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Chapter 2: Resignation in disguise of Promotion
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2025-12-03 20:56:35Rian’s hand shot forward.It moved fast.
His fingers slammed into the solid marble statue beside me.The entire structure exploded into white dust.
I am dead.
This is the end.
I froze.
The sound rang in my bones.Shards scattered across the polished floor.Rian’s breath came harsh.His amber eyes were feral.
Instinct took over.
Nine years of survival pushed me.
I dropped low.I spun away.My knees shook.Survival.
Just survive.
My feet carried me toward the door.
“Stop.”
His voice was a low, fractured snarl.
I did not stop.I yanked the door open.I stumbled into the silent reception area.
Get out.
Get safe.
He is a killer.
“Miss Kim.”
Rian’s marble-crushing hand shot toward my space.
The air left my lungs in a sharp gasp.
I am dead.
He is a monster.
Nine years of avoiding his explosions saved me.
I dropped low again.I spun on my heel.His fingers slammed onto the desk corner.They missed me.The wood shrieked.The air smelled thick with ozone.
“Stop,” Rian commanded.
The feral layering was gone.His voice was inhumanly loud.I scrambled for the mahogany door.I yanked it open.I stumbled into the reception area.
Get out.
Get safe.
“Miss Kim!”
Rian’s voice followed me.It was sharp.It was terrifyingly corporate.The transition was swift.
I stopped.I trembled.I pressed my back against the cool wall.
Rian Thorne stood framed in the doorway.He was composed.The amber glow was gone.His eyes were cool, icy brown.
Only sweat and the torn suit shoulder remained.
He projected immense pride in his self-control.
“Close the door, Miss Kim,” he instructed.
His voice sliced through the thick air.“The office requires discretion.”I stared at the marble dust.
“The st-statue,” I whispered.
How can he lie after that?
Rian dismissed the carnage.
“The pedestal was structurally compromised. We call maintenance. Collect the financial portfolio, Miss Kim.”
He denied everything.He created the lie instantly.He expected my return to compliance.
I took a shaky step back.
“I am leaving, Sir. That was not structural failure. You shattered solid marble.”
Rian took a slow step toward me.
“You are exhausted, Elara. Stress causes distortions.”
He tries to make me look crazy.
“If you repeat this claim, I will assume you suffer a psychological break. I mandate immediate, public medical leave.”
“You physically threatened me. I report the destruction.”
Rian stopped.
His icy calm was absolute.
“Any claim of unstable behavior voids your separation agreement. You forfeit your entire severance package. I make certain of that, Elara. You know I have the power.”
I am trapped.
He wins.
“What d-do you want from me?” I asked.
Defeat rasped in my throat.
Rian smiled.
A thin, cruel curve.
“I want what I have. You. But in a capacity that acknowledges your irreplaceable value to me.”
He strode back into the office.
“Come in. We move past this pointless attempt at leaving.”
I followed.I closed the heavy door.I need to know his next move.I need to survive this cage.He slid a document across the desk.
Chief Executive Administrative Officer.
A gilded title.
He thinks a title makes up for nine years of my lost life.
“That title means nothing functionally,” I stated.
“It means everything financially. Generous stock options. An unlimited corporate credit line. You stop commuting. The Executive Wing on the 65th floor includes a private residential suite. You move into that suite immediately.”
A gilded cage.
He wants me captive.
Cold fear washed over me.
“You are trying to buy my freedom. I am not for sale.”
“It is not optional, Chief Executive Administrative Officer Kim. The position requires maximum proximity. You must be on-site.”
He hit the intercom.
“Security, transfer the access codes for Executive Suite 65-A to Miss Kim’s keycard. She moves in tonight. Have her personal effects moved from her current residence by 6 PM. Discreetly.”
My breath caught.
My voice was thin.
“You cannot arrange the moving of my property! That is an invasion of privacy! A legal violation!”
He is stealing my life.
“Get the Q4 report prepared, Miss Kim,” Rian ordered.
The discussion ended.
I was defeated.I was not broken.I collected the financial portfolio.I palmed a small marble shard.
Sharp.White.Undeniable proof.Evidence.
I need evidence he cannot lie away.I returned to my desk.I ran my fingers under the edge.
I found three tiny, parallel scratches deep in the mahogany.
He did this when he was angry before.This is his pattern.
At 4 PM, I took the elevator to the 65th floor.Suite 65-A was enormous.
“A cage designed for a queen,” I muttered.
I moved into the main bedroom.I tossed my purse onto the nightstand.I noticed a small, recessed panel.It was locked.I used the keycard Rian provided.
The panel clicked open.
It revealed a single, thick, leather-bound journal.
No title.
Why would Rian leave this here?
I opened it to a random page.
The handwriting was aggressive.
Rian’s.
The date was exactly nine years ago.
The entry read:
“…The control is failing again. The scent is overwhelming. I almost lost it on the 55th floor. I need it contained. Thorne Sr. always warned me about the first Change. The hunger. The feral need. She is the only thing that filters the noise. She must stay close. She is the anchor.”
My breath seized.
Thorne Sr.?
Hunger?
She is the anchor.
This was not corporate malice.This was a terrifying confession.
A secret life tied directly to my existence.
Suddenly, a loud, heavy, shuddering THUMP vibrated through the dense steel wall.
The sound came from Rian Thorne’s private suite.
It was followed by desperate, controlled panting.
He is struggling.
He is right next door.
The noise intensified.Tearing wood.Grinding metal.The final, sickening crack split the air.
A jagged gash ripped through the heavy drywall.
Through the opening, something huge, dark, and bristling with coarse fur slammed against the edge.
I screamed.
A thin, terrified sound.
The sound that followed was a guttural, primal ROAR.
Immediately, the heavy scent of wet earth and untamed beast rushed through the hole.
A massive, black-furred paw, tipped with claws the size of kitchen knives, shot through the opening.
It scraped wildly against my floor.
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The Wolf behind the desk Chapter 27: The Shattered Gate
The boat hit the sand. The hull groaned. The wood screamed against the rocks. Rian jumped over the side. His boots splashed in the shallow water. He held his rifle. He held his focus. He looked for targets. The mist clung to his black gear. The salt spray covered his face. He looked for the enemy.The fusion pulse beat in my head. Rian wanted my energy. He reached for my core. He pulled. He wanted the shift. He used the bond as a straw. He wanted to become the wolf. I felt the hunger. I felt the teeth. The sensation lived in my marrow.I did not give him the fire. I closed the door. I built the wall of ice in my mind. Rian stumbled in the water. He turned his head. His eyes looked gold. The gold ring flared. He felt the loss of the link. The Alpha felt the vacuum. He stood in the surf. The waves hit his knees.The silver units stood at the gate. The units wore gray armor. The units held rifles. The units fired. The bullets hissed in the air. The lead hit the water. The water splashed.
The Wolf behind the desk Chapter 26: The Shadow of the Coast
The forest felt different now. The pines stood tall. The needles felt sharp against my skin. The world carried a weight. The fusion pulse beat in my skull. I felt Rian moving through the brush. I felt his muscles stretch. I felt the ache in his bitten arm. The sensation felt like a phantom limb. I occupied his body. He occupied mine.We moved toward the sunrise. The light looked gray. The mist hung in the valleys. Rian did not speak. He did not need speech. His thoughts arrived in my mind like stones falling into a pond. He felt the cold. He felt the hunger. He felt the need for the throne.The throne felt like a physical object in my brain. Rian saw the gold. He saw the stone. He saw the city. I felt the weight of his ambition. This ambition felt heavy. This ambition felt suffocating. I wanted to push the thought out. I wanted to find a corner of my mind for myself.The cave felt like a distant memory. The intimacy felt like a dream. I thought about the sex. I thought about the touch
The Wolf behind the desk Chapter 25: The Fusion
I woke to the sound of the fire. The logs hissed. The orange light danced on the cave ceiling. The paralysis was gone. My fingers felt warm. My toes moved. The blood flowed through my veins without the sting of the bees. I felt my skin again. The cold of the stone floor pressed against my back. The heat of the flames hit my face.Rian sat by the fire. He was a shadow against the light. He held his knife. He sharpened the blade on a stone. The sound was rhythmic. Slide. Flip. Slide. He did not look at me. He knew I was awake. The bond pulsed between us. It was a low hum. It felt like a heavy wire vibrating in the wind.I sat up. My muscles felt stiff. They did not fail me. I leaned against the rock wall. I pulled the coat tight around my shoulders. The scent of woodsmoke and wolf clung to the wool. It was his scent. It filled my lungs.You are awake. Rian spoke without turning his head. The sound was a low rumble.I am awake. I said. My voice was clear. The croak was gone.How does the
The Wolf behind the desk Chapter 24: The Thaw
The cave felt like a mouth. It was deep. It was dry. The stone walls looked like jagged teeth. Rian led me into the shadows. He moved with a limp. His bitten arm hung at his side. The blood had stopped. The skin looked purple.He dropped his pack. The sound echoed. He looked at me. He did not speak. He began to gather dry wood. He found old pine branches in the back. He found dried moss. He built a small pile.He struck his lighter. The flame flickered. It caught the moss. The orange light grew. It pushed the darkness to the corners. The heat hit my face. My skin felt tight. The river water evaporated from my clothes. I started to shake.The cold was leaving. The pain was arriving.Rian watched me. He sat on a flat stone. He pulled his boots off. He poured the water out. He set the boots near the fire. He removed his soaked shirt. He wrung the fabric. The water hissed on the hot coals.The firelight showed his body. The bruises looked like ink. The scars on his chest looked like si
The Wolf behind the desk Chapter 23: The Siege
The howling outside moved closer. The sound felt thick. The noise vibrated in the floorboards beneath the bed. One wolf began the call. Eleven others answered. The pack formed a circle around the stone cabin. They knew the Alpha stayed inside. They knew the Vessel stayed with him.Rian ignored the noise. He focused on my face. He gripped my shoulders. His fingers dug into my skin. The pressure felt sharp. He shook me again.Wake up. He spoke the words into my ear. His breath felt hot. His voice sounded like gravel grinding. You need to move. You need to fight. Use the bond. Reach for me.I stared at his eyes. The gold light in his pupils flared. I screamed inside my head. My throat stayed closed. My lungs pulled air in short gasps. I felt the paralysis. The weight felt like lead. My mind pushed against the stone wall of my nerves. Nothing moved. My body stayed a statue.Rian let go. He stood up. He moved to the center of the room. He looked at the dead scouts. He reached down. He
The Wolf behind the desk Chapter 22: The Silent Scream
The carving on the wall terrified me.It sat in the corner. It was low on the baseboard. The fire flared. The mark flickered in sight. It was a crude circle with a slash through the middle. Someone etched it into the pale pine wood.The sap inside the groove was wet. It glistened like amber in the firelight.Someone had been here today.I lay on the rusted bed frame. I stared at the mark. My eyes burned. I needed to blink.Rian stood by the hearth. His back was to me. He had taken off his shirt. The firelight played over his bruises. They bloomed purple and black across his ribs. The bandage on his shoulder was soaked red.He stretched. The muscles coiled. He was healing. The power was knitting him back together.I lay here rotting.He turned around. He held a battered metal cup. Steam curled off the surface."Broth," he said. His voice sounded wrecked. "I found dried rations. It smells terrible. It is hot."He walked toward me. His boots were heavy on the floorboards. He did not l
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