Theo's POV
Claire sat beside me at the head of the massive conference table, her posture rigidly professional despite the tremor in her hands that only I could detect through our mating bond. The accusations swirling around her had reached a fever pitch that threatened to consume everything we'd built together.
"The evidence is overwhelming," the head of our legal department declared, his voice cutting through the tense silence as he gestured toward the stack of fabricated documents that painted Claire as a corporate spy. "Bank transfers, photographic evidence, communication records—all of it points to systematic theft of our most sensitive intellectual property."
I felt my wolf surge beneath my skin, every protective instinct screaming against the verbal assault being launched at my mate. The rational part of my mind understood the board's position—faced with such convincing evidence, any reasonable executive would demand immediate action. But knowi
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.
Claire's POVThe fragile peace I'd found at home shattered like glass against concrete when her phone rang at two-thirty on a Tuesday afternoon. I was in the kitchen, attempting to help prepare food as a way to feel useful despite the suspension that had stripped away my professional identity, when the landline rang.My mother answered with her usual warm greeting, but I watched her expression transform from pleasant curiosity to shocked concern within seconds. The color drained from her face as she listened, her free hand gripping the kitchen counter with white-knuckled intensity that made my stomach clench with sudden dread."We'll be right there," she said, her voice tight with controlled panic as she ended the call and turned to me with eyes that reflected barely contained fear. "That was the hospital. Your father's condition has taken a sudden turn for the worse."The words drove all air from my lungs as the implications crashed over me in waves. My
Claire's POVThe drive to my childhood home felt like traveling backward through time, each familiar street corner marking another step away from the life I'd built and toward the sanctuary of unconditional love that had shaped my earliest years.I sat in my car for several minutes before summoning the courage to walk up the front path, my hands trembling as I carried the single suitcase that contained what remained of my independence. The weight of public humiliation pressed down on my shoulders like a physical burden, making each step feel like an insurmountable effort. How could I explain to my mother that her daughter—the one she'd raised to value integrity above all else—had been branded a corporate traitor by the entire werewolf community? She probably knew and that was why shed been trying to communicate.But when the front door opened before I could even knock, my mother's reaction was immediate and unambiguous. She took one look at my tear-s