ANMELDENI nod, letting the tension crackle. “But you’re better at it.” He drops his gaze, only for a second. “Maybe. But not with you.” The moment holds, the air so dense it could shatter under its own weight. I let the wolf take the front seat, let her see if the evidence holds. She paces, circles, runs
Let them come for me, I think. Let them try. I let the clock tick down until the building is utterly dead, until the only proof of life is the pool of light at my desk and the relentless, arrhythmic snarl of rain against the windows. I think Lucas has left for good this time, that I can finally re
“You sabotage any of it?” I ask. My voice is two degrees colder than before. He nods. “When I could. I intercepted three wire transfers, rerouted them to an empty account and then reported it as a bank error. It cost them a month’s momentum.” He pushes another page forward—a receipt, a falsified no
The more he talks, the more the tension leaches from his shoulders, replaced by something closer to dread. He doesn’t expect forgiveness. He just wants to survive the confession. When he’s done, I stand there, arms folded, letting the information filter through every part of me. The wolf believes h
He flips the next page: emails, time-stamped, some blacked out, others so heavily redacted they look like ransom notes. But the threads are there—Olivia’s name, always cc’d, always the shadow in the margin. Every third message ends with a phrase that could be innocent, but never is. He lays out thr
The city is a bruise outside my window, every light smeared by rain, the skyscrapers reduced to dark teeth under a wet, sodium sky. It’s after midnight—of course it is—and the only things left alive in the building are the computers, the exit sign, and the animal pacing under my ribs. I have the of
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







