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Chapter One

Dimitri

My den was not pleased when I moved to the city. Fresh out of high school and not nearly as smart as I thought I was, I ignored the advice of those older and wiser than me and plunged into the world of business. I learned not in college but on the job, and after a decade I couldn’t say for sure which might have worked better. A bachelor’s degree would have cost me four years but might have made it easier to advance within the company.

There was no changing that decision now, anyway. I had no interest in going back to school to get a piece of paper that said I knew what I’d worked so hard to learn. And my large, comfortable office offered proof of my hard work.

Leaving my apartment early in the morning, I took the elevator down and strolled out onto the sidewalk. Morning in this part of the country was often cool and foggy even at the height of summer, but I didn’t mind. The coffee cart just outside my building offered a warming cup of rich brew that I could sip as I walked the eight blocks to work.

It had been a hard road to get here, but worth every meal that consisted of ramen or beans and rice to achieve my career goals. Sure, it was a little lonely to spend the long hours day after day, leaving little time for visiting home or even socializing with the few bears I knew in the area. And none for putting myself out there to possibly find my fated mate, but that would happen eventually.

This particular day, I finished my latte and tossed the paper cup in a trash barrel before using the revolving door to enter the office building that was more my home than my apartment was. The lobby seemed unusually crowded, with more people goingout than in. Odd at this time of day, but I’d learned never to ask questions if the answer might be upsetting.

The economy had been bad in recent weeks, and some of the firms in the building had been making the hard choices of downsizing their staff sizes. Fortunately, our ownership had put out a memo just the day before stating that we would bestaying the coursethrough this temporary situation, urging employees not to look elsewhere because they would not find a more secure working environment.

I’d been concerned, I would admit, before the memo, especially because my hire date had arrived, and I had an appointment with my supervisor this morning. I pushed the button for the elevator and waited while the lights moved slowly as the lift made its downward journey. Also not a good sign because people should be going up and not down. Those poor bastards. Some carried the contents of their desk or cubicle in their arms. Or in a box..

One of the nice things about our firm were the annual bonuses I’d gotten every year I worked for them. I planned to use this year’s for a vacation somewhere exotic, depending on how much I got. Might be Tahiti; might be Las Vegas. After consistently positive feedback on my performance, it should be good, but the economy might trim it back a bit.

I was prepared to be gracious, no matter the amount I received. The company had my loyalty, and I’d proven that over and over, when things were going well or badly. I entered the elevator, accompanied by a dozen or so others from the multiple floors above us. Everyone faced forward in true lift manners while I wondered who among them might be going to find out they didn’t have a job anymore.

A frisson of unease crept up my spine, likely from sour scent of nerves emanating from some of the others around me. So unfair that decisions made in the stock market and at other highlevels affected average people who showed up every day and did their best in their employment. I wasn’t the only shifter in the building, but we were by far in the minority and few humans even realized we were there. Not all believed in shifters and other magical beings at all.

The door opened on my floor, and I exited and started down the hall, only to be stopped by the receptionist, Bonnie. “Dimitri, Mr. Stiph would like you to come right in.”

“But my appointment isn’t until ten.” And I’d never seen my supervisor change a scheduled meeting. “I’ll just drop off my things in my office first.”

She gave a tiny shake of her head. “I think you’d better go straight there. He’s waiting for you.”

My workday did not start until nine, and a glance at my watch confirmed I’d arrived fifteen minutes before that, as always. So why would he be waiting. Bonnie’s serious face did not encourage any more questions, so I just made a U-turn and headed down the hall to the executive suites, the bounce in my steps quelled. This couldn’t just be about my review. Was there something going on in our company?

I was definitely worried, but not for myself. One of my coworkers had been missing more time than he should and another was still on probation. A third was considering not coming back from paternity leave at all. Mr. Stiph, Carl, often confided in me about plans he was working on, treating me as his second in command, although I technically did not hold that position.

“Carl?” I rapped on the office door. “You wanted to see me?”

I expected him to call for me to come in, but instead the door opened, and it didn’t take more than one swift glance to know things were going south rapidly. For him, for sure. A cardboard box on his desk brimmed with the items he’d used to make his office homey. The giant pothos plant that had hung down fromhis top shelf, pictures of his wife and sons, a vase someone made for him. “Dimitri, come and sit a minute. We need to talk.”

“Okay.” I lifted a stack of manuals off the guest chair and set it on the floor. I felt like I should say something more, ask questions, but what would they be?Did you get fired?Better to sit quietly and create a space of silence he would no doubt fill soon enough. I set my laptop bag on the floor next to the chair and laced my fingers in my lap.

A long moment later, Carl rounded his desk and sat in the high-backed leather chair behind it. He patted the armrest. “I need to figure out how to get this home with me. The one that was here when I took the position gave me a lower back ache.”

More quiet.

Looked like we’d be here for a long time if I didn’t get things moving. “Carl, are you leaving the company?” It sounded dumb the minute it came out. I could have gone with,What’s going on?

But he didn’t call me out on it. As soon as he sat down, the businesslike expression he wore most of the time sagged into lines of misery. “I am, you are, our whole department is leaving.”

“B-but why?” Images of all the people exiting the building flooded my brain. I hadn’t recognized anyone from our department or our company—at least nobody I knew. We had a few hundred people on this floor alone, and the firm occupied three levels. “I don’t understand.” I was supposed to be getting a glowing review and a bonus today.

“Not that they shared the details with me, but I managed to drag some information from the home office drone who told me today is our last day. Apparently, we are not immune from the economic issues, after all.”

The whole department. Home office was absorbing us, or at least our workload, likely overburdening the staff there, and not one of us was being kept on. The only good thing was theseverance package provided, which would buy me a few months to make decisions.

Also, he had a box for me to use. The presence of the boxes indicated he knew something before he arrived at the office this morning, but I chose not to ask anything else. Maybe he got a call on the way in and stopped by the supermarket. Or perhaps he’d been working on getting us the best deal for a while.

In any case, my boss had been good to me, and he had a lot more years invested than me. I took the box, signed some paperwork indicating that my money had been automatically deposited in my bank account and that my insurance would continue for three months at no cost to me.

As a shifter I generally went to a healer anyway, which was not covered, but I appreciated the effort I had a feeling he’d put in to make these things happen. We shook hands, I went to my office, filled the box, took the elevator down, and exited the lobby with all the others who also would never return.