She said it, though. Twisted her wrist free with a move I didn’t know she possessed and walked away like I mean nothing.
Like we mean nothing.
I force my attention back to the present, to the woman sitting at her desk who looks nothing like the girl I remember.
That girl was shy. Reserved. She kept her head down during pack gatherings, spoke in soft whispers when addressed directly, flinched whenever her mother’s sharp gaze landed on her. She was sweet in a way that made me want to protect her, to shield her from the cruelty of our world.
This woman is different.
Quiet, yes. But there’s steel beneath the silence now. An inner strength that radiates from her even when she’s sitting perfectly still.
I saw it yesterday morning.
I was heading down for coffee when I heard voices raised in the kitchen. Ordinarily, I’d ignore it, but something made me pause outside the door.
It was Violet, her tone cold and controlled. “Say it again. To my face this time.”
Then, the sound of an object clattering to the floor, followed by a gasp of pain.
I stepped closer and peered through the crack in the door just in time to see Violet twist the head cook’s arm. The older woman’s face went pale, her eyes wide with shock and pain.
“Since you have so many opinions, let’s go discuss them in front of the Alpha.”
The ice in her voice sent a shiver down my spine. This wasn’t the timid girl who used to apologize for existing. This was someone who knew exactly what she was doing and didn’thesitate to do it.
I watched her maintain that joint lock without flinching, forcing the cook toward the door while James scrambled to intervene. I watched Violet refuse to back down even when Susan started crying, even when she begged.
“I may be weak, but I’m not going to let anyone walk all over me.”
She released the cook only after making her point crystal clear. Then, she asked for breakfast as if nothing had happened, her tone perfectly calm.
I’d barely managed to step back before she walked out of the kitchen and nearly crashed into me.
The look in her eyes when she saw me standing there told me I was just another obstacle in her path. Another person she had to navigate around.
“I don’t remember you being this person.”
The words slipped out before I could stop them.
“And? Did you prefer me when I cried and whimpered?”
That bitter smile. That cutting retort. Every word was designed to push me away, to maintain the distance she’d already established between us.
I can’t reconcile this woman with the girl I knew. Can’t match this quiet strength with the shy teenager who used to light up whenever I treated her nicely.
A slight movement pulls me from my thoughts.
Violet is talking to Sarah, one of the senior analysts. Sarah hands her a stack of files, then gestures to something on her computer screen. Violet nods and asks a question I can’t hear from here. Sarah responds, and Violet makes a note on her pad.
She’s picking things up quickly. Altogether too quickly for someone who supposedly has no experience in this field.
On my laptop, I tap a few keys, and then I observe as Violet pulls up a territorial dispute file, cross-references it with three different alliance agreements, and pinpoints the exact clause that resolves the conflict. It takes her four minutes. It would’ve taken most analysts an hour.
My ribs constrict with approval. Satisfaction. The pride of watching my mate excel.
I expected her to struggle. Thought I would have to step in and help her navigate the complexities of supernatural politics and corporate procedures. Predicted that she would need me, even if she didn’t want me.
But she doesn’t. She’s smart. Clever in ways I hadn’t anticipated. It has only been two days, and she has already found her footing, already proven she belongs in this division despite what I told my father. Despite what I told myself.
