Chapter 4The Omega I Saved Stole My Mate-Now He Begs

The next day, I went back to the Shadow.

I wanted to take the work files I had saved on my old computer.

Five years had passed while I lay unconscious.

The office system had changed completely, and the screen in front of me looked unfamiliar.

I operated on the computer for a long time, and I still could not figure out how the new system worked.

Rose walked past me with a stack of folders in her arms.

She glanced at my screen and rolled her eyes.

"What year do you think this is? If you don't know how to use it, just ask ChatGPT."

My hand stopped on the mouse.

I looked up at her.

"Chat GPT... what is that?"

She froze for a moment.

Then she covered her mouth and laughed.

Her heels clicked across the floor as she walked away.

My fingers tightened around my phone.

I lowered my head and typed Chat GPT into the search engine.

The animated icon appeared on the screen.

Five years ago, James and I had stayed in this office until morning, trying to secure a partnership with a larger pack.

I drank coffee like water while I revised proposal after proposal.

James had stood behind my chair and rubbed my hair.

"Chloe, don't rush. We have plenty of time."

I stared at the screen.

Time had left me behind.

Those missing five years had turned everything around me into something distant.

The office, the system, the people.

Even James.

I looked up, searching for him.

He stood near the conference room with Emma beside him.

She spoke smoothly as she explained information about a new product.

James listened with his arms crossed, his expression relaxed.

When she finished, he smiled and rubbed her head.

The same way he used to touch mine.

"We signed another major deal,"James announced.

"Emma deserves the credit. Drinks are on me tonight."

Cheers broke out across the office.

Emma's face reddened as she looked at James.

Everyone crowded around them, talking about restaurants and wine and what they wanted to order.

I sat alone in front of the computer.

The little animated figure on the screen smiled at me.

A bitter laugh slipped out of my mouth.

Emma left the crowd a few minutes later.

She walked into my office holding a cup of coffee, her smile gentle.

"Chloe, take a break. Have some coffee."

"Thank you."

I reached for the cup.

Her hand slipped.

Scalding coffee poured across my keyboard and screen.

The computer made a sharp sound before the display went dark.

Emma stared at the mess, her face pale.

"I'm sorry, Chloe. I didn't mean to..."

The door opened.

James walked in and stopped when he saw the ruined computer.

His face hardened.

"Emma, I praised you twice and you already got carried away?"he said.

"You're clumsy enough to ruin everything. What can you even do right? Get out."

Emma covered her face.

"James, I'm pregnant."

The room went silent.

"I don't want to keep lying to her anymore,"she cried.

"I don't want to keep being the extra person, no matter how much I do."

She turned and ran out.

James did not look at me.

He went after her almost at once.

I stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, staring down at the street.

Rain fell outside.

James caught Emma near the entrance.

They faced each other beneath the rain, shouting words I could not hear through the glass.

Emma pushed against his chest.

James grabbed her wrist.

She cried harder.

He said something.

Emma shook her head.

James pulled her into his arms.

Then he lowered his head and kissed her.

His arm held her close as if he had spent years waiting to do it.

They looked like the man and woman at the end of a love story, finally choosing each other after every hardship.

I was the woman who should have died in that fire five years ago.

I touched the corner of my eye.

My fingers came away dry.

My phone rang.

James.

I stared at his name before answering.

"Chloe,"he said, his voice rough.

"Even without your wolf, I'll give you the marking ceremony we never had. I know you hate Emma,but the pup is innocent. I'll come home later and explain what happened today."

I wanted to say:"You don't need to explain..."

The call ended before I finished.

I lowered the phone.

That was enough.

There would be no goodbye.

I gathered the few things I had brought with me.

My phone.

My old notebook.

The pen James had once given me after we signed our first contract.

I placed the pen on the desk.

Then I walked out of the office.

The lobby felt familiar and strange at the same time.

I crossed the glass doors and stepped outside.

Rain had started to fall harder.

I hesitated at the edge of the sidewalk, ready to walk into it.

An umbrella opened above my head.

A low voice came from behind me.

"Sorry, Chloe. I came back from Europe late."