She doesn't make it far.
She's halfway down the corridor when the pressure hits sharp, sudden and right behind her eyes. Her steps falter. She grips the wall, breath stuttering like she has run too fast.
Like something inside her has reached out and wrapped itself around something else and won't let go.
She closes her eyes. "Not now. Not here." She cries.
Her phone buzzes in her hand. It is Iris Don't go yet, I have something I want you to finish. Boardroom now.
Her stomach sinks. She turns back.
The boardroom feels different when she steps back in. He's standing now, closer to where she had been sitting.
His attention snaps to her the second she enters, like he felt her coming back.
She forces herself to breathe.
"You look pale," Iris says sweetly.
"Are you feeling unwell?"
"No," Ember answers. "Just tired"
She smiles wider.
"Funny," she murmurs. "You didn't look tired the first time you were rejected."
"Rejected? What do you mean? Edward asks, a little bit startled.
"We'll all get to know each other better soon." She laughs "Oh and by the way, that was a joke." She laughs.
They sit down for a brief meeting where they both assign her some tasks.
As the meeting wraps up and they disperse, Iris leans closer to Ember, voice low enough that only her can hear.
"Careful," she says softly. "Men like him don't forget easily."
Ember frowns. "Excuse me?"
She straightens, smiles back in place. "Nothing. Just advice."
She watches her walk away beside him, her hand resting lightly on his arm.
The pull inside her aches.
But as she heads back to her desk, one thought won't leave her alone, Whatever connects them didn't start that night.
And whatever it is, it's already waking up.
***********
"You okay?" Ethan asks as he pours coffee, watching her over the rim of his mug.
She forces a smile. "Just tired."
It's not a lie. It's just not the whole truth.
Ethan notices the difference immediately. He always does.
It's the way she had paused before kissing him. The way her body didn't quite lean into him the way it used to.
The way her thoughts slip, unbidden to a man she barely knows and somehow can't forget.
After the night at the club, everything feels slightly misaligned. Not broken or ruined, just….. off.
Like she stepped half an inch out of place and the world hasn't caught up yet.
Ethan reaches for her hand, she lets him. His touch is warm, familiar and safe.
"Is your new job too demanding?" She nods in denial. "Sure? You know you can always come on board with me right? We could use more hands at the company now."
She smiles lightly "I want to make something for myself. I don't want to be the woman who depends solely on your connections."
And that's the problem. She wants out of it now. She can't stand working with Iris and Edward anymore but at the same time, she can't work with Ethan too.
She doesn't belong to Edward. She reminds herself of that like a mantra.
She knows she has a boyfriend, a life. A rhythm that existed long before one reckless night.
Still, when she finally glances up, their eyes meet, and her pulse betrays her.
He looks away first. That should make her feel better. But it doesn't.
That night, Ethan cooks dinner. Something thoughtful. Something he knows she likes.
She sits at the table, smiling, nodding and laughing in the right places. She kisses him when he leans in, but there's a hesitation she can't fully hide.
Her body responds, but slower. Like it's checking with something else first.
He notices.
"Did I do something?" he asks quietly.
Guilt slices through her.
"No," she says quickly. "Of course not."
He studies her for a long moment. "You feel… far away."
She reaches for his hand, squeezing it. "I'm here."
She is. She tells herself. But she just doesn't feel whole.
Later, when he falls asleep beside her, she stares at the ceiling, her heart racing for no reason she can justify.
Her wolf is quiet for so long, it shifts restlessly beneath her skin, very disturbed.
It doesn't want Ethan. That realization terrifies her.