---

The elevator dinged.

Aria stepped out onto the top floor of Blackthorn Enterprises, her heels tapping softly against the polished marble as she made her way to her desk outside Kael’s office.

It had only been a few days since she started, and yet… it already felt like walking through a minefield.

Kael hadn’t spoken more than a handful of words to her since their encounter in the printer room. But his presence—his energy—lingered everywhere.

The air still buzzed whenever he was near.

And she couldn’t forget the look in his eyes that day. The brief flash of vulnerability. Of pain.

“Morning, sunshine,” a familiar voice drawled behind her.

Aria turned to find Marissa from HR leaning on the desk with her usual smug smile. Blond, sharp-eyed, and dressed like she belonged on a runway instead of an office floor.

“I’m surprised you haven’t run for the hills yet,” Marissa said with a little smirk.

Aria blinked. “What do you mean?”

Marissa leaned in, lowering her voice. “I mean, Kael Blackthorn doesn’t exactly have a reputation for being… welcoming.”

Aria forced a polite smile. “He’s intense, sure. But professional.”

Marissa laughed, a little too loud. “Oh, honey. You have no idea.”

She glanced toward Kael’s office door before adding, “Word of advice? Don’t get too close. That man may look like a god, but he’s cold enough to give a glacier frostbite. Just do your job, keep your head down, and pray he doesn’t snap one day.”

Aria frowned. “He’s not a monster.”

Marissa arched a brow. “You sure about that?”

Before Aria could reply, the office door creaked open.

Kael stood in the doorway, his gaze sharp as a blade—and fixed directly on Marissa.

“Is there a reason you’re distracting my secretary, Miss Vale?” he asked, voice low and laced with steel.

Marissa flushed, clearly caught off guard. “N-no, sir. Just welcoming the new hire.”

“Consider her welcomed. Return to your floor.”

Marissa muttered something under her breath and slinked away, heels clacking angrily.

Kael turned to Aria, his expression unreadable.

“My office,” he said.

She followed him in, heart beating faster than it should.

---

Kael’s Office

Kael motioned to the chair in front of his desk. Aria sat, carefully placing her notepad on her lap.

“You shouldn’t entertain gossip,” he said abruptly.

“I didn’t. She approached me.”

His eyes narrowed, scanning her face for something. “People like her thrive on weakness. They see innocence and think it makes you soft. Vulnerable.”

“Maybe it just makes me decent.”

He stared at her for a long moment.

Then, without warning, he said, “You shouldn’t be here.”

Aria’s heart skipped. “Excuse me?”

“Working here. In this company. Around me.”

His words weren’t cruel, but they were heavy. Final. Like he was trying to push her away without explanation.

She sat up straighter. “I’m not fragile, Mr. Blackthorn.”

“You’re human,” he said bluntly.

Aria blinked. “Is that supposed to mean something?”

Kael froze. He hadn’t meant to say that part out loud. Not yet.

“Forget it,” he said quickly. “Just… keep your distance from people like Marissa.”

Aria frowned but nodded. “Understood.”

But something was changing. He could feel it. She was beginning to suspect.

The bond was strengthening, and the closer they got, the more impossible it would be to hide the truth.

---

Break Room – Later That Day

Aria stirred sugar into her coffee, trying to shake the weird vibe of the morning.

What had Kael meant by “you’re human”? Of course she was human. Everyone here was human. Right?

Why say it like that?

She was so lost in thought she didn’t notice someone step up beside her until a voice whispered, “He’s watching you.”

Aria startled, nearly spilling her coffee.

The woman beside her was unfamiliar. Older. Sharp-eyed, with dark hair pulled into a bun and a name tag that read L. Devereux – Records.

“Excuse me?” Aria asked, wary.

The woman didn’t smile. “Kael Blackthorn. You’re not just a secretary to him.”

Aria’s spine stiffened. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Oh, but you will. Sooner than you think.”

The woman turned and walked away without another word.

Aria stood frozen, her coffee forgotten.

That was the second strange encounter today.

First Marissa, now… this cryptic Records lady?

What exactly was going on here?

And why did she suddenly feel like she’d stepped into a story she didn’t understand?

---

Kael’s POV – That Evening

Kael stood at the edge of the Shadowfang pack’s forest border, his senses on high alert.

Something was wrong.

The whispers had started again—rumors that rogues were sniffing near the city. And rogues rarely moved without reason.

His Beta, Lucien, stepped up beside him. “Still no signs?”

Kael shook his head. “But I can feel them. They're circling.”

“Think it’s connected to your mate?”

Kael growled softly. “Maybe. Or maybe they sense I’m vulnerable.”

Lucien didn’t argue. He knew better.

Kael hadn’t been himself since Aria arrived. Everyone could feel it. His wolf was more aggressive. His control—fragile.

The presence of a second-chance mate, especially a human one, was rare. Dangerous. And it painted a target on both their backs.

“You need to claim her soon,” Lucien said quietly.

“I won’t force a life she never asked for.”

“She is your life.”

Kael turned, eyes glowing faintly under the moonlight.

“I know.”

---

Next Morning – Blackthorn Enterprises

Aria arrived early, as usual, but something felt off the second she stepped into the building.

The security guard barely acknowledged her.

A cold chill ran down her spine.

She reached her desk and froze.

Her drawers were open.

Files shuffled. Her water bottle tipped over. Her planner gone.

“What the hell?” she whispered, scanning the mess.

Kael’s office door opened. He looked furious.

“Who was in here?” he demanded.

“I… I don’t know. I just got in. Someone’s been through my things.”

He strode forward, eyes already flashing with something primal.

“You were targeted,” he said, voice low and dangerous.

Aria’s heart raced. “Targeted? Why?”

Kael didn’t answer.

Instead, he turned and stormed toward the building’s surveillance room.

---

Later – Kael’s Office

Aria sat silently as Kael reviewed security footage with the head of internal security. The tension in the room was thick.

Kael dismissed the guard and turned to her. “It was Marissa.”

Aria’s jaw dropped. “What? Why?”

“She was trying to dig through your schedule, your reports. She’s been feeding information to outside parties for months.”

“Outside parties?”

“Competitors. And worse.”

“Why go through my desk?”

Kael’s eyes darkened. “Because you’re mine.”

Aria’s breath caught.

“I mean,” he added quickly, jaw clenched, “because you’re my assistant. And I protect what’s mine.”

But the damage was done.

The air between them crackled.

And Aria, despite everything, couldn’t help the thrill that ran through her.

Because something inside her had started to recognize the same truth he was fighting to suppress.

---