LOGINHe nods, a small acknowledgment. “It’s the first thing I noticed about you.” “That I’m weak?” “That you go out of your way to hide it,” he says. “But you’re not very good at hiding who you are. Not when you actually care.” The glass in my hand trembles. I set it down, hard enough that water slosh
He sits, not at the edge but comfortably back, as if this is just another war room and not the private sanctum of someone who might destroy or promote him with a single phrase. I gather my papers into a single stack, then join him, perching on the arm of the opposite chair because I can’t quite brin
I feel it, the sharp and certain thrill of the hunt completed, the enemy cornered, the blood in the air. “He’s dead,” I say, almost reverent. Lucas meets my gaze, and this time he holds it, neither of us looking away. “You did this,” he says quietly. “I was just the enabler.” For a second, I want
The wolf bristles at that, but I hide it behind a tight smile. “Impressive.” Lucas nods, modesty so practiced it almost seems genuine. “We cross-checked Derek’s travel with the wire transfers. Every spike matches a new LLC formation, every lull a consolidation in Zurich or the Caymans. He got greed
Rain laces the window in frantic diagonals, painting the city with streaks of white against the sodium glow of traffic and the neon shiver of signage. My office hums with the peculiar electricity that only comes after midnight: the click of the elevator echoing through the empty floors, the low moan
“What is it?” he asks, and I hear the hope, the craving for victory. It mirrors my own, amplified by the late hour and the proximity of another hungry soul. I pivot the laptop so he can see. “It’s the dummy shell. Not just the primary—Derek’s got a whole stack of LLCs feeding into the same offshore
I gather the pieces of myself and leave the office. My own intentions are as fractured as his. I cannot think straight with the scent of him so fresh, so insistent, so much like a promise. The door swings shut behind me, cutting off the warmth and memory of Derek's presence with surgical precision
I stiffen, a snarl forming at the back of my throat, before I manage to smooth it into something more civil, more human. This is not what I expected, not what I am prepared for. I should have known. I should have known he'd come. "Mara," his voice drawls, easy and confident, but I hear the challeng
The lock clicks behind me as I slip into the office. I am the wolf, even in tailored business attire. Even with it all wrapped up so tight. The edge of my existence cuts deep. The aftertaste of the night clings to my senses, a raw, metallic tang that I cannot swallow away. My steps falter, then re
There is a freedom in it, a temptation that digs claws deep into my resolve and leaves it ragged and bleeding. I have spent a lifetime restraining the urge, tightening the leash until it bites into my own flesh. But the promise of release is a seductive whisper, its breath warm against my neck, its







