Kain?!
Chapter Two
Kain
What the hell is she doing here?
The question slams through my head, pounding almost as hard as the blood rushing in my ears, as I stand beside Darius. He is still addressing the staff, wrapping up my introduction, but it’s hard to catch most of his words with the way this cursed white noise is ringing in my skull. It feels like an electric charge has suddenly zapped all the air from the room.
It doesn’t show in my posture; I’m self-aware enough to make sure of that. My spine stays straight, shoulders squared, eyes trained on the huddle of faces before me. But inside, my nerves are on fire.
My chest tightens as my eyes betray me. They’re drawn to her like moths to a flame. A flame whose beauty is so dramatically enhanced from the image of the girl etched in my memories. My heart quakes at the sight of her. She’s…different now. Time has changed her, allowed her to blossom in a way that makes my body surge with a desperate need to close the distance between us. But there’s also sadness in her eyes. A certain heaviness that draws a different desire from me: to soothe, to protect.
Before raw instinct overwhelms my better judgment, I tear my eyes away from her and force them straight ahead. But even as I do so, in my peripheral vision, I can make out her expression. Her lips are parted, and her eyes are wide in what I can tell is shock. She recognizes me. There’s no question about it.
Damn it. This wasn’t supposed to happen.
Darius turns to me as he finishes speaking, the sheer authority in his gaze pulling mine to him. He says nothing aloud, but the look on his face tells me he’s done and handing the floor to me.
I nod once. “Thank you, Alpha Darius.”
He returns the nod, then turns to leave. His footsteps are measured as he exits the conference room. The door shuts behind him with a soft click.
I turn back to the waiting, expectant eyes of the staff gathered in the room and clear my throat. “I’m glad to be part of the team. I’ll be getting to work immediately to ensure the safety and security of everyone here at HQ.”
I keep my gaze on no one in particular as I speak, but my entire body feels hyper aware of her.
It’s insane. It’s infuriating. This room is packed with people—dozens of overlapping scents, sounds, and presences, yet that sweet trace of vanilla and sunflowers completely drowns out everything else. It invades my senses so much that it settles heavily on my tongue. It thickens my throat and makes my Adam’s apple feel like I just swallowed a stone. The pull keeps tugging at me like a relentless magnet, fighting my resistance and urging my eyes toward her.
I don’t let it win. I root my stare firmly on the crowd. I don’t return the look I know she is giving me; I can feel her gaze burning through the space between us.
“I look forward to cooperating with you all. I’ve already begun reviewing the current security infrastructure. There will be some changes in the coming weeks, and I’ll keep you all informed as soon as I implement them.”
The words come out steadily at first, but as I speak, I start to hear my voice deepen and tighten. My wolf starts to stir restlessly within me. The vanilla and sunflowers are riling him up—riling me up—and a low growl etches itself into my tone. My hands ball up into fists, clenching hard as I keep them buried deep in my pockets.
I need to get out of here.
I wrap it up quickly and keep my words short. “I’ve already been shown my office, so I’ll be starting today. Thank you for the warm welcome. You may all resume your duties.”
Chair legs scrape as the people who were seated begin to stand, and the room fills with movement and low conversation. I turn toward the exit immediately, desperate to put distance between myself and this dangerous pull that’s reeling me in.
I make it exactly one step.
“Mr. Ashford, welcome aboard.”
A hand appears in front of me. I stop, force my shoulders to relax, and look up with a polite smile. I shake the man’s hand, keeping it brief.
“Thank you,” I say.
I take another step toward freedom, but someone else reaches me first.
“Glad to have you with us, Mr. Ashford.”
Another handshake. Another nod. Another smile. “Appreciate it.”
I try to leave again, but they don’t stop coming: department heads, managers, everyone in the room. Everyone except her. She doesn’t move.
I don’t look at her. I don’t dare to. But I know exactly where Anne is: still standing in the middle of the room, still perfectly motionless. My awareness catches more than a faint impression of her, including the way her whole body seems frozen in place and how her eyes haven’t left me for a single second since I walked in here.
