“Look at her, Adrian.” Derek gestured towards the operations center. “She’s in her element. She has purpose here, a team that respects her, work that challenges her. What does the compound offer? Pine trees and suspicious Elders?”
“Are you going to fire her?” he demanded.
“What? Of course not. But even after we build out the infrastructure there, it won’t compare to this.”
He winced, knowing his brother was right.
“She wants to belong somewhere,” he said defensively. “She told me herself—she’s been looking for a home her whole life.”
“Wanting to belong and actually belonging are different things.” Derek’s voice softened. “I’m not saying she won’t choose you. I’m saying you need to think about what you’re asking her to give up.”
His grip on his coffee cup tightened until the cardboard buckled. He didn’t want to hear this. Didn’t want to examine the fear that had been gnawing at him since he’d watched her slip into work mode in the truck.
She’d vanished so completely. So easily. Like she could survive perfectly well without him, lost in the world of code and logic that he couldn’t follow.
“She chose me.”
“Did she choose you, or did she choose not to be alone anymore?” Derek asked quietly. “Because those aren’t always the same thing either.”
Before he could respond—or throw his coffee at his brother’s head—a commotion at the far end of the room drew his attention.
“We’ve got them!” Harper’s voice rang out triumphantly. “The attack’s origin point—it’s bouncing through six different proxy servers, but I’ve traced it back to a data center in Eastern Europe. They’re withdrawing!”
The room erupted in cheers. Technicians high-fived each other. Someone popped open a bottle of champagne that had apparently been waiting for this moment.
She stood in the center of it all, awkwardly accepting congratulations. Her cheeks were flushed, her glasses slightly askew, and she looked exhausted and exhilarated all at once. She caught his eye across the room, and her smile softened into something meant only for him.
Ours,his wolf growled with fierce satisfaction.
But Derek’s words lingered like poison.What are you asking her to give up?
He pushed off from the wall and moved through the crowd towards her. People parted for him instinctively—even in a room full of humans, his Alpha presence commanded respect.
“You did it.”
“We did it.” She gestured at the team around her. “I couldn’t have managed without?—”
“Take the credit.” He reached out to tuck a strand of pink hair behind her ear. “You earned it.”
Her blush deepened. “It’s not over yet. I need to analyze the attack data, figure out why they targeted us specifically, determine if there are any secondary?—”
“Harper.”
“—vulnerabilities they might have planted during the assault, and cross-reference the signatures with the pack’s system logs to confirm the connection?—”
“Harper.”
She blinked, seeming to realize she’d started rambling. “Sorry. I just… there’s still so much to do.”
“It’s nearly five in the morning.”
“So?” She turned back towards her workstation. “I’ve pulled plenty of all-nighters before. This is important.”
“What’s important is that you’re about to collapse.”
“I’m fine.”
He studied her more closely. Dark circles under her eyes. A slight tremor in her hands when she reached for her keyboard. The too-bright edge to her smile that spoke of adrenaline crash barely held at bay.
