CHAPTER 8: Supernatural Hints

The rest of the day passed in a blur of meetings, phone calls, and Emma trying to pretend like everything was normal while her lips still tingled from Adrian's kiss.

Professional boundaries, she kept reminding herself. We're at work. Act professional.

But it was hard to act professional when Adrian kept looking at her like she was the most fascinating thing in the room, or when his hand would brush hers as he passed her documents, sending electricity shooting up her arm.

Everyone's going to know, Emma thought, catching Jessica's knowing smile. It's probably written all over my face.

By six o'clock, most of the office had emptied out. Emma was organizing Adrian's files for the next day when he appeared beside her desk.

"Ready for that after-hours work I mentioned?" he asked quietly.

Emma's pulse quickened. "What exactly does that involve?"

"Come to my office," Adrian said. "It's time you learned what Cross Industries really does."

What Cross Industries really does. Emma followed Adrian into his office, her curiosity warring with nervousness.

Adrian closed the door behind them and walked to his desk, pulling out a thick folder marked with symbols Emma didn't recognize.

"Before we start," Adrian said seriously, "I need you to understand that what I'm about to show you is classified at the highest level. If you're not ready for this, if you have any doubts about your commitment to this job, now is the time to say so."

Classified at the highest level. Emma's mouth went dry. "What kind of classified?"

"The kind that could put you in danger if the wrong people found out what you know," Adrian said simply.

Danger. Emma stared at him. "Adrian, what are you involved in?"

"Something that's been in my family for generations," Adrian said. "Something that requires absolute secrecy and complete loyalty."

Family business. Emma thought about the timeline inconsistencies, about Adrian founding the company when he was twelve, about the way everyone seemed afraid of him.

"Is it legal?" she asked.

Adrian's mouth curved slightly. "That's a complicated question."

Complicated. Emma's heart was racing. "Try me."

Adrian studied her face for a long moment, then seemed to come to a decision. "Cross Industries has two functions. The public one, real estate development, construction, legitimate business ventures that make us a lot of money."

"And the private one?"

"Security," Adrian said simply. "Protection services. Conflict resolution. For clients who need problems handled... discretely."

Problems handled discretely. Emma tried to process that. "What kind of problems?"

"The kind that regular law enforcement can't handle," Adrian said. "The kind that require specialized skills."

Specialized skills. Emma thought about the way Adrian had moved during the playground fight fifteen years ago, too fast, too strong for a normal nine-year-old.

"What kind of specialized skills?" she asked quietly.

Instead of answering, Adrian walked to the windows overlooking the city. The sun was setting, casting long shadows across his office.

"Emma," he said softly, "what do you know about families like mine?"

Families like his. "Rich families? Powerful families?"

"Old families," Adrian said. "Families with... unusual histories."

Emma felt goosebumps rise on her arms. "Unusual how?"

Adrian turned to look at her, and in the fading light, his golden eyes seemed to glow.

"Have you ever wondered why you have such a calming effect on people?" he asked instead of answering her question. "Why animals are drawn to you? Why you can sense things about people that others can't?"

Emma's breath caught. How does he know about that?

"I don't know what you mean," she lied.

"Don't you?" Adrian stepped closer. "You've always been different, Emma. You've always known things, felt things that other people couldn't. Haven't you?"

Yes, Emma thought desperately. But that doesn't mean anything. That's just intuition.

"Everyone has intuition," she said weakly.

"Not like yours," Adrian said. "Not strong enough to calm a rage that's been building for hours. Not strong enough to make someone feel human again when they've forgotten how."

Make someone feel human again. The way Adrian said it sent chills down Emma's spine.

"Adrian, what are you trying to tell me?"

Adrian was close enough now that Emma could feel the heat radiating from his skin. In the dim light of his office, he looked different somehow. Wilder. More dangerous.

"I'm trying to tell you that you're not entirely human either," Adrian said softly.

Emma's world tilted sideways. "What?"

"Your calming ability, your instincts, the way you can read people, those aren't normal human traits, Emma. They're something else."

Something else. Emma backed away from him, her heart hammering. "That's impossible."

"Is it?" Adrian's eyes were definitely glowing now, bright gold in the gathering darkness. "Is it any more impossible than a nine year old boy moving faster than human reflexes should allow? Any more impossible than someone tracking another person for fifteen years without losing their trail?"

He's talking about supernatural things, Emma realized with growing terror. He's talking about things that don't exist.

"Adrian, you're scaring me," she whispered.

"I don't want to scare you," Adrian said gently. "I want to help you understand what you are. What we are."

What we are. Emma's legs felt weak. "What are we?"

Adrian smiled, and Emma caught a glimpse of teeth that looked sharper than they should be.

"We're pack," he said simply.

Pack. The word sent a jolt of recognition through Emma's body that she didn't understand.

"I don't know what that means," she said.

"It means you belong with me," Adrian said. "It means you always have. It means the connection you felt on that playground wasn't just childhood friendship."

The connection. Emma remembered the way Adrian's touch had felt electric, the way she'd known instinctively that he was different, special.

"This is insane," she breathed.

"Yes," Adrian agreed. "It is. But it's also true."

Emma stared at him, her mind reeling. Part of her wanted to run, to get as far away from Adrian and his impossible claims as possible.

But another part of her, a part she'd been ignoring her whole life, whispered that everything he was saying made perfect sense.

The dreams about golden eyes. The way animals always trusted her instantly. The ability to calm angry customers at her old jobs just by talking to them.

What if it wasn't just intuition?

"Prove it," Emma heard herself say.

Adrian's smile was fierce and beautiful. "Are you sure?"

No, Emma's rational mind screamed. Not sure at all.

"Yes," she whispered.

Adrian nodded and walked to his desk, pressing something underneath it. Emma heard a soft click, and suddenly the office windows began to darken, tinting themselves until the outside world disappeared.

Automatic privacy glass, Emma realized. No one can see in.

"What you're about to see," Adrian said quietly, "is who I really am. If you can't handle it, if it's too much, just say the word and I'll take you home. We'll never speak of it again."

Home. To the penthouse that was now her home. Where Adrian lived. Where she belonged.

Pack, that strange voice in her head whispered again.

"Show me," Emma said.

Adrian's eyes began to glow brighter, that impossible golden light filling the darkened office. His breathing deepened, and Emma heard a sound coming from his chest, a low rumbling that was almost like...

Growling.

"Adrian?" Emma's voice was barely a whisper.

Adrian's body began to change. His muscles seemed to expand, straining against his expensive suit. His face shifted subtly, becoming more angular, more predatory. His fingernails grew longer, sharper.

This isn't happening, Emma's rational mind screamed. People don't just... transform. This is impossible. This is a hallucination or a breakdown or...

But her eyes weren't lying. She was watching Adrian's perfectly human features become something else entirely. Something wild and dangerous and beautiful.

Oh God, she thought frantically. What does this mean? If he's... if he's not human, what does that make me? Am I in danger? Should I run? Should I scream?

But even as panic clawed at her chest, another part of her, a part she'd never acknowledged before, whispered: Finally. Finally someone like me.

It was his eyes that held Emma transfixed. Still golden, but now blazing with an inner fire that was definitely not human.

Wolf, Emma's mind supplied with shocking clarity. He looks like a wolf.

"What are you?" she breathed.

"I'm what your kind would call a werewolf," Adrian said, and his voice was deeper now, rougher. "And you, Emma Parker, are my mate."

Mate. The word hit Emma like a physical blow.

Werewolf. Mate. This is actually happening.

Emma's knees went weak as her mind tried to process what he'd just said. *Werewolves are real. The man I'm falling for is a werewolf. And he thinks I'm his... what does mate even mean? Like animals? Like wolves mate for life?*

Oh God, what about my mom? What about my normal life? What about everything I thought I knew about the world?

But even as terror and confusion crashed through her, her body was responding in ways that defied logic. Instead of running, instead of screaming, she felt... drawn to him. Like every cell in her body was singing in recognition.

This is impossible, her rational mind insisted. Werewolves don't exist. This is some kind of hallucination or trick or...

But her body was responding to Adrian's transformed state in ways that had nothing to do with fear. She felt pulled toward him by invisible strings.

Pack, that voice whispered again, stronger now. Home. Safe. Mate.

"You're not fully human either," Adrian continued, his glowing eyes never leaving her face. "You're what we call a Luna - a human born with wolf-compatible traits. That's why you can calm us. That's why you belong with us."

Luna. The word resonated in Emma's bones, but her practical mind was spinning with questions.

What does that actually mean? Will I change too? Will I grow claws and fangs? What about my job? My life? What happens when people find out?

And my mom

God, what about my mom? She's sick, she needs me. I can't just disappear into some supernatural world and abandon her.

But wait, another part of her mind whispered. All those times animals seemed to trust me instantly. All those times I could calm angry people just by being near them. All those times I felt like I didn't quite fit anywhere...

What if this is why? What if I've been broken my whole life because I was only half of something?

Emma stared at Adrian, at this beautiful, impossible creature who claimed she was his other half.

"I'm not..." Emma started, then stopped. Because looking at Adrian's transformed state, she didn't feel horrified or terrified or disgusted.

She felt complete.

"You are," Adrian said gently. "You've always been. You just didn't know it."

Emma stared at him, at this beautiful, impossible creature who claimed to be a werewolf, who claimed she was his mate.

This should be the moment I run, Emma thought desperately. This should be the moment I call the police or a mental hospital or someone. Normal people don't just accept that werewolves exist. Normal people don't just go along with being told they're supernatural mates.

But what if I'm not normal?

Emma thought about her whole life, the constant feeling of being displaced, of not quite fitting anywhere. The way she'd always felt like she was waiting for something, someone. The dreams about golden eyes that had haunted her for years.

What if everything I thought was wrong about me was actually the only thing that was right?

But the practical implications... Her mind spun with worries. What does this mean for my safety? For my mom's treatment? What kind of world am I stepping into? What if other werewolves don't accept me? What if I can't handle whatever this Luna thing actually requires?

And what about Sophia? If she's part of this world too...

Despite all her fears, despite every rational reason to run, Emma found herself stepping closer to Adrian.

"If I'm your mate," she said quietly, "what does that mean?"

Adrian's smile was radiant. "It means you're the other half of my soul. It means I'll protect you with my life. It means you have the power to calm not just me, but any wolf."

Any wolf. Emma thought about the business meeting earlier, about the way Adrian had seemed barely controlled, and how her touch had made him relax.

"Are there others?" she asked. "Other... werewolves?"

"Many others," Adrian confirmed. "Some work for Cross Industries. Some work for other companies, other packs. It's a whole world that exists alongside the human one."

A whole world. Emma felt like she was standing on the edge of a cliff, about to jump into something vast and unknown.

"The security services you mentioned," she said slowly. "Discrete problem solving. That's..."

"Pack business," Adrian finished. "Yes. Sometimes conflicts arise between different groups. Sometimes humans stumble into things they shouldn't. Sometimes protection is needed for those who can't protect themselves."

Pack business. Emma was beginning to understand the scope of what Cross Industries really was.

"And my job?" she asked. "My real job?"

"Is to help me manage all of it," Adrian said. "The human side and the pack side. To be my partner in everything."

Partner. Not just employees. Not just assistants.

Mate.

Emma looked at Adrian's transformed features and felt something settle into place in her chest. Something that had been restless and searching her whole life.

This is why I never felt like I fit anywhere, she realized. Because I was waiting for this. For him. For a pack.

"Emma?" Adrian's voice was uncertain now, vulnerable. "Are you okay?"

Emma walked to him slowly, reaching up to touch his face. His skin was burning hot under her palm, but it didn't hurt. It felt like coming home.

"You're beautiful," she whispered.

Adrian's eyes widened in surprise. "You're not afraid?"

"I should be," Emma admitted. "But no. I'm not afraid."

I'm excited, she realized. For the first time in my life, I feel like I belong somewhere.

"What happens now?" she asked.

Adrian leaned into her touch, his eyes drifting closed. "Now you learn what it really means to be pack. Now you meet the others. Now you take your place at my side."

At his side. Emma thought about Sophia's proprietary looks, about her Harvard MBA and her business expertise.

Let her compete with that, Emma thought with satisfaction.

"When do we start?" she asked.

Adrian opened his eyes and smiled, and Emma saw her whole future in that expression.

"Right now," he said.