The boardroom on the fifty-eighth floor smelled like expensive leather and barely contained testosterone. I stood against the back wall, trying to look like professional security while twelve of the most powerful men in Los Angeles sized me up like a piece of meat at auction.
"Gentlemen," Alexander said from his seat at the head of the massive conference table, "I'd like you to meet Sarah Mitchell, our new head of corporate security."
A chorus of polite nods and calculating stares followed. I'd been working for Alexander for two weeks now, ever since our blood-sharing arrangement began, and this was my first time meeting Kane Enterprises' board of directors. From their expressions, they weren't impressed.
"Ms. Mitchell," said Lawrence Blackwood, the company's chief financial officer. He was a thin man with gray hair and the kind of smile that never reached his eyes. "Your resume is certainly... interesting. Tell me, what exactly qualifies someone so young to protect a man like Alexander?"
I kept my voice steady and professional. "Experience, sir. I've been in private security for five years, with a focus on high-risk executive protection."
"High-risk," repeated Thomas Delano, the head of international operations. He was built like a linebacker and had the scarred hands of someone who'd worked his way up from the bottom. "What kind of risks are we talking about?"
Before I could answer, Alexander shifted in his chair. It was a small movement, but I caught the tension in his shoulders, the way his jaw tightened almost imperceptibly.
Something was wrong.
"The kind that come with running a company this size," I said, taking a small step closer to Alexander's chair. "Corporate espionage, disgruntled employees, competitors who play dirty."
"And hunters?" Lawrence asked casually.
The word hit the room like a gunshot. Several board members looked confused, but a few others - the ones who knew what Alexander really was - went very still.
Alexander's hand gripped the armrest of his chair hard enough that I could hear the leather creak. "Lawrence, I don't think—"
"No, it's a valid question." Lawrence's smile got sharper. "After all, we've had some unusual incidents lately. Security breaches, equipment malfunctions, rumors about our CEO's... extracurricular activities."
I felt the temperature in the room drop about ten degrees. These weren't just business executives. Some of them were werewolves, and they were starting to get suspicious about the human woman who'd suddenly become their Alpha's constant companion.
"I'm not sure what you're implying," I said.
"I'm implying that Kane Enterprises has enemies, Ms. Mitchell. The kind that don't show up in quarterly reports." Lawrence leaned back in his chair. "The kind that might send someone young and attractive to get close to our CEO."
Alexander stood up so fast his chair slammed into the credenza behind him. "That's enough, Lawrence."
But Lawrence wasn't done. He leaned forward, fingers steepled. "Is it? Because I've done some checking, Alexander. Sarah Mitchell's background is remarkably clean. Too clean. Like someone took a scrub brush to it until it gleamed."
My hand twitched toward the concealed weapon at my hip. I caught myself, fingers curling into a fist instead. Shooting the CFO during my first board meeting would definitely fail the subtlety test.
"My background is clean because I'm good at my job," I said. "Good enough to keep my clients alive and my enemies dead."
"Enemies," Thomas repeated. He was studying me with the kind of intensity that made my skin crawl. "What kind of enemies does a security consultant make?"
Alexander took a step forward, putting himself between me and the board. "Gentlemen, I think we're getting off track here—"
That's when it happened.
Alexander stumbled slightly, catching himself against the table. For just a second, his carefully controlled mask slipped, and I saw something wild flicker behind his silver eyes.
The curse symptoms were starting. Right here, right now, in front of a room full of people who would kill him if they knew how close he was to losing control.
"Sir?" I moved to his side immediately, playing the concerned employee. "Are you feeling all right?"
"Fine," Alexander said, but his voice was strained. "Just a headache."
I put my hand on his arm - skin against skin where his cuff had pulled back from his wrist. The moment we touched, that familiar electric tingle shot up my arm, and I felt Alexander's tremor subside.
Lawrence watched this exchange like a hawk spotting prey. "Fascinating. Your security consultant seems to have quite the healing touch."
"She's trained in basic medical assistance," Alexander said, but sweat was beading on his forehead despite the air conditioning.
I knew we had maybe two minutes before the symptoms got worse. Alexander hadn't needed a blood treatment in over a week, but the stress of this confrontation was triggering something. Maybe the curse was adapting, or maybe his body was building up a tolerance.
Either way, we needed to get out of this room.
"Gentlemen," I said, still keeping my hand on Alexander's arm, "I think we should postpone this meeting. Mr. Kane needs to—"
"No." Alexander straightened up, using what looked like considerable effort. "We finish this now."
Lawrence's smile turned predatory. "Of course. We wouldn't want to keep you from your important business, would we, Alexander?"
I felt Alexander's muscles tense under my hand. The wild look was back in his eyes, stronger this time. If we didn't do something soon, he was going to shift right here in the boardroom.
Time to take a risk.
"Actually," I said, pulling out my phone, "we have a bigger problem than corporate politics."
I showed the screen to the room. I'd pulled up a fake alert from the building's security system, complete with flashing red warnings.
"Motion sensors in the parking garage are showing unauthorized access. Multiple vehicles, coordinated approach." I looked directly at Lawrence. "Looks like those enemies you were worried about just showed up."
The room erupted in concerned voices. Thomas was already reaching for his phone, and several other board members were pushing back from the table.
"How many?" Alexander asked. His voice was steadier now that he had a crisis to focus on.
"Twelve vehicles. Armed personnel." I made it up as I went along, but years of tactical training had taught me how to sound convincing under pressure. "Standard corporate raid formation."
"Lockdown protocols," Alexander ordered. "Lawrence, get everyone to the secure floors. Thomas, coordinate with LAPD. Ms. Mitchell and I will handle security."
The board members filed out quickly, their earlier suspicions forgotten in the face of immediate danger. Within three minutes, the boardroom was empty except for Alexander and me.
The moment the door closed, Alexander collapsed into his chair.
"Thank you," he gasped. "I don't know what triggered that, but—"
"You need blood. Now." I was already rolling up my sleeve. "The stress must have accelerated your symptoms."
"Not here. Too risky." But Alexander was staring at my exposed wrist like a man dying of thirst looking at water.
I walked to the boardroom's executive bar and found a letter opener. "Alexander, you're about thirty seconds away from shifting in Kane Enterprises' main conference room. I think we're past worrying about appropriate venues."
Without waiting for his permission, I made a quick slice across my forearm with the letter opener. Not deep - just enough to draw blood and stop a werewolf from losing control in a corporate boardroom.
Alexander moved faster than human reflexes should allow. He grabbed my wrist, pressing his mouth to the small wound before I could second-guess myself.
The effect crashed over me like a tidal wave. That electric connection exploded into something overwhelming - every nerve ending firing at once, emotions that weren't entirely mine flooding my system. But this time, underneath the familiar gratitude and relief, I felt something else. Something hungry and possessive that made my breath catch.
Heat.
"Alexander," I whispered.
He pulled back, his silver eyes now completely human but burning with a different kind of intensity. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to—"
"Don't apologize." The words came out more breathless than I'd intended. "You needed help."
We stood frozen, breathing hard, the air between us crackling with unspoken possibilities. Alexander's thumb traced the now-healed skin where he'd fed, and I had to bite back a sound that would have been completely inappropriate for a corporate setting.
This was so far beyond professional it wasn't even in the same galaxy.
"This is dangerous," Alexander said, his voice rough.
"What is?"
"This. Us. What we're doing." Alexander's other hand came up to cup my cheek. "We're crossing lines we can't uncross."
I knew he was right. What had started as a professional arrangement was becoming something much more complicated. But looking into his eyes, feeling the warmth of his skin against mine, I found I didn't care about lines anymore.
"Maybe some lines are meant to be crossed," I said.
Alexander's breath caught. For a moment, I thought he was going to kiss me. His head tilted toward mine, his eyes dropping to my lips.
Then his phone rang.
The sharp sound cut through the moment like a knife. Alexander jerked back, putting distance between us, and answered the call.
"Kane."
I couldn't hear the other side of the conversation, but Alexander's expression grew increasingly grim as he listened.
"How many?" he asked. Then: "When?" And finally: "I'll be right down."
He hung up and looked at me with an expression I couldn't read.
"There really are unauthorized vehicles in the parking garage," he said. "Twelve black SUVs, just like you said. No corporate raiders, though."
My blood went cold. "Then what?"
"Hunters."
The word hit me like a physical blow. I'd made up the security alert to get us out of the boardroom, but somehow it had become real. Hunters - my hunters - had found us.
"How is that possible?" I asked, though part of me already knew the answer.
"You tell me," Alexander said, and for the first time since I'd met him, there was suspicion in his voice. "Because according to my security team, they've been sitting out there for the past hour. Just waiting."
"Alexander, I swear I had nothing to do with this."
"Didn't you?" He took a step back from me, and the distance felt like a chasm. "A fake security alert that turns out to be real? Hunters showing up right after our first board meeting? Right after Lawrence started asking questions about your background?"
"That's a coincidence."
"I don't believe in coincidences." Alexander's eyes had gone cold, calculating. The vulnerable man who'd needed my blood five minutes ago was gone, replaced by the Alpha CEO who'd built an empire. "I think it's time you told me the truth, Scarlett Hunter."
"I have told you the truth."
"Have you? Because right now it looks like you set up an elaborate trap. Get close to me, make me dependent on you, then call in your backup when I'm at my weakest."
The accusation hit me harder than any physical blow. "Is that really what you think?"
"I think I've been a fool." Alexander walked to the window and looked down at the street below. "I think I let my desperation cloud my judgment."
I followed him to the window. Sixty floors down, I could see the black SUVs arranged in a tactical formation around the building's exits. Even from this distance, I recognized the vehicles. Hunter Organization standard issue.
"Alexander, listen to me. I didn't call them. I don't even know why they're here."
"Don't you?" He turned to face me, and I could see the betrayal in his eyes. "Maybe your organization got tired of waiting for results. Maybe they decided to take a more direct approach."
"If they wanted to take you by force, they wouldn't announce themselves like this."
"Then what do they want?"
I stared at the vehicles below and felt a chill run down my spine. Because Alexander was right - this wasn't how the Hunter Organization operated. We didn't do coordinated assaults on downtown office buildings in broad daylight.
Unless something had changed. Unless someone had decided the original plan wasn't working.
My phone buzzed with a text. I looked at the screen and felt the blood drain from my face.
"Time's up. Bring him down. Now. -D"
Alexander read it over my shoulder. When I looked up, his expression had gone arctic.
"Let me guess. Your handler?"
"My handler." I looked up at him, and I could see the exact moment he decided I'd betrayed him. "Alexander, please. This isn't what it looks like."
"Isn't it? Your organization sends you to get close to me, you succeed beyond their wildest dreams, and now they're here to collect their prize." Alexander walked to his desk and pressed a button that I knew would seal the floor's security doors. "The only question is whether you're still working for them, or whether you've gone rogue."
"What's the difference?"
"If you're still working for them, I kill you quickly. If you've gone rogue, I have to assume this is just the first wave, and I kill you slowly to find out what else is coming."
The casual way he said it made my stomach clench. This was Alexander Kane the Alpha, not the man who'd touched my face so gently five minutes ago.
"And if I'm telling the truth? If I really didn't know they were coming?"
Alexander studied my face for a long moment. "Then we're both in more trouble than we realized."
My phone buzzed again. This time it was a call.
"Answer it," Alexander said. "Speaker phone."
I accepted the call and put it on speaker.
"Scarlett." Damien's voice filled the room, smooth as silk and twice as deadly. "Enjoying the view up there?"
"What do you want, Damien?"
"What I've always wanted. Results." His tone sharpened. "Three weeks, Scarlett. Three weeks of radio silence while you play nursemaid to a monster."
Alexander's jaw clenched, but he stayed quiet.
"The situation is more complex than—"
"The situation," Damien cut me off, "is that you've compromised the mission. We have surveillance footage of you feeding him your blood like some gothic romance novel. Did you think we wouldn't notice?"
I felt Alexander stiffen beside me. "Reports from who?"
"Does it matter? The important thing is that your little romance is over. Time to come home."
"And if I refuse?"
Damien laughed, but there was no humor in it. "Then we come up and get both of you. And trust me, that won't end well for anyone."
"You can't assault Kane Enterprises in broad daylight. Too many witnesses, too much security."
"Can't we? Scarlett, you've been out of touch for too long. Things have changed. We have new authorization, new resources. The gloves are off."
I looked at Alexander, who was listening to this conversation with an expression like granite.
"What kind of authorization?" I asked.
"The kind that comes from very high places. Government places. Places that have decided the Alexander Kane problem needs to be solved permanently."
"This is about more than just him, isn't it?"
"Much more. But we'll discuss that after you bring him down. You have ten minutes, Scarlett. After that, we come up."
The line went dead.
Alexander and I stared at each other across the suddenly silent boardroom.
"Government places," he repeated. "This was never just about capturing one rogue werewolf, was it?"
"I don't think so. But I swear to you, Alexander, I didn't know. The mission they gave me was to get close to you and bring you in for genetic testing. Nothing about government authorization or permanent solutions."
"And you believe Damien?"
I thought about the man who'd saved my life and trained me to be a killer. The man who'd been like a father to me for nine years.
"I don't know what to believe anymore."
Alexander walked to his desk and opened a drawer I hadn't seen before. Inside were weapons - serious ones. Military-grade assault rifles, silver ammunition, enough firepower to hold off a small army.
"Well," he said, checking the action on one of the rifles, "I guess we're about to find out who's telling the truth."
"What are you doing?"
"Getting ready for war." Alexander tossed me one of the rifles. "Because if your organization thinks they can walk into my building and take what's mine, they're about to learn why I'm the Alpha of the West Coast."
I caught the rifle automatically, muscle memory from years of training taking over. But my mind was racing with the implications of what Damien had said.
Government authorization. Permanent solutions. New resources.
This wasn't about me and Alexander anymore. This was about something much bigger, much more dangerous.
And we were right in the middle of it.
"Alexander," I said, "I think we've been played. Both of us."
"By who?"
"I don't know yet. But I think your curse, my mission, this whole situation - I think someone's been pulling strings from the beginning."
Alexander's smile was sharp as a blade. "Then let's go find out who."
He headed for the door, rifle in hand, every inch the predator he was born to be.
"Wait," I called after him. "Where are you going?"
"Downstairs. To have a conversation with your handler."
"That's suicide. There are twelve vehicles down there."
"Probably. But there's something Damien doesn't know."
"What's that?"
Alexander's eyes flashed with something wild and dangerous. "This is my territory. And I don't give up what's mine without a fight."
As we prepared to face whatever was waiting for us downstairs, I realized that somewhere along the way, I'd stopped being just Alexander's security consultant or blood donor.
I'd become something he was willing to fight for.
And that changed everything.
End of Chapter 6