CHAPTER THREE

I turned slowly, dreading what I’d find.

Marcus stood by the doorway, holding a bouquet of sunflowers, and wearing a wide and eager grin. 

He looked nothing like Gabriel.

That was the first thing that came to my mind, as I stared at him.

Where Gabriel was all sharp edges and commanding presence, Marcus was… soft. Pleasant-looking in that generic, forgettable way. Brown hair instead of black. Hazel eyes instead of storm gray. Average height, average build. Wearing khakis and a polo shirt like he was headed to a country club.

Irritation washed over me so intensely I had to dig my nails into my palms to keep from saying something I’d regret.

“Amara!” Marcus’s grin somehow widened. “It’s so good to finally meet you properly. I mean, we met when we were kids, but that doesn’t really count, does it? Uncle Gabriel’s told me so much about you. I brought flowers—sunflowers, because your dad mentioned they were your favorite.”

They weren’t. Peonies were my favorite and Gabriel knew that.

“That’s… nice,” I managed, my voice flat.

“Why don’t we give you two some time to talk?” Mom appeared at my elbow, “Get to know each other. We’ll just—”

“There’s no need,” I cut her off. “I’m not interested in talking to him.”

Marcus’s smile faltered. “Oh. I—”

But I was already moving, pushing past him and taking the stairs two at a time. I slammed my bedroom door for the second time in twelve hours and locked it.

I could hear Mom’s voice drifting up from below, making excuses. “She’s just tired from traveling… adjustment period… give her some time…”

I didn’t care. Didn’t care that I was being rude, that I was making this harder on everyone. They’d made their decision without me. They could deal with the consequences.

My phone buzzed on the nightstand.

I grabbed it, ready to ignore whatever apologetic text Mom was probably sending, but froze when I saw the email notification.

Congratulations! Your application for the position of Personal Assistant to the CEE of Albine company has been accepted…

I gasped, a quiet shriek tearing out of me as I read the email over and over.

I got in!

I fucking got in!!

I would become Gabriel’s PA.

I grinned, my chest blooming with pure joy.

I’d applied for the position two weeks ago, right before graduation. It had been a desperate, half-formed plan. A way to be close to him, to work alongside him, to make him see me as something other than a child.

But I’d never actually expected to get it. Gabriel had dozens of qualified applicants for any position in his office. The fact that he’d chosen me…

I read the email three times, my hands shaking.

He’d hired me. Despite everything. Despite the arranged marriage and last night’s disaster and the fact that working together would mean seeing each other every single day.

A slow smile spread across my face.

Gabriel thought he could marry me off to Marcus and that would be the end of it. That I’d just accept my fate and move on like a good little pack member.

He had no idea what he’d just done.

I’d seen something in his eyes last night. When I’d accused him of feeling something for me, there’d been a flicker—brief but unmistakable. 

I saw the first look in his eyes when he saw me in that dress…and I knew desire when I saw it.

He felt something. And if he was going to be a coward about it, fine. I wouldn’t be.

This job was an opportunity. A chance to be close to him, to show him exactly what he was trying to give away. To make him regret every single decision that had led to this moment.

I wouldn’t waste it.

I tried to stand, already planning what I’d wear on my first day, when pain exploded through my body.

White-hot and searing. Like someone had taken a blowtorch to my nerve endings.

I doubled over with a scream I couldn’t contain, my vision going black at the edges. My bones felt like they were breaking and reforming, my skin too tight, my blood burning in my veins.

Two seconds later, my parents were bursting into my room.

“Amara!” 

Dad wrapped his arms around me, helping me into the chair by my window. Mom rushed in behind him, her eyes flashing that distinctive amber that meant her wolf was close to the surface.

“Oh no,” Mom breathed, her hand flying to her mouth. “It’s happening again.”

“Of course it’s happening.” Dad’s voice was grim as he crouched in front of me, his hands on my shoulders. “She’s older now. Fully mature. The wolf is starting to manifest.”

The pain receded slowly, leaving me gasping and shaking. Sweat plastered my hair to my forehead.

Mom made a sound—half gasp, half sob—that made my stomach drop.

“No,” she whispered. “Please, not—”

“We don’t know for sure yet,” Dad cut her off, but his expression said otherwise.

Through the haze of agony, my mind raced with the same terror that had haunted me for nine years. 

The Emerald Wolf. 

That’s what I was. 

What my wolf would be if I ever fully shifted.

Most people thought it was just a legend—a story told around campfires about a wolf that appeared once every millennium. 

A wolf with fur the color of precious emeralds, possessing power that bordered on magic. Healing, energy manipulation, abilities that normal werewolves could only dream of.

But I knew the truth. Knew it was real because I was one.

And I knew what happened to Emerald Wolves.

Every single one in recorded history had gone mad. The power became too much, consumed them from the inside out until all that remained was a creature of pure bloodlust. They’d destroyed entire packs, left trails of bodies in their wake, became the very monsters that humans feared.

The prophecy was clear: the Emerald Wolf would bring doom. Death. Destruction.

So they were killed. 

Every single one, the moment their identity was discovered. Hunted down and executed before the madness could take hold.

The last five had died that way. 

And I would too, if anyone ever found out.

“You need to be more careful,” Dad said quietly, his eyes searching mine. “The herbs are getting harder to maintain now that you’re fully mature. You have to keep this secret, Amara. You understand what’s at stake.”

I nodded, not trusting my voice.

Mom reached over and squeezed my hand, her eyes wet. “If anyone finds out what you are…”

She didn’t finish. 

Didn’t need to.

If anyone found out I was the Emerald Wolf, I’d be dead within days. There would be no trial or mercy.

“I’m careful,” I managed. “I’ve always been careful.”

They exchanged a glance and mum took a deep breath.

“We’ll adjust your dosage,” Dad said finally. “Double it if we have to. Whatever it takes to keep you safe.”

They left eventually, after making me promise to take my herbs religiously, to avoid anything that might trigger a shift, to tell them immediately if the pain got worse.

I sat in the chair long after they’d gone, staring at my hands.

These hands that apparently belonged to something legendary. 

Something doomed.

I’d lived with this knowledge for nine years, ever since that first painful manifestation when I was sixteen. 

Nine years of hiding, of suppressing my true nature, of living in constant fear that someone would discover what I was.

And now I was supposed to marry Marcus. 

Start a life with him while keeping the biggest secret of my existence hidden.

But that didn’t matter right now.

What mattered was Gabriel, and my job. 

The chance to finally make him see me.

I wouldn’t let fear stop me. Not after waiting this long.

The next morning, I dressed with care.

Black pencil skirt that hugged my curves. White silk blouse with just enough buttons undone to be professional but noticeable. Heels that made my legs look longer. Hair pulled back in a sleek ponytail that showed off my neck.

I looked like someone’s fantasy of a sexy secretary, and I didn’t care.

If Gabriel wanted to play games, I’d play. But I’d play to win.

The pack headquarters was a massive building at the center of our territory—all glass and steel and modern architecture that somehow still managed to feel powerful. 

Intimidating.

I’d been here countless times as a kid, running through the halls while Dad worked. But walking through the doors now, as an employee rather than a visitor, felt different.

The elevator ride to the top floor felt too short and too long at the same time. My palms were sweating. 

My heart was racing.

The doors opened with a soft chime.

Gabriel’s office was at the end of a long hallway, glass-walled so he could see out to the rest of the floor and the door was open.

I stepped inside, professional greeting already forming on my lips, and froze immediately at the sight that greeted me.

Gabriel was at his desk.

And there was a woman in his lap.

Actually straddling him and her white shirt was unbuttoned as they kissed hungrily.