I was in the conference room, trying not to move around too much as Felicia's piercing cough signaled the start of the meeting.
"Okay, let's get started," she stated in a sharp voice. "Today's meeting is about the design competition that is coming up." First of all, congrats to Alice and Anastasia, the two designers who made the cut.
When my name rang out throughout the room, my wolf stirred restlessly under my skin. Just in time, I looked up and met Alice's eyes, which were keen, smug, and full of challenge. There was so much tension between us that it felt like it was real. She wanted to win as hard as I did. There was a lot at stake: the bonus, the recognition, and the authority.
Felicia's voice kept going, explaining the rules and stakes of the competition, but my mind started to wander. I tried to concentrate by staring blankly at the smooth grain of the table. I felt it then people looking at me. A gradual, prickling heat spread over the back of my neck. I didn't need to look up to know who was looking at me.
Elliot.
Why did he always keep an eye on me?
I gritted my teeth. Our link, which we didn't desire and was weak and full of suffering, felt like an open wound. My mom died to keep him safe. He was just five years old at the time, but I never really got over my anger. I didn't want him to look at me. Not here. Not right now.
"Anastasia, what do you think?"
Felicia's abrupt prompt brought me back to reality. I blinked and my head shot up. "Uh... which part are you talking about?"
Her face changed right away; her lips thinned and she crossed her arms. "Did you not hear?"
Some of the other designers looked at me with sympathy, while others laughed. Their looks made my cheeks heat.
Felicia yelled at Anastasia, "I know you came from headquarters, but that doesn't mean you can ignore me.This isn't a place for being cocky."
I was quiet, although every part of me wanted to defend myself. My mind was still trying to make sense of what was being said. A deep, steady voice cut through the air before I could say anything.
"Tell us what makes your design stand out."
Elliot. Again.
That one sentence was a lifeline, and I grabbed it.
I started by saying, "This time my work uses platinum," and I steadied my voice. "I've added rhodium and palladium to it to make it even better for inlays. It lasts a long time, shines brightly, and is worth a lot of money. It doesn't tarnish, which makes it great for collectors and high-end consumers, especially those who know how rare and valuable it is over time.
Elliot's eyes were on me the whole time, but I didn't want to look back. That look always made me feel something I couldn't quite put my finger on.
Alice remarked, "Expensive, in other words." Her voice was sharp like a scalpel covered in candy. "I like designs that are based on trends. Fashion needs to change. "My work is more market-friendly," I said.
I smiled at her a little. "We all have our own strengths."
The meeting ultimately came to an end. Elliot, who had generally been quiet, stood up.
Felicia said, "The meeting is over."
But then Elliot's voice came out again, low and firm. "Anastasia, stay back."
I almost choked on my water. Everyone's eyes turned to me at the same time. Whispers spread across the room like wind through dry grass. Alice gave me a nasty look full of blame. If looks could hurt, mine would have already started to bleed.
My wolf moved inside me, restless. Awesome. Elliot had to make things worse, which made me feel even more like an outsider.
When everyone left the room, I leaned back in my chair and tried to disguise the anger that was bubbling up under my cool facade. "Do you need something, President Presgrave?"
He didn't spend any time. "Why didn't you take the house I gave you yesterday?"
I got tense. "Because I don't want it.I told you previously that I won't take anything from the Presgraves. "
His face didn't shift, but something deeper in his fragrance stirred something protective and relentless.
"You should think about your son," he added, his voice softer now, less like an Alpha and more like something else. "That place has it all. Safety. Honor. There is a private kindergarten that offers exceptional instruction. More safety. Better neighbors. It's better for a kid like Jared."
He no longer sounded like a frigid CEO. He sounded like a man fighting to protect his own. A wolf trying to protect his family.
But that was the part that terrified me the most.
Because even though I had set up walls, some part of me still reacted to that tone.
Still wanted to have faith.
But I couldn't allow myself fall for it right now. Never.
Not with him.
As soon as he spoke, something inside me twisted. Everything Elliot gave was too good to pass up, to be honest. He was correct. The home he picked had top-notch security, a private school with great teachers, and a peaceful, safe setting. As a mom, that was all I ever wanted for Jared.
But that was all.
I wanted to give those things to my son. Me. Not by taking money from a man who still didn't comprehend what we really needed.
"I said no," I told him, putting steel in my voice even though my heart hurt. "I can give my son the best.Not with money, but with time, love, and being there."
He looked at me with a grimace, as if I were a puzzle he couldn't figure out. Maybe I was. Maybe I didn't want to be fixed.
Elliot was a strong Alpha who was used to giving orders and getting people to follow them. He couldn't possible realize that Jared's biggest wealth wasn't luxury. It was me. His mom. His anchor.
I'd still hold him through every nightmare, even if we lived in a little den or ran with the lowest-ranked wolf. I'd still chase his dreams with him in my arms. Elliot's fancy high-rises and pricey kindergartens could never make up for that.
"I meant what I said, Elliot," I replied softly as I got up. "Don't look for me again unless it's about work."
I got my things together and turned my back on him, my heart racing. His silence followed me out of the room like a ghost.
Outside, the world faded into twilight that night. When my phone rang, I was cuddled up on the couch with Jared next to me, his little fingers wrapped up in mine. When I picked up, I heard my father's rough voice on the other end.
He said, "Anastasia. Come over for dinner tomorrow." It's been a long time. I want to meet you."
Something about his tone made me feel better, so I agreed. It might have been time. Even though going back to that house felt like walking into a room full of ghosts, it was still my family. My roots.
Elliot Presgrave sat in his leather chair in the tallest building of the pack, surrounded by cold steel and stormy quiet. He paid little attention to Rey's regular report, but his Alpha focus had changed.
He told them to "look into the father of Anastasia's pup."
Rey blinked. "Right away, Alpha."
It could have been guilt. Or maybe it was something deeper and older that hurt him every time he gazed into my eyes. No matter what, he wasn't done. Not with me.
After that, his phone rang.
Hayley.
"Hello," he said, and his voice got softer.
She inquired, "Elliot, are you busy tonight?" in a pleasant voice. "I was hoping we could eat together."
He stopped for a moment. "Of course. I'll make a reservation.
"I'll wait for you to pick me up!" she responded, her voice full with enthusiasm.
He said yes and hung up, but his eyes became distant as the screen went dark.
Even now, with Hayley flitting in his peripheral vision, it wasn't her voice that haunted him. It wasn't her smell that stayed with him.
He tried to tell himself otherwise for many nights, but he couldn't forget. That woman from that night. The one whose tears made his skin wet. The one whose body shook under his, a moment that changed everything.
Hayley's voice was always too loud. Her touch was too practiced. Her smell was too fake.
But the lady he remembered… her screams had broken something in him.
And even if five years had passed, instincts didn't forget. Not the smell. Not the touch. Not the bond.
Hayley showed up at the fancy restaurant wearing Chanel and looking like a Luna on parade. Every little thing screamed money. No matter how hard she tried to make herself look better, she couldn't disguise the fact that she was forgettable. Nice, but not something you will always remember. Pretty, yet not necessary.
Still, she was envious tonight. Everyone was looking at her, but not because of her. They were looking at the man who was sitting across from her. Elliot Presgrave, Alpha of power and presence, had such dominance that packs bowed without saying a word.
"Cheers," she exclaimed, raising her glass. Her smile was so dazzling it hurt.
He raised his in response, polite, distant, and cool.
Hayley looked at him with eager eyes. It had been three weeks since she fought her way into his world, but he still hadn't allowed her see the real him. He still acted like she was a stranger, like she was just a guest in his world.
But Hayley didn't want to be polite.
She wanted the mate mark.
His heart. His body. His name.
She held on to the luxury like it was air. Before she even asked, designer clothes showed up. Jewels shone through velvet boxes. Every want met, every dream just a phone call away.
But she knew deep down that all of it was temporary. That the dream would end as soon as he understood she wasn't the woman he believed she was.
And she would fall hard.
No matter how high she rose, there was only one place she really wanted to be: next to him, eternally marked as his.
Even if the place was previously owned by someone else.