LOGINSalome’s POV
“Make sure you get every bit of evidence on that phone,” I whispered.
My voice felt like sandpaper. I reached out to steady myself, but the world was already tilting. Before Clementine could reply, her hand flew to her forehead. Her phone slipped from her grip and clattered against the patio stones. She crumpled forward, her knees hitting the ground before she went completely limp.
Richard moved to catch her, but his eyes rolled back in his
Salome’s POV"Are you certain we shouldn't be more concerned about Mrs. Vane?" I asked, my voice barely audible over the clatter of silverware.Clementine looked up from her plate, her brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"I chewed the inside of my lip. My thoughts had been spiraling since we sat down. We were so caught up in the threat Portia posed, but her mother was a different kind of monster. Mrs. Vane protected her daughter with a blind, dangerous loyalty. She had the connections and the lack of conscience to keep Portia from facing any real consequences. If she was willing to gamble the safety of everyone around us to keep her daughter close, she was the true wildfire."Caspian is putting all his weight behind keeping his mother out of trouble," I continued, meeting Clementine’s gaze. "That means he has fewer resources to spare for Portia. But if he succeeds in clearing his mother, he is just freeing up another powerful person who wants us gone."Clementine let out a long breath,
“You knew exactly what you were doing when you pulled out that chair, didn’t you?” I whispered, fixing Clementine with a sharp look.Clementine just blinked, her expression a mask of manufactured innocence as she slid into her own seat. Beside me, the space felt too small. I had spent the last twenty minutes hiding in the kitchen, scrubbing pans that were already clean, just to avoid sitting next to Jeremiah. Now, trapped between him and the end of the table, my skin hummed. I could feel the heat radiating from his shoulder, a physical weight that made my pulse jump.I kept my eyes locked on the table. Beside me, Jeremiah remained silent. He didn’t reach out, didn’t brush against me, and didn’t use that nickname that had set my nerves on fire in the car. Maybe he was finally reading the room. I focused on the steam rising from the lobster mashed potatoes, grateful for the distraction as everyone began to serve themselves.“So,” Clementine said, her voice cutting through the clatter of
Salome’s POV“Are you actually going to stand by and let him say that to me?”The question hung in the air like a sudden drop in pressure. The kitchen went deathly quiet. Clementine froze, her paring knife hovering an inch above a potato. Benedict, who had been pouring red wine into a carafe, let the liquid spill over the rim and pool onto the granite countertop. Richard’s hand jerked, his kitchen knife grazing the cutting board with a sharp, metallic screech. Across the island, Aiden stared at me. His eyes were wide, his jaw slack, as if I had just confessed to a terminal illness.Nobody moved. Nobody breathed. The silence stretched until my skin started to crawl.I forced a brittle laugh, slapping Jeremiah on the bicep. My palm felt the hard muscle beneath his shirt, rigid as a plank. “He’s just winding us up,” I announced, my voice a pitch too high. “Jeremiah likes to play these little mind games after hours. Says it keeps everyone on their toes.”Clementine blinked, her composure
Salome’s POV“You really think you can just show up everywhere I go without someone noticing the pattern?”Benedict leaned against her car door, her grin sharp enough to cut through the parking lot gloom. My pulse spiked. I gripped my keys until the plastic bit into my palm. Did she know? If she had caught wind of Jeremiah and me, my career was effectively dead in the water.“You’re talking nonsense,” I said. My voice was a little too high. I cleared my throat and forced a laugh. “Go home. Sleep off those drinks you had at lunch. And you’re welcome for the cover-up. Jeremiah didn’t suspect a thing.”Benedict blew a playful kiss my way and slid into her driver’s seat. I didn’t wait to watch her pull away. As soon as I was in my own car, the exhaustion hit me. Every muscle in my back felt like it had been tied in knots. I thought about canceling dinner with Clementine. It would be so easy to just drive home, crawl into bed, and stare at the ceiling. But the thought of a quiet, empty apa
Salome’s POV"Why are you so quiet today, did the workload finally break you?"I looked up from my laptop, my neck stiff from hours of hunching over the desk. I forced a small smile at the empty chair next to me where Benedict usually sat. She had been absent all day, leaving me to scramble through a double load of tasks. The morning haze of exhaustion had settled deep into my bones, making every keystroke feel like a monumental effort. I pushed forward anyway. I had a rhythm to maintain, and the pile of files on my desk was not going to clear itself.By mid-afternoon, the office felt strangely cavernous. I checked on Jeremiah, finding him deep in a conference with his team. He looked focused, his brow furrowed as he scanned a set of blueprints. I didn't want to break his concentration, so I quietly set a cup of hot green tea on the corner of his desk. He glanced up, gave me a brief, tight nod, and turned back to his conversation. I retreated to my station, grateful for the silence.T
Salome’s POV“We need a hard line here, Jeremiah, or this ends right now,” I said, my voice shaking just enough to betray my resolve.Jeremiah glanced toward the break room door, checked the hallway, and then turned his focus back to me. He stepped into my space, his movements deliberate. He leaned in and brushed his lips against mine. The contact was brief, but my pulse spiked, drumming a frantic rhythm against my ribs.He pulled back, though not far enough to give me any real breathing room. His warmth radiated off him, fogging my thoughts. “I am not a patient man, Salome. You know that.”I took a shaky breath, trying to steady my hands. “I need two months. To adjust. To figure out how to exist in this new reality with you.”He studied my face, his head tilted slightly to the side. The intensity in his gaze made my stomach flip. “Two months. I can manage that.”A grin pulled at my mouth. I felt a sudden surge of confidence, bolstered by the fact that he was actually listening. I dec
Salome’s POVThe heavy, metallic scent of cedar and cold rain hit me before I even turned around. I knew that smell. It belonged to the man who was currently ruining my life."You really don't know when to stay away, do you?" Barnabas’s voice was a low growl behind me.I didn't give him the satisfac
Salome’s POV"You look like you're drowning in paperwork, Barnabas," I said, my voice as smooth as the polished mahogany of his desk.I didn't wait for an invitation. I just walked in. The door clicked shut, sealing us in the quiet of the Alpha’s office. I kept my face neutral, a perfect mask of the
Clementine’s POV“I love Salome,” Barnabas said.The words hung in the air like a bad joke. He whispered them as if they were a holy confession, his voice cracking just enough to make me want to gag. I stared at him, my hands tightening into fists at my sides. I th
Salome’s POV“Is that the Vane girl, the one sitting so close to Barnabas?” I asked, though I already knew the answer.Portia Vane didn’t try to hide. She was the daughter of a powerful Alpha, and she carried herself like she owned the pavement beneath her designer boots. Across the parking lot, her







