Chapter 12

Anita's Pov

Martha had teased me endlessly earlier about how jumpy I’d been, but there was something unsettling about tonight. The voice I’d heard when we left for the trash run still lingered in my mind, playing over and over. The tone was too familiar, too much like Alpha Hades. But it didn’t make any sense. Why would he be here? I shook my head, trying to push the thought away.

Martha had always joked that I was overworked, and maybe that was it. Maybe my mind was just playing tricks on me.

After all, what reason would Alpha Hades have to be anywhere near my apartment building? He belonged in his packhouse, dealing with important matters, not wandering around random neighborhoods in the city.

I couldn’t help but smirk at the thought of it. The Alpha, in my part of town? That was ridiculous. Still, the voice stayed with me, tugging at the corners of my thoughts.

By the time Martha and I returned from taking out the trash, I was still lost in my thoughts. The cool air had helped clear my head a little, but as we approached the building’s entrance, something caught my eye.

There, lying just outside the door, was a bouquet of flowers. I blinked, my mind stumbling over the sight. At first glance, they seemed oddly familiar. I froze in my tracks, my heart skipping a beat as I stared at them. Could they be…?

No. That was impossible. I immediately dismissed the thought.

Yet, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I’d seen them before. The arrangement, the colors—something about them reminded me of the flowers I’d seen earlier in Alpha Hades’ office. The one I had bought for him–for his mate, when we were in the mall.

My breath hitched slightly, and before I could stop myself, I moved closer, kneeling down to get a better look.

I reached out slowly, hesitating. They looked too much like the bouquet I’d seen him holding earlier that day. But how could that be? Why would they be here, in front of my building? The odds of this were too strange.

Just as my fingers brushed against the soft petals, the door swung open, startling me. I jerked back, my heart racing as Zach, Martha’s elder brother, stepped outside. He looked down at me, his eyes narrowing as he noticed the flowers at my feet.

“Don’t touch that,” he said quickly, his voice firm.

I blinked, confused by his sudden urgency. “What? Why not?” I asked, still staring at the bouquet. The flowers looked harmless enough, beautiful, even.

“There’s been weird stuff happening around here lately,” Zach continued, his expression now serious. “I’m telling you, there are bad people hanging around. Those flowers might be dangerous.”

I frowned, glancing up at him. “Dangerous? They’re just flowers, Zach.”

But he shook his head, his face grim. “A man came by earlier, asking for you.”

My heart skipped at his words. “A man? Who?”

Zach crossed his arms, leaning against the doorframe. “I don’t know who he was, but he looked suspicious and his whole vibe was just off, like he was hiding something. So, I didn’t let him in. But something he did later made me concerned."

"What did he do?" I asked as my curiosity piqued.

"When he saw the picture of me and Martha inside, he went totally weird. His expression changed like, really intense, as if he wanted to devour you or something. It was creepy as hell.”

I stared at him, my stomach twisting. “What? What did he say?”

“Nothing much. Just said that he was looking for someone named Anita,” Zach said, shrugging. “When I asked why, he wouldn’t give me a straight answer, so I didn’t let him in. Then he saw the picture, and it was like a switch flipped. He looked pissed. Then I told him to get lost, and he left.”

Hmm. This was absurd.

I stood there, trying to process what Zach was saying. A man had come looking for me? Someone had seen the photo of Zach and Martha and… what? Thought I was involved with him? The whole thing didn’t make sense. My head was spinning, trying to piece together the situation.

“Did he say who he was?” I asked, my voice quieter now.

Zach shook his head. “Nope. But his expression was intense, like he had some kind of vendetta against you. He was angry, like, really angry. And that’s why I’m saying don’t touch those flowers. Who knows where they came from or what’s in them? He could’ve left them behind.”

I looked back down at the flowers, my mind racing with questions. Zach’s warning made sense, there had been strange people lurking around the neighborhood lately, and the idea that someone might be out to get me sent a chill down my spine. But at the same time, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I knew these flowers. They didn’t seem like a random gift left by some stranger. They felt… familiar. Almost too familiar.

I hesitated, staring at the bouquet for a long moment. My mind raced back to earlier, when I’d seen Alpha Hades in his office. He had been holding flowers just like these, hadn’t he? And now, here they were, lying outside my apartment.

But that didn’t make any sense.

Alpha Hades had a mate. He was probably spending time with her right now, enjoying his evening. He wouldn’t be here, standing outside my apartment building, leaving flowers on my doorstep. It was impossible. It had to be. And yet, the flowers looked too much like his.

For a split second, an image flashed through my mind, the back of the man I had passed earlier near the elevator. Tall, broad-shouldered, commanding... I remembered thinking how familiar he had seemed. Could it have been him? Could it have been Alpha Hades?

I shook my head quickly, dismissing the thought. No. It couldn’t have been him.

He had no reason to be here. Besides, I barely knew anything about his personal life, but one thing was certain: Since Alpha Hades had a mate. He wouldn’t be wandering around my neighborhood, leaving flowers for me. That idea was laughable.

Zach noticed my hesitation and he sighed, crouching down beside me. “Anita, listen. I get it—flowers are nice and all, but we don’t know where they came from. And this guy, whoever he was, looked seriously pissed. I don’t trust this whole situation.”

I nodded slowly, my hand still hovering over the bouquet. “I know… but they look so much like the ones from my boss’s office. It’s probably just a coincidence, but…”

Zach raised an eyebrow. “Your boss? The Alpha?” His tone was skeptical, almost as if he thought I was imagining things.

I stood up, brushing my hands against my jeans. “Yeah, i was with him earlier today with a similar bouquet. But it doesn’t matter anyway. There’s no way these could be from him.”

“Why not?” Zach asked, standing up beside me.

I laughed softly, shaking my head. “Because he has a mate, Zach. He wouldn’t leave flowers for me. Besides, he has no reason to be here. It’s just a weird coincidence.”

But as I said the words, doubt crept into my mind. What if it wasn’t a coincidence? What if Alpha Hades had come here for a reason? I couldn’t help but think back to the way he had looked at me lately—the moments when I’d caught him watching me with an intensity that I couldn’t quite understand.

No. I was overthinking it. Alpha Hades had no reason to be interested in me. I was just his assistant, nothing more. And whatever strange look Zach had seen on the man’s face when he looked at the photo, it didn’t mean anything.

Still, I couldn’t help but wonder.

“I’m just saying, be careful,” Zach added, crossing his arms. “Whoever this guy was, he had some serious anger issues. I wouldn’t be surprised if he comes back.”

I nodded absentmindedly, my thoughts still swirling around the flowers. Something about this didn’t sit right with me. The whole evening had felt strange, from the moment I heard that voice in the hallway to now, standing here with a familiar-looking bouquet at my feet.

Martha stepped out of the apartment then, her face lighting up when she saw me and Zach talking. “What’s going on out here? Are we having a flower party without me?” she teased, her voice breaking through the tension.

Zach and I both turned to her, and I managed a small smile. “Just a little mystery. Someone left these outside.”

Martha’s eyes widened as she glanced at the flowers. “Ooh, they’re pretty! Who are they from?”

Zach shot her a look, clearly still on edge. “We don’t know. But I’m telling Anita not to touch them. Some shady guy came by earlier, and I’m not convinced these flowers are safe.”

Martha’s smile faltered slightly, but she shrugged. “Well, if they’re dangerous, they’re the prettiest dangerous flowers I’ve ever seen.”

I scoffed, “Yeah, well, I’m not taking any chances.”