Ruby's POV
Strong fingers wrapped around my wrist, yanking me back from the security guard's grasp.
My breath caught when I turned around.
Elias stood there like he'd materialized from thin air. This had to be some kind of hallucination.
"Alpha Elias," the HR woman choked out, her face draining of all color.
"I don't tolerate staff who overstep their authority," his voice cut through the lobby like ice. His arm circled my waist, pulling me against his solid frame. "Pull something like this again and you'll be clearing out your desk."
"Of course, Alpha. My deepest apologies..."
The HR woman looked like she might faint, but I barely registered her humiliation. That familiar scent of winter pine flooded my senses, making my knees weak and my skin burn. My wolf stirred restlessly, begging me to melt into his embrace. Before I could even consider it, he released me.
The loss of contact hit like a physical blow.
"Follow me," he commanded, already moving toward the executive elevator.
I threw a triumphant glare at the mortified HR team before rushing after him.
The elevator doors sealed us in complete privacy as we rose toward the fifty-eighth floor.
Silence stretched between us like a taut wire. My pulse hammered so loudly I was certain he could hear it. I stole a sideways look at his profile - stone cold, staring straight ahead, maintaining careful distance like I carried some contagious disease.
My stomach churned with anxiety.
"I didn't expect to see you here," I ventured, desperate to break the suffocating quiet.
A heavy sigh escaped him. "I own this company."
"Right. Of course you do."
I could have died from embarrassment right there.
The uncomfortable silence persisted until the elevator announced our arrival. The entire floor spread out before us - an open expanse without a single cubicle, just towering windows showcasing the sprawling cityscape below.
"Incredible," I breathed.
Elias was already striding across the polished floors.
I hurried to match his pace as he guided me into a corner office. His elegant assistant sealed the door, leaving us completely alone. My heart threatened to burst from my chest.
He shrugged off his suit jacket with fluid grace. Even that simple motion radiated raw magnetism.
"You demanded this meeting?" he questioned.
No invitation to sit. No attempt to close the distance between us.
That deliberate space between us stung more than I expected.
"I was employed here until last week when they terminated me without cause," I rushed through my story, explaining the illegal firing. "This violates so many labor laws. Can you help me get reinstated?"
"No," he answered without hesitation.
My world tilted. "What do you mean no?"
"I'll have HR review whether your dismissal followed company policy. But personnel matters don't require CEO intervention. Is there anything else?"
HR review? That could drag on for months, and I was running out of time.
"You don't understand," I moved closer, my voice cracking. "My grandmother is hospitalized. The medical bills are crushing me every month. I'm drowning in debt already. Without steady income, I can't even begin to manage. This job is literally my lifeline."
Exposing my financial desperation to someone from his world made me feel completely naked. But I was clinging to hope that he might show some compassion.
He didn't.
Those steel gray eyes remained utterly impassive.
"I'm sorry, Miss Ross," he said with detached politeness.
Tears blurred my vision. The air felt too thin to breathe.
All I could see were the mounting bills, the crushing debt, the impossible situation waiting outside this building.
"If there's nothing further, my assistant will escort you out," he reached for his desk phone.
Panic drove me forward. I slammed my palm over his hand before he could make the call.
His entire body went rigid, but he didn't retreat.
He stared down at me. I stepped closer, craning my neck to meet his gaze. Those gray eyes darkened like an approaching storm.
His pine scent thickened around me, rich and intoxicating. For werewolves, our scent only intensifies during conflict or arousal. The reason here was obvious.
"You feel this connection too," I whispered.
He remained silent. I pressed my palm against his chest, feeling his racing heartbeat. His breathing had turned ragged.
"What game are you playing, Miss Ross?" he asked through gritted teeth.
"Trying to sleep your way into employment?"
"I'm not stopping you from taking what you want," I held his stare. "Do whatever you need to do."
His throat worked visibly. God, I wanted to taste that spot.
So I did.
I rose on my toes and pressed my lips to his pulse point. A growl rumbled through his chest.
Suddenly I was sprawled across his desk with him towering between my parted thighs, one hand braced beside my head. I gasped, pressing my legs together against the ache building there.
Just like in his car that night.
His massive hand moved to encircle my throat. Those fingers could crush my windpipe without effort.
"You need to stop testing my limits, Miss Ross."
His body pressed against my inner thighs. I could definitely feel how I was affecting him.
"Why?" I breathed, running my tongue across my lower lip. "Because your famous self-control isn't as ironclad as you pretended?"
"Because I don't sleep with virgins."
What the hell?
He stepped back immediately. I scrambled off the desk, face burning, eyes wide with shock.
"What did you just say?" I exploded. "How could you possibly know that?"
"I know exactly who you are. And I know about your history with my sister's husband."
Everything suddenly made horrible sense.
Stanley. That piece of garbage didn't just abandon me. He broadcasted my most private details to everyone, including Elias.
Humiliation crashed over me in waves.
"Stanley is a lying piece of shit," I spat, trembling with rage.
Elias shrugged dismissively. "Perhaps. But Naia loves him. He's family now. I can't get involved in this situation."
I slid off his desk, my entire body flushed with shame and fury.
He didn't want me. And he was choosing his sister and Stanley over any possibility with me.
I'd been so pathetically stupid to think that one kiss in his car meant anything real. This was Elias Karl. He could have any woman on the planet.
"I'm certain you're talented at your job, Miss Ross. But seduction won't advance your career. I hope things improve for you."
He finally pressed the intercom. His assistant materialized instantly, clearly expecting my departure.
"Goodbye," I whispered without looking back. I couldn't let him see my tears falling.
I walked out feeling completely hollow, rode the elevator down like a zombie. My thoughts swirled with bills, debt, and Elias's arctic rejection. Finding new employment had become critical.
"Miss Ross, wait!"
I spun around to see his assistant rushing toward me with an envelope.
"Alpha Elias wanted you to have this," she said, pressing it into my hands.
"What is this? Why didn't he give it to me directly?"
"He didn't explain. You'll understand when you open it."
She smiled mysteriously before disappearing back inside.
I tore open the envelope. A blank check fell out first, making me gasp in disbelief.
Then I found a hastily scrawled note in his rushed handwriting.
Never paid you back for the shirt. Hope things work out Ruby. Stay strong. - Elias