I Rejected My Obsessive Werebeast novel Chapter 68

Aurora’s POV

The next morning I went to the small shop on the ground level of the

arena – the one Freya had told me about. The owner, a quiet middle–aged man, took the note without asking questions.

Saturday, 3 PM. Old bookstore on East Street.

I didn’t know if the message would reach Connor. I didn’t know if he’d

come.

But once it was out of my hands, I felt strangely calmer than I had been while it was still hanging in the air.

In the afternoon Silas came back from the racetrack with a bag of oranges. He set them on the coffee table and asked. “Did you send the message?” I nodded.

He didn’t press. Just peeled one and handed it to me, then picked up a notebook and sat down beside me to go over his own files.

Saturday afternoon. I got to the old bookstore on East Street early.

The place was small. Dim. The aisles between the shelves were so narrow you had to turn sideways to squeeze through. A thin layer of dust coated every wooden surface, and the smell of old paper – musty, sweet, decaying – mixed with the scent of aged timber.

I walked to the very back, near the window. An old table. Two chairs. A thin strip of light squeezed through the gap in the window frame and landed on a small patch of the tabletop.

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I sat in the chair closest to the wall. Picked up a book, opened it, and

waited.

After 10 minutes, footsteps at the door.

I looked up.

Connor pushed his way through the entrance, wearing a washed–out dark

jacket, sleeves rolled to mid–forearm. He paused between the shelves, scanning the dim interior until his eyes found me.

He walked over and sat down across from me.

–

Beyond the glass, the sounds of pedestrians on the street – muffled, distant, like static from another world.

Connor spoke first. “I didn’t think you’d actually ask to meet.”

“I thought you wouldn’t come.”

“I came to tell you to give up.”

I folded my hands on the table. “Then you should know me by now. Whatever I decide to do, I see it through to the end.”

“That’s exactly why I don’t want you involved in this. It’s dangerous.”

“What do you mean? What are you actually doing at the arena?”

–

He looked down at the table. “I can’t tell you the specifics. But I can tell you this – when I was first sent to the arena, Phoebe pulled strings on the inside. She arranged for me to face the hardest opponents possible. Made sure I wouldn’t walk out alive.”

–

His jaw tightened. “Then the boss came to me. Offered me a deal – he’d handle Phoebe’s interference, keep me safe. In exchange, I work for him

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now.”

Who’s your boss?”

“I can’t tell you that. All you need to know is – he’s dangerous. The more you know, the faster you die.”

I watched his face. “Is it Lucien?”

Connor’s head snapped up. His eyes went wide. “How do you know that name?”

“Phoebe kidnapped me once,” I said. “The person she was working with, was Lucien.”

Connor stared at me, with shock. He growled. “What?! That bitch! She did that to you?”

I let out a short, cold laugh. “You’ve known what she is for a long time. Why act so surprised now?”

His face fell. He looked down at his hands, and his expression was guilt.

“I’m sorry,” he said. His voice was barely above a whisper. “I should have protected you.

“If Silas hadn’t stepped in, I might be dead right now.” I kept my voice steady. “You think Lucien was helping you? He and Phoebe are the same kind of monster.”

I leaned forward slightly. “So you’re afraid I’ll make enemies with him? Connor, we’re already enemies. He and me.”

His fingers went still on the table.

I watched the words land. Watched him process them. Then I asked the

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question that mattered.

So are you still going to cover for Lucien?”

His expression twisted. Internal war playing out behind his eyes. Then he started talking. “Lucien gave me a job. Go out and scout werebeasts with fighting ability. He told me – bring him a hundred, and he’d give me a large sum of money and help me get out of the arena for good.”

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