KIERAN'S POV
My wolf clawed at my insides, desperate to break free.
*Mate. Protect mate. She's hurt. Comfort her.*
"Shut up," I growled under my breath, gripping the edge of my desk so hard the wood cracked beneath my fingers.
Through the frosted glass of my office door, I could see Hana's silhouette. She was still sitting at her desk, probably confused about my sudden order to stay in the building. I could hear her heartbeat from here—fast, anxious, frightened.
I'd scared her. Again.
My wolf whined, a pitiful sound that echoed through my mind. *You hurt mate. Why hurt mate?*
"To keep her alive," I whispered.
The phone call from Marcus still rang in my ears. Daniel Cross had been spotted three blocks from Ashford Industries this morning. Just walking. Just watching. But Cross never did anything without a purpose.
He knew about Hana. He had to know by now.
Two years. I'd kept her secret for two years. Two years of watching her walk into my office every morning, exhausted and beautiful, with no idea what she really was. No idea that she was the rarest creature in the shifter world.
A phoenix.
And my fated mate.
I'd known the moment she walked into her job interview. Her scent hit me like a lightning strike—warm cinnamon and something burning, like embers hidden under ash. My wolf had recognized her instantly, howling with joy inside my mind.
*Mine. Mate. MINE.*
But she was dormant. Completely human, as far as she knew. Her shifter nature was buried so deep that she couldn't feel it, couldn't access it, couldn't defend herself.
If I claimed her then, she would die. The mate bond would trigger her awakening too fast, too violently. I'd seen it happen to other dormant shifters. Their bodies couldn't handle the sudden transformation. They burned from the inside out.
So I waited. And I pushed her. And I hated myself for every harsh word.
But harsh words were better than a dead mate.
A knock on my door made me straighten. "Come in."
Marcus entered, his face grim. My beta and best friend looked like he'd run all the way here. Probably had.
"Cross was at the coffee shop downstairs twenty minutes ago," Marcus said quietly, closing the door behind him. "He ordered a drink and left. But Kieran... he asked about Hana."
Ice flooded my veins. "What did he say?"
"Asked the barista if she knew 'the pretty girl who orders the caramel latte every morning.' Described her perfectly. Said he wanted to 'send her flowers.'"
My claws extended before I could stop them, sharp and deadly. The wolf was surging forward, demanding we hunt, we kill, we protect—
"Easy," Marcus said, his bear rumbling under his words. "He's baiting you. He wants you to react publicly. Give him an excuse to challenge you in front of the Council."
I forced my claws back, breathing hard. "How does he know about her?"
"We have a leak somewhere. Has to be." Marcus moved to the window, looking down at the street below. "Someone in your company is feeding Cross information. Someone who's been watching Hana long enough to recognize what she is."
A traitor. In my own territory.
My wolf snarled. *Find them. Kill them.*
"I need you to tighten security," I said, my voice coming out rougher than I intended. "Double the guards. No one gets near Hana without going through you first."
"Already done. I've got four of our best outside right now." Marcus turned to look at me, and his expression softened. "You need to tell her, Kieran. She can't protect herself if she doesn't know what she is."
"She's not ready."
"Cross won't wait for her to be ready!"
"I KNOW!" The shout burst out of me. I slammed my fist on the desk, and the wood splintered. Papers scattered. My computer screen flickered.
Silence.
Marcus just waited, patient as always.
I collapsed into my chair, suddenly exhausted. "If I tell her too soon, the shock could trigger a violent awakening. If the mate bond snaps into place before her phoenix surfaces naturally, it could kill her, Marcus. Do you understand? I could lose her before I ever really have her."
"And if Cross takes her?"
The thought made my wolf go absolutely feral. Black spots danced in my vision. I felt my teeth elongating, my bones starting to shift—
No. Control. I needed control.
I breathed slowly, forcing the shift back. When I finally spoke, my voice was steady again. "That won't happen. I'll die first."
Marcus studied me for a long moment. Then he nodded. "What do you need me to do?"
"Start investigating everyone who's had contact with Hana in the last six months. Check their financial records, their communications, everything. Someone sold us out. I want to know who."
"On it." Marcus headed for the door, then paused. "For what it's worth? She's strong, Kieran. Stronger than you think. You've been training her for two years, pushing her harder than anyone else in this company. When the time comes, she'll survive."
I wanted to believe that. Gods, I wanted to believe that.
But I'd seen too many dominants lose their mates. Watched too many bonds shatter. Love wasn't enough in the shifter world. You needed strength, cunning, and viciousness.
Hana had the first two. I was trying to teach her the third.
Even if it meant she hated me.
Marcus left. I sat alone in my office, listening to Hana's heartbeat through the wall. Steady now. Calmer.
My wolf pressed against my skin, begging to go to her. Just to see her. Just to make sure she was safe.
I stood up before I could stop myself. Walked to the door. Opened it.
Hana was typing furiously on her computer, her bottom lip caught between her teeth. That thing she did when she was concentrating. My wolf loved that expression.
She looked up, startled. "Mr. Ashford? Do you need something?"
*You,* my wolf whispered. *Need you. Want you. Love you.*
"The Henderson report," I said instead, my voice cold. "Status update."
Her face fell. "I'm working on it now, sir. It'll be done by noon like you asked."
"See that it is." I turned to go back into my office.
"Sir?" Her voice was small. "Can I ask... why can't I leave the building today?"
I froze. Dozens of lies ran through my mind. Traffic. Weather. Important meetings. But when I looked at her, at those warm brown eyes full of confusion and exhaustion, something in me cracked.
"Because it's not safe," I said quietly.
"What do you mean?"
"Just trust me, Hana. Please."
I never said please. Never used her first name. Her eyes went wide with shock.
Before she could respond, before I could do something stupid like tell her everything, I went back into my office and closed the door.
My hands were shaking. I pressed my forehead against the cool wood and tried to breathe.
Two years of this. Two years of pretending I didn't love her. Two years of harsh words and cold glances while my wolf screamed to claim her.
How much longer could I keep this up?
My phone buzzed. A text from an unknown number.
My blood turned to ice.
The message was simple. Just a photo.
A photo of Hana. Taken this morning. Walking to the bus stop.
Below it, three words:
**She burns beautifully.**
My wolf exploded. I felt my body shifting before I could stop it—bones cracking, muscles tearing, fur erupting. No. NO. Not here. Not now.
I stumbled to the private bathroom attached to my office and slammed the door. Locked it. The shift was coming whether I wanted it or not, triggered by pure rage.
The last thing I saw before the wolf took over was my reflection in the mirror.
My eyes were burning gold. And behind me, in the mirror's surface, I saw something that made my heart stop.
A shadow. Moving in my office. Where it shouldn't be.
Someone was in here with me.
Someone who'd been hiding the entire time Marcus and I talked.
Someone who'd heard everything.