*************
CHAPTER 8
"How long are we talking here?" Storm shot Stella an icy glare. The latter did her best to ignore it even though she knew suffering his rage later on would be her prize.
"A week and two days top," Storm responded.
Raven arched a brow. "Enh?"
His face was stern. "Do it and you're dismissed. I have..."
That was it. Raven was done holding back with his attitude. She stood up and slammed her hand on his desk. "Excuse me, I need about three weeks. I doubt the event is even in two weeks."
"Three weeks actually," Stella added, hoping to spare Raven.
"And I do not like delays," Storm refuted. "A week and five business working days."
Raven groaned inwardly. "Two weeks at least."
"Two weeks then. We have an agreement, Ms. Gold?"
He was being rude and annoying but she guessed he was trying to frustrate her to make her facade fall.
She wouldn't give in to him. Or did she?
She glanced at his face, the mischievous smirk playing on his lips and eyes told her she must have done so.
'Fuck Raven.'
She took in a deep breath, managing a smile. "I believe we do, Mr. Ace."
"Call me Storm."
Her smile never faltered. "My apologies but I'll stick with President Ace or Alpha Ace."
His expression fell and Raven's smile grew. He played her, she wouldn't let him win.
Raven nodded at Stella. "Good day, Stella."
With that she took her leave, not saying anything else to Storm.
'She didn't...' Storm gawked at her. 'Oh, she did.' She rejected calling him his name but did for Stella?
**********
As soon as Raven exited the office, she acknowledged the secretary and walked away. The moment she was far enough, a smile bloomed on her lips.
She had just won a game against the alpha even though she fell for his frustration attempt. She sighed. That outburst might have been unnecessary.
"You should have stayed," Tori commented, reminding her of Storm. "He's our mate."
Raven didn't answer her. She was too busy admiring her victory.
"I should have asked if he had a sister," she joked hoping to humour her wolf.
"Why?" Tori questioned, ignoring her lame joke.
"Because you seem to have forgotten when he rejected you and how we felt with that humiliation."
Raven gritted just recalling the event. Before Tori could speak, she blocked out her wolf and left.
*************
Seated in her living room in her apartment, Raven tapped ehr fingers against her arm rest while she listened to her best friend's concerns.
"No, Crystal you re not getting me. He doesn't get to make me feel shitty one oment and the next he is calling my name. I mean, what the hell."
"Rav, take in a deep breath, slowly." Raven frowned, dispobeying ehr friends words. "Raven, deep breath!" Crystal hollered nto the phone.
"F*ck Crystal, mind blowing my ear off!"
Crystal inhaled, taking eh brown advise. "Look, I am not siding him."
"Looks to me like you are," Raven refuted.
"Not fair, Rav. You knwo I got your back bestie." Raven fell silent for a few seconds. When Crystal noticed she was listening, she tried again. "Let's be logical. He is your mate. There's no amount of facade you put on, he can feel you."
"Well he shouldn't. He rejected me remember."
"Yes but I do not see how you thought ou faked your way out of that."
Raven scoffed. "Whether or not he recognses and felt me, it doesn;t matter. He had his chance and he blew it. I am not worthy of being his Luna remember?"
Crystal sighed and massaged her temples. "So what are you going to do now?"
Raven's gaze drifted off. She had ranted to her friend about his rudeness but she did niot understand why Crystal was siding him.
Her chest heaved. "Well, continue my facade, ignore him and get this work done. My goal is to get big and take my revenge. Nothing will stop that."
Crystal rolled her eyes, not surprised at her friend's response. She could have bet on it.
Her friend was hard-headed and difficult. She did not think Storm was the only one who blew the chance.
Raven wasn't making things easy either.
Subconsciously, Raven reached for her neck where her mark was. Even though he rejected her, the mark was still there because she did not reject him too.
"Look, can we talk about something else?" Crystal's voice broke her thought.
"Uh, I'm just gonna go. Need to sort things out for my work."
"Okay, talk to you later, Rav."
"Yeah."
As soon as the call ended, Raven searched for a contact and called. She needed something else to keep her mind off of Storm.
Once it connected, she instantly dished out her orders, "Bubble, what news have you on the Rykers?"
*************
Ever since Storm came across Raven again, Silver had been restless inside him. Thoughts of that day and his choice on rejecting her flashed in his mind.
Storm paced back and forth in his office, raking his fingers through his hair at every turn.
"Why did you reject her?" Silver questioned. "Now our mate hates us."
Storm growled in response. He had his reasons but his wolf refused to understand.
"Did you forget what accepting a mate once caused?"
"I did not but we need her irrespective," Silver argued.
"I know!" Storm gritted, growling a little.
Just then, a knock came on the door, before it pushed open, revealing Draven. The second he walked in and Storm faced him, Draven's eyes widened in shock as he took in Storm's disheveled appearance.
"Storm, what's wrong?" Draven asked, concern etched on his face.
Storm stopped pacing and ran his hands through his hair for the umpteenth time, trying to compose himself. "Nothing, Draven. Just a little...nostalgia."
Draven raised an eyebrow. "Nostalgia? You look like you've battled a ghost."
Storm sighed, unable to hide the truth from his beta. "Raven Ryker. Draven. She's back. My mate is here."
Draven's eyes widened in surprise. "Your… that same Raven? But you rejected her."
Storm didn't say anything and when Draven looked up, she noticed his eyes flashed with pain.
"Wait. Don't tell me you care now?"
Storm shot him a glare. "Shut up and find all you know about Asteria Gold. I may have lost her once but I wouldn't again."
"More like you tossed her a…" Draven clamped his lips shot when Storm's glare darkened. "Right away."