Feral Bonds: Claimed By Rogue Alpha Brothers
Chapter 61: The Horror of Internship

Chapter 61: The Horror of Internship

Evaline:

I watched as his smile vanished at my words.

"You think this is punishment?" he asked while stepping closer, and it took some effort on my part to stay still and not take a step back. "Punishment would be dragging your name through the mud and getting you expelled. Punishment would be telling everyone at the Academy exactly who you are. But I haven’t done that. Not yet."

I swallowed hard.

"I’m here to learn," I said quietly. "Not to fight with you."

"You are here to serve," he corrected. "You’ll fetch reports, attend meetings, write summaries, and stay where I want you to. That’s all I require."

"And if I say no?" I challenged before I could stop myself.

He shrugged to my surprise. "You won’t. Because this internship matters to you. Because you are trying to build something, aren’t you? A future. A new life. And you are smart enough to know that making me any further mad at you, than I already am, won’t get you there."

He was right.

Damn him, but he was right.

This internship was my only ticket to building a reputable future. To proving myself. And I couldn’t afford to throw it away, not even for the satisfaction of slamming the door in his face.

I clenched my jaw and nodded stiffly while whispering, "Fine."

His eyes glittered, and he looked extremely pleased. "Good girl."

I clenched my fists at the words, but held back from saying anything.

He moved past me and opened a side drawer, pulling out a thick stack of folders.

"Start by sorting these by date and department," he said and thrusted them into my arms. "Then scan and log them into the database. Password’s on a sticky note. If you make a mistake, I’ll know."

I said nothing. Just turned and walked to the side desk he pointed at, setting the files down with shaking hands.

He had won this round.

But this wasn’t over.

As I sat down and began to flip through the documents, I could feel his gaze still on me, heavy and unwavering.

He hated me.

But what unsettled me more was how little I knew about what I felt.

He was infuriating. Unbearable. Arrogant.

And yet... I was noticing other things about him as well, things I shouldn’t be noticing. Like how handsome he was. How good black looked on him. Or how his familiar scent was filling the very air I was breathing.

I didn’t want to notice. But I did. And I hated myself for it.

Shaking my head to get rid of the thoughts, I tried to focus on getting the work done.

I was expecting River to create more trouble for me throughout the day, but it turned out that he wasn’t free enough to do so. As the Rogue King, he got a lot of work to handle, and that saved my day from getting any worse.

By the time I left the Council building late thst afternoon, I was aching in places I didn’t know could ache. My wrists were sore from flipping through endless files, my back was stiff from sitting upright for hours. But worse than all of that was the weight of River’s presence pressing into my skin, even long after I had left his office.

I didn’t think it was possible to feel someone’s gaze long after it was gone. And yet, here I was, haunted by the memory of his deep green eyes and the cold edge of his voice as I climbed into the car to head back to the Academy.

By the time I arrived at the Academy, the sun was already setting. I headed to my dorm, took a quick shower to get rid of the exhaustion and tension. As I was done getting dressed, I received a message from Kyros: Waiting in the dining hall.

It was dinner time, and I was hungry, so I headed to meet my friends.

"Eva!" Mallory stood up from our usual table once she spotted me.

I smiled snd made my way over. All of them were crammed together. Their plates were piled with food, and faces were bright from the wind and sunlight they had basked in all day.

"We missed you," Ria said, reaching out to squeeze my hand as I slid into the seat next to her.

"You should have seen the market near the southern bridge!" Kyros said while pushing a bowl of garlic potatoes my way. "They had spell-bottles that could levitate fruit. Noah nearly bought one just to prank you."

"I would have appreciated the fruit," I said, chuckling as I filled my plate.

Selene leaned forward, eyes sparkling. "Tell us everything! What was it like? The Council? The headquarters?"

Noah grinned, looking just as curious. "Come on, tell us. What was your first day like?"

I hesitated for a moment before carefully assembling the truth, just not all of it.

"The building is... ancient," I began. "But the inside? Totally high-tech. Glass walls, enchanted elevators, even heard about a conference room that adjusts lighting based on who’s speaking. It’s kind of incredible. And the staff, well, let’s just say no one’s slacking off in there. Everyone’s either stressed or stone-faced."

"And the food?" Mallory asked, wiggling her eyebrows.

"Oh, it’s good," I admitted. "Like, chef’s kiss good."

"Lucky!" Ria sighed dramatically. "So, what’s your job?"

I paused again. This was the part I didn’t want to say. But I didn’t want to keep it a secret either. "I’m... Alpha River’s assistant."

"What?!"

"Like... the Rogue King River Thorne?!"

"No freaking way, Eva!"

"That’s huge!"

Their voices rang with shock, awe, and disbelief, exactly the way I was expecting. Mallory was practically bouncing in her seat, Selene’s mouth was hanging open, and Noah looked like he couldn’t decide if he should bow to me or burst into laughter.

"That’s like being assigned to the Moon Goddess herself!" Kyros said, shaking his head.

"You are going to learn so much," Ria added, grinning. "That’s a dream internship, Eva. I’m so proud of you."

I smiled, but the expression felt both warm and wrong on my face.

"Thanks," I said in a soft voice.

They didn’t see the weight in my chest. Didn’t hear the unspoken truth wedged between my ribs. That I wasn’t just working under Alpha River, but was walking a tightrope over fire, every step watched by the man who hated me more than anyone else in the world.

And I couldn’t tell them.

Not now.

Not ever.