Claire's POV
As I made my way through VM Group's parking garage, my mind still buzzing with the day's breakthrough calculations. The project was progressing beyond even my most optimistic projections, each successful trial bringing us closer to revolutionizing werewolf neurological treatment. My research bag felt lighter despite being stuffed with papers and data drives—success had a way of making even the heaviest burdens seem manageable.
I was fishing for my car keys when movement in my peripheral vision made me freeze mid-step. Across the street, visible through the garage's open-air design, was the small outdoor café that had become popular with local business professionals. The warm glow of string lights created an intimate atmosphere among the scattered tables, and it was there, at a corner table partially hidden by a decorative planter, that I saw something that made me stop in my tracks.
Adrian and Nicole, sitting together at an outdoor caf&
Theo's POVThe press conference room buzzed with barely contained energy as journalists and industry representatives filled every available seat, their cameras and recording equipment creating a forest of technology aimed at the podium where I would make what my entire leadership team considered corporate suicide. Charlie stood near the side entrance, his posture tense with the kind of controlled anxiety that came from watching his Alpha deliberately ignore every piece of strategic advice he'd received.My legal team had been unanimous in their opposition to this public declaration. The board had threatened formal intervention if I proceeded with what they termed "reckless emotional decision-making that prioritizes personal relationships over corporate responsibility." Even my closest advisors had pleaded with me to reconsider, to find some middle ground that wouldn't expose VM Group to the public relations nightmare they were certain would follow.But as I approached the podium, my w
Theo's POVThe following week, I was going through reports from other section of the VM Group when I heard a soft knock on my door. I didn't need to look up from my desk to know who it was—the mating bond had already announced Claire's presence with a warmth that flooded my entire system, making every nerve ending sing with anticipation. It was quite early in the morning and no one had arrived yet. I spoke with my mate the previous day and she said she was coming in today, straight to my office."Come in," I called, though she was already pushing through the door with the kind of determined purpose that had always characterized her approach to solving impossible problems.She stood in my doorway for exactly three seconds, her green eyes blazing with the fierce intelligence that had first captivated me, before crossing the space between us with swift, decisive steps. No words were exchanged—none were needed when the long separation had created a hunger that transcended rational thought
Claire's POVThe news alert that flashed across my laptop screen at eleven-thirty that morning made my hands freeze above the keyboard, my heart hammering against my ribs as I read words that transformed theoretical concern into living nightmare. "BREAKING: Multiple Hospitalizations Following Experimental Werewolf Treatment - Eclipse Syndrome Trial Participants Experiencing Severe Adverse Reactions."I clicked through to the full article with trembling fingers, my scientific mind immediately cataloging symptoms that felt sickeningly familiar despite their clinical terminology. Severe organ dysfunction. Progressive neurological deterioration. Complete dissociation between human consciousness and wolf nature. Each description matched projections I'd run weeks ago during my initial stability testing—simulations that had shown exactly what would happen if the synthetic protein compound was released without proper stabilization protocols.My blood ran cold as I scrolled through medical rep
Theo's POVThe morning call to Claire had become my ritual, the fifteen minutes that anchored my day before facing whatever corporate warfare awaited at VM Group. Her voice had carried renewed strength, a determination that flowed through our mating bond like electricity, reminding me why I'd fallen in love with her brilliant, unbreakable spirit in the first place."I love you too," she'd whispered before ending the call, her words carrying the kind of absolute conviction that made everything else feel manageable. "More than you'll ever know."Now, settling into my executive chair with the familiar weight of responsibility pressing against my shoulders, I felt fortified by that connection as I prepared to navigate another day of damage control and strategic planning. The theft of our research remained a wound that demanded attention, but Claire's renewed fighting spirit had reminded me that some battles were worth every resource I possessed.Charlie knocked on my office door with his
Claire's POVThe anonymous payment for my father's treatment had done more than save his life—it had ignited something fierce and unbreakable in my chest. As I sat in the hospital room watching the color slowly return to his face as the experimental therapy began its work, I felt Theo's love flowing through our mating bond like liquid fire, reminding me exactly who I was beneath the layers of false accusations and fabricated evidence.I was the mate of the most powerful Alpha as far as werewolves were concerned, and I would not allow myself to be defeated by whoever had orchestrated this systematic destruction of my reputation.That evening, I transformed the spare bedroom in our house into something that would have made any professional researcher proud. My personal laptop became the centerpiece of an operation that spanned every available surface, surrounded by backup hard drives that contained years of research data, printed molecular diagrams taped to
Claire's POVThe consultation room felt smaller with each passing minute, the weight of impossible decisions pressing down on us like a physical force. My mother sat beside me, her hands clasped so tightly in her lap that her knuckles had gone white, while Dr. Peterson waited with the patient sympathy of someone who had delivered similar news to countless families facing the intersection of medical hope and financial reality.One point five million dollars. The number echoed in my mind with the relentless precision of a funeral bell, marking time until we would be forced to accept that my father's life had a price tag we simply couldn't afford. My suspension from VM Group meant no income, no insurance coverage, no access to the kind of resources that could make experimental treatments feasible. My mother's teacher's pension and modest savings might cover a few thousand dollars of medical expenses, but not the astronomical cost of cutting-edge synthetic enzyme therapy.