This is fine. Everything is fine, I tell myself.
I take another drink.
Liar.
Chapter Seven
Kain
The office door shuts behind me more loudly than I intend, the sound echoing in the empty space.
It’s still fairly early this morning, but I may as well have been working for hours given how heavy my eyes feel. The chair creaks when I drop into it, my fingers pinching the bridge of my nose as I exhale slowly through clenched teeth. Rest was impossible over the weekend, thoughts of her lingering in my mind like smoke I couldn’t clear no matter how hard I tried.
The fierceness in her eyes when she looked at me in the parking lot had me worried that she might have figured out it was me who’d messed with her car. I don’t even know why I did it; I guess I had to do something, anything to get close to her. Every cell in my body demanded it with a desperation that bordered on madness.
And then, she was in my car, sitting so close I could count her breaths. She wouldn’t look at me, completely oblivious to how much her mere presence was driving my wolf wild.
My hand clenches my thigh with the same force it did the steering wheel when her scent was fraying the edges of mycontrol, when every instinct screamed at me to pull over and claim her mouth the way I’ve been dreaming about for weeks.
Two knocks sound on my door, snapping me out of my thoughts.
I clear my throat and force my hand to relax. “Come in.”
The door swings open, and Anderson—the assistant assigned to me when I took this position—steps through, looking far too awake and chipper for this hour.
“Good morning, boss. I got your message over the weekend. You said you wanted to see me first thing on Monday?”
I nod, straightening up in my chair as I pull my professional mask back into place. “Yes. I need an up-to-date schedule for the Alpha and the Luna. We need to be brought up to speed on all their planned movements, the security detail attached to them, everything.”
Anderson’s eyebrows lift slightly, and he chuckles, the sound nervous and uncertain. “Usually, their personal security is handled by the Alpha’s Guard, sir. The security department here at HQ lets them handle it. That’s how it’s always been done.”
I fix him with a look. “That’s about to change.”
His smile fades. “Sir?”
“I intend to have our department more involved in protecting our Alpha and Luna. I think we can improve their overall security through better coordination.” The lie flows smoothly, wrapped in enough logic that it sounds reasonable. “We should be working with the Alpha’s Guard, not leaving everything to them.”
“I understand.” Anderson nods quickly, already pulling out his phone to make notes. “I’ll get in contact with the head of the Alpha’s Guard and request the information you need.”
“Good. The sooner the better.”
He leaves, the door clicking shut behind him, and I lean back in my chair, drumming my fingers on the desk.
I need to move faster and find a way to isolate the hybrid soon. Since my arrival, Violet has appeared at headquarters only a handful of times, and from the intel I’ve been able to gather, she’s been spending most of her time in diplomatic meetings. I need to start narrowing down her whereabouts, find patterns, and exploit any gaps.
The morning crawls past. I force myself to read through reports and emails that all blur together into meaningless noise. My mind keeps drifting, keeps circling back to Anne in my car, the set of her jaw, the way she refused to even make eye contact with me.
Another knock. I glance at the clock, surprised to see three hours have passed. “Come in.”
Anderson enters again with a tablet in hand, looking pleased with himself. “I contacted the head of the Alpha’s Guard like you asked. He said they’d be happy to collaborate with us to provide the best security possible for Alpha Darius and Luna Violet.” He swipes across his screen, reading. “They sent over a schedule containing transport details and planned movements. It also includes their security rotations and other information we may need. Though they did note that it is all subject to change since both the Alpha’s and the Luna’s plans may be altered at any moment.”
“Have you sent it to me?”
“Emailed to you a couple minutes ago, boss. Should be there now.”
“Good job, Anderson.”
He leaves, and I immediately pull up my inbox and download the file. The document opens across my screen, dense with information, including color-coded schedules and maps as well as security protocols.
