Elliot's palm ran over my hair, and his voice was low and soft. I didn't move. "Okay, be a good girl."
That one touch, which was warm and coaxing, made my skin tingle, but not in the way it was intended to. Not like a friend's touch. No, this had nothing to do with love. Hayley thought it was power, manipulation, and the thrill of being chosen.
She gazed up at him with big eyes, like a puppy that wanted to be praised, and I could almost taste how happy she was from across the room. She took in his attention as it was moonlight on her fur—excited, ravenous, yet still careful. Hayley wasn't brave. She was calculated. She wasn't so beautiful that people turned their heads when she walked into a room. She relied on being nice. Soft. The kind of enthusiasm that made dominating wolves let their guard down.
She felt she had won. That I was going to be driven out of Bourgeois and she would finally be the Luna of this space, the one Elliot had chosen. You're an idiot.
The ambiance altered as soon as she left his office. When Elliot pushed the intercom, I felt the snap of power. His voice hissed into the speaker, "Anastasia." "Come to my office." Now.
I breathed out through my nose to calm the wrath that was building up in my chest. My wolf moved about under my skin in a way that made me feel uneasy. This was going to be horrible.
I nevertheless smoothed out my blazer, even though my heart was beating, and got into the elevator that took me to the eighth story. The ride was slow and made me feel like I was going to die. I straightened my shoulders and strode straight into the lion's lair as the doors opened.
He sat behind his desk like a real Alpha, with a stiff stance, an unreadable countenance, and waves of power coming off of him. The room felt heavy and stifling because of his aura.
"Tell me what's going on," he said, without taking his eyes off mine.
I didn't move. "Who is Hayley to you?"
He squinted his eyes. "Anastasia, have you forgotten where you are?" You work for me. And right now, you're the one who's wrong.
That was funny. I smiled bitterly with my lips. "You saw what happened. I hit her. What do you want me to explain, because I'm not denying it?
Elliot's jaw moved. "Was it because she came to talk bad about you?"
I turned my head. "It was personal. Just like her visit. I know I went too far when I hit her, but she deserved it.
His eyes got darker, and something moved behind them. I didn't know if it was worry, anger, or perplexity. Maybe all three. Maybe not at all.
He continued in a low voice, as if he were asking mercy, "I'll let it go this time if you admit you were wrong."
"Say it?" I laughed out loud. "You mean to beg Hayley?" "Sorry" to that sly little fox? I shook my head slowly. "No." That will never happen.
Elliot hit the desk with his hand. "This is an office, Anastasia. It's not a place for you to fight."
"I've had enough," I muttered coldly, pushing the words past the lump in my throat. "I'll quit."
As he rose up, his chair scratched against the floor. "Don't move, Anastasia."
I stopped moving but didn't turn around. I couldn't. I could fail if I gazed into those eyes—those awful eyes that still tormented my nightmares. But now that I knew the truth and realized who Hayley was to him, how could I look at him the same way?
Elliot, what a waste. All that power. So much promise. And you were loyal to someone like her.
"I'm not firing you," he added this time in a softer voice. "You can stay." But I want you to promise me that this won't happen again.
I turned slowly and steadily to meet his eyes. He leaned forward, his hands on the tabletop, and his Alpha presence crackled in the air like a live wire.
"I am warning you," I stated in a hushed but forceful voice. "Hayley isn't who she says she is." She isn't nice. She's poison wrapped in silk. One day you'll see it, and I hope you're not too deep when it does.
He didn't say anything. He just looked at me with a blank look on his face.
But I didn't need him to trust me just now.
I would protect myself, my job, and everything I've established here, even if it meant going against Hayley, Elliot, or the whole damn pack.
Because I wasn't a weakling anymore, I was playing dress-up in the human world.
I was a wolf. And I didn't give up.
I slammed the door to the office behind me, and the sound echoed through the air like a whip. My wolf was still moving around under my skin, half-crazed with the need to finish what I had started with Hayley. The slap I gave her was only a small part of what I planned to accomplish. Elliot was the only thing that prevented me from moving and ripping her throat out. For some stupid reason, a part of me still didn't want him to see that part of me. Not yet.
Earlier, Elliot had replied, "Well, you were the one who used violence today." His eyes were rigid and impenetrable.
I didn't bother to answer. He didn't know how much self-control it took for me not to do worse. I had no notion that my claws were about to come out and rip into her skin. But for his sake—and to keep my pride intact—I held back.
I walked back to my work, ignoring the whispers that swarmed around me like insects. My pack might have been loyal, but the people here? They were vultures wearing heels and suits. It was likely the same thinking that was going through all of their heads: How the hell did she get away with striking the Alpha's girlfriend?
Felicia didn't let me go. Not even a letter of warning. A long, angry glance and a closed door were all that was needed. That alone sent the whole office into a panic.
I was lost in thinking when a quiet knock brought me back to reality. Grace came in with a warm cup of coffee.
"Miss Tillman, are you sure you're alright?" she inquired gently, offering me the cup.
I grabbed it with a nod of thanks; the warmth made me feel safe. "I'm fine."
But I wasn't. My muse was gone, blasted to ashes by anger. I rubbed my temple after dropping my pencil.
"What are they talking about out there?" I asked in a quiet voice.
Grace was unsure. "You shouldn't worry about gossip—" "Tell me."
"They think you have someone strong looking out for you," she replied carefully. "Some people are even saying you're the Alpha's mistress." Hayley attacked you after she found out.
I laughed. I really did laugh. The foolishness of that made my stomach churn. Me? With Elliot? If only they understood how sickened I was at the thought of getting involved in that twisted affair. Hayley's boyfriend? I'd rather bite off my own foot.
Felicia brought me in for a lecture before I could say anything else. The whole "be professional with clients or leave" rhetoric. I nodded and didn't say anything. There was no reason to go into detail about the convoluted and bloody past I had with Hayley. Some wounds were designed to stay buried, like the one from five years ago that still hurt every time I closed my eyes.
My phone buzzed as I got back to my desk.
I said, "Hello?" hoping for something to take my mind off of things.
"You sound tired," Nigel said in a warm, teasing voice.
"I am," I said, leaning back in my chair. "When are you going to come back?"
"In a few days." But I have something that will make you feel better. This Saturday is the high-end jewelry fair. "I'm adding your name to the list of people who can come."
I blinked. "Really? You're not kidding?
"I wouldn't dare." I know how much you appreciate unique things. Is this fair? It has the best of the best. It starts at seven. Should end around nine. Do you think you can find someone to look after Jared?
I was excited and my heart raced. "Yes." I'll ask Grace or my dad. "I'm not going to miss this."
"Okay. And when I get back, I'll pay for dinner.
I smiled and said, "You've got yourself a deal."
I remained there for a time, still smiling as Nigel's voice drifted away. When things got dark, most people had someone who was meant to walk with them. Nigel was the one for me. Not in the primitive, blood-bonded way, he wasn't a friend. But he was a good person. Steady. My secure space.
In two nights. Saturday.
I was already imagining the sparkling displays and the smell of old metal and unusual stones. For a little while, I could pretend I wasn't fighting my way through pack politics and broken pasts.
Hayley was sitting on a velvet couch in a mansion that smelled of money and coldness somewhere in the city. She pushed an ice pack on her cheek, which was red and puffy.
That sad bitch. She put her hand on my face. My face.
The rage in her eyes was worse than the bruises on her skin. There was no way she was going to let this go. Not after Anastasia made her seem bad. She grabbed her iPad and started reading through the latest celebrity gossip to take her mind off things.
That's when she spotted it: a shiny picture of a famous woman flashing an invitation to the same fancy jewelry show.
She squinted.
That event was only for the best. For people who were born into authority and have a lot of money. But maybe, just maybe, there was a way to get in. She looked at the photo again, and her fingers tightened on the screen.
Maybe the Presgrave name may help me get through those doors too if I play my cards appropriately.
She smiled, and her rage turned into something more dangerous—something that thought things through.
It's time to start the games.