Chapter 4: No Choice

Katlyn 

I practically fell through the front door, my four-inch heels clutched in one trembling hand as I leaned against the mahogany wood to catch my breath. My lungs burned, and my heart felt like it was trying to kick its way out of my ribs.

This isn't real, I chanted to myself, my mind spinning in a dark, frantic circle. I fainted. I had to have fainted in the elevator. I  must have hit my head, or I'm having a severe panic attack and hallucinating.

 There was no way a human being—no matter how powerful or wealthy—could change like that. There was no way teeth could cut that deep. I was an author; I spent hours creating monsters on paper, and my overworked brain had finally snapped and thrown me into one of my own drafts. That had to be it. It was the only logical explanation.

The house was quiet, the warm scent of Nana’s cinnamon tea lingering in the air.

"Katlyn? Is that you, sunshine?" Nana’s voice drifted from the kitchen.

I stiffened, pressing a hand over the throbbing heat in my neck. The skin felt hot, swollen, and undeniably real, making a shudder rip through my spine. I swallowed hard, trying to force my voice to sound normal. "Yeah, Nana! Just me. I'm... I'm heading straight to bed. Long day.”

"Did you see Rowan? He came by looking for you earlier. He looked a bit troubled, dear."

My heart sank into the soles of my feet. I glanced at the grandfather clock in the room. 10:30 PM. I was two hours late for the anniversary dinner I had promised on my life to attend. But I couldn't go out now. Not looking like this—shaken, disheveled, and carrying a phantom warmth in my blood that terrified me.

"I'll call him Nana. Goodnight!" I bolted up the stairs before she could ask another question.

Once inside my room, I locked the door with a sharp click and collapsed onto the bed. I crawled toward the headboard, dragging a pillow over my face to muffle the sob that tore out of me.

My mind was a chaotic battleground. I was terrified of whatever nightmare had happened in that penthouse.

What is he? 

What was that... A violent shudder ripped through my spine at the remembrance of his eyes, the way they had cycled through those terrifying colors, and how he had cornered me. How he had bitten me. And how…

I paused, my breath catching in my throat. I had been terrified. I had been losing my mind. But then that feeling... that climax. 

Had I... had I actually enjoyed it?

The thought alone made my stomach churn with a sickening mix of shame and horror.

Fuck no!

I scrambled off the bed, my heart hammering against my ribs as I dashed into the bathroom. My hands shook violently as I unzipped my dress, letting the fabric pool at my ankles. I stepped out of it, my fingers trembling as I slid my hand beneath the waistband of my underwear, checking.

My breath completely left my lungs.

The fabric was damp. Traitorously, undeniably soaked.

I stared down at the evidence, the cold, stark reality of what had happened hitting me like a physical blow to the chest.

 It wasn't a hallucination. I hadn't fainted. A silent, horrified scream tore from my throat, and I slapped both hands over my mouth to smother the sound, hot tears finally spilling over my cheeks. I had climaxed—for the very first time in my life, from just the bite of a monster.

I forced myself to look up, staring at my pale, wild-eyed reflection in the mirror and the angry, throbbing mark bleeding through on my neck.

No. This cannot be happening. Desperate to get clean, I ripped the rest of my clothes off and stepped into the shower, turning the dial until the water was blindingly hot. I grabbed the loofah and began bathing myself with frantic, aggressive strokes. I scrubbed my skin raw, desperate to wash away the heavy scent of cedarwood and rain, desperate to scrub away the memory of his touch and the disgusting way my own body had betrayed me.

As the water poured over my face, mixing with my tears, my thoughts spiraled to Rowan. What was I going to say to him? How was I supposed to look into the eyes of a normal, good man after what I just discovered on my own skin? My mind raced, trying to figure out how I would stop going to the job, how I would write my resignation, and how I would ensure I never stepped foot near that building again.

I washed harder . The mark on my neck  pulsed. Even as fear coaxed my body into a defensive curl, I found myself, to my absolute horror, craving the scent of him again.

I must be insane. 

***

Laughter woke me up.

I blinked against the darkness, my throat feeling like I’d swallowed sandpaper. I’d been dreaming of him—vivid, dark dreams where his hands caged me against the office glass while the city lights blurred behind us. Every time his phantom breath touched my skin in the dream, my body had arched toward him, fighting the very terror that made me want to flee.

I sat up, checking the time. 11:20 PM. There was no water on my nightstand, and the thirst was becoming unbearable. I reached for my phone, and my stomach twisted at the sight of fifty missed calls and a string of texts.

One stood out, dated twenty minutes ago.

Rowan: I came over to find out what happened and Nana told me you left hours ago to meet me. We’re over, Katlyn. I can't deal with the lies and the excuses anymore. Five years, and I’m still competing with your boss’s schedule. Don't bother calling.

A low groan escaped my lips as a dull, sickening pain throbbed in my chest. Tears blurred my eyes as reality crashed down. Rowan was gone. The man who had held my hand through Dad’s grueling surgery bills, the one who brought me groceries when Nana was too weak to cook, the only piece of a steady, beautiful, normal life I had left to hold onto—gone over a text message.

 And the worst part? I couldn't even tell him he was wrong. Lukas had systematically ruined the one safe haven I possessed.

I dropped the phone, my lips feeling parched and dry. Anger flared through my grief, hot and sharp. I didn't want to see anyone, but I was dying of thirst. I grabbed a silk scarf, winding it carefully around my neck to hide the raw place on my skin, and headed downstairs.

As I reached the landing, a familiar scent hit me. It was woodsmoke and mountain air, the exact same scent from the penthouse office. My blood ran cold, a wave of intense fear washing over me, closely followed by a bizarre, magnetic pull that made me want to step closer.

I’m hallucinating again. The grief is making me lose my mind.

I headed toward the kitchen, but stopped mid-step at a voice that definitely wasn't a product of my imagination.

"Really? Katlyn did that when she was little?”

I rounded the corner, and the world seemed to tilt. Sitting at our small dining table, looking perfectly handsome and deceptively innocent in a fresh navy suit, was my boss.

He looked up, his grey eyes gleaming with a dark, intense focus that pinned me to the spot.

"Oh, hi, Assistant."

I stood frozen, my hand gripping the doorframe as I stared at him in utter shock. My grandma noticed me first.

"Katlyn! Don't just stand there being disrespectful," Nana scolded, though her eyes were bright with excitement. "How clumsy could you be to leave your bag at the office? Your very generous boss brought it back to you personally.”

Generous?

The word felt like a slap. There was no generosity in this visit; this was an invasion. He was stepping into my sanctuary, wearing his perfect billionaire mask to charm the people I loved most, while the hidden mark under my scarf still burned.

"Katlyn?" My father looked at me, his brow furrowed with confusion at my pale face.

Before my mother could chime in, Lukas stood up, the sheer size of him making our small living room feel like a dollhouse.

"She must be stunned to see me here," he said, his voice a smooth, velvet lie. "I'm sorry I came unannounced. I was just eager to meet the family behind my most hardworking assistant. But I should be going. Katlyn, can you walk me out?”

It wasn't a request, and I knew it. My independence screamed at me to refuse, to demand he leave my house, but the sheer danger radiating from him made me nod.

Outside, the cool night air did nothing to stop the sweat pooling at the back of my neck. I stayed a good five feet away from him as we reached his sleek black sedan.

"What do you want?" I hissed, my voice trembling with a volatile mix of fear and white-hot anger. "Why are you at my house? I didn't tell them anything, Mr. Hart. I swear. Just... leave them out of this. I'll take them and leave the country. Just leave my family alone.”

Lukas smiled, a slow, dark expression that didn't reach his eyes. "What are you hinting at, Katlyn? I’m simply returning a lost item.”

"I'm resigning," I snapped, the words feeling like my only shield. "Consider this my notice, sir. I will leave, I promise.”

He tilted his head, his gaze dropping significantly to the scarf wrapped around my neck. "Fine. But I'll only accept a formal, signed resignation if you submit it to me singlehandedly. In my office. Tomorrow morning.”