Don’t Flatter Yourself, I Won’t Haunt You After Prison Release Chapter 01

Don’t Flatter Yourself, I Won’t Haunt You After Prison Release Chapter 01

The day Amarok Thorne cheated on me, I sliced my stepsister Thalyn Fay’s face with a dinner knife.

When I went to prison, my mate bond with Amarok broke automatically. He told everyone Thalyn was his real Luna.

Three years later, I got out of jail.

Amarok sent twenty wolf guards to protect Thalyn right away. He asked the Wolf Council to change the law so second offenses carried harsher punishments. He even sent middlemen to offer me anything I wanted if I left Thalyn alone.

But he was wrong.

I disappeared from his life completely, like a drop in the ocean.

We met again at my auto repair shop.

I spit out the licorice I was chewing, lifted the car hood with grease-stained fingers, and asked calmly, “How old’s this car?”

He stared at me in shock and snapped, “Velvela, this was your first gift to me.”

…

I paused with my wrench.

“Oh. Then it’s been around longer than me. Time to fix it up good.”

My voice was flat.

Amarok froze, opening and closing his mouth without speaking.

I tapped every screw with my wrench, checking carefully. The bright yellow sports car might as well have been a tractor to me.

The shop was noisy.

Other werewolves from the pack’s lower ranks talked about fixing a big forklift nearby. Most were Omegas or werewolves blocked from good jobs by the council.

Amarok’s face shifted at the racket. He finally sneered, “Velvela, if you need money, just call me. Don’t plant nails to trick me here.”

I shrugged.

“If I could act, I’d be a star. You came by the ranch, right? A nail truck spilled there this morning. The news warned everyone.”

As I spoke, I grabbed a towel and wiped the grease off my hands. The pink towel turned black in seconds.

Amarok fixed on that towel. He finally snapped and raised his voice.

“Velvela, you used to be proud as a swan.”

“You had all the bags and clothes a noble could want. You’d clean dust off your heels for hours and fire maids over one oil spot… Now look at you.”

“Velvela! My AC’s broken!” A woman’s voice shouted.

Lycia walked in wearing a Hawaiian shirt and tossed me her keys.

“Probably low on freon. Leave it here,” I said.

“I trust you,” Lycia clapped me on the shoulder cheerfully, then shot Amarok a glance and gasped. “New face… and a strange scent… Alright, Vela, I won’t keep you. Come over tonight—Old Sail brought shrimp. I don’t know what to do with them.”

“Sure,” I smiled and high-fived Lycia.

When Lycia left, I remembered I still had a customer. I gave Amarok a polite smile. “Your car’s done. Twenty dollars, please.”

“You…” Amarok stared at me dumbly.

He managed only one word, then fell silent, too worn out to say more. He fumbled anxiously in his wallet and pulled out several large bills.

I waved my hand. “It’s just small repairs. You don’t owe that much.”

“Keep the rest as a tip,” Amarok’s expression was troubled. “Do you do pheromone cleaning, full detail, deep checks?”

I brightened. “Sure. I’ll make it like new. Wanna sit?”

I dragged over a small wooden stool. I put a clean rag on it for his nice suit.

Amarok fell silent for a long moment. He sat down stiffly, posture elegant, hands resting on his knees.

Next second, the door creaked loudly.

“Vela, still busy? Pizza’s here,” the delivery guy said. He saw the yellow sports car and gasped.

“Wow, nice ride. Must be an alpha.”

“Can’t help it.” I took the pizza and joked with the delivery guy. “My shop attracts important people—like you.”

The delivery guy circled the car, praising Amarok’s taste.

Amarok shifted uncomfortably, turned his face away slightly, and let out a soft sigh.

He wasn’t used to this. But this was daily life at the Valehowl Pack border.

Korbin from the barbershop next door popped in to show me his new nails.

Brynda from upstairs dropped off a suitcase to store and pick it up in the evening.

Alden ran in to borrow a pen and scribbled a note.

All of them glanced at Amarok, drawn by his strong and unfamiliar scent. Their stares were rude to a noble, but they didn’t notice. They even invited him to a bonfire party.

When they were all gone, Amarok shot me a disdainful look.

“Velvela, you really choose to hang around these Omegas?”