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I headed out and ran into a couple of the agents who were talking in the hallway. “Afternoon, Katie. Are you heading home for the evening?”

I nodded. “I am.”

“Is Henrik not with you?”

I softly smiled. After a couple of days, everyone realized that Henrik had been coming with me, but no one made a fuss about it. If anything, they seemed to be a little relieved about it.

“Do you need someone to take you home?”

“No,” I shook my head. “I’m fine going home by myself. And besides, it's a drive for the rest of you.”

“Are you sure? One of us can make sure you get home.”

I shook my head. “I’ll be okay. But thanks for the offer.”

I gave them a wave and made my way out. I parked a few blocks away from the lab, mostly so I could soak up some sun in the morning and in the afternoon. I took a deep breath and allowed the sun to shine on me.

I was just getting near my car when I heard a voice I knew.

“Jesus, so you honestly think you deserve this job? I mean, look at yourself. You couldn’t even dress for the role.”

I froze and looked towards the voice. I was Henrik’s ex, Ashley, whom we ran into at the restaurant, standing with her arms crossed in front of someone. I wasn’t entirely sure who it was until I squinted and realized it was Nina. I hadn’t really gotten to know Nina well, but Sam talked about her all the time. She had pictures of her hanging in her house and from what I’d been told, Nina was a sweet girl. She was shy and had a hard time making friends.

She stood uncomfortable and pale. Her long black hair was pulled back in a ponytail that fell over her shoulder. Her dark eyes looked confused and terrified. She stood like a statue, pale as a ghost.

“Honestly, look at yourself and look at me. Who do you think they are going to pick? A frail human or a stunning shifter? This job is as good as mine, so you might as well take your applicant back.”

I felt my body heat up with anger. I don’t know what came over because I wasn’t the type to step in. But I knew I couldn’t just walk away when I knew how important she was to Sam. She was Sam’s friend and therefore mine as well. She just didn’t know it yet.

“I am just as qualified for the role as you are,” Nina said in a shaking voice. “And they will pick who’s best.”

Ashley stepped closer to Nina, cornering her against the wall. “You know that’s not true,” Ashley growled, reaching a hand up grabbing her shirt. “You’re a pathetic human and you don’t stand a chance against me.”

My hands curled into fists, and I was storming across the space towards them. I could feel the anger taking hold as I grabbed Ashley by her hair and yanked her back. Ashley was stunned as she stumbled backwards, crashing into the ground.

Nina’s eyes widened as she realized what had happened, and Ashley looked at me, disgusted. “Did you just yank my hair?”

“How about you pick on someone your own size for once?” I was utterly terrified, but was so angry at the same time. I was so tired of shifters thinking they were better than humans. So tired of people thinking they could just walk all over others.

“How dare you?” Ashley said, pulling herself up. “Do you even realize who I am!?”

“Oh, I’m aware of who you are. You’re a two-faced person who thinks she can walk all over people.”

Ashley’s mouth hung open.

“And I’m getting really sick and tired of shifters walking over humans. You are not superior because you can shift. Humans are just as important as you are. We are just as smart, beautiful, and strong as you can be.”

I didn’t know what came over me, but I was fully prepared to win.

Chapter 16 - Henrik

I rubbed my eyes as I headed to my car, which I parked just a block away from where the guys wanted to meet. I had only a little sandwich before I saw them, which did little to calm the hunger. I was starving and exhausted at this point. I felt a headache starting to form, and I couldn’t wait to get home and see Katie and get some sleep.

We had been spending so much time at the lab that we’d hardly been getting good sleep. We were either working or sleeping. That is what our life turned into.

I unlocked my car and hopped inside. I turned the car on and looked to the right, and paused. I spotted Katie standing across the street with Nina and Ashley. It was an odd pair of people to be together. Surely, I was seeing things wrong. I couldn’t imagine a single circumstance in which those three would be together.

I rubbed my eyes and squinted at them. I scowled, seeing Katie looked like she was angry. She had her hands curled into tight fists and stood in front of Nina, who looked like a frozen statue.