Hazel

The next morning felt heavier than usual. I could still feel the echo of last night—the way Liam’s eyes lingered on me in the elevator, the way silence seemed to hum like static between us.

I showed up to work early, hoping to shake off whatever strange pull existed between us. But as soon as I stepped into the top floor, his scent—clean, sharp, like rain on steel—hit me.

He was already there, standing by the glass wall, sleeves rolled up, phone pressed to his ear. Sunlight caught in his hair, turning it almost golden. For a moment, I just… stared.

He ended the call without looking at me. “You’re early.”

“So are you,” I said quietly, walking past him to my desk.

“I don’t sleep much,” he replied, tone clipped.

“Insomnia or guilt?”

That made him turn. His eyes found mine, darker than I remembered. “You like testing limits, don’t you, Hazel?”

I smiled faintly. “Maybe I just like honest answers.”

Something unreadable passed across his face—something wild. Then he turned back to the window, shutting himself off again.

I tried to focus on the stack of reports, but my thoughts wouldn’t stay still. Every time he moved, I noticed. The way his jaw flexed. The faint mark on his neck that hadn’t been there before. I told myself I was just curious, but my heart didn’t believe that.

When noon came, Maya texted me: Lunch? Or still trapped with your hot boss?

I almost laughed. If only she knew.

Before I could reply, Liam’s voice came from behind me. “You’re distracted.”

I turned. “Maybe I just need lunch.”

“Then take a break.” He glanced at the clock. “Go downstairs. Eat something that’s not coffee.”

“And what about you?”

He paused, eyes meeting mine for a heartbeat too long. “I don’t eat… much.”

That word again—don’t eat. I tried not to read into it. “Right. Because you’re too busy being mysterious.”

His lips twitched. “Something like that.”

The elevator ride down felt like a small victory. I needed distance. Air. But the moment I stepped out into the café across the street, my phone buzzed—a message from Liam.

> Don’t go anywhere alone after dark tonight.

No context. No explanation. Just that.

My hand trembled slightly as I typed back. Should I be scared?

Three dots blinked on the screen… then disappeared.

He didn’t reply.

Liam

I watched her leave the building and cursed under my breath.

Arthur Williams’ men had been sniffing around again—close enough to catch Hazel’s scent when she’d left the parking lot yesterday. I’d told myself keeping her near me would protect her. Now I wasn’t so sure.

She didn’t know what it meant to carry that scent, what it did to wolves like Arthur. The moment they caught it, they’d hunt her—for power, for blood, for the bond that tied her to me.

And if they touched her—

My hand tightened on the edge of the desk until the glass cracked.

“Sir?” Ben, my Beta, stepped into the office. His sharp gaze landed on the fracture. “You’re losing control again.”

“Tell me something I don’t know,” I muttered.

“You marked her with your scent last night,” he said quietly. “Even without the bite, they’ll smell the claim.”

I turned to him, voice low. “I told you—it wasn’t intentional.”

Ben folded his arms. “Intentional or not, she’s yours now. The bond’s building. You can either complete it or watch someone else do it for you.”

I growled, the sound vibrating through the room. “No one touches her.”

“Then you better decide fast,” he said, leaving me with my own storm.

I stared at the city below. The human world moved on, oblivious to the shadows between its buildings—the packs, the wars, the secrets that would tear everything apart if they ever knew.

And in the middle of all that stood Hazel Moore.

I should have let her go the first night she saw me shift. But now, even the thought of her walking away made something primal inside me rise in protest.

When night came, I couldn’t stop myself. I followed her scent through the city, keeping to the rooftops. She was walking home with Maya, laughing at something, her hair catching the streetlight. For one second, I forgot what I was.

Then I saw the dark SUV trailing them.

Arthur’s men.

The growl tore from my throat before I could stop it.

The SUV door slid open and one of the men stepped out, eyes glinting amber in the dark.

Hazel turned just as he whispered something into his comms.

And the world tilted—because she wasn’t supposed to see that kind of eye.

I jumped down from the roof, landing between them with a snarl that split the night.

“Run, Hazel,” I said, voice shaking with something feral.

And before she could even move, the first bullet flew.