Edward noticed the man before he meant to.
He was leaning against her desk, too close, too familiar. His hand rests on the edge beside her coffee mug like it belongs there. Like he belongs there.
His wolf snaps awake.
Not anger at first, something sharper. Territorial and violent in its clarity.
She is his.
The thought slams into him so hard he stops walking.
This is ridiculous. He doesn't know her. She has no place in his life, no claim on him, no history he can remember.
And yet the sight of another man occupying her space sends a surge of heat through his veins that has nothing to do with jealousy and everything to do with instinct.
She laughs softly at something he says.
The sound tightens his grip on the folder in his hand.
He knows he shouldn't be watching. But his body refuses to move on, his attention locked on the way she tilts her head toward him, the way she doesn't pull away when he brushes her arm.
His wolf snarls.
All of it is wrong.
The man says something that makes her smile again.
That does it. He has had enough.
He moves before he thinks, crossing the floor with measured steps, every instinct screaming for proximity, for dominance, for separation.
He stops a polite distance away, posture calm and with an even voice.
"Am I interrupting?"
She stiffens.
The man turns, surprised. "Uh….no. We were just….."
"Good," he cuts in smoothly, eyes never leaving her. "I needed a word."
Her pulse jumps. He can see it in her throat.
Ethan looks between them, frowning slightly. "Is this work-related?"
"Yes," he says, without hesitation.
"Is this your boss?" he asks her lightly.
"No," she says too quickly. "Just… someone from work. My boss's fiancé actually." She looked at Edward.
She hesitates, then nods to Edward before turning back to Ethan.. "I'll catch up with you later," she tells him, apologetic.
Reluctantly, he steps away, but not before giving Edward a look. Not hostile, but curious and measuring.
He waits until he's gone.
The second they're alone, the bond tightens violently, like something recognizing proximity as permission.
"You don't bring your partner to work," he says.
The words come out colder than he intends.
Her eyes flash. "It's not something I intended to do ."
She's right, but his wolf doesn't care.
"I'm aware," he says tightly. "Still."
He opens his mouth. Nothing logical comes out.
Because his instincts are screaming.
Because every cell in his body rejects the idea of her belonging to someone else.
Her breath hitches. The honesty unsettles her more than any accusation would have.
" What do you want me to do for you Mr Drew? Miss Adams isn't here at the moment."
"Bring the files she gave you this morning. I need to see them." He says measuring her looks.
"I'm not done with them. I can bring them later." He doesn't blink. "I need them now, Miss Woods." He walks away.
She gathers the folder and stood, smoothing her skirt as if composure could be pressed back into place.
The corridor toward the executive wing felt unnaturally quiet, each step drawing her deeper into a tension she didn't fully understand.
She doesn't reach his office.
Halfway down the hall, a firm hand closed around her wrist and guided her swiftly into a recessed alcove between two glass-walled offices.
It was deliberate, controlled and someone who knew exactly where the cameras ended.
He releases her wrist but doesn't step away. The space between them was narrow enough that she could feel the heat of him.
His gaze lingered on her face, then dropped briefly to her throat, where her pulse fluttered.
His hand hovered at her waist, hesitating as if he were waging a silent war with himself.
"Was that your boyfriend?"
Her breath hitches despite her resolve. "I don't want to discuss private matters, sir." She tries to free herself of his grip.
"This is a mistake," she whispered.
"Then tell me to stop. I won't cross a line you draw," he murmured. "But don't deny what's already here."
Her eyes meet his, gold eyes under long black lashes and black brows. High cheekbones and a very enchanting lip.
She has the most urgent desire to press her lips on his. To feel and taste it again.
He is already stepping back, letting her go when it hit him.
His hand lifts slightly, fingers flexing as if remembering her shape without permission.
"Wait."
She froze.
Slowly, he turned back to her, eyes dark now, unsettled in a way power couldn't mask.
"It was you, wasn't it?" he says quietly.
Her breath catches. "What?"
"Monday," he pressed, voice low.
"That night. I didn't see your face, but I can feel it." His jaw tightens "I know it was you."
She shakes her head instinctively, denial rising faster than sense. "You're mistaken."
He steps closer again. "You smell the same," he says, almost to himself. "The bond reacts the same. And when you're near me…." His breath hitches, just once. "Nothing else exists."
She swallows hard, forcing her voice to steady. "You're engaged. And you're imagining things."
His eyes lifted to hers. "I can't imagine instinct," he says.
For a moment, it looked like he might say more, like he might tear the truth out of the air between them.
"I don't know what you think you…"
He moves to her and steps onto her space again, one hand bracing beside her shoulder, the other lifting slowly, giving her every chance to stop him. She doesn't.
His fingers brush her jaws and her knees weaken. "Say the word," he murmured, forehead hovering just shy of hers.
"And I'll walk away."
"You were mine before I ever knew your name," he said hoarsely. "And I think I lost you once."
Her heart clenched.
"I don't remember you," she admitted, the truth trembling out. "I swear I don't."
His thumb brushes her lower lip. barely a touch but it sends shock through them both. Her breath hitches and his control snapped.
He kissed her again, deeper this time.
She lets the folders fall off. She grabs him by his collar and he pushes her to the wall.
He passes his fingers into her shirt and under her skirt, her hands fist in his jacket, grinding herself against the overwhelming pull.
She moans something into his ear and he lets out an evil smile as he thrusts into her and then pulls again.
"Beg for it ." He moans.