she could stop them. The sudden rush of emotion made her chest ache, and she sobbed—loudly.

Aiden’s hands flexed on the wheel, his jaw tightening. He could handle blood, war, and nightmares. But this? This helpless, gut-wrenching crying? It rattled something inside him, something he didn’t understand and definitely didn’t like.

“You’re lying! You brought me back to kill me!” Her voice cracked, hysteria taking over as her whole body trembled.

His patience snapped. Slamming the brakes, he turned to her, eyes dark and wild. “I swear I won’t kill you, alright? Just—just stop crying.”

But his words did nothing. Her sobs grew louder, filling the car, drowning out even his thoughts. With a curse, he shoved the door open and stepped out, slamming it behind him. He needed air. Space. Anything to make the twisting sensation in his chest stop.

Minutes passed. The cries inside the car quieted. When he finally got back in, he spoke without looking at her. “Your address.”

She sniffled and gave it to him. The rest of the drive was steeped in silence, thick and unbearable. He kept his gaze fixed ahead, unwilling to glance her way, because something told him he wouldn’t like what he saw.

By the time they reached her apartment building, he parked without a word and got out. She hesitated before stepping out too.

“Thank you,” she murmured, voice small.

Then she turned to leave.

But the moment she stepped toward the entrance, she felt him behind her.

Her breath caught. She turned, pulse racing. “I’m fine right here.”

“I know,” Aiden said smoothly. “I will walk you to your door.”

She swallowed hard, her heartbeat escalating again, and panic shot through her. .

“Or… do you not want me to come in?” he added, tilting his head.