CHAPTER 13 - RICHARD"I asked for a world where I can be with Jane again. I never said anything about meeting Ray or my family. What the hell is going on?" I demand sharply."It's a whole different world, Richard. And maybe here, you and Ray had a fallout and your family is dead. But there, I think it's all different…" she explains calmly."Yeah. Fucking different. Ray is my best friend -slash-work buddy-slash-Beta. And my father and brothers are all alive. How the hell am I supposed to deal with that?" The fact that this whole crazy idea came from my head doesn't excuse its absurdity. I don't want to go through the trauma of dealing with my overly-demanding and stuck-up father. Or the competition of trying to beat my other brothers.I went through that shit once, it fucked me up, and I killed them all. I don't wanna do that again. She sighs, going over to sit on an ancient chair that looks like a throne."My sisters will be here soon so let's be quick. We've got a ritual."Well, t
CHAPTER 14 - JANE (The parallel universe)"Jane!" The familiar feminine voice shouts again, knocking off a bit of sleep lingering in my eyes. I sit up again, tossing the pillow off me.My eyes are drowsy, and I rub them repeatedly. The heaviness in my head threatens to pull me down again. I grab the duvet, covering my body, ready to get more sleep."Get up!" The voice snaps, yanking the duvet from my body. "Let me sleep some more," I say groggily, trying to rest my head on the pillow. The thumping in my head makes me groan painfully. "No, you won't." In the next second, cold water splashes on my face, startling me from my sleepy mood."June!" I yell frustratedly, gasping from how cold the water feels. "What did you do that for?""To help get rid of the sleep in your eyes. Now go get ready, or you'll be late for work." She says firmly and walks out of my room.I try getting down from the bed but the pounding in my head increases."Ouch," I groan, rubbing at my temples. It just fee
CHAPTER 15 - JANEAn uncomfortable silence stirs in the office as neither of us says a word to the other. I'm seated on one of the swivel chairs for visitors. I'm not a bit relaxed and I can't even figure out why. It's not my first time coming in here. But today, it feels like a first, and odd.Maybe because I had to lock the door, and how calmly he'd been, and how he'd smiled at me too. Maybe it was the aura swirling in the room, or maybe I was just overthinking things. I don't know. I'm just really uncomfortable. I wish I could just leave.It's even worse that he demands me but still has his gaze fixed on the files. He has not spoken a word after he asked me to sit. Now I'm wondering if that had been a mistake. Should I just excuse myself? Wouldn't that be rude?"Sir," I clear my throat, needing to get his attention. His brown eyes shoot up and linger, just a little below my face. I follow his gaze and it falls on my cleavage, popping out from the few unlocked buttons in my button-f
CHAPTER 16 - RICHARDI walk out of the mansion with Ray, stepping down the front stairs. I'm back in the parallel universe and ready to do whatever it is my other self used to do. Right now, we're heading to his company, or do I say, 'my company?'I'm still a whole lot confused about what to do and how to behave for it to seem "normal". But I'm willing to adapt, and as quickly as possible. Flair said I'll be meeting Jane here in a few days. I should have adapted a bit before then."We're late." Ray huffs, checking his wristwatch with irritation. "For what?" I ask, following his every move. I don't know my way around, and he seems to know where we should be headed."The goddamn meeting with the Russians. Don't tell me you forgot about it," he increases his pace and I do the same."No. How could I forget?" I mutter less confidently. If only I had a fucking clue…The kind of meetings we hold back in the pack in the other world seems to be a lot different from whatever kind of meetings w
CHAPTER 17 - RICHARDTaking a closer look at my Father's picture, I notice how he looks a bit different here. Like an expertly revamped version of himself. He still has a grey beard but he looks chubby and his hair is grey and stylishly laid back. His face is free of freckles and his pose screams authority and power. Father has always been a hard and obstinate man, but something tells me it's a whole lot worse in this world. Just a glimpse at his picture and I'm already convinced we just might have another bloody beef here. Something stings inside me and I know that's the little innocence left in me. The innocent craving for acceptance from a son towards his father. Deep down, a little bit of me still hopes he'll treat me differently this time around.I might have killed him off in the other world, but that's 'cause I was too bittered. If I had his love and acknowledgment, I just might not have done that.But then, it's just my wishful thinking and I know Father will never love me.
CHAPTER 18 – RICHARDI shake the hands of the last black-suited Russian guy as they make their way out of the office. Silence erupts in the office as the door shuts after them.I let go of my pent-up breath, slumping on the chair. I feel so exhausted from the tense meeting we just had that lasted forty minutes. Rubbing my temples, I try to steady the erratic throbbing of my heart. Just a while ago, I almost exposed myself that I'm not the Richard this world is used to. Just a while ago, the Russians were on the verge of questioning my identity.Ray's boisterous laughter makes me turn my gaze in his direction. He was seated on one of the chairs surrounding the long table. The chair closest to mine."I can't believe you did that!" He whistles boyishly, clapping his hands repeatedly as he laughs.I, on the other hand, did not share in his amusement. I'm too tense to even let out a chuckle. It's gonna take a while before I'm back to my normal self."You can't believe I did what?" I repeat
CHAPTER 19 - RICHARD"Are you fucking serious?" Ray gasps in excitement."Yeah. I don't care about that secretary and whatever you do with her ass. You can have her. I don't see why I never let you have her from the onset." I shrug, dusting off a speck of dust on my pants."Well, aside from not wanting any office romance, you also think it's kinda disparaging for a Beta of a prestigious pack to get involved with a human."My eyes shoot up and I'm staring at him confusedly. "The secretary…is a human?"Ray arches a brow. "You've got to be kidding me.""Just answer me, dammit. Is she a human?""There are over ten thousand workers here and everyone is human. The only werewolves in the building are you and I." Ray clarifies."Why didn't I hire any werewolves?""Because there are very few werewolves living here. This is human territory. Most of the werewolves live at Hemington.""What's Hemington?""It's like an area. A place with top-notch security to keep humans away. 'cause, in reality,
CHAPTER 20 – RICHARDI stepped out of the car, just the same time Ray turned off the ignition. Smoothing the imaginary crease on my henley with my hands, I stare at the mansion in front of me.I've been doing a lot of staring and admiration since we drove into Hemington. The pack is beautiful. The houses, the street, everywhere. I couldn't stop staring. And the endless greetings I got from the pack members made me a bit nostalgic. I was forced to recall my days as the Alpha in the other world. When everyone did as I wanted and bowed to every word. I've always missed those days, but I'm missing them more today."Let's go in?" Ray asks as he appears by my side."Sure." I nod with a forced smile. I'm a tad tense but not 'cause I'm scared. It's just… the feeling of reuniting with my family has me lingering on an edge.The night is young and promising, but it just might turn gloomy soon. It depends on how the dinner with "my family" goes.We walk into the mansion, and I slack behind, allow