Alpha's Twins Chapter 164

I quickly ducked my head, fumbling with my dress. Crap—I'd totally forgotten to cover up the wounds today. I figured nobody would notice since I was wearing something decent.

But Liana's sharp eyes caught the marks the second I bent down. Way to go, genius.

She grabbed my hand and dragged me toward the back room. Once the door clicked shut, she got right to the point.

"Where'd those come from?"

I let out this awkward laugh. "Got into it with some rogue. No big deal," I lied through my teeth.

"Honey, that looks fresh. Why haven't you bandaged it up? It'll heal faster that way."

I appreciated the concern, really. But I'd tried everything. The weird thing was, these marks weren't healing—and with my usual recovery speed, they should've been gone by now. I'd slathered on every ointment I could find. Nothing worked.

"Thank God you're okay. But seriously, stay out of those woods. You remember that council meeting from a few months back? They warned everyone about rogues crawling all over the place. Sure, they got that disease thing under control, but a woman alone shouldn't be messing around with those psychos."

I got the message loud and clear. Nodded to show I was listening. Liana was like the mom I never had.

She actually did have a daughter my age. Sent her overseas with every penny she'd saved, just to give her a better shot at life.

"You remind me so much of her. Every time I look at you, it's like seeing my baby girl again. Please don't get yourself hurt, okay? And if you ever need anything—anything at all—you come to me."

After she left, I locked the door and peeled off my dress.

Staring at my reflection, I slowly lifted my arm. A sharp hiss escaped my lips when I touched those three claw marks.

My eyes squeezed shut as the memory of who did this came flooding back.

"So it wasn't just my power," I muttered, teeth clenched. "That bastard can leave permanent marks too."

I threw the dress back on, making sure the apron was tight enough that nothing would show, even if I had to bend over later.

Time to face another day.

I kept checking my phone all day, hoping one of my kids would call. But honestly? Working here felt good. Really good. The whole place had this chill, peaceful vibe that just wrapped around you.

I'd started falling in love with the smell of fresh coffee and warm brownies.

The whole day flew by at the shop. Liana always bounced around evening time, but she'd given me the spare keys, so closing up was my job.

By nine o'clock, the place was empty—customers gone, other staff headed home.

I counted the cash and locked up the register.

"Another day in the books."

I was just about to untie my apron when I heard the door chime behind me. Someone had just walked in.

"Sorry, we're closed," I called out, turning around to face whoever it was.

But when I saw who it was, my blood ran cold.

"Max Harrison!"