But my wolf was roaring, screaming, frantically struggling to burst free.
I whirled, scanning the crowd desperately.
Then I saw—
That face.
My legs moved without permission, shouldering through the throng toward her. People parted in surprise, but I didn't care aboutdecorum, about appearances—my stride quickened to nearly a run, I just needed, I just needed...
I had to know.
I had to be certain.
"Layla—" Her name tore from my throat, voice ragged.
The woman turned, met my gaze.
And I saw her eyes.
Not amber.
Blue.
Cold, unfamiliar blue.
"Sir," she said with a polite, distant smile. "You're mistaken. I'm Ella Ross."
Chapter Five
Layla
"Miss Ella, what do you think of this design?"
Mrs. Harris's expectant voice pulled me back from wherever my mind had wandered. I blinked, refocusing on the sketches spread before me.
"My apologies." I kept my smile professional. "I think we could soften the lines here. See..."
I picked up a pencil and traced light strokes across the paper. Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, the Baltimore sunset bled gold and crimson across the sky, light spilling through the glass onto my worktable and making the jewelry designs seem to glow.
This was my studio. Ella Ross Jewelry Studio.
Awards lined the walls—"Emerging Designer of the Year," "Baltimore Arts Prize," "International Jewelry Design Gold Medal." Photos with celebrities in elegant frames. In the display case sat my most prized piece: Into the Blue.
Everyone said Ella Ross was a genius. A miracle who'd clawed her way up from nothing.
No one knew that seven years ago, she'd jumped off a cliff looking for an escape.
"Perfect!" Mrs. Harris clapped her hands. "Let's go with this! Miss Ella, you're a genius!"
"You're too kind." I smiled, carefully filing the sketches away. "You'll have the finished piece in two weeks."
After Mrs. Harris left, I leaned back in my chair, gazing out at the bustling harbor.
Baltimore. This port city had taken me in. Given me a second life.
Seven years ago, that night, the freezing ocean had swallowed me whole. I'd thought I would die. Thought it would all be over.
But fate had other plans.
