He pulled his investments

Evelyn’s POV

I never thought silence could be so deafening.

The room was pitch-black, exactly as he had demanded, and yet every breath, every brush of his skin, every sound of the bed beneath us replayed like sweet music in my ears.

My body trembled—some from instinct, some from nerves, but mostly from the raw and primal touch of our bodies.

He had been gentle at first, almost too careful, but the moment my wolf took over, everything spiraled into a situation I could no longer control.

My form clung to him, to the heat and the strength pressing me down, and for a few intense hours, I let go of every wall I’d built around myself.

When it was over, I lay gasping in the dark, sweat cooling against my skin. It felt like taking a glass of cold water after miles of running in a hot desert.

His lips brushed my shoulder, teasing me for more. And then, his voice—low, and raspy.

“You… were untouched before this?” it came more of a statement than a question.

My body stiffened instantly.

“What?” I turned my head, though of course I couldn’t see him.

His low laugh brushed against my ear, rough, vibrating through me until I shivered. The sound alone made it impossible to ignore that we were still tangled together, his body moving with a slow rhythm.

“You’ve never been with anyone before,” he murmured, his voice threaded with an obvious satisfaction that made my skin burn hotter. “You are a virgin.”

Heat flooded my cheeks, not from shame, but from the infuriating way he said it — as if he had uncovered some rare hidden truth. The pleasure in his tone, the ease of his certainty, only made me more self-conscious, more aware of every sensation sparking between us.

“Doesn’t… make any difference,” I shot back, the words sharper than I intended, mostly to mask how his amusement and that dangerous, pleased tone unsettled me.

He chuckled softly, a sound that in a way, made my body tremble. “Well, for a first, you were pretty great.”

“Just…just stop it” I shot back, rolling away from him to pull the sheets tighter around myself. “It was a pure contractual thing, no need for any comments.”

For a long moment, he was quiet. Then I felt his hand slide across my waist, pulling me back against his chest, his lips grazing mine.

“Of course, contractual,” he murmured, voice like a promise, “let’s hope it stays as you have said forever.”

I ignored the shiver that raced down my spine. I ignored the ache deep inside me whispering that he might be right. Instead, I forced a laugh. “Exactly”

His chest rumbled with amusement, but he didn’t argue. Instead, he pressed a final kiss against my neck.

The next thing I remembered was fatigue and  sleep swallowing me whole.

When I woke, the room was empty.

I reached across the sheets—still warm in spots, cold in others—but he was gone. No note. No trace. Just the faintest trace of his scent lingering in the dark.

Good.

That’s what I wanted, wasn’t it? Anonymous, no strings. A transaction, not a relationship.

I pushed the thought aside as I slid out of bed, shaking off the last of the night’s memories. My legs ached faintly, a reminder of the intensity, but I squared my shoulders. I had no time to indulge in memory.

I had work.

When I got to the office, Alex was already pacing, looking like a man cracking under pressure. His expression, when he saw me, nearly drained the blood from my face before he even spoke.

“Miss Evelyn—”

“What happened?” I dropped my bag onto the desk, scanning the room.

He handed me a folder, his voice grim. “The funding… it’s collapsed. Overnight.”

My brows furrowed as I flipped through the papers, my chest tightening with each line of numbers. Red. Negative. Zero.

“What do you mean collapsed?” I demanded.

“Wyatt,” Alex said finally, his jaw clenched. “He pulled every investment out of the pack’s businesses. Not just money—he’s reclaimed the mining rights, too. Every vein, every site we were relying on… all gone.”

I froze.

The mines.

The mineral was more than profit—it was survival. Our pack needed it to process the suppressant for Mad Wolf Disease. Without it, the sickness would spread rapidly.

“Why now?” My voice came out quieter than I intended.

“I don’t know,” Alex snapped bitterly. “Maybe because it would hurt you? I know he knows exactly what he’s doing.”

I sank into my chair, fingers tightening around the folder. My pulse hammered in my ears.

If Wyatt’s withdrawal stood, my entire pack was finished. The disease had already claimed too many. Without new supplies, we wouldn’t make it through the year.

Alex’s eyes searched mine, full of worry. “What are we going to do, Evelyn?”

I exhaled slowly, trying to steady the frustration growing inside me.

“We don’t have the time to panic,” I said.

“Evelyn—”

“I’ll speak to him,” I cut in. “Face-to-face.”

Alex blinked. “You can’t be serious. After everything—I don’t think it’s the right move for you to—”

“I don’t care,” I said firmly, slamming the folder shut. “This isn’t about him or me anymore. This is about our people, our pack, the business. If I have to swallow my pride to save them, I will.”

He opened his mouth, closed it, then groaned in frustration. “Man, you are too stubborn.”

“Maybe,” I admitted. “But what have we left?”

I stood, straightening my jacket. “Call him. Tell him I want a meeting. Today.”

Alex hesitated, then nodded reluctantly. “As you wish.”

As he pulled out his phone, I turned toward the window, staring out at the scenery outside. My reflection stared back, composed on the surface, but inside, my wolf clawed against its cage.

Wyatt thought he could make me beg. And he was using anything and everything at his disposal.