Page 26 of The Breeding Cave

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

YEOSIN

The next morning, when Molly stepped into the bathroom, I yanked off my plush navy robe and dropped it onto the kitchen chair. The beast had forbidden me to leave today, but I needed to breathe. I hadn’t left Molly’s sight all night.

She shut the door, and I tiptoed to the front door and slipped out of it when I heard her start to pee. Don’t ask me how I was able to hear something like that through that heavy door, but I was out of here.

Once I shut the door behind me, I ran to the elevator.

I don’t have time to argue with you. I don’t have time to argue with you.

It was bullshit. The beast did have time. He could make time. If he didn’t have time to argue with me about not wanting to have any more nightmares, then what would happen when I carried his child? Would he have time for me then?

After balling my hands into tight fists, I hit the bottom button on the elevator. I didn’t want to get Molly into any more trouble, but I wasn’t going to sit in the house all day and wait for the beast to come back.

No. Screw that.

My mind was reeling at where he could’ve gone last night. He had come home with another woman’s scent all over him. It was so strong, and I hadn’t even really processed it until he left again last night.

Was he going back to see her? Who was she? My replacement?

Hot tears burned my eyes, and I crossed my arms all the way down to the bottom floor. I stepped out into the lobby and marched to the exit of the building. The doorman opened the door for me, and the freezing air chilled my skin.

I had work, and I wasn’t going to let the beast stop me.

Luciano would be pissed if I was late again .

The walk down the street seemed longer than usual in the cold. While the burns still decorated my body from head to toe, I couldn’t really feel the pain from them any longer. It had subsided substantially from last night.

So, I was all good to go to work.

I wasn’t going to wait around for the beast not to come home tonight again.

My body might’ve been ugly to him now, but … but …

My thoughts seemed to freeze up as the thought of being so ugly to him circulated my mind. Between that and the smell of another woman on him, being ugly had to be it, right? Why would he—or anyone—want to be with someone like me? My body was ruined.

I was ruined.

Could I even grow a baby in my belly? I didn’t know what had caused those burn marks last night, but they had seemed to happen in my nightmare. How was that even possible? What if it happened while I was pregnant and killed the child?

The beast would really hate me then.

After sucking in a breath, I headed straight for Pink Ivory. I needed to clear my mind, and maybe I could get on Luciano’s good side if I brought him his black coffee—my apologies for being late.

Coffee beans drifted into my nose, and I remembered how much I hated this place.

“You’re back, Alana?” Henry asked from behind the counter.

I offered him a small smile. “Just for drinks.”

“I see how it is,” he hummed in amusement, as if we were ever friends.

Once I decided to just be polite and forget about last night so my feelings wouldn’t bleed over into work, I stepped up to the counter. “I’ll take a green tea, no sugar or milk, and a hot black coffee.”

“That all?”

“Yes.”

“Eleven dollars, thirty-four cents.”

Damn, they hiked up their prices, didn’t they?

After swiping the beast’s black card, I stepped to the side and scrolled through my emails from these past few days. I rocked back and forth on my heels, playing with the end of my sweater to tug it over my thumb, which was burned.

I didn’t want anyone seeing the scars. Especially not Luciano.

I didn’t want his pity or his questions. But if he got me alone like he had in the elevator the other day, then it might be hard to dodge the questions about my skin.

Why is it burned? The heck if I know!

“Alana!” a new worker called.

My phone buzzed, but I shoved it into my pocket and headed to the pickup area. I grabbed the coffee from her with a grip a bit too strong because the cap popped off and the piping hot coffee spilled all over my hand, burning it.

“ Shit !” I sneered out of instinct.

Except it didn’t hurt.

“Oh my gosh! I’m so sorry!” the barista exclaimed. “I have such a hard time with these caps.” She grabbed a towel and placed it gently on my hand. “I’m so, so sorry. I didn’t mean for you to get burned!”

“It’s okay,” I whispered, brows furrowed together at how … much it didn’t hurt.

“I’ll make you a new one right away,” she said, shuffling to grab a new coffee cup.

Once she turned away, I slid the towel off my hand to see the burn already bubbling. Maybe I was used to the pain, or maybe something was happening to me. But why … why wasn’t it hurting at all?

Was my body getting used to this? How? My skin was literally bubbling!

“Here you go,” the barista said. “I’m so sorry again.”

“It’s okay,” I whispered, concealing my hand from her. How would I hide this one?

I grabbed both my drinks and headed for the door, staring down at the bubble on my hand. It had hurt, initially. It had to have, right? But maybe the pain from last night had conditioned me to not hurt anymore?

No, that couldn’t be it. That pain had just been in my nightmare.

Back against the door, I pushed it open. What was going on with?—

“Yeosin,” someone hummed from in front of me.

I snapped my gaze up and widened my eyes. “Alvin …”

What the hell is he doing here?!

Alvin grabbed the cups from me. “Yeosin, we need to talk.”